Everton banter 9

15 Mar 2026 10:25:07
Gooner in peace.
I thought you played very well against us yesterday and we were lucky to come away with the points.
I think Moyes is a great manager and has set you up brilliantly in defence. It is so hard to get through on goal against you.

Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to come away with the spoils (and of course an exceptional 16 year old!) And we were that team yesterday.

Good luck foe the rest of the season and hope to see you in Europe next year. ?

16 Mar 2026 15:04:51
Exceptional 16 year old? ? Tbf, the kid had an open goal cause Pickford went up the other end for the corner. My Nan could have scored that.

{Ed025's Note - is your nan available next week Peter?.. :)

14 Mar 2026 15:02:48
Any ed, please help the bewildered and confused.
Will the Premier League ever get round to addressing the issue of man City's chargers.
In the Unlikely event that they ever do, it will be done only if it saves spurs from the drop. The Premier League is corrupt as F. k.

{Ed025's Note - if it does happen AB I expect it to be a fine of some sort mate. And yes it is corruption.

15 Mar 2026 11:16:30
They can't afford to do anything to City. City's lawyers would bankrupt the Prem before a resolution was ever reached.
Year upon year, the Premiership is getting worse, and true football supporters are being priced out of it. The costs go up and the product gets poorer.

Just look at how our so-called top teams are doing in Europe right now.
Soon, we will have the top twelve teams qualifying for some made-up European competition, and this will eventually lead to European leagues, which will lead to the death of English football as we know it.

15 Mar 2026 15:01:17
If they do nothing to them bar a fine, what are the chances we can sue the Prem for discrimination of sorts, get 10 points reinstated and be handed a fine instead.?

Of course it won’t happen, but it’s a farce to treat teams differently for breaking the rules.

City and Chelsea won’t have anything done to them. I also wonder what is lurking in the closets of Liverpool, Arsenal, Utd, or any team who has possibly gained the system. The millions of debt clubs have racked up must have something dodgy about how FFP has been managed, or more how they haven’t fallen foul of it.



I worked as an auditor for a multi-million pound company, and they were always using 'clever' financing to avoid fines. Their competitors were at it also. It was always about how clever your accountant was at gaining the system. I'd be very surprised if football clubs weren't at it.

Moshiri screwed up, got caught and complied with the league's investigations. City and Chelsea have been found out, say they are complying, but we are years down the line and nothing.

Treat all clubs the same. We know that won’t happen.

{Ed001's Note - it is gaming, not gaining by the way. But Chelsea, to be fair to them, were not caught, their new owners coming in self-reported past issues.}

15 Mar 2026 16:08:54
Cheers Ed01. Clearly not enough 'gaming' in my youth to fully understand the meaning!

What's your take on it all? Will it ever get resolved? Is it City, Chelsea, the Prem League or a mixture of them causing the delay?

My understanding with the City situation is the evidence showing the corruption came from leaks so is deemed unlawful and can't be used. That is probably just rumour but you'd have thought someone would have unearthed something concrete by now.

I worry that theorem League might try and sweep the Chelsea one under the carpet and pass it off as Abramovic era corruption so won't punish the new owners. That's just my opinion, nothing factual to base that on. If the new owners volunteered the evidence, I would have thought it was more of an open and shut case and dealt with by now.

{Ed001's Note - it is one of those sayings, like damp squib, that people often misheard. I didn't mean to be pedantic but I just thought it makes more sense when you say gaming rather than gaining.

City are dragging it out, I expect them to get away with just a slap on the wrists in the end, disgracefully. The initial evidence came from a hack but that opened an investigation by UEFA which had confirmed all the charges, just that Citeh got away with it because they were time barred from being found guilty. The Prem doesn't have a time limit on charges, so they should have already been dealt with, however the appetite to really take on the wealthiest club of all is not there imo.

The Chelsea one is difficult because of the circumstances, but I think the same as you and it will just be a other slap on the wrists.}

15 Mar 2026 20:16:39
Cheers for your insight Ed01.

I hope we are proved wrong and someone grows a spine to take on City and Chelsea properly. Sadly, I don't think there is anyone left with any morals and they will get away with it.

I've no problem with you being pedantic it's a deep-seeded feeling some people have to be right and I don't mind being an escape goat in this case. In all intensive purposes, I take your case and point
(Apparently, it's called an Eggcorn - never realised that)

{Ed001's Note - that made me properly laugh out loud, thank you!}

16 Mar 2026 17:34:07
Chelsea have been fined 10.75m and have a one-year transfer ban, suspended for 2 years. They have also been given a transfer ban on bringing in academy players for a year. One down, one to go, Br!

16 Mar 2026 22:54:49
It was lenient because they cooperated. We cooperated so they reduced the points deduction!

Measly fine and a transfer ban suspended, so they can buy in players in preparation, then have a year off. Wouldn't be surprised if they could then spend big the year after the ban, as their profit and sustainability levels would look better.

What's the point? Absolute joke.

Feels dodgy to me and corrupt. Don't know what everyone else thinks about it.

17 Mar 2026 12:40:52
I don't think the punishment fits the crime, mate, whatsoever, but it was kind of expected that any sanction wouldn't be as harsh as what they hit us with. Hard to argue that the league isn't corrupt, really.

15 Mar 2026 07:04:23
Does anyone know the reason for the omission of Branthwaite and Tarkowski? Seems strange both missing.

15 Mar 2026 08:58:33
Don't know, but Moyes did look a little pissed off when asked about it, and didn't confirm that it was due to any injury issues.

15 Mar 2026 08:59:29
I've just seen Moyes questioned about it post-match, and he shut it down immediately.

It's a very strange one, as I don't think he mentioned anything before the match either.

15 Mar 2026 11:41:07
I did see a rumour they were out on the piss at Cheltenham. I have no real proof of this though.

14 Mar 2026 23:12:51
Not at fault exclusively for the result by any means, but another reason why we must change our left back. Goes to engage a 16 year old boy and gets absolutely done and swept aside.

14 Mar 2026 23:50:21
Nothing wrong with our left back, that was/is a superb 16 year old. Our weakness is on the right.

15 Mar 2026 00:29:15
Rooney was a superb 16 year old because he had the physicality to go with the ability. Dowman is no doubt a very talented player, but that defending was absolutely abysmal. Talk about selling yourself.

The two aren't mutually exclusive. Both sides need brand new starters.

Garner, brilliant again. The lad can play anywhere, but I much prefer him in the middle.

15 Mar 2026 05:47:07
For me, Mycolenko was at fault for their first goal. For some reason, he dropped off his position and retreated some 10 yards, leaving the youngster on his own to put in an excellent cross. Normally, when a goalie comes that far out, he has to get it, but for me it was down to Mycolenko's naivety.

15 Mar 2026 09:54:30
Don't get carried away with that 16 year old. Really, what did he do? He put a cross into the box, which Pickford made a terrible mistake with, and then ran the ball into the net when there was no keeper in the net. He will be another Smith Rowe, all hyped up, and then he will be playing for Fulham in 3 years.

Can't believe a team as crap as Arsenal can win the Premier League these days. They are a bad lot. They are worse than the Liverpool teams that won the league in the last few years, and that is saying something cos Liverpool are a bad lot too. I hope Spurs go down this season as well. Another bad lot they are.

15 Mar 2026 11:07:18
He does seem a great talent and good luck to him, love the youngsters making the first team even if it's for the last 15/20 minutes. We should do the same.

15 Mar 2026 12:10:02
He won't be another Smith Rowe imo. Smith Rowe didn't make his debut until 18. This lad came onto the scene at 15, and made Joe Linton look lost at sea.

His frame and his composure on the ball set him apart from Smith Rowe already. He is 6ft tall already, and will only grow into his body.

He came on for his PL debut against Leeds and won a penalty.

In his 2nd game (against us) , he had a big play in the 1st goal, then made Mykolenko look like the schoolboy, before calmly slaloming out of the way of KDH.

A goal and an assist in less than a half of PL football is very impressive at 16 years of age. Smith Rowe did not manage to score until about 18 games into his Arsenal PL career.

15 Mar 2026 13:21:46
We will have to wait and see then.

15 Mar 2026 16:11:00
If he plays on the right, he could well end up at us if he doesn't make it.. We'd probably spend £50m+ for the pleasure if that was the case..

14 Mar 2026 22:44:42
I'm tired of defenders taking a dive at the slightest touch and getting a free kick. They can maul a striker and rarely concede one. That's why DM got booked when he complained when Saliba collapsed from barely a nudge.

15 Mar 2026 00:09:05
I think Moyes complained that the game was stopped, yet Saliba wasn't on the field of play when the ref blew the whistle. There was no need to stop the game.

15 Mar 2026 09:00:42
Exactly. Seems like the ref doesn't understand the rules, or is it just the badge?

15 Mar 2026 10:49:04
Top 6 players are allowed to fall over when feeling air brushing past them from opposing players, it's also a requirement to hold your ankle and roll side to side, or hold your head for any contact above the knee. Also, subsection 4, paragraph c.1 states any Top 6 player outside the field of play is considered in the field of play.


Anyone below top 6 can be wrestled to the ground, pulled back by the shirt, and barged into advertising boards. Any contact is deemed that player's fault for just being there.

14 Mar 2026 22:21:19
Played well, but you don't get any points for hard luck.
In the real world, you make your own luck, know that Pickford has seen some criticism for that goal, but, in truth, had we taken our chances, it wouldn't have mattered.

14 Mar 2026 21:21:10
Putting the blame on Pickford is harsh in my opinion. Not a howler, but could have done better. Thought we set up well and outplayed them in the first half. Always likely to pay the price for not taking the chances we created. Nothing much has changed. Still a good striker away from a good team. Overall, think we should be pleased with the performance.

15 Mar 2026 08:17:13
My thoughts exactly on both Pickford and the performance, JB.

This one hurt more because we were that close to getting something out of it.

I wonder where we'd be in the league with a decent striker, and, at the very least, a decent RB.



As hard as it was to see us get pipped at the end, I take a lot of comfort in the direction we're going.

15 Mar 2026 10:15:52
When you come off your line for a cross and miss the ball that's a howler. It was his fault they scored, but forgive him cos he has kept us up the last few years and has pulled off some saves this season. Every keeper makes the odd mistake. It comes with the job.

15 Mar 2026 11:04:39
Also made some very good saves in the game, but was overlooked because he had a brainfart.

14 Mar 2026 20:44:16
Pickford has spent years undoing that reputation and then makes a howler right out of the playbook that built that narrative. He knows his weak point is commanding the box. If he stays in between the sticks there, it is no goal.

We know how good he is and has been for us of course but this is why he never gets in the conversations of best keeper in the league/world.

Such a shame as that would have been a huge point and set us on the way to some big fixtures, going into Chelsea confident, even more so with them being beat as well.

14 Mar 2026 19:59:17
The usual fecking rubbish play well and get beat ah well good old Everton try but no cigar i'm so sick of this repeat performance when da feck is it going to change.

14 Mar 2026 20:56:33
Far too harsh. We could've been ahead, and it was one mistake from Pickford, who has been unbelievable all season, which cost us.

14 Mar 2026 21:02:39
Here we go then, all the usual negativity coming out. I'm sorry, but you are getting carried away. We are a club/team in transition, nowhere near the finished article. We go to the best team in the league, without our first choice centre halves, and give them a good game. We could have been 2-0 at half-time and, in my view, we fully deserved a point.

All this criticism of Moyes is unreal - listen to what people in the game think of him, as well as current & former players. Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, both say they came to Everton because of Moyes. He's not perfect but you better get used to him because he'll be here for one more season at least.

14 Mar 2026 21:18:34
Spot on, Pojo.

14 Mar 2026 21:54:39
Not a rubbish display at all. Some need to lay off the sauce. Up against a side that will win the Prem, a squad whose not playing 11 would probably (exception Pickford) be our first select.

Our weakness is no striker, all our threat comes from midfield. Predictions are all well and good, but mean zilch without a reality check. And, no, that Chelsea pillock is not the answer. I'd rather play Keane.

14 Mar 2026 23:03:12
We played very well today. Could have won, defo deserved a point. We have come a long way in 1 yr of Moyes. I am 100% happy we have him. We are not pulling up trees, I will agree, but av not felt we have a chance in every game since erm.

we'll Moyes.
Always said, be careful what you wish for. He left us, we went downhill, never recovered.
West Ham bordering relegation.

15 Mar 2026 07:01:27
I thought we played really well. Moyes knows what he's got, and plays to the strengths. Tactically, for me, he was spot on. It could have easily turned into another Everton away win, plus we were pressing to the end for an equaliser.

All Evertonians should be proud of the team's performance and of the manager. A couple of little mistakes by Mycolenko and Pickford. Everyone played well.

14 Mar 2026 19:40:29
Mistake by Pickford changes everything but he has kept us in the hunt so many times so just one of those things. Strong performance. We are a decent team. But boy do we need someone up top who can hold on to the ball.