It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Whats wrong with weakened teams Stan - especially if you're talking about the likes of Arsenal and chels?

At least these two get through.

The real anger should imo be directed at the mid prem teams whose only realistic chance at a trophy is the one many choose to spurn !!!!

It's wrong because it devalues the competition, that's why clubs were rightly fined.

In the first round that all the Premier teams entered each team made an average of over 8 changes to the team that had started the previous weekend.

Even the championship clubs do it these days.

As long as the players are registered I can't see what can be done about it.

Make the fine a hefty one it's as simple as that.

Carroll should have been off for this alone IMHO

Approach for Dyche imminent
Lyndon Lloyd | Tuesday, 31 October 2017 0 Comment [Jump to last]
Sky Sports claim from their 'sources' that Everton are seriously interested in talking to Sean Dyche about the vacant manager's position at Goodison Park.
The Burnley boss has been among the favourites to replace Ronald Koeman since the Dutchman was sacked last week and has seen the odds on him becoming the new man at the Everton helm shorten since the Blues' defeat at Leicester on Sunday.


Aye they can approach him, no guarantee he will even consider what's increasingly looking like a poisoned chalice despite bookies odds and paper talk. :0) No doubt Everton have some quality players but the balance of the team is poor and that's an understatement. My heart would like to give Unsworth until at least Xmas, but my head says Allardyce to avoid relegation. Thanks Ronald :0(

How about Larry CC 😉http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41826412

Back to winning ways and back into an automatic promotion spot after last nights 3-1 over Ipswich.

Next up are 4th placed Bristol City away in the Severnside derby Saturday and around 3000 tickets already sold for away end.

BC on the up so it's 3pts to the English I say 😋

Mission Creep – From Top Six to Forty Points
DAVE WRAGGS 31/10/2017 19 COMMENTS [Jump to last]

Less than eighteen months into what was widely regarded as being a three-year ‘project’, the man responsible for Everton’s ‘bright new dawn’ on the field has departed, much to the relief of the clear majority of Evertonians.

I for one was never totally convinced by Ronald Koeman, partly due to the fact that I have several mates who are Southampton fans, (who incidentally, were more irked by the manner of his departure than by his departure per se), and partly because I disliked his arrogance and couldn’t fathom where his inflated self-confidence came from.

An average managerial career has seen him lift just the Copa Del Rey and the Portuguese Charity Shield for teams outside of the Netherlands and on that basis, expecting him to be the catalyst for the anticipated improvements was perhaps a touch romantic. Undoubtedly one of the best defenders of his generation, Koeman serves as walking proof that on-field footballing ability doesn’t necessarily cross the whitewash into the dugout.

His infuriating insistence on referring to the Blues as ‘Everton’ and not ‘we’ served as ongoing confirmation that his tenure was only temporary and did little to endear him to our fanbase, but his increasing tetchiness in his final interviews gave an insight into the pressure starting to tell.

The appointment of David Unsworth in his second stint in the caretaker role was met with the general approval of our fans, but just two games into Unsworth’s stewardship and the enormity of the challenge facing the club is becoming ever-clearer. The new-manager impetus that many hoped for and some expected, has thus far failed to materialise and the alarming sparsity of our squad has become even more apparent, with prospects and kids being expected to perform the roles of the seasoned pro’s who have collectively failed to perform and Unsworth’s own managerial naivety has served to exacerbate an increasingly desperate situation.

Unsworth's decision to go away to Leicester and go toe-to-toe, against a team that recently won the Premier League by executing the counter-attack game to perfection, was a poor one, as he recognised himself by withdrawing two wide players when 0-2 down half time, in an evident attempt to make the team more compact.

Unsworth’s teams have, to me, smacked more of a manager wishing to make a statement on the status quo as opposed to changing it for the better. The inclusion of the younger and home-grown members of the squad at the expense of their more experienced teammates is more than a hint of pandering and a is big, metaphorical two fingers at the previous regime and the omission of Nicola Vlasic from the Leicester squad has got the conspiracy theorists on overtime.

Jonjoe Kenny has seemingly snatched the right back berth from the much-maligned Cuco Martina, yet Koeman’s early preference to playing the Curacao international seems to me to becoming increasingly justified with Kenny looking like a great prospect but some way from being the finished article.

What then of Tom Davies, the blue-eyed boy that can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of our fans? Here to me, is a player that is cut an amount of slack that Ross Barkley can only dream about. A young man with a fantastic, if not particularly quick engine, but with a lightweight frame, positional ill-discipline and bang average distribution that do not suggest he is anything like the long-term solution to our current midfield woes. Call that a lack of form, or call it something deeper – either way he is not currently the answer and based on what I’ve seen for the past 12 months or so, will likely never be.

Dominic Calvert Lewin and Beni Baningime are also good prospects, but they should be honing their games in the relatively meaningless world of the Premier League 2 and shouldn’t be exposed to the cut and thrust of a Premier League relegation battle.

We’ve also been hugely let down by some of the more experienced players; Gylfi Sigurdsson has been anonymous and the biggest single disappointment for me, and Morgan Schneiderlin is a shadow of the player he was last season. Ashley Williams has been, well, Ashley Williams, and old Father Time is sitting heavy on the shoulders of Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka. Wayne Rooney drags us out of shape with his constant dropping deep for the ball and his frequent misplaced passes are hugely frustrating.

Responsibility for the club’s current plight should be shared. Koeman’s failings are well documented and our Director of Football, Steve Walsh, who seems to operate with the luxury of an undefined role, doesn’t emerge with any credit. Collectively though, it is the Board who must take responsibility. It is they who make managerial appointments. It is they who sanction the incoming and outgoing transfer dealings. It is they who gave the thumbs up to the sale of Lukaku and the release of Kone and Valencia (neither of whom are ‘the answer’, but both are experienced forwards), it is the Board that failed to secure the services of anything resembling a replacement and it is the Board who are duty-bound to see that the club’s best interests are being served at all times.

The darkest winter months could well define the club’s future, and the unthinkable, but now distinctly possible threat of relegation, would surely scupper the dream that we have all been sold over the past eighteen months or so, and for this reason a level of leadership previously unseen at the club is now an absolute necessity.

The appointment of our next Manager will not only define the immediate future, but will also map our direction over the next few seasons and herein lies a problem.

Names such as Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti have been thrown into the hat, but both of those have a very high stock and there remains the distinct possibility that neither would feel the need to join a club sliding towards a relegation trap door, choosing instead to bide their time and take a job with a club that is challenging for honours. Whether we can attract a higher-profile Manager will perhaps depend on the selling abilities of Messrs Moshiri and Kenwright and will give the latter the opportunity to prove his notion that ‘No one can sell the club better than me’.

The more likely appointment for me, is one of either Sean Dyche or Sam Allardyce, both of whom are known for their sound organisational capabilities, but neither for playing the expansive attacking game so yearned for by the Goodison faithful. The sad reality is that consideration of playing style is not currently an option and the poor management of transfer policy over the past twelve months or so has forced us into a position where that forty-point target must be the sole short-term aim and the decision as to which new Manager is most likely to achieve this, has become the panacea of our short-term future.

It is often said that our off-field leadership leaves a lot to be desired, but now, more than ever, that leadership needs to show a level of decisiveness that has previously been conspicuous in its absence. This one’s yours, Farhad. Our future depends on it.



His infuriating insistence on referring to the Blues as ‘Everton’ and not ‘we’ served as ongoing confirmation that his tenure was only temporary and did little to endear him to our fanbase, but his increasing tetchiness in his final interviews gave an insight into the pressure starting to tell.

The appointment of David Unsworth in his second stint in the caretaker role was met with the general approval of our fans, but just two games into Unsworth’s stewardship and the enormity of the challenge facing the club is becoming ever-clearer. The new-manager impetus that many hoped for and some expected, has thus far failed to materialise and the alarming sparsity of our squad has become even more apparent, with prospects and kids being expected to perform the roles of the seasoned pro’s who have collectively failed to perform and Unsworth’s own managerial naivety has served to exacerbate an increasingly desperate situation.

Unsworth's decision to go away to Leicester and go toe-to-toe, against a team that recently won the Premier League by executing the counter-attack game to perfection, was a poor one, as he recognised himself by withdrawing two wide players when 0-2 down half time, in an evident attempt to make the team more compact.

Unsworth’s teams have, to me, smacked more of a manager wishing to make a statement on the status quo as opposed to changing it for the better. The inclusion of the younger and home-grown members of the squad at the expense of their more experienced teammates is more than a hint of pandering and a is big, metaphorical two fingers at the previous regime and the omission of Nicola Vlasic from the Leicester squad has got the conspiracy theorists on overtime.

Jonjoe Kenny has seemingly snatched the right back berth from the much-maligned Cuco Martina, yet Koeman’s early preference to playing the Curacao international seems to me to becoming increasingly justified with Kenny looking like a great prospect but some way from being the finished article.

What then of Tom Davies, the blue-eyed boy that can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of our fans? Here to me, is a player that is cut an amount of slack that Ross Barkley can only dream about. A young man with a fantastic, if not particularly quick engine, but with a lightweight frame, positional ill-discipline and bang average distribution that do not suggest he is anything like the long-term solution to our current midfield woes. Call that a lack of form, or call it something deeper – either way he is not currently the answer and based on what I’ve seen for the past 12 months or so, will likely never be.

Dominic Calvert Lewin and Beni Baningime are also good prospects, but they should be honing their games in the relatively meaningless world of the Premier League 2 and shouldn’t be exposed to the cut and thrust of a Premier League relegation battle.

We’ve also been hugely let down by some of the more experienced players; Gylfi Sigurdsson has been anonymous and the biggest single disappointment for me, and Morgan Schneiderlin is a shadow of the player he was last season. Ashley Williams has been, well, Ashley Williams, and old Father Time is sitting heavy on the shoulders of Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka. Wayne Rooney drags us out of shape with his constant dropping deep for the ball and his frequent misplaced passes are hugely frustrating.

Responsibility for the club’s current plight should be shared. Koeman’s failings are well documented and our Director of Football, Steve Walsh, who seems to operate with the luxury of an undefined role, doesn’t emerge with any credit. Collectively though, it is the Board who must take responsibility. It is they who make managerial appointments. It is they who sanction the incoming and outgoing transfer dealings. It is they who gave the thumbs up to the sale of Lukaku and the release of Kone and Valencia (neither of whom are ‘the answer’, but both are experienced forwards), it is the Board that failed to secure the services of anything resembling a replacement and it is the Board who are duty-bound to see that the club’s best interests are being served at all times.

The darkest winter months could well define the club’s future, and the unthinkable, but now distinctly possible threat of relegation, would surely scupper the dream that we have all been sold over the past eighteen months or so, and for this reason a level of leadership previously unseen at the club is now an absolute necessity.

The appointment of our next Manager will not only define the immediate future, but will also map our direction over the next few seasons and herein lies a problem.

Names such as Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti have been thrown into the hat, but both of those have a very high stock and there remains the distinct possibility that neither would feel the need to join a club sliding towards a relegation trap door, choosing instead to bide their time and take a job with a club that is challenging for honours. Whether we can attract a higher-profile Manager will perhaps depend on the selling abilities of Messrs Moshiri and Kenwright and will give the latter the opportunity to prove his notion that ‘No one can sell the club better than me’.

The more likely appointment for me, is one of either Sean Dyche or Sam Allardyce, both of whom are known for their sound organisational capabilities, but neither for playing the expansive attacking game so yearned for by the Goodison faithful. The sad reality is that consideration of playing style is not currently an option and the poor management of transfer policy over the past twelve months or so has forced us into a position where that forty-point target must be the sole short-term aim and the decision as to which new Manager is most likely to achieve this, has become the panacea of our short-term future.

It is often said that our off-field leadership leaves a lot to be desired, but now, more than ever, that leadership needs to show a level of decisiveness that has previously been conspicuous in its absence. This one’s yours, Farhad. Our future depends on it.
Reader Comments

I never liked or wanted Koeman either, Dave. Many felt the same.
There is no easy answer to this. One of the biggest problems left in Koeman's wake is the total deflation of team spirit and belief. This is one of the most vital elements to repair, I believe. Without it, all else fails.

A month under Unsworth could go a long way to repairing this. Simple, positive coaching of the basics, without bad feeling and a grumpy bastard around. I tend to think the upheaval of a new manager right now gives no advantage over what Unsworth can achieve in the coming weeks.

We don't need to panic yet, and make a wrong or compromised choice. Anyone but Bungy would be on a contract of some duration, and that would need to be the most suitable candidate possible. Otherwise, we perhaps constrict ourselves further.

We can turn to Fireman Sam only if we absolutely have to. Maybe they could meet him in a pub and slip the dosh under the table, for that authentic "Feel".


32 points from 28 games - a tall oder indeed. By my reckoning given our start we will get to 30 if we carry on playing as we are now. 10 wins 2 draws and 16 defeats would get us there. The first win has to be over Palace as I cannot see us getting more than a draw v Watford and thats me being optimistic ! I can see Cleverley even now scoring at the Gwladys St End. We have to start getting clean sheets and given our current ctop of defenders thats going to be difficult, We need to play 2 banks of four, with two quickies up top, Lookman / Vlasic / Niasse / DCL. The players have got to show the stomach for a fight. Given the expereinces at Analfield and the Emirates over the past few seasons do they have fight in them ? There has certainly been a lack of fight and pride over the past 2/3 seasons, so it is a real concern for me.
I very much doubt we will get a name manager but that it will likely be Dyche or god forbid Allardyce. If Kenwright goes for Moyes I will be finished with EFC until BK leaves.

Get an experienced guy in soonest and given the options and rumours it looks like Dyche - so do it before Watford - PLEASE.

Another weekend before break for Internationals.

Citeh playing akin to Barca in 2011. The best club team I had the privilege to see at the Camp Nou.

Almost a defining weekend with Man C v Arsenal and Chelsea v Man U.

I will be at the WHU Liverpool kick about.

Refs hate us. :)

Stan.

Through my my Claret and Blue bins that looks like you lad is has jumped into AC. :)

Out numbered 2 to 1 also.

Refs Hate Us.

I'm also having a dabble myself today CD and hope for a continuation of the "not loosing" form.

David Moyes.

His going to need some luck along the way.

David Moyes luck?.. who's your manager then CD 🙂

He is the manager now. My point is that he will require a little bit of good fortune in the first few weeks.

He certainly has to sort the defence out quick from what I saw in the last 30 mins on Sat.

It'll be a bloody miracle if England win against Germany and Brazil with all the injuries !.....what's left of the squad will have to be in tip-top form to get results against two of the strongest teams in the world.....what always amazes me is the ability the Brazilians have to come to Europe and perform without all the fuss that we have if ever the three lions manage to tour south America !....apart from the world cup...when was the last time England went there ?......decades ago I think....John Barnes goal springs to mind at the maracana !.....our problem is the midfield area where there is a big lack of imagination ...creativity....and the ability to get back in defensive mode seconds after losing the ball....anyway.....best of luck England !....

Burnley player called up to the England squad https://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/2017/november/cork-rewarded-with-england-call-/

Hope he's better than the one we got in the Welsh squad.