Everton 2-0 West Ham Utd (12/05/13)

[Hockley Hammer]

Before I decided to come on read the predictable moaning I decided to see if I could listen to a few opinions.

Yesterday Charlie Nicholas said this was the most impressive Everton team he had seen in a long time. Only six defeats all season and five straight wins at home before yesterday.

David Moyes also thinks this is the best Everton team he has managed and yesterday was one of their best performances of the season and it happened on a special day for Everton.

The last few times I have been to Goodison the fewest amount of goals we have conceeded was three so l see losing 2-0 to a top six side on top of their game, at a place we don't normally do very well, as a bit more than a reason to moan at our manager and his tactics/formations.

Getting this squad to 10th in the PL is an achievement. Trying to find the quality and then being able to bring it into the club is going to be the major battle before next season starts.

[gegsy]

If we beat Reading then we definitely finish 10th. That's 10th. That, frankly, is amazing.

[jaybs]

It's over and done with now, but a serious question is it Wrong? to stage The Player of The Season awards with two games to go, does that create an anti climax, it's all over we are safe? but they need to remember they are still getting paid Very Good Money! lots more than any of us, I don't expect us to win every game, but I do expect effort at least!

[The Old Mile End]

I think Everton under Moyes are probably the best example of what we should aspire to in our current state.

They are very fit, work very hard for each other on and off the ball. They close down opposition tightly, they get forward and back with vigour. They have attacking full backs and are constantly at you. They are very professional and despite it being end of season etc, they refuse to simply go through the motions.

We, on the other hand have some very lazy players - especially off the ball. Off the ball, Nolan is lazy, Diame is lazy, Jack Collison is lazy (unfit probably). Jarvis goes through he motions - he tracks back but has no bottle and no committment - he just looks busy. JOB and Demel are just slow (not lazy). Vaz Te, when playing is lazy both on and off the ball.
Considering we play a lot the game without possession, you'd think this side of our game would see us working harder.
Unfortunately we have played this way many times this season - far too much for it to be just another bad day. BFS picks his games in my opinion. I'm not saying he wants to lose - but just that there are games where he has measured it up that he's not too fussed if we don't win. Percentages.

I have no expectations for us to achieve more than we have this season. However, I have every expectation that professional footballers will play the game in a professional manner. I have every expectation that a man being well paid to do a job, will go out there and give his utmost. Especially in front of 30,000 paying spectators.
Especially away from home when thousands have travelled and spent their hard earned to watch them.

I've said it before. The notion that Sam Allardyce picks teams that are hard to beat is a myth. For 19 games a season, early pressure and an early goal will put any of Allardyce's teams into damage limitation. There simply is no desire.

Welcome to the new West Ham.

[PrinceH]

I've said it before. The notion that Sam Allardyce picks teams that are hard to beat is a myth. For 19 games a season, early pressure and an early goal will put any of Allardyce's teams into damage limitation. There simply is no desire.

Welcome to the new West Ham.

If we concede a goal early on we are almost always beaten. So if we start a game and sit, waiting for the opposition to do their move, we hardly have any steel to get back into the game. Like yesterday. Only Fulham has worse statistics when it comes to "getting back into the game". I think Sam has to address that, and it's like yesterday. When we hardly have any own gameplan, it's hard to create (and hard with having Demel a FB, as our most creative individual), and even harder if we let the opposition dictate all play.

[Snudge]

It's over and done with now, but a serious question is it Wrong? to stage The Player of The Season awards with two games to go, does that create an anti climax, it's all over we are safe? but they need to remember they are still getting paid Very Good Money! lots more than any of us, I don't expect us to win every game, but I do expect effort at least!

For once I agree with you...

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

If we concede a goal early on we are almost always beaten. So if we start a game and sit, waiting for the opposition to do their move, we hardly have any steel to get back into the game. Like yesterday. Only Fulham has worse statistics when it comes to "getting back into the game". I think Sam has to address that, and it's like yesterday. When we hardly have any own gameplan, it's hard to create (and hard with having Demel a FB, as our most creative individual), and even harder if we let the opposition dictate all play.

From Sam's post-Everton email:-

Improving the away results and away form will be the main priority next season.

[Billydinho]

I can't believe how quiet Everton fans were.

I find it baffling Moyes has said they were loud.

[irving boleyn]

I see no difference between out home and away performances.

The line up and tactics are the same.

The difference in results is due to the home teams being less cautious,attacking from the start and frequently getting the early goal.

An earlier poster is "worried" about our midfield.....Yesterdays starting choice was probably the worst midfield I have seen in the Prem. This will be redressed during the Summer I am sure..You can only do so much in two years..The strong defence has kept us relatively free of relegation worries.

[Hockley Hammer]

An earlier poster is "worried" about our midfield.....Yesterdays starting choice was probably the worst midfield I have seen in the Prem. This will be redressed during the Summer I am sure..You can only do so much in two years..The strong defence has kept us relatively free of relegation worries.

Good points but look at the midfield. I think quite a few would prefer Collison to VazTe, but we have Nolan (joint top scorer and captain) Jarvis (statistically the best crosser in the PL), Diame (supposedly one of the buys of the season) and O'Neil who to be fair has been puting in a decent shift of late.That is far from a poor group of players but I understand what people are saying. Plus we were playing the dreaded 4-5-1, if we went with 4-4-2 I think you can say that we would have been under even more presssure that we were.

Watching their first goal yesterday, I thought we kept our shape despite their excellent passing, the problem was Mirales got ahead of Nolan and took the opportunity very well first time. My problem with our midfield hasn't changed since the middle of last season. Too many players of the same pace and too many who give the ball away under no pressure. We do it too often against a decent side we can expect to lose.

I want to see our midfield hold on to the ball and wait for things to develop before releasing the ball. We know we can go long if we have to or want to but passing it to nobody rather than hold on to it isn't about tactics it's about poor technique and confidence.

[MS in the West]

Work in progress innit.

We're not as good as some on here think we are. Although we've never been in danger of relegation that's largely due to astuteness and experience of SA.

The real indicator of our position is our points tally. We aren't too far from relegation. We're way below Liverpool's tally in the points table, and they can't make top 6.

We're a bottom third team, even if we finish half way (if you catch my drift). If Allardyce can strengthen us to get mid 50s points next season that will be a big forward movement. And if that's th case th football will improve with it

We were never going to get nything from this match

[w4hammer]

had a cracking w/e up there. match was pretty much how I thought it would go. very rarely can appreciate other sides , especially when they score against us but that first goal we chased shadow after shadow- a class goal.

they were better all over the park...better organised, more creative, fitter, everything.

In a game like this we REALLY miss a bit of creativity & pace...i.e a Yossi

[Nesticles]

How did Collison look yesterday? Only caught MOTD highlights.

Thought he had been looking sharp recently when coming on as a sub, was happy to see him in the starting line-up yesterday. Ultimately though, I have a feeling he may seek a move elsewhere this Summer.

[irving boleyn]

It WAS a poor midfield Hockley...

Regardless of a few plus points,Jarvis's crossing,O'Neills work rate,Nolan's goal poaching, Diame's eye catching runs...as a unit there was very little good tackling, running with the ball, passing incisively,or shooting. Can you visualise any two interpassing from a defencsve position into a shooting opportunity.?

No wonder there's hoofing!

Work in progress I agree. I hope a couple of Scotty Parker types are the main target during the summer.

[jaybs]

For once I agree with you...

It would be a sad world if we agreed all the time! I may not always agree with many here but I respect them!

[Hockley Hammer]

I don't disagree IB,

My point is that I don't think as individuals they are bad players, but as a unit the sum is far less than the parts.

Vaz Te drives me mad at times, but we appear more dangerous as an attacking unit when he plays, but playing every game?

Diame in full flow can be awesome, but the last few times I have seen him he seems to find dead ends to run into practically ever time he gets the ball.

Nolan is doing more defensive work in my opinion at the expenses of what he has always done best.

Jarvis will be a weapon when we find somebody who will get him the ball quickly. Hence why a mobile left back is necessary.

Maybe Noble being 100% fit and doing what he was doing reasonably well earlier in the season gives all the others the freedom to do what they do best and relieves them of defensive duties. There has definitely been something missing in recent games and Noble is the only one that is not figuring regularly compared to earlier in the season.

My concern is that if we weren't playing five in midfield lately, I cannot see how we would function with only four as we would be outnumbered constantly by teams who have more movement.

Watching Villa and Wigan play the ball about with ease at the weekend and then watching us struggle again is baffling when you look at the league table. Oh to see somebody stop the ball look up and move with the ball and pass it to somebody who has found space.

[bubbles1966]

There has definitely been something missing in recent games

...the threat of relegation. Some of them are in Acapulco, mentally.

I would ask what the logic is in setting up to play deep and on the break - and then picking certain undroppable players who are neither blessed with pace or particularly good passing skills.

We have the players in the squad to play with pace, power and decent passing.

[Doc H Ball]

You would think yesterday was at least a chance to try something different.

Did I hear that BFS likes a flutter? I bet it's always the favorite e/w.

[EastLondonHammer]

Found some chants from yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CockneyReje ... ture=watch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;