Stottie

One shot on target all game, 60 minutes of which they were behind. We had two.

Fantastic from Trippier! Why wasn't the foul a booking? Hope Manq is okay.

I know he's not been playing recently, but I'm pleased they're not starting Ings. He seems to do well against us.

I expect all the teams at the bottom to start picking up points as their motivation exceeds that of teams comfortable in midtable, but we're still the best placed. We have the best players, probably the best manager, and by far the best form. The three new defenders mean our defensive record so far, which includes things like Woodman conceding twelve in four games under Bruce, doesn't tell us very much. We've conceded just three in the past four games. Just the "fail to score" stat, but we are 23%, miles ahead of Norwich 62%, Watford 52% and Burnley 45%. They are not going to pick up wins without massive improvement there. Norwich didn't buy a striker in January and Burnley merely replaced the one we poached off them.

Trex arms nearly lobbed there. Lucky boy.

As they train together, Wood will tune into what ASM does and learn to anticipate it more. In fairness to him, he made the same run as Fraser and was right next to him when he scored.

Any risk and we should sit him out. I would say it ups the pressure to play Bruno in midfield, because we'll need someone to play through instead. With both new fullbacks out for this game, some expectations management might be wise.

Yeah, and QPR bought all those players in January and still went down. Unfortunately this precedent ignores the fact that they brought in players like the comically finished Bosingwa and not Kieran Trippier fresh from starting for the La Liga champions. On the topic of big name fullbacks at bottom three clubs, I also remember Wayne Bridge as an absolute disaster on loan at West Ham. They got relegated despite Demba Ba knocking in goals for them. Them going down was reason we got him.

Epic that Allan was in his face trying to wind him up before the free kick and he still puts it in the bottom corner. That's what winners do.

Maybe he's only a 6 out of 10 striker, but his presence in the team saves us playing ASM there. Instead we can play him out wide where he is a 9 out of 10, a clear match winner. There'll be games to come where we'll need more from Wood, but that was enough for someone still settling in.

Down from three to two for me. We're now ahead on points, greatly improving on the pitch, and are smashing the teams around us in the form table, even going back 10 or 12 games. The team that strengthened in January, with two world class players, two solid PL defenders (one a player of the season), and a useful bottom half striker poached from a relegation rival is us, not them. Just to focus on the bane of the season, but we gave Everton zero opportunities after they scored, never mind once we were ahead. There was no risk of those points being lost. The only downsides are the injury to Wilson and any potential ones to key players who I'll not mention.

Great comments everyone. There is little to add, but I'll just remind everyone that Everton won their last game 4-1 against Premier League opposition. Four goals off five attempts on target says the score flattered them, but a 4-1 is still a 4-1. By hitting them with a strong high press basically straight from the kickoff and forcing them into losing possession in their own half several times, I think we destroyed any confidence they may have gained from that cup win. We won the game in the second half, but the first half set it up. The other point I'll make is that we still only had 40% of possession, i.e., 40% of the passes hit were by us. That was a very comfortable win, so that stat is completely irrelevant. Passes between CHs will click click the possession number, while ASM running rings round people on route to goal will not. We all know which of those we'd like to watch.

I'm a bit skeptical about the kind of team building organizations like corporations are famous for, I'm sure many of you will have endured them in one form or another, but whatever Eddie Howe is doing, it is clearly working. The fitness and application of the players is better. Their performances have improved. I put this down to the attention to detail and hard work with which Howe and his staff are applying the methods. Brucey would take the lads off to Portugal etc for the same "team bonding", but it would be an amateur-hour jolly and have no effect on on-field performance. Most of them would look knackered an hour into every game. Not starting Bruno seemed like a deliberate move, a vote of confidence in the other lads, and was clearly vindicated by the result. They did more than enough to beat the Everton we faced. Bruno's time will come.

An overall lack of quality that befits teams in the bottom 5, but not too bad. We reacted well to going behind and scored the training ground set piece goal that has looked likely for some games now. Targett looking good so far. No linkup between Wood and ASM or Fraser continuing to be a problem. Lots of good pressing up the pitch and has forced them into making the most errors. We've also had the best of the few chances, and like Leeds at HT last time, this game looks like its there to be won.

It's too early to judge Wood, but it looks like there's a bigger role for Gayle and Eddie's going to have to get a tune out of him. If the signings click, we'll be keeping the ball much more, playing further up the field, and playing to feet, so that should create better chances. Gayle scored two as a sub in the last preseason friendly against Norwich, and came close against Burnley in the league cup. He seems to be moving okay in that game, the highlights are on the club's Youtube, so I don't see a completely lost cause there. If nothing else, he's bound to be fitter now than he was with four days off a week under Bruce. Its far from ideal, but the clubs we have to finish above aren't ram packed with striking talent either.

I hope he knows some free agent strikers.

Thanks. That saves me watching them. I was curious after seeing they scored four off five attempts on target.

I was well up for us signing him right up to the "Etikite fee agreed" reports, with another revival after the Etikite deal collapsed.We have ended up an attacker light. The way the Lingard deal ended though, I think Chris Waugh is probably correct in that we were right to not sign him on the terms offered, because going forward, the new regime need to establish themselves as competent transfer negotiators and not a soft touch who'll overpay for everyone.

Rangnick told Lingard he could go in the morning yesterday after the Greenwood story broke, so the board have undermined him. They've left him with a player he doesn't want who'll keep receiving the Man U dollar and walk on a free in five months time. I don't know what our preference was, but presumably Lingard could have joined us on a permanent deal if he wanted to prioritize getting a deal done and game time. So he's not completely free of responsibility. To complete the plague on all houses, our lot took it to the brink but didn't reel him in. That was a lot of effort ultimately wasted on a failed transfer, and leaves a hole in the squad.

Off the lowest average possession though. Its hard to score goals when the other team is passing the ball. Bournemouth under Howe were consistently 12th or so at keeping the ball, with only a slight drop off the season they went down. Burn, Targett, Trippier and Bruno should help us keep it much longer. At least three of them also hit more progressive passes (passes that advance the ball) than the players they're replacing (Bruno>Hayden/Longstaff, Burn>Lascelles/Schar, and Trippier>Manq/Krafth). Targett mightn't if its Ritchie, because distribution is all he's good at. He'll just massively upgrade all the defensive stuff instead. With the ball coming more at him, we'll see what Wood can do.

I hit near zero on the initial reports of Ekitite on his way and Lingard still sounding possible, but back up to three with neither coming. I understand the fear, but we've still strengthened, probably the most in the league, and the other three teams have hardly bought anyone. A pity also that the first team we'll face now have VDB and Alli, because they were looking very weak too.

7.5 probably. For a new transfer team, they did brilliantly, so ferk it, let's give them 8. Lingard, and it would have been close to 10, mostly for Lingard's ability but also for having second threat to draw shifts and doubling up away from ASM. The main fear is that injury to ASM or Wood leaves us exposed. From the last eight games actually played, us 9 points, Norwich 6, Burnley 5, Watford 1. On top of that, we're the one who got five new players, two of them world class. If Burnley's new striker bangs in a dozen, then yeah we may go down. Rafa racked up the points but we still went down because the Mackems did too. Muto and Joelinton also scored goals in the Bundesliga, so I do not fear this new Burnley blerk myself. For us, Bruno, Burn, Targett, and Trippier should give us far more possession, and the job now is to turn that into the right service for Wood. I'd be tempted to try Ritchie back at RW just for his crossing ability. Trippier gets up and down, so we could work it on that side with overloads and triangles, not pace and trickery.

This is getting tiresome, but it's going to happen isn't it. West Ham are a point behind Man U and have easier remaining fixtures. Man U were below them five-six matches ago. They are competing for the fourth CL place with Chelsea nine points ahead in third. Man U would have to be mental to give West Ham a leg up.

Have they got any money? I know there was Digne but they bought two fullbacks for Rafa.

Get it done! I'd sell Almiron for a cut price to any taker if the folks upstairs have set a budget. LIngard is proven PL quality, which Ekitite though young and exciting is not.