Lush Vlad

Looks more like a team that have just secured a place in Europe or got to the semi finals of a cup. Not a team who have just managed their first win in 14

His work rate and attitude, man. You can’t not like him. His chant is also class.

Hazy Jane Guava, Vocation Heart & Soul, Hawkshead Session IPA. Oh and maybe some tequila, with orange instead of the lemon.

We were pretty bad for the most part. Lascelles was superb after a shaky start. Lewis solid again. Shelvey and Joelinton have just carried on their form under Howe. Class yet again. Imagine watching Burnley every week. Just diving, timewasting (the same as us, mind), big punts up the pitch, shithouse behaviour and just nothing to get excited about. They are so hard to play against, though and don’t think that can be understated. They managed to draw at Chelsea playing like that. All that said, they were arguably the better side over 90 minutes and I’ll take a scrappy win.

Well personally I yearn for a flat back 5, the whole team deep and standing off, bar Wilson and ASM, if we’re lucky, 20% possession. Only to lose or draw, anyway.

People have short memories if they think the last 3 games are as bad as what Bruce and Jones served up. Fuck me.

The main problem with Lascelles, for me. Isn’t his ball watching, his dithering or his panicked style when in possession. It’s that he’s not even physical anymore. Couldn’t even put Saka on the weights and got bullied and given the runaround by Toney. I’m sure he used to bully strikers when they backed in, he was a beast in the air and was getting stuck into meaty 50/50’s and coming out on top. Apart from his crowd pleasing slide tackles, that don’t really achieve anything. I feel like he’s gone to shit as a defender. Even his leadership seems to have gone. Doesn’t have a presence about him like before and seems almost timid at times. Hope he gets his mojo backed. Used to love watching him.

Be disappointed, but would still be behind the manager and the team. I think it would be totally undeserved on recent form. Actually, performances that goes back quite a while. I think I said on here that Benitez used to have me scratching my head with team selection. Often left some of my preferred players out. But it often worked, so what do I know.

I always rated him. Been hit and miss and also injured a bit for them, I think. Was class against us, although that’s not saying much against our midfield. He’s currently giving Fred a run for his money. What’s the count on the amount of times they’ve given it away? 6-6?!

Nowt wrong with that goal. De Gea going down like he’s had his foot blown off by a landmine. Someone treading on your foot does not result in you collapsing and rolling about on the floor like that. Embarrassing from him.

He regularly goes down when back to goal and trying to shield the ball. I think some of them are fouls. But he very rarely gets them and a lot of the time, it seems like he hits the deck a bit too easily. See Kane for basically all of the Euros. Then the ref in the final was having none of it. He has been very isolated for most the season. Even in 2 of the 3 games since Howe arrived. Due to playing Arsenal and then 10 men for pretty much a whole game. So that has hardly helped.

I don’t particularly agree with many of them. But those were the ones that massively stood out. I don’t even think this current Arsenal team are great by their high standards. But certainly a fair bit better than Everton’s.

So basically in some strange Everton and Arsenal combined XI (why not, they’re all the rage these days). You’d only have about 3-4 Arsenal players and the bench would be made up of mostly Everton players and all? Wow Coleman better than Tomiyasu? Maybe 5-6 years ago, aye. Keane better than White? Partey not as good as Allan? Shite like Lacazette and Martinelli

Went off Everton a bit after it seemed like they suddenly had a massive hatred of us. I noticed it all over Twitter when Allardyce was there. Really don’t get why?! As for their fans and stereotypes. I do kind of get why they might be a bit more bitter and impatient compared to your average fan base. Imagine playing across the park from your rivals who have been miles ahead of you for years and years and who you rarely seem to beat. It does seem like their ground gets toxic quite quickly, but you could say that about SJP, at times and can’t say I’ve measured it in comparison to other grounds. The away end at Brentford was mental, mind. Been in similar’ish situations. I’d say the closest to that at a game was Wigan away on Boxing Day under Allardyce. But that was still nowhere near as aggressive and extreme.

I'm taking to positives out of the sending off. It meant Fernandez had to play and he's come in, been superb and has meant Howe even commented on how well he has played, after the game. Short term loss, of probably 2 points, for a long term gain of Fede being back in the team. Of course all of this could go out of the window if he is back down to the bench again on Saturday

Agree with not being confident with him on pens. I thought he missed a good few at Bournemouth, for some reason. But they said on comms he had scored 9 of his last 10 and was 4/4 for us, so now 5/5. He looked really nervous taking it last night. Can't really blame him, mind. That was huge. Must have felt like our whole season on one kick. I love him. He puts himself about, he makes intelligent runs, he is better back to goal than I gave him credit for, as well as being a bit quicker than I expected. Plus he scores a high percentage of the chances we create for him. I just wish he would learn to buy free kicks a bit better, if he is going to keep trying that flop when defenders are leaning on him. He isn't shy of a physical battle and I admire his graft when he is often isolated up there on his own. But he is never convincing when going over.

Tend to agree about the midfield two. But at the same time. I don’t really get the clamour to replace Willock with Longstaff, Hayden or Hendrick. It would be great if the latter could show improvement under Howe, as some other players have. He certainly needs too. But the others don’t look up to much. In their cameos under Howe/Tindall so far, it’s easy to see why they’re not starting.

Would like to see Almiron in the 10, with Joelinton going back out wide. However, at the same time, I’d like to see Fraser a bit further forward when we have a chance of getting on the ball more and we’re at home. Not seen much of Fraser as an attacking force under Howe. But in the few chances he has got. I have been impressed. We’ve played a different formation and juggled players and positions about a bit so far. I know Norwich were utter shite and it is hard to judge 10 v 11. But for the players we have. It feels like the 4-2-3-1 is the way we go. Mainly using the players from last night after Clark was sent off.

Really? Bit surprised by that. As all I heard the last couple is how we need to be behind the team and manager regardless. As we’ve been crap for long enough and need to show some patience. About as fickle as a good few of the posters on here then

It’s going to sound like I’m just using hindsight and I get absence makes the heart grow fonder when players are out the team. But that first paragraph, you genuinely think that? Fernandez has been our best centre back for a while and was a rare bright spot under Bruce’s lardy tenure. He was a steal for what we paid and whilst not the most mobile. His reading of the game and ability on the ball are far better than Clark’s. Loads of fans and plenty on here have been questioning why he is not starting.

8 or a 9. At this rate. We’ll be about 9-12 points off safety at best come January and getting any players in (assuming decent ones would risk coming here) will be too late.

I feel like that might be a tad early to come to those conclusions. If he automatically brings Ritchie and Lascelles back into the team. Then I think I’d agree with you. All that said, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be behind him. Rafa regularly left out some of the players I liked and IMO made baffling selections at times. But if it starts to get results, then it won’t be seen as such an issue.

I did think that when he came off. Thought he was just being a typical sulky fucker as he was subbed off. I do love how fans opinions on players is basically “absolute shite” or “the best defender/midfielder/striker we’ve had since X”

Fede Le Grand. An absolute colossus tonight. Get him in that starting XI FFS!

I still like him and think there is a player in there. But he has the speed and fitness to press and then just stops, rarely attempting a tackle. Really lightweight and seemingly scared to get stuck in. When he is in our third, he is basically a traffic cone. Players walk past him easier than Jonjo after a session on the beers. Still decent enough on the ball and got forward with and without it the few chances he got. But the fact he seems to do everything a second too slow is starting to annoy me now.