By the time you read this

You no doubt will have read the Sunday papers and had a chance to digest yesterdays goings on.
I'm looking back to last season where we had a strong back five.
A few short months later and we are a completely different unit but with the same personel. I am completely at a loss as to why this is. Surely it can't all come down to the loss of Carsley? Can it?
Howard looks a shadow of himself and very shaky in the 6 year box. Jagielka seems all over the place although he did have a better game today. Lescott whats going on? do you drop him for 4 games and give Baines/Valente a run or play him through this bad patch? Yobo is just Yobo, from the sublime to the ridiculous nothing will ever change there but his pace is important. Neville is not or never going to be a great footballer but does give 100% week in week out.

We are in dire need of a clean sheet and for that reason I would play this team on Thursday.

Howard

Hibbert Yobo Jagielka Valente

Neville

Arteta Cahill Castillo Osman

Saha

Any thoughts or is this just the 3am ramblings of a bored madman?

p.s the reason I am posting at this time is cos I'm in work!!

And the reason I'm posting at 8am is because I have an 8 year old child who I have to peel out of bed on a school day but insists on getting up about 7am on weekends

Cant argue with that team mate, we need to do something drastic and Saha in particular looks ready to get out there and give it his all. I cant contemplate us going out this early, that'd be worse than yesterday's defeat in my book.

Just been watching the first part of the MOTD repeat (turned off before the derby) and Hansen and Shearer talking about the importance of confidence in the dressing room. I can only think thats what it is with the blues right now - good players dont become bad overnight. Howard and Lescott in particular look shadows of their former selves and ok the Carsley factor may be a factor but fact is, he's gone and we have to move on and find that confidence again.

For me its come from the top; whatever is going on with Moyes' contract cant be helping, although on one level I'm inclined to think that footballers actually dont give a shit as long as they pick up their wedge every week, maybe I'm being too hard on them and it IS afffecting their confidence. Also, I think Moyes' misses Irvine's input - they'd spend the whole game talking to eachother and Irvine would be giving out instructions just as much as Moyes - I dont see this happening with Round.

Oh God, I've depressed myself all over again!!

'A place for Evertonians to meet and moan' Psychic abilty or just a an uncanny awareness of how Everton's season would pan out? I can't put my finger on how the same back four is so shit now. Arsenal during the late 80s and early 90s had relatively the same back four for years, that's why they were so strong, because they began to form an understanding. I think any strong team should be built around that factor. We have the same players but yet it's shit. Go figure. Like Trish said, I can't imagine players getting bothered about manager signing contract. Things like that hardly affect them. It's not like the club might fold or something.

Confidence has gone to shit now, I'm 100% convinced on that. Prepare for us to play badly at home because it'll be playing on the team's mind that they haven't won yet, so they'll be anxious. Away from home I feel we'll be quite decent as there'll be "well we're away so we expect to get beat so there's no pressure just give it our all and see what happens".

I do think we'll get better, but by that time it'll be too late and we won't qualify for Europe. I wonder if next season Arteta will leave for Spain? Out of all our players he'll be the one most likely to be sort after by major clubs. Perhaps Yakubu too.

Trish. 7 am on weekends is great. You can watch cartoons, play on computer and spend the whole day messing around. But during the week? Having to get up to go to school? Pah!

He can watch all the cartoons he likes but does he have to drag me downstairs with him?
(Note 'me' and no one else! )

Surely we can beat Newcastle? Cant we?????

Awww, see he wants to spend time with you. You should be grateful.

Disgraceful from start to finsih, not one player looked like they were playing in the Merseyside derby. Second to everything, half a yard off the pace, absolutley no passion whatsoever.

And why start with that formation, very very negative. The only way to beat them, is to take the game to them. No width again at the weekend and from what I saw no communication. Struggling to finsd positives. I thought Felliani was okay but the booking right at the start ruined the game for him. Oh yeah and we never conceded three

In 40 odd years of derbies that was the worst performance I have seen by an Everton side, and let's be honest, that's in the face of some pretty strong competition.
No passion to make up for lack of ability.
No pride to make up for lack of organisation.
No interest to make up for looking unfit.

The statements in the times and independent about the contract situation having an influence are to be honest, very scary.

Write off thursday, we need to beat Newcastle, but as it is us, we are very generous when it comes to other teams' bad runs.
I'm off to watch Crewe

I take the point about negativity at home, especially in a derby, but to be honest, I felt it was a 'mustnt lose' rather than a 'must win' kind of game. I went into the game wanting our defence to be more solid and not to score an o.g. For the first half I didnt think we were all that bad defensively - I never felt panicked (sp?) or under seige - yes they had a lot of possession but they werent really going anywhere with it. The galling thing was winning the ball in defence and then hoofing it upfield only to lose possession - we put ourselves under pressure because (and call me a bitter all you like) they are in no way, shape or form a team that will challenge for the title this season. We made them look better than they are with that second half capitulation and the woeful marking of Torres. Result wise I got just about what I expected from the game, in fact, I was 'glad' it was only 2 goals - but the lack of passion and fight was unforgiveable. If we go out of UEFA this week I believe it will be a defining week in the history of Everton Football Club

I have to say we are generous with other teams poor form. This is a trait I've noticed for years even before Moyes. It's like if a team hasn't won or player hasn't scored in ages, if they come to us they'll score. Regarding the derby. Awful. We are shit at defending so why play defensively? I couldn't understand a strong defensive team playing that way then hitting them on the break or whatever, but if you're shit at defending then what's the point of playing to your weakness. Sometimes I think Moyes is good and other times I just don't understand him. Like he has no logic or something. Simple things like not hoofing the ball towards their 6ft whatever defenders and giving the ball back to them, is just glaringly obvious that a 4 year old could see it.

Do you know what I'll never forgive this current side for?
My youngest now acts like Damien from the Omen on hearing the word 'church' whenever I mention going to Goodison Park - seriously! 'Oh mummy, I dont HAVE to go do I??' Even when bribed with the promise of maccies and that he can play on his DS, I'm afraid he'd rather go to his grandad's house presumably because its preferable to listening to me being depressed for 90 minutes. I'm thinking of cashing his ticket in, there's no point forcing the poor child to go. He'll still be a blue, just from the comfort of his grandad's

Thats a a valid point Ms_M, I've not got any kids but me mate has a 6 year old. He had one hell of a job persuading, convincing, bribing his son to be a blue. He got there in the end but there were sickening "I want to be Steven Gerrard" days.

Haha, I told my kids from the off - you'll never support either the redshite or Manure, My dad was outraged that I let my eldest have Chelsea and Arsenal shirts but to me it was a trade off. I always made out it was just the same as him having AC or Real shirts even though it half killed me to see him walking round with Lampard on his back
He absolutely adores football and the current compromise was to let him have a Portugal shirt with Ronaldo on it He knew better than to ask for a name on the back of the Spain one though .....

I've got blue mates who have 'let' their kids become reds - I'm afraid it was never an option in our house, I'm a cruel mother

My mates lad almost got took out of his nursery cos of his dad. It all began the day of that hateful night in 2005. Luis Garcia's kid went to the same nursery and when me mate went to pick his lad up he was singing Liverpool songs in the back of the car!! When asked where he learnt the songs he innocently said "school"
How he stayed in that nursery was and still is a mystery to me.

Hahahaha, class!!!!