The NSNO Everton Forums

AjaxAndy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:33 pm I think people just need to have a bit of patience and rational thought at the moment.

Our 'success' last season was built on a CB pairing and one of those has missed the first two games. Our full back options last season were awful and that hasn't been addressed, but the glue that held things together of Branthwaite and Tarks hasn't been available and we've struggled as a result.

Then we sold Onana and replaced him with at best a gamble on Tim, at worst a PSR bodge... Or most likely a bit of both. It's a downgrade and maybe he'll end up being a decent player for us but he's no Onana at present (and I wasn't Onana's biggest fan).

So we're weaker at the back and weaker in midfield.

It was boys against men against Spurs but just look at the players they had available Vs ours, even their subs would walk in to this team. You'd hope we'd still find a way to at least be competitive, but Keane, Dixon and Tim ain't exactly giving you much of a chance is it?

There was some weird over confidence that because we'd signed Lindstrom and Ndaiye we'd somehow be top half and there's a huge frustration from them not starting, but I really don't think throwing them in from the off would have made a blind bit of difference.

We need one of two things to happen:

1) Branthwaite return and come back at the level he played at last year which might be a tough ask given he's missed all of pre-season and the first 2 games.

2) Branthwaite is sold and we invest the money well in multiple reinforcements that makes us a better team overall (obviously no one has any confidence in us doing that part well).

Over the course of a season and with key players back, new players slowly introduced from the start I'd back Dyche to have us safe barring any points deductions... but really what have people expected in these first 2 matches with the players available and the downgrading of the midfield?

There's some weird over confidence or inability to accept where we are as a team and club that then means people get really upset when their expectations aren't met, but it's their expectations that are the issue here.

Patience is a rare quality these days, maybe if things pan out alright again this year people might stop losing their shit so often... But sadly there's probably more chance of Keane winning the Ballon D'Or

Paddockoldie wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 8:36 pm I've always felt we have too high an expectation of success because of our successful neighbours. It's like a chip thing. We needed a billionaire and got one... Champions league here we come. Ancelotti as manager, champions league here we come. Sean Dyche... Championship here we come. I don't think anyone could do better at the moment.

Raptor wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 8:43 pm I think it depends what you class as better. Could other managers produce a better spectacle for us to watch, I don't think that would be hard to achieve. Would there also be a better player/fan interaction, id say yes again, especially if the fans could see us trying to play progressive, attacking football. Dyche is tolerable if you're getting results to numb the pain of the actual performance, but Dyche without the odd win is a truly miserable experience and existence

superpull wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 9:34 pm False dichotomy. Lampard tried to play a more progressive form of football. So did Martinez.

It seems odd to me that all the "better football" fans all completely seem to miss the point that not everybody wants or cares about "styles" or proscribed ways of playing.

Most reasonable people want a manager to play to their players strengths. You need an unlimited budget to do it the other way around.
Our players have very little strengths to play to

TheRam wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 9:56 pm For most people, style of play doesn’t matter.

If you’re creating more chances than the opposition that’s all that matters.

We’ve had this for the majority of time under dyche, but never really been consistent with results, so the debate turns to his style of play, which in this era will always be a sticking point for people.

When it clicks, this type of football is good. It’s on the front foot, aggressive off the ball, pressing high, forward quick. But when it doesn’t click, it becomes regressive.

I do think people ignore what’s happening on the pitch at times with how we play.

I see a lot of ‘low block’ comments about dyche and don’t think they’re true.

Against spurs our centre halves we’re quite high up the pitch trying to win the ball.

On the ball though we are very poor. I don’t know if dyche believes his off the ball structure is so good that the on the ball stuff doesn’t require much work as we should win the ball in good areas.

Or if he gives the players freedom to do what they want. If that’s the case then we simply don’t have good enough players for that.

Either way, it needs massive improvement.

brap2 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 10:19 pm