Everton banter 8

27 Jan 2026 17:40:43
Keane will be eligible for Saturday, and if Tim back and available (? ) , add those two to the team and bench from last night, it will be interesting to see which two players get left out completely (not in team or on bench) for Saturdays match.

27 Jan 2026 18:07:17
Guarantee you Mykolenko and McNeil both start.

27 Jan 2026 18:33:38
I don’t think McNeil will start myself.

27 Jan 2026 18:39:58
I hope he doesn’t JB but Moyes doesn’t seem to see what majority of fans do in that he’s not good enough and starts him when no one else would.

27 Jan 2026 18:43:44
He wouldn’t start me either JB.

27 Jan 2026 19:04:02
He saw the first half yesterday and hooked him, hopefully the fact that a few have returned will mean his race is run.

27 Jan 2026 19:30:26
I reckon he will drop young Armstrong and Patterson and Keane and tim will be on the bench aswell.

27 Jan 2026 20:55:54
I don't know what Moyes see's in McNeil during matches that we aren't seeing, apart from experience. If Moyes drops him it'll be for Alcaraz.

27 Jan 2026 22:00:41
Think Patterson should be good hopefully. Think Keane will be on the bench, with OBrien? Now JB is back? Be harsh on OBrien, think him and JB will be brilliant over the next few seasons. But think he keeps Tarks in for now. A good Captain brings a lot to the team.

27 Jan 2026 22:41:11
He may stick with that second half three at the back setup.

28 Jan 2026 00:59:36
Do you think he is a good captain?

28 Jan 2026 12:28:58
I don’t.

28 Jan 2026 21:52:22
Tarks is a decent captain but his hot headedness and clumsy challenges leave slot to be desired. Always looking to get a sly one in on players but normally he does it right in front of officials.

27 Jan 2026 15:52:28
Can I ask everyone when they think everything will no longer be a club in transition, project, work in progress?

I do agree that we have changed a lot and got a new stadium but I’d say after this summer transfer we can no longer use this excuse.

It is clear everybody that we need to full backs - save the Grealish money and pay to get two quality full backs instead.

27 Jan 2026 18:59:50
I agree with you Sobs, I think that another good window this summer and I would very much like to see us competing for European football in the league next season and also have decent cup runs too.

27 Jan 2026 20:59:20
When we win something Sobs.

27 Jan 2026 15:43:55
Had a bit more time to think about the game last night, and we were still crap.

27 Jan 2026 19:54:15
??????.

27 Jan 2026 22:42:17
Far from crap second half, that was a good performance.

28 Jan 2026 09:16:27
No it wasn’t.

27 Jan 2026 15:07:14
I agree the second half was really good last night and we were unlucky not to have won the game, I thought the subs that's come on second half were top notch and changed the game completely, well done to our manager for changing it and doing so after half time, we still need two or three players in but overall I’m happy with that, we are in 10th spot I bet not many thought we would be so high up the table in January at the beginning of the season, we are a Club in transition and I’m well chuffed with our progress, onwards and upwards.

27 Jan 2026 21:00:15
Just a shame he got the set up all wrong from the start of the game GB.

28 Jan 2026 09:17:12
Managers tactic cost us three points.

27 Jan 2026 14:55:07
Just reading that a lot of Everton flags were nicked last night off the flag poles, have you heard anything Ed mate, seems a strange one that.

{Ed025's Note - first i have heard GB, but it was very windy last night mate and so that could be a factor mate..

27 Jan 2026 15:28:23
Taken by our own fans GB, dickheads are everywhere. They will get replaced and prob nicked again.

27 Jan 2026 15:49:31
Ok mate cheers, Strange that, nothing is safe these days.

27 Jan 2026 15:57:07
Brave in that weather GB and in any case why does it matter.

27 Jan 2026 21:01:41
Would be nice if the club took them down and gave them away in the community. Hardly costs them anything and it’d stop this sort of stupidity.

27 Jan 2026 22:43:53
1878 do the flag thing regularly those fans nicking the flags off the poles are nicking off their family.

28 Jan 2026 09:18:19
1878 buy them through donations from supporters.

27 Jan 2026 11:42:15
Actually thought that was a good system second half, worked well. Fair result in the end enjoyed it.

{Ed025's Note - first half was abysmal though DMS, why do we always wait until we are a goal down before we decide to come to the party especially at home?, that good system should have been deployed for the start mate especially the energy and the want to win attitude...not just for a bloody half, im certainly not giving out any plaudits for 50% tactical awareness..

27 Jan 2026 12:12:41
Yes he does dither but his explanation this time made sense. The lads just coming back and fitness. Gueye and Ndiaye not leggy in my view, just needed to grow back into the pace, which they did. Sort our RWB/RW out, a striker, bring through Aznou (LB/LWB) we are good to go.

27 Jan 2026 12:51:08
It’s fair to ask the question, I did. We knew how Leeds would set up and didn’t adapt in the first half. Perhaps this is because options are limited. Going three at the back without Keane and with JB only just returning would have been a risk.

Fans have been calling for reactions, and largely they’ve come. Mykolenko’s race is run for me, and McNeil, both entirely redundant yesterday.

27 Jan 2026 13:16:25
Well I didn’t enjoy it. I thought it was bloody awful again.

27 Jan 2026 13:18:03
Mykolenko was hardly redundant perhaps limited at times. It is the right hand side and not particularly Patterson that needs addressing. McNeil is the one that shouldn't be on the pitch, Leeds goal in my view could have been prevented if that lazy sod had gone with the player, he literally saw him make his run and made no effort.

27 Jan 2026 14:31:38
How wasn't he redundant? Some fans seem to have this delusional idea that he is a decent defender. It is sheer nonsense. He got ran ragged last night by their fullback. He lost 6 out of his 8 duels. Committed 3 fouls and completed 2 tackles.

For their goal he is jogging around in no mans land, the danger is clearly going down the line and he just saunters across to him and doesn't stop the pass. Same with O'Brien getting across to stop the cross into the box. Then Tarks letting DCL get across him when he had the position on him. Sh** defending, simple as that.

Going forward, has Mykolenko ever been anything but redundant? 0 goals and 0 assists this season. 4 goals and 6 assists in the 5 seasons he has been with us - disgrace.

In this game - 94 touches of the ball, not a single 1 of them was inside the oppositions box. Compare that to the two Leeds fullbacks who had 6 and 4 respectively. Only Barry had more touches in the box than their two fullbacks. Leeds fullbacks aren't considered "attacking" fullbacks like your Munoz or Timber yet look at the difference in numbers.

He made 56 passes, with a pass accuracy of 79% (only 7 of those into the final third) , 1/4 accurate crosses and 0/4 accurate long balls.

Saying he is limited is an understatement.

Both sides need addressing because both of them wouldn't get into any other PL side. The fact that we haven't just gone and bought 2 fullbacks this window is nothing short of negligence. It isn't about keeping your powder dry until the summer because the 2 we have could be improved upon and replaced with £15/20 million quid.

{Ed025's Note - i cant argue with that mate..

27 Jan 2026 14:57:17
Great post BN and very accurate, it’s actually criminal we haven’t sorted these two areas of the pitch out, as two fast decent full backs wouldn’t cost the earth and could also operate as wing backs if we ever need to flex the systems around like last nights second half.

27 Jan 2026 15:09:13
I see what I see bluenose different opinion is all.

27 Jan 2026 15:11:50
This isn't insta mash, we will finish top 10. Think I may do a Skylark for awhile.

27 Jan 2026 15:45:39
It really is Col. If we had 2 decent full-backs this season, there is no reason why we wouldn't be in the CL places right now, given that we are currently 5 points off and have had to contend with the injuries and AFCON this season.

No issue with difference of opinion Dms. Some people like Moyes, some don't. Some people think Barry will be a hit, some don't. Some people think Ndiaye should play on the left, some on the right. Some people think O'Brien should be one of our starting CB's. There are reasons for and against for all the above but when it comes to the Mykolenko question, it is all but settled. His performances, numbers and the eye test alone, show that he is distinctly average, ordinary and nowhere near good enough to be starting as a left back for a PL club and certainly not one that has any aspirations of getting back to the heights of English football, be that in the short or long term.

27 Jan 2026 18:50:47
Watch the replay of the goal again. McNeil basically let's the lad go and makes no effort to track him. Had he done that then there is a very good chance they would not have scored.

27 Jan 2026 19:09:18
Bang on the money about Myko BN.

His crossing yesterday hit the first Leeds player every time.

27 Jan 2026 11:06:41
Im sick to death of Moyes as manager. Was delighted when Dyche left and then left irritated quickly after when Moyes was appointed. He’s done a good job points wise and this post sounds like i hate him, i have respect for him but he’s a major problem and needs to go.

One of my biggest irks with him, and his style of manager in general is the obsession with refusing to make alterations until at least the second half.

Every single person watching that first 30 mins knew Leeds were a matter of time away from scoring, If the game state remained the same. The system wasnt working, he admitted that in his presser.

So why can he not change it 20-25 mins in, make a sub if you need. Why do you have to wait? Once it goes 1/2-0 (in other cases) the likelyhood of winning the game, the whole objective, is so much lower.

A modern manager would have changed that and not cared if he bruised a players ego. McNeil should of been dragged, mykolenko was disgraceful but i can accept not changing him from a defensive standpoint.

Lucky we wasnt 2/3 down and get a point by the time he changes. Has happened time and time again this season. I don't mind if the manager gets it wrong at the start, but change it quickly as soon as you realise.

27 Jan 2026 11:36:49
Because as he said the lads he put on second half are just coming back to fitness. I give him good judgement and credit for that.

27 Jan 2026 12:45:05
His reason this time is correct and made sense. But it’s a continuous theme, and there can’t be excuses for every time this happens.

Mind you I fully expect KDH to start matches now and therefore things will improve.

27 Jan 2026 14:39:31
Alcaraz, Aznou, Rohl all sitting on the bench all fit and ready to go, and in the case of Aznou and Rohl both looked good in their last games. So not buying that excuse.

27 Jan 2026 15:33:23
Could easily have changed Aznou for McNeil and Rohl for Gana at any time in the first half. Happens every home game, you just know the away team are going to score you can see them building momentum because we let them.

27 Jan 2026 10:43:23
Played with 10 men last night. Retrospect should have left Ndaiye on the right, played there all season for us and Senegal, and put McNeil on the left (fing useless) and that should be his last appearance in a starting 11. Don't send Armstrong out on loan.

27 Jan 2026 09:42:08
Is it just me! When you look at our coaching team on the bench including Moyes they all look past their sell buy date, I know experience counts a lot but does this dug out squad have the charisma and modern day abilities to give the confidence and inspiration needed, a mixture of young and experience would probably be ideal.

27 Jan 2026 10:11:31
Baines on the side giving his advice! Modern day abilities 'to coach/Manage'. We all played football, what happened to the coaches movements, positional, shuttle disks instructions once we got on the pitch.

27 Jan 2026 10:25:37
dms, yes apart from Baines.

27 Jan 2026 14:41:13
Their is only so much advise you can give to a manager, many fail because of their stubbornness to change.

27 Jan 2026 09:11:14
Im sick to death of this football club and some of its fans,
We are work in progress, well I've heard this for about 30 years
We have stooped so low now that our fans are made up because we are not in a relegation fight
Say something bad about moyes and all you get is, give him time, he loves the club, he had no money last time he was here, bollocks he did have money its a myth and he won fook all and what makes some people think he loves the club?
The truth is we have about 5 /6 players that are any good and a manager who is useless, yes he is better than what we had but he isn't good enough
Our football stinks and is terrible to watch, most of our players are terrible
Im taking some time away from going the game and posting on this page to concentrate on my health, I've not been to good lately, nothing serious i hope and should be back at the game sometime nex season, i just hope moyes has moved on before i come back.

{Ed025's Note - look after yourself mate..

27 Jan 2026 10:03:09
This club would effect anyone’s health stay strong mate and get well soon?.

27 Jan 2026 10:20:44
Need to relax Skylark, it's a sport, when it comes down to it just a game. If it's messing you up or aggravating give it a miss. Against Sunderland and last night I saw people struggling, having to stop and breath every couple of steps in the stands (this is a steep stadium) , where is the commonsense in that.

27 Jan 2026 15:39:02
It's not just a game it's part of your life and you can't just walk away from it because it's an addiction. Trouble is the older supporters are use to the quality drug, while the younger one's don't realise it exists, and so are happy to believe that what they are being given is the best they can get.

27 Jan 2026 16:14:22
Good post BB.

27 Jan 2026 00:04:56
I work in Leeds and was telling everyone in the office today about how Moyes will play the same setup he always does, will have made no accommodations for how they'll play, and that they'll get to enjoy a rare game were they absolutely dominate the opposition - and if they play 3 at the back, i'd bet my house that a wingback will score as he has NO idea how to nullify that.

I guess Moyes deserves a crumb of credit for actually changing it in the second half, but absolutely pathetic how predictable it all was. I've said it so many times, it's like every team in the league has a squad of analysts and tacticians who pick apart every second of a game for a minor advantage, except us who just goes 'eh, it almost worked last time, same again lads. '

27 Jan 2026 16:39:01
Absolutely spot on Alex.