Europa League 2017/18

[smat]

Jack Wilshere is back. Europe quivers.

 

[Benji]

Milan went from looking comfortable and basically playing ou the 90 minutes to very near disaster. Gave away a really cheap goal, then had a slightly dodgy penalty given against them for Rijeka's equaliser. The winner was a beauty though. You wouldn't recognise the Borini who played tonight if you've only seen him play in England. Confident on the ball, and pulled off a David Silva-esque pass through the whole defence to Cutrone for the winner.

 

[Smudge]

We're shite. Next.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Never should have signed Rooney. Calvert-Lewin should be starting.

 

[mistermagic]

We're shite. Next.

Couple of mates heading your way next month. Wish I could come but have to save up for the World Cup. After Celtic, Everton is another ground I wouldn't mind doing.

 

[Smudge]

Never should have signed Rooney. Calvert-Lewin should be starting.

He'd be fine if Koeman stopped trying to play him at centre forward. He's one of our most creative players and is making chances, but he doesnt have the legs to be the one on the end of them anymore. Thursday was baffling, picked Sandro and played him out wide to accommodate Rooney up front. Its like getting the worst out of two players to accommodate someone in a position that isnt their best while we've got a lad on the bench who can do better there!

That narrow midfield is what's currently the death of us. Vlasic has played well every time he's played bar Atalanta (where everyone was shit) and deserved his goal the other night, him, Sigurdsson and Schneiderlin were the positives. The starting lineup is screaming out for a bit of pace, width, creativity, and yet Vlasic and Lookman are seeing nothing but cameos, and Calvert-Lewin is in and out.

 

[johnnytodd]

DCL needs to be played Henry style

 

[mistermagic]

He'd be fine if Koeman stopped trying to play him at centre forward. He's one of our most creative players and is making chances, but he doesnt have the legs to be the one on the end of them anymore.

I've said this many a time down the years and was mostly mocked for it but I stand by my comment. Rooney was always a complete waste at CF. He could finish sure but the amount of quality he brings as an AM is close to unequalled (when he was at his peak that is). Playing him up top is understandable these days given his age but I'd let him have a free-role in midfield (maybe play even deeper). That's how the Giggs and Lampards continued playing decently even though they were past their best.

 

[snortingfrogs]

Bilbao to visit the cold northern part of Sweden on Thursday, going from playing in 20c nice weather to 2c cold Swedish fall

 

[snortingfrogs]

Östersund has been the better team by far, a shame that a they are down due to a simple mistake though.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Brilliant goal from Giroud five minutes from time as Arsenal win 1-0 in Belgrade against Red Star.

 

[GodsGift]

Superb play by Wilshere in the build up. England desperately need him fit and playing regularly because he's the only one capable of playing that role next to Eric Dier.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Ashley Williams just totally lost it there in some ugly scenes. Not sure how he is still on the pitch.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Fucking hell and now Williams heads Everton level. Shouldn`t even be on the pitch.

 

[DarkSithLord]

2-1 Lyon now. This game has come alive.

 

[mistermagic]

Uncool, johnntytodd. What did Traoré ever do to you?

 

[Luke_1884]

These two games tonight have been hard on the eyes.

 

[SALTIRE]

Everton never fail to amuse

 

[Super_horns]

Can concentrate on the relegation battle now?

 

[tiltontrev]

The bloke holding his toddler in one arm, throwing punches at the Lyon players with the other...those bloomin’ pesky Scousers!!!

 

[G-Dragon]

Everton shame of England.

 

[The Mustard Tiger]

Last night look's like another nail in the Koeman coffin. I've watched Everton a few times this season and it was one of their better performances despite the result. Ashley Williams is utterly rubbish though. He's looked an absolute liability everytime that I've seen him play this year and doesn't look half the defender he has been over the years. He should have been sent off and he'll no doubt get a retrospective ban for his unnecessary kick-off.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

The Wilshere hype machine will churn back into life then after a quiet year! That was some classy goal though.

The Everton fan with the toddler Ironic that the players came to them this time!

 

[GodsGift]

The Wilshere hype machine will churn back into life then after a quiet year! That was some classy goal though.

There's no hype machine surrounding Wilshere, it's just that England have absolutely no one else who is capable of doing what he can in that midfield role. There's a dearth of English creative midfielders so I don't get why people wouldn't want him to do well.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

I get the sense that the FA hires managers and gives them a remit to play possession football moving forward, without really making sure that any of them truly believe in it. It's taken Southgate the entire qualification campaign to realize that maybe his central midfielders should have some creativity and penetrative passing.

 

[smat]

There's no hype machine surrounding Wilshere, it's just that England have absolutely no one else who is capable of doing what he can in that midfield role. There's a dearth of English creative midfielders so I don't get why people wouldn't want him to do well.

Opposite if anything, he's been completely written off. Playing v well in the Europa tho.

 

[Pagnell]

The Everton fan with the toddler Ironic that the players came to them this time!

What an idiot. And what kind of example is to set to a child, not to mention the danger he put him in given the elbows and fists flying around. Rightly been banned for life by Everton.

 

[Abertawe]

What an idiot. And what kind of example is to set to a child, not to mention the danger he put him in given the elbows and fists flying around. Rightly been banned for life by Everton.

I'm sure Johnny T will give his version of events in due course.

Ashley Williams is over I reckon. The goal against Ireland was his fuck up and he's looking very cumbersome this season overall. Unless he gets a manager that plays compact he'll continue to get exposed. He's lost it.

 

[Pagnell]

He wasn't up to much in the first place.

 

[Smudge]

Last night look's like another nail in the Koeman coffin. I've watched Everton a few times this season and it was one of their better performances despite the result. Ashley Williams is utterly rubbish though. He's looked an absolute liability everytime that I've seen him play this year and doesn't look half the defender he has been over the years. He should have been sent off and he'll no doubt get a retrospective ban for his unnecessary kick-off.

It was still awful though. We had a little spell after half time, and did deserve to level when we did. Thats a 20 minute spell though, we were otherwise still poor, and it's not getting any better. You say it's another nail in Koeman's coffin, Im not sure how many nails its going to take to do the job, because he should have been gone weeks ago. Square pegs in round holes all over the shop again last night, Williams and Martina still getting games, we're dreadful. Koeman is done. It just remains to be seen just how long the board are going to wait, and how much catching up we've got to do to clean up the mess. We're pretty much out of Europe now, our next 4 games are against Arsenal, Chelsea (2 'expected losses' according to the board's statement after the Burnley defeat...) a six pointer with Leicester who have already had the balls to make a change, and the return game in Lyon. We can basically blow 2 competitions in the next 2 weeks, and seriously harm our position in the League. He'll probably still be in a job at the end of this run though somehow.