Everton banter 6

08 Jan 2026 12:47:00
What do we think will need to happen before Moyes goes?

I could write a VERY long post about how terrible and predictable his tactics are, how even I could set up a league 2 side to exploit the glaring faults in our defensive phases, and how completely, pathetically incapable he is of changing things when things aren't going well, but i'll spare you all that and just question 'when is enough, enough'?

If you're the owners and you're quite detached from things, the league position isn't bad, and the results are inconsistent but mostly fine. Do we need to wait until the good players leave and the teams around us improve, so we slip towards relegation, before they actually act?

Personally, I would actually love if DM was shifted into DoF and someone young and with some understanding of tactics (Carsley? ) came in as manager, but i think we're stuck with DM for the next few years at least.

{Ed025's Note - i think he was brought in to do a job Alex, stabilize us, get us clear of relegation and consolidate the team making us a viable entity in the prem, i dont think the owners see him as the long term solution unless things change and we head up the table into possible European place contenders, to be fair he has managed his brief but he is very pragmatic and some of his selections are baffling as well as his inability to adapt to other teams formation changes, its not great to watch at times and so frustrating when he fails to use substitutes early enough to effect the game, thats just how i see things though mate..

08 Jan 2026 16:50:52
Don’t expect him to leave until the summer at tbe earliest. He’s doing the job he was employed to do.

08 Jan 2026 18:01:57
The worrying thing for me is that I don't see him leaving until he's asked to, and i think that, on paper, he's doing a good enough job that there's a good chance the owners won't be doing that any time soon.

08 Jan 2026 21:37:02
Moyes was brought in to do a job. Given a 2 1/2 year contract, to stabilise the club and stop the decline. Although it's not pretty, he's currently achieving that target. Cut the guy some slack .

08 Jan 2026 12:44:46
One good point from last night was Harrison Armstrong he played well and more than held his own in the Team.

{Ed025's Note - i thought so too GB..

08 Jan 2026 14:06:45
Judging by Moyes comments he will send him back to PNE once our AFCON and injuries are back. I like Moyes, really do but I have to admit, I do wonder at some of his logic.

08 Jan 2026 15:28:06
Armstrong has played his way into the team now. You can't as a manager complain about having a small squad and then loan out one of your young players who has shown he is good enough.

{Ed025's Note - dont bank on it Brass..

08 Jan 2026 15:33:49
Was that before last night's game, dm? If so, that might have been the plan but he has the opportunity to play himself into our team, make himself an important player.

08 Jan 2026 16:17:06
Keep Armstrong send dibbling to Preston.

{Ed025's Note - and send McNeil to Coventry.. :)

08 Jan 2026 16:40:17
Good call.

08 Jan 2026 16:41:15
Love child is going nowhere.

08 Jan 2026 11:05:25
See our next league game is Villa away. Presume suspensions for Grealish and Keane start then, AFCO N players may not be back either.
Could be real bare bones of a squad.

{Ed025's Note - it could be a real mess FG..

08 Jan 2026 12:37:35
Grealish will be banned for fa cup game won’t he?

08 Jan 2026 13:23:38
You are absolutely right.
Just read up Grealish misses cup match this weekend, presume Keane does as well.
Will probably have to play both Patterson and Dibling down the right hand side against Sunderland.

08 Jan 2026 15:29:12
Lose to Sunderland and that's it another season over.

08 Jan 2026 15:54:32
The only shining light is that he has to play a rb rather than sticking a 6’6 centre back there and making space for our 4th choice centre back and also get to have an actual right winger on the right rather than again using his slow one footed waste of space McNeil there
Obviously that will put him out on the left but atleast that’s his actual position
Same team that beat forest for me with Armstrong instead of Patterson and put Jimmy behind dibling to atleast try and help him out.

08 Jan 2026 16:30:01
Sounds a good plan to me.

08 Jan 2026 10:53:23
We must have the worst two full backs, worst two strikers in the Premier and Championship League, is our Manager, coaching staff, Director of Football, CEO so blind?

08 Jan 2026 09:43:14
Any updates on Branthwaite not seeing him get a mention since we were told he’s back training on the grass.

08 Jan 2026 09:42:48
Defo need at least a couple loans in now. Thin squad now even more so after 2 x stupid red cards last night.

08 Jan 2026 09:19:10
Image how dire our bench is going to be Saturday and the starting 11 isn’t going to be much better.

08 Jan 2026 07:57:34
Read a lot of the comments from the game, and agree would just ask all those who criticised the lack of flexibility, poor subs etc in the game what they would have done with that bench?

Dibling has proven no more effective than McNeil, Beto no better than Barry, Rohl has been awful and the rest are unproven kids.

I can however think of games this season at full strength where bring Charly off the bench in particular has injected the energy needed to turn or get back into games that were drifting or where we have been able to move Garner to RB to provide a bit more threat - neither of which were options last night.

08 Jan 2026 09:59:43
It’s not just the subs, it’s how we are set up. The Wolves manager could see his team were struggling in the first half so changed the formation. We just change like for like, we don’t appear to have a plan b.

Patterson might not be great but he is a right back so why not play him. Tarkowski has been poor recently play O’Brien in his place. If things aren’t working then change the formation, but don’t just sit there and do nothing.

08 Jan 2026 10:14:04
It’s Moyes inflexibility which is most frustrating.

Appreciate we have a thin squad currently but his in game management is shocking.

As BMD says he has no plan B - sometimes doesn’t appear to have a plan A.

Wolves changed formation and tactics a couple of times in the game whereas Moyes stuck rigidly to his plan and didn’t try and counteract the wolves changes.

McNeil was awful yet he played almost whole game.

When Dibling had a poor game he was hooked at halftime. Should have brought Dibling on for McNeil at some point.

Armstrong was impressive, always available always trying to be positive - unsure why he was taken off.

Manager can’t do anything about the red cards, but we should have been out of sight way before then.

The more watch his tactics and listen to his post match comments the more I’m thinking he won’t be the manager next season.

He’s done well to stabilise the club but his rigidity and sticking with favourites is probably going to be his undoing.

{Ed025's Note - he does need to be more proactive Dan..

08 Jan 2026 15:42:48
Two new full backs on either side and a forward will change the landscape. We have a half decent first team but we are lacking quality in depth. We get to one nil up in games and miss too many opportunities to put it out of reach. That in itself invites pressure and we don't seem to be able to deal with that.

Tarks has been badly out of form this season and needs dropping. Move Jake over and play JG at right back. Harsh on him as he's been superb this season but HA can slot into his position for now.

The manager has his shortcomings, like those that have gone before him, but I don't think it's right that he's getting all of the stick when we have players who either don't put a shift in or are simply not good enough for this level. It's a combination of the two for me.

{Ed025's Note - it is a combination BP but you do have to question the manager at times mate, like leaving McNeil on last night, making substitutes too late and trying to defend a precarious 1 goal lead from half time..

08 Jan 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Joyfull has posted a new article entitled, The Championship Drop and What It Means for West Ham United

08 Jan 2026 03:10:37
We have played 9 games at hill /d stadium, we have won 3, enough said .
TFG please note and take apropret action .

08 Jan 2026 07:46:18
What is appropriate action?

08 Jan 2026 10:14:45
Well you could remind the manager that we are the home team here.

08 Jan 2026 10:51:34
P45, Tell Moyes he has an hour to clear his desk then remove his pass from finch farm.
That's Appropriate ACTION . I THINK TFG have the balls to do it, or at least I hope they do .

08 Jan 2026 14:55:14
And there's me thinking I was the only one on here who thought like that, just wait until GB See's your post he will be gunning for you ??.

07 Jan 2026 22:45:38
In reply to earlier posts. I did not want Moyse back. I think his team selections, his tactics and his substitutions are poor. My point was when we win certain posters are quiet but when we lose or draw with teams we "should" beat they can't wait to have a go at Moyse and not the players.

08 Jan 2026 02:13:42
Big Reg, I think that we are just tired and frustrated watching some dire football. I was glad when we appointed Moyes but he has shown that he has not learned from his years in management and he has one way of playing and has no idea how to change the direction of a game. It's just more of the same week in week out and opposition managers are learning how to beat us.

Yes he will get wins when we have all our best players back but injuries and suspensions will happen and a good manager can adapt and change strategy and tactics to accommodate the players he has available and unfortunately Moyes is showing that he is incapable of doing that.

08 Jan 2026 06:59:06
It’s all fair Mike, but without those wins, we’d be in the Championship already. He may not be the future, but he has done the job he was asked to do very well.

08 Jan 2026 07:50:05
I also don't think it's true about adapting when players are injured. I can think of a lot of examples of clubs of all sizes losing jep players and struggling.

The reds when they lost Van Djyk, City without Rodri - losing a few rotational players is one thing but losing the core of your attacking threat is another.

08 Jan 2026 10:18:12
EFCONE - appreciate we’ve lost few of our attacking threat in Ndiaye and KDH, however that doesn’t explain why we’re so poor at the back.

We’ve conceded way too many goals this season and a ridiculous amount at home.

Without Pickford we’d be in massive trouble.

08 Jan 2026 15:47:35
It's because we are missing our best CB in JB and Tarks has been awful all season, that's why we look so poor at the back, gd. If we have cash to spend then we need to do so and pronto.