HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD. IT'S TOGGER AGAIN. YOU SHALL ONE DAY SUCCUMB TO NATURE, BUT FOOTBALL NEVER WILL. LONG LIVE BALL. About the author I gave up following football almost entirely after the 2019 FA Cup Final. I live in Liverpool, it costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time to go watch Watford home games, and that Wolves game in the semi final was right up there with the best games of football I'd ever seen. May as well leave it there for a bit, I thought. We'll end up just doing the same thing most years anyway from now on, the best we can hope for is another cup run and midtable mediocrity, I assumed. Maybe I'd think about going back to it in a few years. We might slowly creep up the table in the interim and I might find myself watching or at least hoping for Eurpean football next time I get involved, or maybe we'll even go down and it'll be interesting for totally different reasons, I thought. Anyway. Good decision. My complete absence lasted only one season. I missed the fun of Liverpool at home that season and that's about it I think. I watched almost the entirety of last season because it was easy and I didn't feel like I was missing out on something better given we were all watching from home regardless. But I have distance from it all now. I don't _really_ care in the way I did when I was younger. And that's reflected in the fact that if I have any other plans at all, I just ignore it. So far this season I've seen about half the games. Last time out Last week I gather we were very, very bad. Mercifully, I was busy throughout, in beautiful Birkenhead. We can't have been as bad as we were against Leeds, can we? I wouldn't know, as I've avoided football entirely since. Not a single highlight watched. I'm annoyed I even put my name down to do this thing. Anyway, the first I heard of the goings on at Vicarage Road last weekend was the following: Since then I've seen all sorts of debate on whether or not Ben Foster should keep his place, something about a Masina experiment, and almost unanimous downheartedness on our chances of staying up this season. Look at Mohamed's face. Love it. We are ***** eh? Ben Foster is an Influencer now Ben Foster's YouTube channel is not for me. I watch far too much YouTube, it's nothing to do with the format, I just find Ben quite, quite creepy. He doesn't really listen to people, and it's like he's just saying words rather than thinking. Something like that. I don't know. Does anyone know what I mean? Gives me the creeps. But he's a YouTuber now. He's an Influencer. That's that. I can't imagine he was all that different before he started doing YouTube and podcast stuff, this is the same man, we just get a bit more/too much insight for our liking, and his teammates get the same. I don't think I'd like working with him and find the whole thing quite embrrassing to watch or read about, but the cat's out of the bag, genie's out of the bottle, whatever the phrase is. It's happened. It won't un-happen. He's solidly part of the crying laughing emoji generation. And he's thriving. Anyway, cool! Claudio Ranieri Lovely Claudio. I won't hear a bad word said about him. This made me cry when it happened. Everton Everton have looked very, very good until recent weeks, haven't they? Everyone absolutely loves Abdoulaye up here particularly. It's fair to say the crowd's quite volatile though, and if a blip becomes a bad run of form the appointment of Rafa Benitez will suddenly become a huge issue, I'd wager. Luckily for him and them, I can't imagine any of that being a problem at the weekend. But we live in hope. Last time I went to Goodison Park I hit the floor when Cleverley missed that penalty that would have given us a point after squandering a two-goal lead. Bommy night 2017. Awful. Watford It's fair to say that the squad is imbalanced and, at best, inconsistent. A typical sentiment right now about the club: Yikes. As far as I can see, some players are plenty good enough (Sissoko won a World Cup not long ago, Rose is a solid Premier League left back coming out of a very unusual stage of his career), some have been given the wrong responsibilities (I can't imagine Troost-Ekong's delighted about being the creative pivot when in possession at the back, but that's how it's looked to me under Xisco), some are young and are in the gaining experience stage of their career and it's not unreasonable to expect them to improve (Ngakia just turned 21! Sierralta is 24!), and some are far more inconsistent than they used to be (Foster, Kiko and Kucka all look this way to me right now). It's still not clear what Ranieri's preferred style and shape will look like with Watford, and with difficult fixtures coming up it'll quite possibly be a case of lots of changes and floundering game to game. Liverpool Can't wait to hear all the great chants about the locals getting benefits and being poor. Do us proud. Be loud. Nothing better than superiority. It’s not bravado, we’re all happy and carefree because we are from the south and they’re all stupid and deservedly struggling because they’re from the north! To even imagine we might have some common struggles makes me laugh. If you're around after the game look out for another psychedelic sunset over the Mersey. We had a particularly good one yesterday. (It looked a bit like this, but this wasn’t taken yesterday.) Questions As someone with a bit more distance than in previous years, I'd appreciate the answers to these questions. 1) Is Dennis as enjoyable to watch for everyone else? I love how he runs, hassles and harries defenders, and he just seems like a great option, if not exactly world class. 2) Bachmann or Foster? 3) Who is our best player? And if you say Sarr, who is our second best? Prediction 6-0 Watford. What's the point otherwise? See you at Woodison.
Another game!!.....seriously?? We need more international breaks, so I know in advance my weekend will not be ruined. Even on the official site. They've posted a training video and the best they could show is WTE playing a miss-placed pass under no pressure for Joshua King to chase down and not get to. https://twitter.com/i/status/1450837962745278471
I was there, but I had completely forgotten that Cleverley missed a penalty at the end of that Marco Silva game.
The key thing will be whether one of Sierralta, Nkoulou, or even Kabasele will be fit enough to play - if we have to use Cathcart again then we may as well throw in the towel before the game has even kicked off, regardless of however many injuries Everton might have.
“Ben Foster's YouTube channel is not for me. I watch far too much YouTube, it's nothing to do with the format, I just find Ben quite, quite creepy. He doesn't really listen to people, and it's like he's just saying words rather than thinking. Something like that. I don't know. Does anyone know what I mean? Gives me the creeps.” I know exactly what you mean… I’ve seen a few of his vids and although I previously liked him, he does give off the vibes of being extremely fake. His classic phrases of “what a legend” and “top, top bloke” are appraisals he gives to absolutely everybody he comes into contact with. He could do a podcast about Adolf Hitler and he wouldn’t hesitate to give him credits about being “an awesome, awesome dude and a top quality bloke”. Maybe it’s simply the social media affect on someone. They’ve got to be that nice to gain traction and popularity. I’d rather him just be real and call people out for what they are. Probably why Will Hughes comes across much better in Ben’s videos than Ben himself.
Foster Kiko WTE Cathcart Rose Sarr Kucka Sissoko Dennis Cucho King Bachmann, Ngakia, Nkoulou, Masina, Tufan, Cleverley, Gosling, Sema, JP. Everton 3 - 1 Watford 'Orns!
Excellent stuff 352!!! Anyone who was at Wembley in '84 must surely still hate this club and their uncouth fans with a passion. To answer your questions: 1. Yes 2. Bachmann 3. Vydra
It would be lovely if Duxbury, Gino, those turnips from FRTE, and all the others who subscribe to the WFC propaganda machine read this preview.
Obviously, there are loads of areas for improvement but to pick one for a moment - defending from corners. I noticed against Liverpool that we did not leave even one player up when Liverpool had a corner and we had no player defending on either of our goalposts. This has been 'what we do' for some time now but surely, with players like Sarr, Dennis and hopefully King, leaving at least one player in a forward position for the opposition to think about, makes sense? Everton have a strong record scoring from set pieces so getting this right could make a difference on Saturday.
I would actually go with this: Bachmann Kiko WTE Ngakia Rose Sarr Gosling Sissoko Dennis Fletcher Pedro 4-4-2 so we don't get overrun in midfield. I'm sick of Kucka wasting a space when he offers nothing. Foster can click his like button all afternoon. Gosling/Cleverley hard to pick. We need two players who can play the forward role. Fletcher has 2 in 2, Pedro looked alright in the cameos. Let's just try something different and see how we go. Really cannot do much worse than last week. A draw here at worst and a win over Southampton will make us feel a bit better. But if we go with how we went last week, we may as well not get on the coach. 1-1
Bachmann Ngakia - Nkoulou - Troost - Rose Sarr - Tufan - Sissoko - Dennis Pedro King I don't care if he's not even half way fit, Nkoulou would still be a massive, massive upgrade on Crapcart. He should genuinely be playing in League One. Complete and utter shambles he's still starting games here. Foster can f**k right off and we need Tufan in for some creativity as well.
Have we ever won at Goodison? I only ask, because if we get relegated we may not get back in time to visit again before Everton are installed in their World Heritage busting new stadium
Very fine indeed 352! Absolutely correct about Foster. Perhaps it's his teeth,he seems to have too many and he appears to be speaking a different language to most of the planet. I have the same feeling now about this season as I did when Nordin Wooter was playing. I think the Newcastle takeover perfectly encapsulates modern football, although I have a sneaking suspicion that the Saudi owner is infact Howard Hughes from 'Ever Decreasing Circles'. Could Staveley be Hilda?
I’ve got 1x adult ticket and 1x u18 ticket I can’t use if anyone wants it. You’d need to come and grab from Pinner though. PM if you are interested.
Like the ambition. Not sure if having Sissoko doing all the work in midfield would be enough. Maybe either Pedro or Tufan but not both. If only Etebo wasn't crocked I'd be more confident. Decent options in short supply.
Tufan is actually a pretty hard worker and capable going both ways, despite being our most creative midfielder. More than capable of playing in a two in midfield, especially next to Sissoko, with Pedro just behind the striker and coming back to make it almost a three when required defensively.
"He's here, the man, the big dog. You might've massacred millions but you're still class. Honestly though mate, you're a legend" So mundane, week after week the same *****. On and off the pitch.
And here's that master of the soundbite to give his thoughts on my performance the one and only Jozef Goebbels. Come where the camera can see you my beauty. Not to mention the same ridiculous facial expressions on the watermark. Utter idiotic tripe. Unfortunately in the world we live the more views, the greater the popularity is equated with worth and money even though the actual content is garbage. That is how superficial it all is. The world is full of these fake people who lack sincerity, humility and for the most part intelligence apart from a low cunning to prey upon the herd mentality.
I don't think we should lambast Cathcart. He has overcome a heart condition, has given many years of good service and above all unlike some been a model professional. It's not his fault the recruitment policy for our defence has been as woeful and haphazard as the Weimar governments attempt to control hyperinflation back in the twenties. We should have had a nice send off for him and posted him to the Championship and brought in an upcoming young defender. Something we singularly do not excel at so far recruiting wise. And not to mention the misses we have had. Toney. Olise. And because of the idiotic nonsense under Javi no doubt we will remain hamstrung in any attempt to cream the best of the Championship players. Brereton, Brennan, Styles, Campbell and so on. We cannot even keep the best of our own Academy. Terrible.
Thank you for the answers to my questions. Also, I really like Everton. But I wasn’t around in 84. And being couth isn’t everything.
