08 Apr 2022 05:29:57
Of course the players are responsible for their performances on the pitch but instead of just slating them off we need to try and find out why they don't seem to put the fight into it or keep making stupid, downright awful rudimentary mistakes pretty much every game. And fix them

I don't for one minute believe any of the players enjoy going to the supporters at the end of the game and hear them booing and calling for blood. I don't believe they enjoy hearing the crowd saying 'Oh ' every time they make a bad pass, miss a tackle or fail to control the ball. They don't want it, they want the adulation of the crowd, but they are still making mistakes. WHY?

TALENT - personally I don't think talent or lack of it is much to blame. These are all 'elite' players who have come through academies and proved themselves to be in the top fractions of a percentage point. They might not be showing it as much as we want them to but they can all do things we only dream about. They all have the talent to do the job but they are not showing it

MENTALITY - everybody has different mental strengths. It includes the ability to deal with adversity, the strength to put mistakes behind you and work to make sure they are not repeated, the inner drive to better oneself, the ability too see and take the better pass, the list could go on and on.
I'm generalising now but too many of our players lack (or are not showing) the mental strength necessary. It's something we have to place more emphasis on when recruiting players but we have to find a way of improving the mental strength of the current team whether it's a resident psychologist, motivational speakers, one on one talks. Again the list goes on and on and each player is different. I'm sure Frank making Keane captain against West Ham was an attempt to boost his confidence. I do believe though that some of the team are so lacking in mental strength at the moment they need resting and maybe, just maybe, the kids with their gungho mentality (like Gordon) could help

LEADERSHIP - again my personal opinion, but we simply don't have any on field leadership. I go through the squad in my head and I don't see a Roy Kean, a Terry, a Henderson, a Peter Reid, a Ratcliffe. Instead we have Coleman who you can see is focussed on his own performance before the match but isn't rallying the troops. When he is out we've given it to Digne, to Keane, to others and they have not worked out. Where is our sergeant major to take the troops over the trenches to battle? This is our major problem and I don't have the answer

Just my thoughts.

1.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 08:59:50
What talent do you see in Tom Davies buddy :) ? You are having a laugh. Half of the players wouldn't get into most of the PL teams on merit.

2.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 09:16:11
Have to agree Tom Davies has been awful as has many more when in the Team, if we want to improve we have to get rid of these poor to average players of which he is certainly one.

3.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 09:47:03
bw - think the simple answer is they just don’t care.

In what other profession could you do a terrible job day in day out or not give 100% and still get paid? None!

Regardless of results these players still take home their obscene wages. Until the results affect their income why would they bother changing?

Don’t think it matters who is on the touchline, we have ended up with a team with the majority of outfield players playing for money and nothing else. The only 2 exceptions would be Gordon and Richarlison.

If we stay up and it’s a big if should build team around them 2 and try and get rid of the rest over next couple of seasons.

4.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 09:50:55
Sorry, I must of missed it

The transfer window isn't open right - so we can't sell anyone - anyone, including Tom Davies
Tom Davies is injured and isn't even on our squad list so he can't play for us again this season - right?

So how is any of this going to help us avoid relegation this year?

5.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 09:59:35
I honestly think you are over simplifying it GD. These are young men who have been in academies since they were 5 (? ) with one dream - to become professional footballers, to play for a top club and become internationals and household names
Yes we probably have some bad apples but the majority want to do well and improve. They are making a lousy job of improving but there must be other factors other than money and we, the club, has to find those factors and cure them.

6.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 10:56:54
Conversely bw - I think you’re overthinking it.

Majority of players don’t want to become household names, they want to earn as much as they can as quick as they can as it’s a shortish career.

Now why would any of our players want to put in any extra work or effort which may lead to an injury curtailing that career when they are already getting paid handsomely for their performances?

Or why will one player want to work harder than another player who is performing poorly but being paid more?

Until performance related pay comes in you’ll always have these issues.

7.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 11:30:09
we are deluded, just because they come through the accadamy doesn't make them a great player, i'd love to see it, at the moment there is only gordon possibly branthwait, the rest i'd forget.

8.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 11:59:10
I think we have to agree to disagree on this one Dan.
Is it all players or just Everton players that 'don’t want to become household names, they want to earn as much as they can as quick as they can as it’s a shortish career'
Is it all players or just Everton players that ' Now why would any of our players want to put in any extra work or effort which may lead to an injury curtailing that career when they are already getting paid handsomely for their performances? '

If it's all players then you have a poor opinion of football as a whole and I'd have to question why we don't see the same performances at Man City, at Liverpool where they are paid even more, or most clubs for that matter

If it's just Everton then we have a problem don't we?

9.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 11:59:27
While we should be grateful that FM came in with an open wallet, splurged cash all over the place and is currently building us a shiny new home, these points can't take away from 5 or 6 years of mismanagement from the boardroom.
To go through the amount of managers that we have in his tenure is the main problem. Sack a manager after backing him in the transfer market, employ a new man and give him a decent war chest, panic when results have been crap, sack manager. Rinse and repeat. We have turned into Watford with the way we discard managers.
The squad that has been assembled is our most expensive yet probably the worst we've seen not only in the premiership era but in our history. But is it their fault entirely? There was a time when players were scouted thoroughly with all aspects of their life and characteristics taken into account. So who sanctioned not buying players who lead in the pitch, players who will run through brick walls to get a result?
Even if we manage to stay up, we are in big trouble financially. Something is rotten in Denmark!

10.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 12:04:17
I agree charlie. I said they are making a lousy job of improving

But why is that? We are stuck with a load of underperforming players unless we solve it.

11.) 08 Apr 2022
08 Apr 2022 12:24:37
Davis along with Richarlison puts himself about, harrying etc! We need something, instead of inviting the opposition on to us, get in their faces. Should have been happening games ago, alas I fear we are down now.