The Premier League - 2021-2022

Until the end of 2018/19 I would’ve agree with you, but I’m convinced that had we missed Capoue for the run-in in 2019/20 and had Deulofeu available it would not have cost us our PL status like missing GD with Capoue in the team did.

 

Capoue was so under rated by pundits outside the club, and by many fans within the club unfortunately.

Not only was he brilliant at breaking up opposition play and regaining possession but his long to mid length distribution was of a quality high enough to compare with top 4 club.

 

That's difficult to tell, but if true it would have been more to do with the fact we had better back-up options in midfield than up front.

No team can survive with only one player acting as a goal threat, which was the case with us given how abysmal TD was. If Sarr had gotten injured instead of Deulofeu the outcome also would have likely been the same for the same reason, though I'd still say Capoue was a better player.

 

A 0-0 draw would be best.

 

0-0 nil draw , 2 hamstrings, 1 red card and a broken metatarsal.


Oh and a mid season 10 point deduction for financial irregularities.

 

Knowing our luck, they'll all go the way of Norwich!

 

Brilliant player. Brittle temperament though.

 

When he was on it a simply amazing performer for us. A joy to have around the place.

 

Burnley is my bet of the day. Evens at some bookies to win at home against a hopeless looking Norwich. Burnley will do what they do and beat them into submission, they're far too lightweight in defence for the battering from the forwards. Bournemouth against Slavs United look tempting at 2.30. Both had dodgy midweek performances though. But that's the beauty of the Championship I suppose.

 

And everyone laughed when Everton bought Andros Townsend

 

Mina could have held his run too.

 

Gray and Townsend have clearly grabbed headlines because they were bargain basement signings who've hit the ground running, but Doucoure has been the big difference for me. Last season he was doing James' running for him. This season the shackles have been taken off and he's a monster. His running from midfield is the driving force behind everything good about us at the minute. Finally seeing the player I thought we were signing from Watford.

 

My father-in-law was at Leeds today. The lack of messages from him tells me that it probably wasn't great?

 

It was very un-great.

 

I'll put that down as a "no" then?

In all seriousness, I've watched v little of Watford so far this season, but father-in-law isn't complimentary. Also won't see the game at Goodison in the flesh in a few weeks as I'll be in Greece, but I'm getting the vibe that people are concerned?

 

Read the last few pages of the Leeds thread and you'll be able to gauge the general mood.

 

I'm in the minority on Ancelotti - I have no particularly strong feelings either way about the guy. If Real Madrid come calling, you go. In a way I actually think that we got lucky with the whole thing. We would have given him a lot longer because of who he is, but there wasn't really much evidence to support the notion that he was taking us forward. Some of the stuff about the lack of work he was doing in training that has arisen since he left is an eye opener.

Koeman on the other hand... I wish only bad things to happen to him. He's at best partly responsible for the mess we've been trying to recover from for years. Him losing games makes me happy.

Silva - the job might have been too much for him and he wasn't the most likeable guy in the world, but I felt he was unlucky. Did ok in his first season but there were a number of things which happened in his 2nd season which meant it was really difficult for him. Might have been too much for him anyway, but I have no ill will towards the guy. Glad he's doing OK at Fulham.

Martinez is in the frame to replace Koeman if Barca can find the money to sack him, nice guy, I have fond memories of him first season with us. Hope he does well.

Allardyce - i prefer to forget this ever happened.

Moyes - doing great. Not a surprise, just needs time and a free hand to control a club. I still have a grudge about some of the things he said after he left, but I'm sort of glad he's rebuilt his reputation

Think that covers the last half dozen or so.

 

Going further back through your managers, when I started following football your manager was Walter Smith, who seemed pretty unpopular with your fans and the time was definitely right for him to go. One thing which puzzled me was the fact that back then Everton were frequently struggling (if I remember rightly in 1994 they needed a dubious penalty against Wimbledon on the final day after being 2-0 down and staring down the relegation barrel, and in 1998 they only stayed up above Bolton on goal difference!) yet they weren't a club that were punching above their weight like Coventry, or arguably Southampton, they were a big club with an impressive and long history (not as good trophy or league position-wise as Liverpool or Arsenal, or as good trophy-wise as Man Utd, but with an actually higher average league position than the latter and with only a handful of seasons below the top flight, none of them below the second tier). Yet like Spurs, they just muddled along in mid to lower table, until they got more progressive managers in, respectively Moyes and Martin Jol, to improve their fortunes. Were the finances a problem, or the managers just not very good at the time, or both?

 

Everton are a classic modern tale of mismanagement at practically every level since the late 80s.

It would take forever to do this justice, but in essence we've had a series of owners either without a clue what they're doing or without any money (or both).

Other than Moyes and arguably Joe Royle, we've also had a series of terrible managerial appointments for the last 30 odd years.

We've not really got a lot right, truth be told. We have been a dreadfully run club. We've either been skint and lacking the financial clout to capitalise on any progress or else we've had money and spent it laughably.

And if I'm honest I wouldn't be particularly confident in telling you that things have definitely changed.

 

But somehow can get away with it it seems unlike Sheffield Wednesday or Forest - 68 consecutive years (and counting) in the top flight is proof of that.

 

Brave brave Brentford winning at WHU.

 

That Reading bloke scores for Palarse

 

That Palace goal takes us down to 15th, I wonder if that makes the Xisco sacking that bit more palatable in the eyes of the commentariat?