14 Aug 2018 00:33:00
So after apparently ruining the transfer market for all English clubs and playing pretty well with 10 men, how important is 3 points on Saturday? Lot of fans saying give it time, patience etc, the problem when you recruit the numbers we have in the last 3 windows non Evertonians and the media will start pilling pressure on. I think it's a must win game if we are to have a genuine crack at top 6. Although it seems that goal isn't unanimous either.
What do you lads think we should be aiming for and what would you feel if we didn't get 3 points on Saturday?

1.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 06:59:45
If we didn’t get 3 points on Saturday I will be my normal self after a loss, pretty inconsolable. As for expectations, I’d be happy with 7th and a gap between us and 8th. With a smaller gap to 6th. With some exciting football to watch each week along the way would be a great season for me.

{Ed025's Note - i would be well happy with that ace..

2.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 09:23:12
I think the previous transfer windows were a negative on our club. I believe we went backwards after Moyes went (please understand I am not bigging Moyes up. I am saying we went backwards after he left) . Of course other clubs have invested and moved forwards during this time. We made one or two really good signings. Lukaku and Barry spring to mind. But in general, we replaced good players with players not of the same level. Then we had the transfer window where we didn't sign a forward and seemed to sign 5 midfielders/ number 10's and no left sided players. As you all know I moaned and moaned and moaned about this, but I am pleased to say that this last transfer window was aimed at addressing the problems that the squad had. We have signed players in all the positions that I moaned were weak. We also signed players in the age groups needed for their respective positions. The only concerns I have now relate to how quickly the team can gel together and slight worries about the quality of the players we have not yet seen in an Everton shirt. One thing I am 100% positive about is that we are at last moving in the right direction again. I have no idea where we are or where we can get with this bunch of players? But I know for sure that we are ahead of the likes of Southampton and the "middle bunch of clubs". We need to now start introducing the youngsters that are coming through. Holgate in my view is a star in the making. Dowell has everything necessary to be the missing link we need. A box to box midfielder who is not afraid to run at players and even rocket one in from 30 yards. Tom Davies suffered 2nd season syndrome but believe me I saw enough in his goal against Man City to know he also has what it takes. I know lots of you think of me as Mr negative. but I see myself as Mr Realistic. And here is the key. I am now so positive about what I have seen in our youngsters, the new signings and the remaining established players. If we can find a center forward 22 year old from lower leagues or even the Irish League for about £80 grand (allowing for inflation) , we will have some team. I like Tosun, but think we need someone with more pace. Maybe Richarlison is that player? But that leaves us weak on the left again. So it is a work in progress. but at least we are progressing now. We are not going backwards and we are not standing still! To get that top 6 position, we need to keep at it.

3.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 09:42:36
Like all Evertonians I am hungry for 3 points every match and Saturday is no exception. This season, we're only one game into it but I'd like to see the improvement we saw in that first game built upon and the new signings begin to be integrated into the team/ squad.


It might take a bit of time so I'm going to try to counter my desire for points with seeing the team grow over the next month or so. It's very early days but the shoots are already beginning to show

COYB NSNO.

4.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 09:57:08
I know its early days, but this is probably the best chance you're going to get at breaking the top six with arsenal also in transition, however we are in it ourselves so I would also take seventh and hopefully build on that.

5.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 10:34:20
I actually don't think 3 points this weekend is hugely important. We are a team with lots of new signings and trying t implement a new style so a short term view of 'we must win this weekend' isn't particularly helpful. More generally, I would say at no point in any season is the 2nd game a 'must win'.

Talk of challenging the top 6 is very premature considering where we were just a few months ago. Let's be patient and accept that we might not get immediate results, but what we need is an improvement over the course of 9 months, not 1 week.

Of course I want us to win every game, and of course I would love us to capitalise on our relatively gentle start in terms of opposition.

But if we play well, the players learn more about the style MS is trying to play in and show the heart and desire we showed at the weekend - and we only get a point. then it's not the end of the world.

{Ed002's Note - Whilst I remain far from convinced about the manager, I am afraid that using the excuse of transition is not really good enough. This has been the excuse that Liverpool has been using year in and year out. Most players will settle reasonably quickly - perhaps one won't and will need a little extra time but teams who don't perform will fall behind.}

6.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 12:26:01
I have to say, transition or no transition and putting all optimism to one side. Southampton at home is always a must win game. As are a lot of our opening fixtures, these are the points that give you the platform to build on. Without them pressure will mount quickly, and the young players we want to give chances to will be pushed to one side as risks become a luxury we can't afford to take. I really think we will get those points from these games, but that doesn't mean they aren't must win!

7.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 13:04:53
I would just like to see us keep a clean sheet. Do that and you will always have a chance of winning.

8.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 13:45:59
ED002 echo's my thoughts but puts those thoughts a little more eloquently than I. I do not have a downer on Silva but a realistic comment, if we are/ were looking for consistency then why oh why have we gone for a Manager/ coach that including us has had 4 Clubs in 5 years and Sporting Lisbon apart (53 percent win I think) , his CV in the Premiership looks pretty mediocre and consistency not exactly mind blowing. It will take a major mindset on his behalf to change habit. Having said that, in the Premiership we should respect all the Teams whether home or away. All we can ask is that our Team does it's best and trust that our existing Manager/ Coaching staff know what they are doing.

9.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 14:00:35
three points at home is important, any game we play is important as you just don't know come the end of the eason what them extra three points could have done, play every game to win.

10.) 14 Aug 2018
14 Aug 2018 17:24:54
Ed, I take your point and agree that "teams who don't perform will fall behind".

My point is more that over 38 games over the course of 9 months we need to perform and improve. 'Improvement' from last season means being closer to the top 6 than last time, playing better football and winning more points. It also means performing better than close rivals like Leicester and West Ham.

Every win of course helps that, but if we draw our 2nd game of the season (a game we should be winning) that doesn't mean that we can't be in a better position in 9 months time than we are now.

If you take the extreme example of Palace last season. They finished 11th, 2 goals from a top half finish. That probably constituted a successful season from them and an improvement on the season before. Yet they lost their 1st 7 games without scoring a goal - the worst ever start to a Premier League season.

This may not be a transition season, but these first few weeks are certainly a transition period in the context of the season.

I was not convinced at the appointment for the same reasons ducksflysouth mentioned - however I will give him the time to make it work and don't think we should make a judgement on him until Christmas at the earliest. And we definitely shouldn't be judging him after 1 game against Southampton.

11.) 15 Aug 2018
15 Aug 2018 09:00:01
This may sound somewhat irellevant but I played some semi pro football in my time and I only ever had one thought as a player that was go out to win each game, also later on as a manager the same. Thinking of a mid table finish never came into my mind preseason! Aspire to be the best, perhaps it’s fans and media that set expectations that may seem reasonable but did someone forget to tell that to Leicester 2 seasons ago?