Everton Banter Archive March 08 2014

08 Mar 2014 22:49:36
The problem for us Evertonians is that our expectations are high and rightly so.
This season Roberto has done remarkably well however we are clearly missing 3 or 4 top class players in our starting 11 and and also a further (dare I say it 10) strong squad players to bolster when injuries and bans kick in.

The reality is that this may well be a transition season for us but without Roberto being giving the financial clout we will struggle to break in to the top 4.

Dare I say this, but I think with the style Roberto wants to play I think we should go with one holding defensive midfielder and play 2 two more attacking minded midfieders with two wingers with pace.

We seem to want too much time on the ball including when we shoot. Ross Barkley is a talent who will be a great player once he picks his head up a bit more and learns to compose himself.
I think that next year will also be a building season where we have the odd purchase, loans but more importantly integration of our youngsters into the 1st team.
I want to see that hunger back as I think we have seemed to have lost as the season has worn on. We appear to lack a bit of belief at present.

Anyway the scoreline could have been different, but it wasn't today. It did perhaps flatter, but I'm gutted like everyone else.

Big test of Robertos management coming up until close of season now. Personally unless it is top four I wouldn't want us in Europa league not with the lack of quality squad depth. We need more pace as this would suit our style.

Anyway good night fellow blues. Until the next game!

We need new players, no doubt about that but RM needs to realise he's not Wigans manager anymore and stop bringing dross into our club.Kone, McGeady, Robles, Alcaraz and even Traore are just not good enough for this club.

09 Mar 2014 22:28:25
Hi paul, let's see, kone, barely played and only cost us 1 victor anichebe, bargain, joel meh, mcgeady, i'm not a fan but has started about 2 games, both which he did well in, give him next season, traore has played one game, alcaraz is a good player, has been injured and when he has played and been fit he has been excellent, splash some cold water on your face and wake up

Why say splash your face they are all average players, even worse when there injured

Swan just because they have only played one game is irrelevant.I've seen them all play numerous games for other clubs and yes they are all crap.Go and splash yer face yerself.

12 Mar 2014 21:54:36
i watched alcaraz at wigan and in the world cup, very good player, if they are all crap then why did martinez bring them in? ALL OF THEM,

08 Mar 2014 18:58:55
I know we don't have the budget but we need to start looking for players who can close control the ball, and be a bit physical as well

Some of our guys don't seem to be on the same level as some of those arsenal boys who rarely give the ball away, close control it, pass and move, and above all are NOT greedy around the box - selfless play wins games - we have got a few selfish grabbers up front who always think of themselves first - I.e. lukaku mirrallas and Gerry
We're missing out on goals whilst these guys grab

Those kind of players cost big money why do you think there at Arsenal? And as you just pointed out we don't have that kind of budget so how are we suppose to get those type of players.

If we can't afford the big transfer fees and big wages - and don't have Champions League football - to attract the top players, then we surely must do everything possible to retain our better players. Bottom line, however, is that players want to win trophies, play in European competitions, and maximise their earnings. With our stadium and commercial income we just can't compete financially with the mega-bucks clubs. I don't have a solution - just eternal optimism that Everton can give it their best shot.

08 Mar 2014 18:06:35
Joel Robles made a couple of good saves, but he punches or flaps at too many balls in my opinion. Even his team mates were annoyed when he punched the ball rather than catch it - especially when he wasn't under too much pressure from opposing players. Can't blame him for the gaols conceded though.
I thought that Stones' relative inexperience at this level showed with his defensive positional play on some occasions, but he will mature into a top player.
I also think that Barkley is still struggling to recapture his early season form and could have done better with his shooting opportunities, but he too will mature into a top player.
We played reasonably well when in possession, but lacked a real cutting edge to our play and we were exposed defensively when we had to push forward.
What's important is for our squad to perform well from now on, get as many wins and points as possible, and finish as high up as possible. Then it's onto a fruitful summer transfer window and a stronger challenge on all fronts next season.
Once a blue, always a blue!

Good post Gabriel, I too agree our squad is far too thin and we would have never coped in Europe, just hope we can strengthen in the summer, some of our players are just not good enough, if we do finish in the top seven we really need investment, GuernseyBlue

08 Mar 2014 16:05:04
I can picture it, last game of the season, liverpool at anfield for fourth place, we start off brightly attack attack attack, at half time we have dominated, borind second half, 90 minute, suarez rolls the ball to sturridge who scores and does his stupid dance in front of the everton fans but its ruled offside, we then take the free kick long, there is chaos in the box, no one knows what is happening then liverpool clear to barkley on the volllleyyyyy, goaaaaalllllllll, ross kisses the badge in front of the liverpool fans, season ends and fourth is rapped up, gerrard retires after finally realising his legs have gone, suarez leaves, 2 weeks later, united in the fa cup final, after avoiding an early storm caused by tom cleverley everton then, wait wait!, let's take it back, after avoiding an early storm caused by wayne rooney, everton go on the counter, a ball is slipped in and mirallas is fouled, baines steps up and buries the penalty in the top corner, he then celebrates in front of gollum, 67th minute, mccarthy gets the ball 35 yards out, he nocks thr ball forward and releases a hammer of a shot into the top corner leaving de gea with no chance, he takes his shirt off and celebrates with the everton fans, 90th minute, barkley takes on 3 players and curles a beautiful shot past de gea from 25 yards out, he then slides on his knees and lifts up his shirt which says 'once a blue always a blue', captain jags goes to pick up the trophy, hehe you know what happens next don't ya!? The bloody alarm clock goes off and you wake up in your own little bed! Ye soft sod!

08 Mar 2014 15:14:19
It was our day today and the result doesn't reflect the game fairly.
Many predicted your down turn with Moyes departure, that seems a long time ago now but just shows how far you have come in a short space of time under Martinez.

Good luck for the next few weeks and for the rest of the season after we have come to you for what was always going to be one of our toughest games in a very tough run, I just hope you don't get the revenge I fear you might over us.

All the best lads

08 Mar 2014 14:53:11
I think the wheels are starting for fall of our season now even if we qualify for Europe I don't think were strong enough as a squad to cope with it we need serious investment much moor than the 30 million we apparently have I think we need moor along the lines of 50/60.
So come on bill find us a sugar daddy

A sugar daddy?
Like at Birmingham City - wait a minute, he's just got six years for money laundering.
Or like at Hull City - wait a minute, he wants to change their name or he'll walk away.
Or maybe like at Cardiff City - wait a minute, he changed the colour from blue to red.
Chelsea (with the advantage of being London-based, which does attract players), and ManCity (with the advantage of a ready-made new stadium), and ManUtd (with a pre-existing massive worldwide commercial operation) have had success funded by massive investment (be it sugar daddies or other financial sources), but there's no guarantee that we would be like them and there's a risk that we could end up like Brum, Hull, the Bluebirds - or Leeds or QPR who also couldn't buy long-term success.
I think the phrase to describe a potential sugar daddy for Everton is "double edged sword".

08 Mar 2014 20:45:56
I don't think existing with the red side of merseyside being in the same city helps us to sell either. think of us both as cars, for arguements sake if u have enough money to buy a bentley (lfc), would you go and buy a mercedes (efc) and purchase new parts to get it to its best standard or would you just buy the bentley?

Good point, huytonbluecraig, but ManUtd and ManCity - admittedly only recently and with massive financial resources - have both competed for the top honours. I guess that if we had spent the same amount as LFC on players then we could be competing. Hopefully, we'd have bought better players than some they've spent big on :-)

Ok let's just be happy with bill then a putting in five ten million a season in to players don't think so at least with money behind us we have a chance of progression from being 7/8th every year. I will put it in plain English
No new owner no major investment no new investment no breaking in to top four simple as that

08 Mar 2014 14:52:24
Out fought/thought in all departments, the defence is an absolute shambolic affair (with the emphasis on bolic), Piennar's last game surely?
If we are to measure the progress since our last 6th round defeat in the same week last year, we wouldn't need a very big tape measure.
Sorry, honeymoon periods coming to end for me with RM.
Whose telling our defenders to zone mark all of a sudden, their forwards couldn't believe their luck.
Some will say we were unlucky due to the penalty gaff but guys let's be honest our first half defensive/midfield display was abysmal.
Started the season with optimism, totally back to square one for me after that.
One win v Manchester United away does little to instill me that the club has moved on much.
Off to pub!

08 Mar 2014 14:47:45
Here's a sentence I thought I'd never find myself thinking, saying or writing, " I thought Clattenberg reffed the game well."! Credit where it's due, he was very fair & let the game flow. It was a penalty & he didn't favour either team.
Pity our form & luck against Arsenal wasn't as much of a change! Onwards & upwards, guys!

IR(&K)IT

I agree

08 Mar 2014 14:41:05
Stones is not the best is he?

When he plays we seem to leek goals easily and he goes AWOL when he should be marking the guy who scores

He is a good player. but it was unfortunate that he had to play in such an important game. We sold heitinga, and for this occassion I would have prefered him over stones. Next season he'll be a regular started.

08 Mar 2014 14:38:17
Bottled it again, joel is terrible, pienaar is useless, osman and deulofeu are about as useful as a chocolate teapot, why do our players always bottle it in big games, useless, arteta is still a c*nt and I hope and pray city go on to win it, I cannot cope if this horrible lot go on to win it, check twitter, filled with them wishing death on our players and fans, horrible, come on city!

Losing to a team that's better than you is not bottling it, so please go knee jerk somewhere else.

08 Mar 2014 15:34:59
So we didn't bottle it at anfield? Were our players uo for it then and now? If course not, we were up for it in the league and drew 1-1, we wernt up for it today and got beat 4-1, we bottled it, as we have done since 95

Swan, you talk out of your backside lad. The team selection against LFC was the decisive factor in us losing so heavily, not that anyone 'bottled' it as you put it. Arsenal are a top team and the scoreline today was a bit unjust, we never deserved to lose that heavily. Joel isn't the best keeper, I'll give you that but could you really blame him for any of the goals? Any excuse to have a go at players you don't like (Osman on the pitch for few minutes yet you slate him like he gave away every goal) Your posts on here are seriously laughable. You don't like to have a debate about things you just rip in to people who don't agree with your view point, if you never posted as much as you do on here I'd accuse you of being a red or manc. There was no bottling it today, the best team won. Simple. Stop sounding bitter and get a grip lad

08 Mar 2014 20:00:15
I rip into people? Reading back at your posts all I can say is it may be the case of the pot calling the kettle black, we bottle it at anfield every year, at anfield I will agree, the team selection was bad, yet he picked some of the right players in mccarthy, barry, coleman and baines, were where they? Of course they were nowhere to be seen, for the last 19 years we have shown no spine in the big games, look at the games against chelsea in the final and liverpool in the semi, our players shat themselves, today it was not as bad or hurtful as they were, but let's look at this, we played an arsenal team in the league which had giroud, szszszszezny and the apparent world class wilshere and ramsey, we drew 1-1, we played a team with none of them and we got beat 4-1, had we played this team in the league we might of even won, had we played the team we played in the league in the fa cuo like today we would of lost 6 or 7 nil, it is an everton tradition that we don't do well in the big games, osman is just arrr, why dk people defend him and say he is a great servant yet want hibbert gone asap because he's crap, how two faced is that? Despite osman, being a kopite and hibbert, being a blue, osman wasnt at fault for all the goals, tbh, I couldn't care less if osman or barry made a mistake for any goal in any game, the mistake is made, I just don't get why osman gets special treatment while people are free to take a sh*t on hibbert and gibsons heads any time they feel like it, our players were not at their BEST today, which can be said for a lot of games this season, but when it comes to the big games, youd think just once we will get lucky and have a one off game were everyone is at their best but nope, same old same old, this seasons done, its just a case of getting the rest of these prem ganes out the way so we can forget about some of the things that have happened this season, next summer is key, martinez has to spend or we will not progres, regardless of the result today, we would of met city in the semi or the final itself and lost so its really saved us getting our hopes up, i'm no kopite mate, i'd rather suck out my eyes with a vaccum cleaner and replace them with hot toffeeapples, i'm also no manc, i'd rather drink bleach with a cilet bang chaser, i'm just a passionate, grumpy and very tired evertonian who would like to see our team show some ambition and try to win a cup game

08 Mar 2014 07:11:26
Morning blue noses. Liverpool fan here over from our site. Just want to wish you lot the best of luck today in the cup. My old fella is a big Everton fan, so I hope he's a happy chap later on. Should be a good game.

{Ed025's Note - cheers Dave..

You ain't watching it then?