Can people comprehend that there's a massive middle ground between all out defence/pure hoofball, and toe-to-toe?
No one is expecting toe-to-toe or dazzling football. Just the occasional bit of football as a starter. Allardyce said the same, so I'm hardly going out on a limb.
Think the issue right now is what a massive gap formed early this season between Everton and a competent football team that can defend or attack, much less effectively mix the two.
We were not some elite squad when Alardyce came in. We were a shambles, a rehab project that is now progressing nicely. Shoring up the defense has been the first part of it. Being able to hold Chelsea scoreless and earn a draw qualifies as a minor miracle considering where we were a couple months back.
The bigger miracles like being able to go out to beat top teams like Chelsea will take a while longer to develop. Though at this rate, we could well be doing it by spring.