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Welcome once again to When Skies are Grey.

This was shaping up to a troublesome issue. Up to a week ago we feared that it was going to be almost identical to E043 as none of the concerns highlighted in that issue had been addressed.

In fact, we delayed the deadline for a week in the hope that something would happen. It did.

To be honest, it wasn’t what we expected.

Despite all the online talk there was still a sizable body of supporters who thought that Koeman should be given more time. However, it can’t be denied that this number was reducing significantly as each game passed.

As it was, the shellshocked faces on the players after the Arsenal game told everyone that the decision was inevitable.

All supporters are behind David Unsworth as he tries to rekindle some passion, hope and belief in the players and ultimately in the club as a whole.

Is he the right man for the future? Well, despite the early results, we could do worse. The smart money is on Moshiri looking for someone bigger but I think we would all agree that David needs to part of that.

Where does that leave us? Well unlike in previous years when printing deadlines meant that we

missed a couple of sackings, we’ve managed to capture it all in this issue. So, don’t waste any more time reading this nonsense… get stuck in!

As with the previous couple of issues there is a strong emphasis on the wsagdiary and wsagmatch as they, perhaps, most accurately chart this troubled days.

Thanks for buying WSAG. We appreciate each and everyone of you. There’s loads of Everton forums out there but we know that WSAG still offers something unique and we are proud to keep this going for as long as we can.

And that’s going to be a very long time.

Remember WSAG welcome contributions from everyone. We have always been an open forum for all Evertonians to talk about our own club. It's what we do. It’s how we roll.

To get involved, just get in touch.

Thank you as well to all those who have got in touch in any way either by email or on Twitter and Facebook. Your support is always appreciated.

We are WSAG. You are WSAG.

Graham & Phil

WSAG TOP TEN

The whole point of this list each month was to try and accentuate the positive but apart from Blanka Vlasic’s tweets and Beni Baningime there hasn’t been anything positive to write about so, gulp, strap yourself in….

1

Koeman’s dismissal – in truth the abject home draw against Limassol and the subsequent Burnley loss was the writing on the wall and nothing that followed gave any indication he could get us out the hole we are in.

2

The Koeman squad rotation as he desperately tried to find a winning formula – constantly chopping and changing with seemingly no plan in place.

3

The ease with which we have conceded this season – in four games we have shipped three goals or more which indicates a serious problem.

4

The Lyon kick-off when Ashley Williams seemed to want to take on all comers with just his mate from the Park End carrying a kid, for support. Just when you thought it couldn’t get more surreal…

5 Realising just how much we miss both Lukaku and Barkley and how they covered up some serious cracks last season.

6

David Unsworth talking a good game and against a weakened Chelsea having a very good second half but it was sadly back to square one v Leicester.

7 Not having a Scooby about who should be the next Everton Boss.

8

Thinking about all the money we spunked this summer and wondering if there was any plan on where they were going to play. The madness of signing three number 10’s after alienating one who is arguably better than all three of them takes some beating in the fucked up Everton stakes.

9

Unsworth’s positive comments about Barkley – an early Christmas present would be Ross’ return as at the moment we have no pace and verve going forward.

10

Looking at the fixtures list and wondering where we are going to get a win from – bleak times indeed…

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

Ronald Koeman’s managerial reign is at an end. Here are the thirteen reasons why.

Ronald Koeman welcome to your tape.

1 He never quite understood the club did he? He seemed to prevaricate before signing – allegedly turning us down twice. Then, straight away he went on holiday again when most expected him to get his feet under the desk at Finch Farm and begin the job of sorting out the mess left by Roberto Martinez.

2

He saw us as a stepping stone to his ultimate job as coach at Barcelona. Or even Arsenal.

His approach seemed to be two / three years here and there and moving on – perhaps before getting found out. Everton isn’t – or shouldn’t be – a means to an end. And even if it is to these world renowned football figures, it’s wrong to be so open about it. It will always bite you on the arse.

3

Was he the manager or a coach? Did he have a the final say on transfers? Or was that Steve Walsh? No one quite knew where the boundaries were between the two roles – certainly only one of them went on holiday on transfer deadline day – perhaps suggesting that incomings and outgoings had nothing to do with him. But again this only led to supporters being given

the impression that he didn’t care.

4 Added to all this, he never referred to the club as “us” and therefore gave the impression that it was all somehow beneath him. Of course, supporters will put up with this when results are good but when they take a turn for the worse it gave some fans an easy stick to beat him with.

5

To be fair he’s had some bad luck with his preferred right side of Coleman and Bolassie wiped out by serious injury.

Most teams would have struggled without them two – especially Coleman. But then again, instead of dealing with the hand dealt to him, he seemed to make it worse. He has never been sure who to play at right-back, despite the claims of Jonjoe Kenny who many see as a young Seamus.

And stripped of the pace and width of Bolassie he has decided to play with no width or pace whatsoever. This must be straight out of the Elite European Coaching Manual.

6

The reasons for Ross Barkley’s failure to sign a new contract have never been fully

explained, although many have suspected that Barkley’s relationship (or the lack of it) with Koeman was behind it.

Here was a kid who loved Everton and yet here he was saying he wanted to leave.

What we did know that Koeman had singled him out for criticism on many occasions last season and while some of it was justified, many thought it should not have been so publically.

Koeman may have thought it was ‘tough love’ but it wasn’t working and it was clearly having a negative impact on Ross. Maybe an arm around the shoulder would have been a better approach.

7

Of course, it wasn’t just Barkley. There were stories about Koeman falling out with Mirallas, Deulofeu, McGeady, Niasse and, most recently Lookman – not forgetting the bizarre relationship with James McCarthy and the Irish team.

That’s too many players. Maybe he could be forgiven for shaking things up a bit – after all we all probably thought the squad needed a massive kick up the arse after the way they behaved towards the end of the Martinez reign.

But this looked and felt like something else. What’s more such behaviour unsettles the rest of the squad – i.e. those who aren’t being picked on - as they wonder whether they will be the next one to be frozen out. And, of course, it’s not the first time Koeman has had a problem with players. At

Valencia, he had problems with Vicente, Silva, Villa and Joaquin and managed to take a team who were four points off the top to one that was 35 points off. It is a remarkable coincidence that at both clubs his style of management has led to a divided dressing room and a team stripped of skill and pace.

8

Davy Klaassen.

failure but Koeman was always going to be the fall guy. A manager has to stand and fall by the players he buys and the teams he selects. There are some people who claim Koeman had nothing to with incoming transfers – that was Steve Walsh’s job. I don’t agree with that. There may be an element of truth in it but the way Koeman tried to shoehorn as many of the signings as possible into his starting XI would suggest that if he didn’t buy them then certainly he trusted them and thought they were the best players at the club. It’s also

12

9 That’s probably a bit unfair as poor old Davy hasn’t really had time to settle in. The Premier League is much faster than the Dutch League and I’m sure there’s a decent player in there but I’m not sure we’ve got the time to wait and see it emerge.

And that’s the problem with most of the players bought in the, with hindsight, bizarre recruitment drive this summer. Most fans agreed that there were key positions which needed strengthening. Two centre halves, a left back, a left sided midfield player and, of course, a replacement for Lukaku. This is not being wise after the event – it’s what many, many supporters were saying during the summer. And while we were all perhaps guilty of getting a bit carried away with ourselves during the summer, no one expected the recruitment to stutter and stop the way it did leaving the squad with very obvious weaknesses.

10 It’s not clear and it probably never will be now, who was responsible for this massive

don’t think any supporters could accurately predict his line-ups – a really special one was Dominic Calvert-Lewin at right wing back. And that’s another thing – he seemed to enjoy playing players out of position and sticking with certain players (i.e. Martina) when the likes of Jonjoe Kenny seemed a much better fit. Of course as things deteriorated he blamed the players, saying they weren’t ‘brave enough’.

Again, there is an element of truth in this but maybe they were just confused. We were.

perhaps no coincidence that the vast majority of them – over a hundred million pounds worth of them have either been benched or ditched completely by Unsworth in his first two games.

11 It’s hard enough to try and get so many new players to blend together into a team but Koeman made his job even harder by constantly meddling with formations and personnel. So much so that I

Ultimately though, Koeman lost too many games and the Board could see no signs of a recovery. Throughout his time our results were mixed. Last season our home form was excellent, our away form dire.

This season we’ve been more consistent – although not in the way we hoped. Some of this wasn’t his fault - I’m sure he didn’t legislate for the amazing dip in form from the likes of Schneiderlin, Williams and Baines. But he is responsible for the lack of options at centre half and left back so it must come back on him.

And as the situation worsened in the last couple of weeks, Koeman’s position became untenable and a sacking was the only real outcome. Most thought it would be later but then there is probably plenty we don’t know about. A new manager, whoever it is, has a massive task to turn things around.

13 Personally, I’d have sacked him for that horrible padded jacket he squeezed his trunk into for the Arsenal game. Not a good luck. He looked like an over-boiled Brendan Rodgers.

And we don’t want one of them.

‘Cheer Up Peter Reid My Autobiography’ - Peter Reid with Tony Barrett If you have been keeping up at the back over the years you will realise that WSAG has not had a high opinion for former Everton players’ auto biographies over the years, particularly when it comes to those from the glorious 1984-87 squad.

From Graeme Sharp’s bitter and twisted memoirs to Kevin Sheedy’s bland recollections of the glory years, it is fair to say that they haven’t been rich pickings for Blues eager to learn something new about those days with only Pat Van Den Hauwe and to a lesser extent Neville Southall producing books that were a bit leftfield and most interestingly offered tales that weren’t widely known beyond the inner circles.

So with Peter Reid’s autobiography being produced in conjunction with Trinity Mirror and with such an obvious title, I approached it with a degree of caution with the fear that it would be more of the same.

Thankfully however by and large my worst fears were not realised as the honesty, directness and passion that Reidy displayed in his football (and managerial) career is in evidence in spades in this book.

Starting with a foreword by Alex Ferguson (more later) there is unusually a prologue from his daughter Louise which is emotional in nature and

which sets the tone for a lot of the book where Reidy’s sense of family and his roots in Huyton come shining through.

He covers the Everton days with care and obviously held Howard Kendall in the highest esteem given that he took the chance back in 1982 to gamble Everton’s much scarce cash at the time to buy him from Bolton and then gave him the opportunity to succeed him at Man City as manager in 1991 by making him his number 2 in 1990. Nothing earth shatteringly new is revealed but there is none of Sharpy’s surliness but rather an overwhelming love for Everton FC that has lasted til this day despite being a boyhood Liverpudlian and managing Sunderland for many years.

I won’t give too much away as a lot of the spoilers in the papers already have but for his frequent references to socialism and his Boris Johnson anecdote alone he cemented his position as my favourite ever Everton player.

It’s a great little book which is definitely worth a place on your Christmas list if you haven’t taken the plunge and bought it already with the only complaint being it ends a bit too suddenly. Sadly the perfect ending of him coming back to Goodison to manage hasn’t happened but those of us who were privileged to have seem Reidy play for Everton in the 80’s this provoked so many happy memories and is a timely reminder of one of the greatest single influences on the success of Everton Football Club.

FOOTNOTE: One of the most repeated stories in modern football surrounds Sir Alex Ferguson.

Apparently in one of his early press conferences Sir Alex was quoted as saying his ambition was to “knock Liverpool off their fuckin perch”. This Story has gone down in Manc folklore and is a cornerstone of “fergies” reputation as the greatest manager of modern times.

It’s also, according to Ferguson himself, a myth. In his forward in Peter Reid’s outstanding new autobiography, he writes that he actually said he wanted to knock “Merseyside” of its fuckin perch and was as fed up of Everton’s success in the mid 80’s as of Liverpool’s. As he says it’s a shame that one of the greatest sides of the era has now been largely forgotten by the mainstream. I’ve never been much of a fan of Ferguson but he’s spot on with this.

Onward Evertonians October. (And Kingdom’s and Kingdoms Fall)

Rise

I fucking hate U2 but until a Liverpool band comes up with that month in a title it will have to do. I could have used the Incredible String Band’s October Song but some of you charlatans might have assumed I was referring to that wastrel Winehouse’s song of the same title and that I might be inclined towards lauding that Bille Holliday wannabe’s ode to her dead fucking budgie). Ron’s gone baby. Ron’s gone.

During the summer a Denim friend pointed out that for all the cash we had spent we lacked pace and that has been proved to be the case beyond doubt as the season has progressed, and instrumental in the Dutchman’s downfall.

Yes, Bolassie’s injury was hardly the manager’s fault, but getting rid of Deulofeu was, as was his failure to utilise Mirallas’s pace and indeed spot the side’s deficiency in the run up to the start of the season.

The money spent in the summer should have meant Calvert Lewin and Tom Davies would not have to be relied on but those two have been the only bright lights in the season so far.

When Koeman then had to eat humble pie and recall Niasse, Moshiri must have wondered why he bothered given Koeman £150m to spunk up the

wall, and may well have wondered if Martinez would have been so negligent with his cash.

In the last WSAG I suggested that the Arsenal match could well be the acid test for Koeman and the result that day quite obviously left a nasty taste in the chairman and owner’s mouths’ as well as those in the crowd’s agape gobs.

For me, Koeman’s departure had an air of inevitability about it from the Lyon game when he turned up looking like he’d been to The Grafton’s grab a granny night and he had just got in having been knee deep in pensioner minge all day. He had managed a shave by the Sunday but the damage was done.

I was still relatively positive that Koeman could turn it around a month ago and that this side could still yet produce some half decent performances.

I was wrong, but after the win v Bournemouth, however undeserved, I felt Everton could kick on and use that result as a catalyst to get things going before it was too late.

Had Niasse not made his dramatic intervention that game, Koeman could well have gone then. As it turned out he simply provided the manager with a stay of execution.

Appollon Limmasol could have seen further rehabilitation for both manger and Niasse, had the

former not chosen to leave the latter out of his Europa League squad.

Instead we were once more served up with some far from enthralling lack lustre fayre with the only real positive being the performance of Nikola Vlasic (and his wonderful goal).

The selection of the team v Burnley was illustrative of the fact that six games in, Koeman still seemed pretty clueless as to what his best starting XI was and the result only further enlightened those of us watching that the manager’s summer splurge had actually taken the team backwards rather than forward. Despite starting well, once Burnley took the lead we never really looked like we were going to get anything out of the game.

With only one home win this season, the Arsenal game was beginning to look like a fait accompli and it seemed that it was a case of when not if Koeman was going to get the push.

In the meantime, a South Coast sojourn saw Everton still fail to get something from a game that at the beginning of the season we would have assumed was a three point banker. We should perhaps have had a penalty before we eventually, and thankfully, got one, but we really should not be relying on set pieces to beat (with all due respect) the likes of Brighton.

At least there was the distraction of Europe for Koeman, however the game was against a strong Lyon team who inevitably beat us but not before current boo boy of choice Ashley Williams, had a bit of a scrap and scored a goal and generally gave the sort of performance that might suggest he, at least, has turned a corner.

The aforementioned handbags on the pitch were a distraction from the fact that until Williams manhandled the Lyon keeper, the rest of the team were once more simply going through the motions. The fan who got involved whilst holding his progeny in his arm was rightly given a lifetime ban although typical Everton self depreciating humour suggested a lifelong season ticket might have been a stronger punishment.

Except it wasn’t really a laughing matter because we are halfway through the group stages and are practically out of the competition with only one point from three games. Shite that Ron. And so to the denouement of Ronald’s reign but not necessarily Everton’s woes. A 2-5 home defeat meant even the manager must have known his time was up.

Once more Everton never looked like being anywhere close to winning this game and I began

thinking back to the optimism following the away draw with the current league leaders it is hard to imagine we would be in this position just two months later.

I still think Koeman deserved a little more time especially given the stay of leave his predecessor was given and the basis for that view is as I stated last time out; that I enjoyed our Club’s reputation for patience and the fact that Everton have never been a Club to chop and change on a whim.

However even I could not see where our next win might come from so I am not too disappointed he has gone as long as there is a plan to replace him and do so quickly with little fuss and drama. We don’t want to become like Klopp’s Kopite Klowns over the park.

In the interim David Unsworth has been handed the hot seat, and whilst I love what he has done with ‘ver kids’ I think this opportunity is still too soon for him for it to become permanent and I think another statement of intent is required. I would love to see Everton break the bank to get a big name. Moshiri needs to approach someone like Diego Simeone and say “I mean to have you boy!

Even if it must be burglary!”

Unfortunately for Rhino, a cup game against Chelsea had an inevitable air about it but at least the team showed some aggression and desire which was most certainly missing during the Orange Revolution, which like the Russian Revolution, one some of us are celebrating the centenary of this month, ultimately ended in failure.

The Leicester game simply amplified the desperate need we have for a new manager as it became even more apparent that after £150 million spent in the summer this team has become worse and needs major surgery, which perhaps is Ronald Koeman’s legacy: for the first time in aeons an Everton manager gets a shedload of cash to spend at the posh shops in Liverpool One and instead he goes out and gets had over at Granby Street Market.

KOKO Peace ‘N’ Love I Zheet ‘N Kopitez Cave No. 1878 Qandahar Afghanistan

Rip it up a start again When I wrote my piece last month, I didn’t think Ronald Koeman’s spell with the club would unravel so spectacularly and that he would be out of a job before the end of October.

I thought after the Bournemouth result and with the run of fixtures coming up, Koeman would be able to see out the difficult start to the season and manage a decent enough run of results that would keep him in a job leading up to the Christmas period at the very least.

Unfortunately for the Dutchman, the rot had set in far more quickly and aggressively than he could ever have imagined and the abject surrender to Arsenal last Sunday finally sealed his fate.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Bill Kenwright and Robert Elstone rode in to Finch Farm to deliver the final message to Ronald that he was being relieved of his managerial duties.

I have a mental image of Bill and Rob crashing through the gates of Finch Farm, Reservoir Dogs style, waterboarding a quivering Ron, as Bill demands to know what the fuck has been going on over the past 2 months after spending £150m and why the manager of Everton Football Club was out on the piss laughing and joking in Manchester after such a terrible performance, whilst most of the club’s support spent its Sunday evening in despair, coming to terms that we faced a relegation battle this season.

The reality was probably far more boring, and it was probably Bill who was the more upset as he wielded his axe, knowing it’s going to cost the club another £10m+ to get rid of another underperforming manager and his coaching team.

Koeman probably shrugged his shoulders and said in his monotone Dutch accent that we all grew accustomed to, “errrrr okay, that’s football”.

In hindsight, we probably should have seen this coming, going back as far as May 2016 when Koeman was first linked with the job.

Allegedly, he turned us down twice, which is never a good sign and showed that his real motives from the get go where more about cash as opposed to any attraction to the club. It was only when Farhad Moshiri made him an offer he could not refuse, that he decided to walk out on Southampton and come on board with ‘Project Moshiri’.

I with many others loved the fact that for once, Everton where determined to get its man. At the time Koeman was the best option around. He had taken Southampton to 7th and 6th place in consecutive seasons in the Premier League and with his pedigree and standing within the world of football, he was the ideal man to kick-start a new Everton era, where money it seemed was no longer going to be a problem.

There were some more cynical Evertonians who voiced concern and felt uneasy with this appointment as it was very ‘un-Everton’ and couldn’t take to his detached style. There were also a few reports on Southampton websites who said that Koeman was not a popular figure at their club and had fallen out with several the more creative players in their squad. The Southampton fans were glad to see the back of him.

In the summer of 2016 however, I think the majority of Evertonians (myself included) where looking to move on from the Everton of recent years and wanted to usher in a ‘winning mentality’, if that meant brining in someone who was focused on winning, rather than embracing the fabric of the club like Martinez did or being a man manager such as David Moyes, then so be it.

The Southampton fans were also probably very bitter that we stole their manager off them.

Other than the Manchester City home game last season, I don’t believe an Everton side led by Koeman managed to put in another 90-minute performance worthy of the name throughout his time with the club. Our away form was diabolical throughout his tenure and our performances at Goodison fell off a cliff in his last two months.

Koeman it seemed was the dream ticket and his appointment signalled a departure from past seasons of under-achievement. Looking back now in October 2017, well the more cynical Evertonians and those Southampton fans where absolutely spot on. The ‘un-Everton’ appointment after spending way over £250m when you include compensation paid for and to Koeman and his coaching team, has cost us dearly.

The early warning signs where evident that we might not have picked the right man, particularly when Koeman went on holiday as soon as he got the job, rather than focus on preparing or rebuilding his new team. He then started to criticise certain players from his squad in the media.

Players that looked to be good additions in the summer, have walked in to what is possibly best described as a clusterfuck and as a result look complete shite. One of the main challenges for the new manager will be to get a tune out of the likes of Klaassen, Ramirez and Sigurdsson.

Based on the performances of the past few months, it looks like there has been little work done at Finch Farm to integrate any of the new signings in to a team or to identify a system that can effectively compete in the Premier League, let alone challenge for European qualification.

Koeman’s lazy approach to the Everton job has caught up with him and as much as people may argue that failure to replace Lukaku in the summer or buy a left-sided defender has contributed to his down fall, I believe that if he had worked harder and shown a bit more desire to make what he had at his disposal work, then he would have been given more time by the Board.

At the time I put this down to a change in mentality he was trying to implement at the club and I thought we will have to change our outlook.

I know I wasn’t alone to have the wool pulled over my eyes.

Everton are not a sacking club and have a track record of backing its managers and in some cases (Walter Smith and Roberto Martinez springing to mind) we have been loyal for too long.

Some of the bizarre comments to the Dutch media about Lukaku needing to aim higher much than Everton and the managers own indiscreet ambitions to take the Barcelona job, should also not be ignored. Results and the goal-scoring exploits from the egotistical Belgian however helped the Everton PR team bury these stories as quickly as they arose.

It’s no coincidence then that the two shortest managerial reigns in our history (in terms games managed) are of Mike Walker and Koeman, both of whom are alleged to have had a very suspect work-ethic when it came to the coaching their players and physically being in and around the club. For example, when did we ever hear a report that Koeman had been to watch the Under 23’s in action?

The final terms of where on time with

6 months of Koeman’s reign both in performance and latterly with results a par with those of Mike Walker’s in his the club.

As soon as we lost Lukaku’s goals and our defensive shape, it was clear that Koeman didn’t have a clue how to address the myriad of problems that where emerging.

There was no settled team or formation and as a result confidence haemorrhaged from the side.

Unlike when Smith and Martinez left the club, I wasn’t celebrating when the news of Koeman’s sacking was announced. I wasn’t even particularly relieved, which I thought I would have been if you had told me that news on the long trip back from Brighton when I had made my mind up that he had to go.

If anything, it was more a feeling of frustration and anger that the last 16-months had seen Koeman, but more importantly Everton, waste a massive opportunity to close the gap on the elite

and start to compete for the first time in a generation.

It was hard enough to close the gap when we had a 25-goals a season striker at our disposal like Lukaku, but now he has been sold and all the money re-invested in players that we can only assume Koeman sanctioned Steve Walsh to sign, how do we move forward and compete?

Do we rip up ‘Project Moshiri’ that started in the summer of 2016 and start again or do we refine it? If we refine it, what is left worth salvaging?

Was it really all Koeman’s fault (like it was Martinez’s before him) or is the next manager going to face the same problems with this squad of players? So many questions, but is there anyone out there with the answers to sort it?

Looking at the squad today, compared to the one that Roberto Martinez left behind in May 2016, I think we are weaker despite over £220m being reinvested in to the team.

This may change in the coming weeks when hopefully we get somebody managing the team that knows what they are doing, however as it stands I really do think we have gone backwards in the past 16 months in terms of the playing staff we have.

In addition to this, players we could once rely on like Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka look well past their best. There are doubts if Seamus Coleman will return to the level he was at before his horrendous injury.

Now Koeman has gone, questions are also being asked about Steve Walsh and his role at the club.

The continental version of a Director of Football

role is that in theory the First Team Manager can be interchangeable without causing disruption to the club. The Director of Football rules the roost and sets the vision and philosophy across all levels of the club. He recruits the coaches and players to deliver that philosophy. The Managers role is to implement the philosophy on the field of play with the first team.

Everton have never openly defined what Steve Walsh’s role is. He may well be the man in control of everything or he could be a glorified scout. The next few weeks should determine what (if any) role Walsh will have in the future, depending upon the choice of a new First Team Manager.

Koeman after all welcomed Walsh’s appointment, as it took all responsibility for player recruitment away from him. The person Moshiri and the board wishes to appoint to replace him may not want to work with such a structure and may want to have control on recruitment.

If this is the case, do the club abandon the structure at the first hurdle, offer their number one target another financially attractive deal to work with it or do they stick to their guns and find another target who will work to their terms?

Whoever is appointed the next Everton manager, the challenges and landscape are different to those Koeman walked into in June 2016.

Expectations as Ronald bleated on about in September after the defeat to Man United, are higher due to the cash spent on the squad, even if the squad is even more unbalanced and weaker than the one inherited by Koeman.

There is major rebuilding required in several key positions across the first team.

The jury for me is still out on Farhad Moshiri in terms of the actual investment he is personally giving to the first team squad.

Most of the £220m spent has been generated from player sales of John Stones and Lukaku amongst others cleared out or increased revenue from television rights.

It’s possible that the new manager may have a much smaller budget to work with than what was afforded to Ronald Koeman, with fewer assets left to sell to

coming in to roles to manage the finish product, taking over teams ready to win the League or European honours.

He is not used to building a team from the ground up or fend off a relegation battle. There would be a real risk that Ancelotti despite his experience and glowing CV would be an even bigger fish out of water than the guy we have just sacked.

David Unsworth is probably the only candidate that currently unties most Everton fans. This will be inevitably time limited though and how he stands or falls will be wholly dependent on results and performances. One thing is for sure though, we will all need to get behind Rhino and hopefully the players will respond. Performances like the second half at Chelsea will help Unsworth’s cause and hopefully this can lead to some wins. generate the funds we need for a couple of quality strikers, wingers and in my opinion a new defence as we are in desperate need for a new left back and at least two new centre backs to replace the aging Jagielka and the simply not good enough Ashley Williams.

The new managerial appointment is inevitably raising several questions from the fan base, and you can already see clear splits across the support in the direction we should take.

In one corner, there are those who are attracted to the continental big name such as Carlo Ancelotti or Thomas Tuchel or the latest flavour of the month Marco Silva.

In the other corner you have those who don’t want to go foreign again after the disasters of Martinez and Koeman, so would prefer to see Sean Dyche or our own David Unsworth given a chance.

Overall though and looking through the long list of other candidates, there is no stand-out choice.

Almost all the names I’ve mentioned have merit, but they also carry baggage in terms of past and not too distant failure or strong traits similar to recent past Everton managers i.e. for Sean Dyche see David Moyes; for Thomas Tuchel see Ronald Koeman; for Marco Silva see Roberto Martinez.

I was initially attracted at the thought of Ancelotti given his CV and standing in the game. If you study his track record however, he is only used to

Whilst there is an argument to give Rhino a run at the job for the next few weeks and perhaps until the end of the season when the right candidate can then be appointed, there is also a practical reality that if performances and results don’t go his way immediately then pressure will grow to appoint a full-time replacement.

We must avoid the scenario we had in 1993 when Howard Kendall left, and we went an eternity with a lame duck in Jimmy Gabriel in caretaker control as the board decided to have Christmas off and not identify anyone to take over until the turkey was thrown out.

A chronic run of terrible results and no goals for the majority of Gabriel’s 6 or so games in charge that saw the board finally take action and opt for 1993’s flavour of the month Mike Walker. The mismanagement of the board to find a replacement for Kendall during December 1993 and the subsequent appointment of Walker almost relegated Everton Football Club.

You would hope the club is now ran more professionally in 2017 (?!?) and that it takes its time between now and the international break to

consider its options, speak to candidates and undertake thorough due diligence on its preferred candidate before making an appointment.

If results are going ok and the right person can’t be found, then it makes sense to give Unsworth a defined period of fixtures where he will be in charge i.e. up the Christmas period of fixtures and review the situation again after a run of 10 or so games.

If we don’t make an appointment before midNovember, we must avoid the situation where we don’t know from one game to the next if Rhino will be in charge or even worse make a panic appointment that we will later regret. We also need to ensure that Unsworth is treated with the respect he deserves and not left hanging out to dry from game to game.

I really don’t envy the board in making this decision, it is massive and irrespective of what management structure is in place at the club, we need to make a better selection this time around and look to bring someone in who sees Everton more than just a short-term project, a testing ground for a flawed football philosophy or as a stepping stone to managing Barcelona.

After Koeman, we also need to bring in somebody who ‘gets’ Everton. Let me be clear, ‘getting’ Everton is not just about appreciating our history or creating a sound bite like ‘The Peoples Club’ or even referring to us as ‘we’, for me it is about understanding how great Everton Football Club can and should be now and moving in to the future.

I genuinely don’t have a clue who we should appoint, though if you held a gun to my head I’d probably air on the side of bringing in somebody with proven Premier League experience and a consistent track record of building a competitive team, as opposed to a continental big name. I’ve probably had my fill for now of overseas managers and would like to see someone who could come in an integrate the exciting young players we have coming through the Academy, with the squad we have and top it up with the much-needed pace, width, goals and defensive solidity needed to

be competitive in the top end of the Premier League.

I’m not expecting trophies or Champions League qualification by the end of this season, the last few months has shown we are a long away from that, but we need to bring somebody in who can build towards that in the next few seasons.

Winning trophies as we know is more difficult than ever, with the major clubs all spending far greater sums than we have, whilst also retaining their best players, something which we failed to do under Koeman. Tottenham who have spent big in the past and are having their most consistent period of competing at the higher end of English and European football in their recent history, are experiencing a trophy drought. I think we have learned with Koeman that there is no guarantee of success, no matter how much money you throw at ‘the project’ or indeed the salary you pay the manager.

The basic objective that must be achieved however is that we become consistently competitive with the elite teams in the Premier League. We need to recruit a manager who has the vision and the ability to build something that sees us consistently in the top 6 of the League, consistently competing in Europe every season and eventually has us realistically competing for honours. I don’t think that is too much to expect or is placing an unfair expectation on to the next manager of Everton Football Club.

Onwards Evertonians!

Paddy Howlin (@PaddyH1976)

WSAG CHANTS T-SHIRTS One in a set of five.

See then all at http://wsagfanzine.bigcartel.com

#wsagdiary Phil Redmond’s diary is back to give a day by day, blow by blow account of these turbulent Starting from where we left off last time.

September 23 Everton 2 Bournemouth 1: They got their in the end, which is the important thing, but again this was a less than vintage display by the new look blues.

Koeman found himself with a defensive headache with both Phil Jagielka and Michael Keane missing out through injury. The Dutchman went with Mason Holgate alongside Ashley Williams and again looked to accommodate Sigurdsson, Klaassen and Rooney in a congested looking central midfield/number 10 position (whatever that means).

In truth, Everton dominated the first half but found it hard to create anything worthwhile with the final ball all too often not finding the mark.

For their part, the Cherries looked compact and well organised. Typically, they came out firing after the break and within the first five minutes Josh King showed why many Evertonians thought he might be an option this summer, by

powering past Mason Holgate and drilling low into the corner.

At this point, it threatened to get very messy with the crowd starting to turn and Bournemouth looking to put the game to bed.

The pivotal moments came when Jermaine Defoe was denied by Jordan Pickford after a loose pass by Rooney and then with the introduction of Niasse, Davies and Kenny midway through the half.

Immediately the blues looked more threatening and after Mason Holgate was denied by a spectacular goal line clearance, it was none other than Oumar Niasse who changed the game with a double to bring a first three point return since the opening day of the season.

It all made for a rousing second half performance that will hopefully help to increase confidence levels around the club. Onwards and upwards.

September 24 These days, particularly on social media it seems that for some fans the priority is to be seen to right.

There’s a lot of people who appear to have made their mind up

about Koeman and are using the recent success of Oumar Niasse as a stick to beat him with.

Hindsight is wonderful but I doubt there’s anyone who would’ve been remotely arsed if Niasse had gone to Palace in the summer as long as our prime targets had been secured.

As it was, Niasse stayed and Koeman has been pragmatic and brought him back into the fold. Personally, I thought, how he was treated last season was a bit unnecessary but Koeman is hardly unique in freezing a player out and less face it, the fella who bought him wouldn’t play him either.

The emergence of Niasse does underline the problems that a lot of foreign players face in settling into the Premier League. After 18 months or so Niasse looks a different player to the weak, clumsy joker that helped turn a 2-0 lead into a 2-3 defeat against West Ham in March 2016.

on the official site. Good luck lad.

In other non Everton news, the big story this week, apart from the impending Armageddon centres around some song Man United fans have been singing about Romelu Lukaku.

Maybe he’s come to terms with the pace and physicality that is required and maybe those who’ve already written the likes of Sandro and Klaassen off as “shite”, should wind their necks in and give them the opportunity to get used to the toughest league in the world.

Apparently, the song contains some homoerotic lyrics about the supposed size of big Rom’s cock. This has led to claims of racism and both Lukaku and Man United have waded in asking the fans to stop and United threatening to ban anyone who’s identified as singing it.

September 25

Amidst all the bullshit posturing the main point seem to be getting missed here:

The under 23’s come from behind to beat Arsenal 4-2 in a thriller at Southport. The blues scorers were Anton Donkor, Antony Evans, David Henen and an own goal.

The Champions have now won four on the bounce after a shaky start. Unfortunately, young full back Gethin Jones, who’s just been called up to the full Welsh squad, was carried off with what looks like a serious leg injury.

We wish him well.

September 26 Gethin Jones has apparently broken his leg Seamus Coleman stylee. Shocking news for a lad on the cusp of his career.

In other news, Martin ONeill, who’s clearly on a wind up these days has again called up James McCarthy to the Ireland squad despite him being out injured all season.

Talking of injured players there’s heartening news that Yannick Bolassie is stepping up his training with pictorial evidence

What an absolute whopper of a song it is! Even by Manc standards it’s a shocker. It’s not racist but it panders to a lazy, childish stereotype. They’ll be made up that they’ve managed to wrap it around a Stone Roses song (“Made of Stone”), as that seems to be what they do. Nice one, top etc. When are they going to do one with “sad sweet dreamer”.

September 27 The Blues return to European action tomorrow with a must win game against Apollon Limassol at Goodison. I must admit to knowing less than fuck all about the Cypriots but we really should be expected to beat the lowest ranking team in the group.

To be fair to them, they’ve started better than we have and grabbed a late draw against group favourites Lyon on matchday one.

Tomorrow’s game will be a test of patience as Apollon will surely look to frustrate the blues. We’ll really need a touch of magic from one of our underperforming stars. We’ll have to do it without current cult hero Oumar Niasse who wasn’t included in our Europa league group squad. I’m pretty sure that Ronald Koeman, if he had his time again, would select the Senegalese hit man and no doubt, there’ll be plenty itching to remind him of the fact, if we struggle tomorrow.

I’ll foolishly stick my neck out, a comfortable Everton win to reignite our Euro hopes. In his press conference Koeman

confirms that both Jagielka and Keane are definitely out again tomorrow and are also doubts for Burnley on Sunday. He is philosophical about the situation with Niasse saying it was a long time ago when the decision was made and that you can’t turn back time. He confirms we’ll be putting out a strong team.

September 28 Everton 2 Apollon Limassol 2: The Blues Europa league hopes hang by a thread after another shocking performance, this time against the 4th best team in Cyprus.

Koeman went with Mason Holgate in the middle of defence and gave chances to both Jonjoe Kenny and Tom Davies on the back of their lively cameos at the weekend and whilst they were by no means solely to blame, it didn’t work.

After a typically sluggish start, Everton fell behind early on and only got back into it when Wayne Rooney pounced onto a suicidal backpass after 20 minutes.

At this point Everton should’ve increased the intensity and got right into the Cypriots who, whilst tidy enough on the ball, looked likely to crack when put under pressure.

As it was we continued to build at walking pace and looked, so it seemed, to bore the opposition

into submission. The game meandered along until the inevitable substitutions that livened things up briefly.

Dom Calvert-Lewin started to stretch the Limassol backline and Nikola Vlasic injected a bit of cunning.

Indeed it was the little Croatian who looks like a pacier Leon Osman who slotted home midway through the second half. A great moment spoilt only by a couple of ketwig rats who ran onto the pitch thus surely securing our second UEFA fine of the season.

At this point things were looking good. Lyon were being held by Atalanta and a third goal seemed likely.

Things looked even better when the Cypriots went down to ten men with 5 minutes to go. All we had to do was up the pressure and at worst just see the game out.

We did neither and with two minutes to go Davy Klaassen gave away a needless free kick and one of the centre backs flicked in

a perfect delivery. Even then we should’ve won. In injury time Vlasic kidded the bollocks off the right back and put one right on the head of DCL. He missed.

Afterwards, Koeman looked like someone had run over his dog.

As it is the Blues have put themselves right back under pressure, with a tricky game against Burnley on the horizon on Sunday.

September 29 Another messy inquest and there really is a lot of Blues who have had enough of the ham faced Dutchman.

It is a sign of the times that the manager finds himself under pressure after only 6 league games but after the huge outlay in the summer and a string of shapeless, lifeless and frankly clueless performances, it’s totally understandable.

In his Burnley press conference, Koeman makes a pointed and dangerous assertion that too many players are too nervous and frightened at the moment.

two loud-ish penalty shouts for handball neither of which were going to interest that twat Moss.

As it was Burnley deservedly took the points and Everton were booed off.

I’m no kneejerker, but it’s becoming impossible to defend the manager.

October 02

By seemingly absolving himself from any blame, the boss has pointed the finger clearly at his players. Whilst the players are at least partly to blame, it’s a dangerous strategy which won’t do him any favours in the long run.

September 30 The Blues face Burnley at Goodison tomorrow in what looks like a tricky but eminently winnable game.

Far from being the relegation certainties they looked in the summer, Sean Dyche has built a hard working, well organised outfit who have already picked up points from away games at Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs.

No doubt they’ll be rubbing their hands together at facing our shower.

For our part, we say it every week, but surely we’re due to spark. I’d hope Koeman goes with a more aggressive, offensive approach with two up top. If we go at them, we’ll win and with today’s results, a win would lift us into the top ten.

UTFT.

October 01 Everton 0 Burnley 1: Ronald Koeman goes into the international break as a man on the edge as Burnley come to Goodison and do a job on our out of sorts “stars”.

In truth, the Dutchman goes with a team that most would’ve been happy with only Cuco Martina’s selection raising an eyebrow.

The Blues come out all guns blazing and indeed play their best football of the season in the opening 20 minutes.

There’s a number of half chances and Gylfi Sigurdsson misses the one clear opportunity we create.

Inevitably Burnley capitalise on their first conceted attack and at point Jon Moss may as well have blown the final whistle. The Everton players visibly shrink whilst Burnley are resolute and lively on the break.

Again, Koeman allows the game to meander until the last quarter of an hour when subs Wayne Rooney and Tom Davies shake things up a bit. Indeed we have

Ronald felt we did ok yesterday in terms of desire and effort but lacked creativity. That’s all very well but wasn’t that the reason he spent big money on the likes of Sigurdsson, Klaassen and in terms of wages, Rooney.

Farhad Moshiri wades in and through his mouth piece Sky’s Jim White issues the dreaded vote of confidence.

Inevitably the bookies have now got Koeman at 1/3 for the sack with Carlo Ancellotti as the favourite.

Without wanting to pontificate, that’d be a shocking appointment swapping one short term “glamour” manager for another.

For me the obvious choice would be the fella who was on the opposition bench, Sean Dyche, a man who’s building a good team, who know what they’re doing, on a shoestring and who has no fear in taking on the “big” clubs.

All things considered though, I never thought I’d say it but thank fuck for an international break.

More on p28

#WSAGmatch AFC BOURNEMOUTH (HOME) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch EVERTON 2 BOURNEMOUTH 1 Seven things to take away from today’s game 1.

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Niasse the savior - came off the bench and turned the game to save Everton with a great winner.

Kenny must start - came off the bench and provided real pace and directness at full-back.

Pickford saves the day - again made a few great saves to save the Blues.

How many number 10’s are we going play? – it doesn’t work Koeman!

Two up front can work though - caused so many problems for Bournemouth and sparked the comeback Koeman needs to stop being stubborn – he needs to change his tactics to win more games.

Referee made it a nasty Goodison - a poor performance but it made the crowd angry which helped the Blues win the game.

Ian Roberts Exactly, how many chances did Martina have to put the ball in and they were all shite. Kenny put two in and we scored off them both Andrew Lloyd Rhythm is a dancer, Niasse is the answer, scoring goals from everywhere...

Ian Roberts Got out of jail Tom Hyslop Actually more happy for Niasse than I am for the win.

Phil Jones Sigurdsson, Rooney and Klaassen can't be in the same team. Starting to severely dislike Koeman, should be binned for his treatment of Niasse alone. Not the Everton way and he's just not an Everton manager.

Steve Kirkham Didn’t see that coming from Niasse so I will apologize for all the things I said about him! He has conducted himself perfectly in the face of humiliation and you have to be happy for him today. Kept Koeman in a job for another week at least!

Darryl Wiffen We apparently do have a striker Trevor Edwards Scouse power. Davies and Kenny great substitutions and along with Niasse, changed the game. Calvert-Lewin my MOM. Steve Mcintyre Oumar what more can you ask top lad

@lizforster9 Strikers win matches @stdomingo The man you rejected Koeman saves your arse. Tells us all we need to know.

Stephen Blease Niase Davis and Kenny need to start the next match!! simple as.

Chris Walsh Tomato sauce on my humble pie tonight, sorry about that Oumar.

Peter Scott 20 mins from an outcry,20 mins an joy, fine line, nsno Paul McCready Rooney offers nothing and slows everything down. Klaassen is hopeless. DCL or Niasse up top with Sigurdsson behind. Kenny at right back. I don't need paying 6m a year to see this.

Julian Connor Atkinson was awful but did us a favour in a way, taking the heat off the players and manager and making Goodison angry rather than frustrated.

Paul Durcan Oumar Niasse deserves a lot of credit and respect. He has got back into the first team and showed Koeman what a good goalscorer he is.

Koeman needs to eat a lot of Humble pie.

Kenny Sweeney The man who he bullied and humiliated just saved the arragent Dutchman his job Tony Runacus Still shite Mick Abrams Can't afford to spend 50 mins a game with the players tripping over themselves. If you spend £45m on a #10 play him there then fit others around him. Tom Davies dug him out of a massive hole today. Pure Evertonia that lad.

Peter Guy I'm proud of Niasse today. I think Big Dunc loves him though.

Tim Calder 3 points? I'll take that.

Hywel Griffith You can't start the game with 3 number 10s, we don't go past a man, we don't run at teams, awful. The team that finished that game should start the next game.

Keith Mulville Another strange game but just about deserved the win. Just made up for Niasse.

Time for Koeman to be a man and pick him from the start.

Marc Manford Not great but we won and the manager should apologise re Niasse and we all push on together!

Antony Green Confidence is shot clearly... bad results have hit them hard. It makes a team slow and pedestrian, FFS we have enough experience to see it happen over the years. Jury will be out for a while yet, but sometimes the ONLY thing that matters in this sort of run is getting a win, suddenly the world is a different place. Maybe.

Mick Upfield 3pts. It wasn't pretty to watch but neither were the last ten minutes at Old Trafford. I prefered the being not pretty to watch today #UTFT. Peadar Brewster Ronald haven't got a clueman Jamie Yates Amazing story Niasse. Trying to explain it to my Italian mate. Wild. DCL is outstanding, team should be built around Davies, Kenny should be starting. New signings should sit

on bench til they understand what's required and are ready for it. Or they should be shipped out.

Don't care how much they cost. Four centre mids standing in the centre circle without a clue what to do with themselves. Hope RK feels suitably chastened. He got it very wrong, again.

Mike Williams The question is, would Niasse have been able to do what he's done without the experience of the last year and the chance to adapt to what is required in the Premier League? It's impossible to know. Let's just enjoy it :) Joe Farrag I think our Dunc has done wonders with him :) Stanley Kostrzewski We stole a win.

Paul McMonnies For the attention of the "Koeman Out" people... He also made the decisions that won us the game yesterday. Just in case you hadn't noticed...

John Walsh I always said he'd come good...

In through the out door So, another manager departs. And while we wait for the next full time incumbent of the Goodison Park hot seat we ponder on the brief spell of Koeman and pontificate on who will replace him.

Ronald Koeman came to Everton with the backing of most Everton fans. Tired of the bluster and eternal optimism of Roberto Martinez and his pretty but ultimately boring football which yielded nothing but two frustrating semi finals and a horrendous home record in his final season, Koeman was perceived as a breath of fresh air.

Honest, blunt and a million miles away from the hyperbole of Roberto, Koeman seemed the man to lead us forward.

He told it how it was. If you didn't like it, tough.

Unlike Martinez, he had a truly glittering football career which commanded respect. Unlike Martinez, he was also proven on the European stage as a manager with successes at several clubs and two good seasons at Southampton.

He probably has the best CV of any manager we have appointed in our history. I was fully in his corner. I saw him as the new Harry Catterick. Not ridiculously optimistic like Martinez, not negative like Moyes. No more ‘knives to gunfights. No more ‘phenomenal’ postscripts.

Koeman would deliver everything we wanted. But ok, he might leave in three years time, at the end of his contract. But ok, he saw us perhaps as a stepping stone to Barcelona, maybe even Arsenal.

But if he left us as a Champions League club, then ok, job done. We felt positive he could set us on the course to being a dominant force once again.

Except it didn't turn out that way.

Koeman came to us with a high stock and showed he meant business immediately - once he had got his holiday out of the way.

The time he took from signing his contract to actually getting his feet under the table should have registered some alarms. There were some fans who noted this and maybe they will now be saying ‘I told you so’. But leeway was given and once he got started he delighted Everton fans by immediately recognising that the likes of McGeady and Niasse were not in his plans.

The brutal way he treated such players was welcomed at the time by fans who were sick of Everton being viewed as a soft touch, a club far too sentimental. So the harsh way Niasse in particular was treated was viewed positively by fans – ‘clearing out the dead wood’- ‘if they don't like it – tough’ was the general attitude.

Koeman would stand no messing, no room for sentiment with him. Brutal assessments of poor performances were welcomed, the singling out of Barkley seen as the sign of a strong manager. I saw this reminiscent of Catterick, who came in after the likeable but soft touch Johnny Carey and adopted a Sgt Major approach with the players.

Ok, we may never feel the love for him as we did Howard Kendall, but if Ronald makes us winners, that's all that matters.

Except he didn't Catterick could treat his players harshly and players would respond positively, even if secretly they resented him. The modern footballer will not take that sort of treatment. But Catterick was more than just a hard taskmaster. He was a master tactician, astute in the transfer market and also could develop the youth.

Look at his two title sides. 1962-63 was mainly a Mersey Millionaires team of big signings. The 6970 side had a couple of big signings but 9 players who played a big part in the title win had come through the ranks. He was ruthless but it is said he was also fair (I would highly recommend Rob Sawyers biography of him, one of the best books of its kind).

After a decent first season where Everton finished seventh and qualified for Europe, the hope was that under the Dutchman we would kick on and push for the top four and grab a trophy. But there were warning signs in that season.

The away form was very poor, and the performances against the so called top six showed how far we were away from becoming part of that elite. We were outclassed in some of those games though the performances against Man

City gave hope. The dealings in the transfer market were underwhelming. Still no centre forward to compliment or back up Lukaku was purchased. Targets were missed out on. Was that down to Koeman, Walsh, the board? But 12 months on, surely we would address that.

Ultimately despite a positive start by getting deals done early, there remained glaring omissions in our transfer window. Not replacing our only true number 9, not getting cover for Baines, no left sided CB, a poor replacement for Coleman, no width, no pace.

The healthy optimism in which the transfer window began was replaced by frustration and resentment. Our top striker left us and wasn't replaced. The signs were worrying.

And so it proved.

In nine PL games, seven Europa League games and the Carabao Cup game, not one performance to make the fans proud (discount the Sunderland cup game as the opposition was awful). Ok, maybe decent at City and for 45 minutes v Split at Goodison.

But simply put it has been sterile, passionless, lacking any form of gameplay or ideas. The excuse we did not get a number 9 in cannot account for the shipping of goals, the lack of imagination or energy in our play.

His post match interviews became more and more bizarre, blaming everyone but himself. He was forced to eat humble pie and bring Niasse in from the cold. And he just had to go.

It was all about him. Mr Ego. No love shown for the club. Whatever anyone's opinions on the calamitous reign of Bobby Brown Shoes no one can dispute that his heart was with the blues, he ‘got’ and embraced the club.

So when Roberto he left I got a feeling of relief and sadness it was all over. The dream was gone, he needed sacking but he had tried his best and bought into our club.

With Koeman: just relief. I won't shed a tear. And his harsh treatment of Niasse eventually backfired as the same fans – including myself – who had welcomed the tough stance by Koeman (though we did not know ALL the facts of his treatment) now sided with Oumar for his dignified behaviour and professionalism and it became a stick with which to beat Koeman.

So now, he has gone. And a new era starts. The first game under caretaker boss has given more enjoyment - despite the defeat – than most games this season. A passionate manager who has a team that plays with width, pace, energy, youth and positivity. And a manager not afraid to change things mid game.

Unsworth may not get the job but he has certainly put a marker down.

Who do the fans want as a boss? What style do they want us to play? Well, all the aforementioned attributes, certainly. A winning, entertaining style that gets the fans on their feet from the first minute. Personally I want to see all that done with a side that blends quality signings but with great academy talent as we saw in 69-70 and 84-85.

Can Unsworth deliver that? Many fans might say no. No because he has never managed at top level, and probably because he is not foreign! He would not be a glamourous appointment.

If he got the job, there would be people saying he was a ‘Kenwright Appointment’ whereas say Silva, Tuchel or Ancellotti would be viewed as being arranged by Moshiri.

There are many names in the hat. Who knows if we could get them, who knows if they would come. Some would say that by appointing Rhino the club would lack ambition. But any appointment is a gamble. Silva looks a top boss.

But who can guarantee he would replicate it at Goodison. Ancellotti is the highest quality. But he has usually taken over teams that were already winning teams and merely put the cherry on top – would he want to put in the effort to build a side that is outside the top 6 in England? Dyche has a solid record but would be seen by many fans as being a ‘safe’ and ‘unadventurous’ choice.

And the likes of Moyes or Allardyce would certainly be no-no’s to most true blues. Unsy may not have the experience but his record in the academy is excellent. He won the league last year and has kept the momentum going this year despite losing nearly all his best players to the first team or loan deals. The last full time appointment from within was Colin Harvey who was more of a coach (a brilliant one) than a manager. Unsy looks to be able to fill either role. And you could guarantee if he got the job, he would take an active interest in the academy squads where Koeman and Moyes paid no interest.

Do I think he should get it? Let's just say I would not be disappointed if he did. I wouldn't be displeased at Tuchel or Ancellotti either though I query whether we would simply be a stepping stone or just another club in their eyes, as we were for Koeman.

Who knows who the next manager will be. But it is a very important decision for the board and whoever is chosen there is unlikely to be universal approval from the fans. Let's just hope that the next manager turns out to be a WINNING manager.

Trevor Edwards

#WSAGmatch EUROPA LEAGUE: APOLLON LIMASSOL (HOME) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch EVERTON 2 APOLLON LIMASSOL 2 Seven things to take away from today’s game

Paul Gahan Should change the motto from NSNO to Fuck Off Everton Mike Williams When the Dutchman was appointed I thought it was the right decision but he's made a number of wrong moves that have alienated many Evertonians. That's why now when things are going tits-up there's no real patience. The question is, as ever, if you get rid who replaces him?

Adam Coyne Sick of this shit.

Paul Roberts And I thought Martinez was stubborn

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We drew – with the fourth best team in Cyprus.

Vlasic looks decent – he played well when he came on and scored what should have been the decisive goal.

We threw it away – after the sending off it should have been easy. It wasn’t. Needless free-kick led to the goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – unlucky. Nearly won it.

“Too afraid” – says Koeman. Probably true but what are you going to do about it.

The worst start to a Europa League group campaign by an English team - ever!

It’s not yet over – but we need to start winning at home and away – starting with Lyon.

@AWEFC1968 Taxi for Koeman.Make sure it's an 8 seater so you can take Walsh and half your signings @sounddave1981 DCL puts that away and it's a completely different story @sounddave1981 Also where's the crap Jesus' in the Park Ends vlog? Lad spent 90 minutes filming himself and the match, what bollocks is that?

Steve Brown Setting the team up to negative..

Looked better after the subs... Should start with the pace not wait till we are fucked Robbie Boyd Never been one to shout for the manager to go but something isn't right here. We need pace and we need a focal point up top. The team selection is constantly bafflingly. How can't he see it when everyone else, pundits, fans etc can.

Europe is gone now as Lyon will batter us in both games on this display. Very poor

Mick Upfield Pissed off, but there is always tomorrow.

Mark Mordecai Dog shit, white dog shit at that Mick Abrams Let's be honest Limassol are fucking shite. Dreadful selection and tactics again Sam McPartland Nothing feels right at the moment and nobody looks happy including us as fans ... can't remember the last game I enjoyed ... it all feels a bit soulless and that's not the Everton I love Kevin Rogers I simply don’t understand what the fucks going on only Everton can smash the transfer window and then blow it in the same transfer window somebody has to be responsible for not getting a striker in and it’s cost us a whole season it was obvious it would be a transition period new players bedding in etc but this just doesn’t look like Everton anymore Ian Everton Taylor Koeman isn't slow to point out the faults in others. The arrogant thundercunt.

Fucking do one Paul Rezon It was that shite I applied for a job and missed most of the second half, I also let my 10 year old lad eat chocolate... it's going to be a long night... back to you in the studio!

Pete Weller Lucky me at a Gig!!

Kenny Sweeney Koeman is a madman and needs to leave the Club asap. If he actually played a balance team we might have a chance of winning.

Richard Madden lets get the band back together B-)

Russell Jonjo Laverty It's got fuck all to do with losing Lukaku and not getting a CF in. I'll tell you that much. They should be battering teams like that tonight. The players aren't putting a shift in for him.

They clearly don't like him or his ideas.

Stan Osborne Struggling to find anyone with any faith left in RK. He and the board will be under huge pressure to change management (even to an interim set up) if we get turned over on Sunday mate.

Paul Hennessey Could we please drop Rooney and just focus on playing players in their proper positions? This is getting ridiculous, it's like having the mangers son on your team in kids football Julian Connor Fair result, a point was all we deserved. Vlasic and his linking up with Baines the only real positive (apart from laughing at the steward huffing and puffing after the pitch invader lid). Vlasic won't be near the team Sunday, natch.

Ashley Williams, dear oh dear, remember we all thought replacing Stones with him was great business as Stones made too many mistakes?!

Koeman says the players are underperforming yet he keeps giving the same under performers chance after chance to play themselves into form and dropping the likes of DCL / Davies who have been playing well. The kids are showing the senior players up at the minute.

Chris NewViolence Having to accommodate/indulge Rooney in whatever role he's supposed to be playing isn't working. He drops way too deep to be effective and gets in the way of all the other central midfield players RK has packed the team with. Just play him upfront with DCL/Niasse Ged Giblin Surely Unsworth has done enough to be given a chance maybe till the end of season with Royle as a guiding light if the axe did fall on Koeman. I personally think we have to give him till the end of the season to see if he can get the players he brought in to gel.

Adrian Gregory That midfield again anyone with eyes can see it's not working apart from Koeman it seems Michael Thomas I've got this one saved in my drafts from previous games this season...slow, predictable, no style, error prone and boring. In other words, shite!

Russell Jonjo Laverty It's got to be Unsworth for the rest of the campaign or until the right man comes along. Back to basics. Knows what is required. Hand some trust back to the players. Sign Barkley back up and return him back in to the fold too.

Becoming clearer and clearer what the problem was with his "contract issues".

John McPartland Can't wait for the new 70,000 stadium. I'll have a whole row to myself.đ&#x;˜€ Mark Doyle No balance to any of his selections this season how many times did Kenny and Baines have the ball with nothing in front of them playing Tom Davies out of position. Baffling Mr Koeman Steve Grimes I preferred the days when we had no money, at least there was no expectation and we had players who used to fight. Get a young British manager in, Koeman doesn't seem arsed.

Steve Jae Dyer Manager calls out the players for being afraid, exactly what is playing two defensive midfielders in every single game - even against utter shite like these - but the manager sending out a clear message he's afraid himself - Gueye and Schneiderlin can't play together, and noticeable that last two games Sigurdsson has started to really become a factor in the game recently but ONLY ONCE Rooney has been subbed off and he actually had a striker in front who can move around and do intelligent runs, Davies being subbed was baffling as was the bringing on of Klassen who looks absolutely terrible right now and shouldn't be near playing until he settles in a bit - same goes for Sandro, let them both go the under 23's for a month and get some bloody confidence built up. As for Williams - absolute Cart Horse of a player.

Phil Bennett No width, no pace, no confidence.

Neil Mckeown he keeps making the same mistakes. get rid and get Ancelotti in - show that they mean business.

Michael Harris Taxi for the Dutch fathead. Make sure there's room in there for Ashley Williams too.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN AWAY? November 12th 1980 and nearly ten years old, I finally get to see my first away match.

Blondie are number one with ‘The Tide Is High,’ Thatcher’s so called tough medicine for the British economy is tearing millions of families apart and a right wing and unpredictable Republican politician has just been voted President in the United States.

Everton, with Gordon Lee in his final season at the helm, have started the season OK with two 5-0 wins against Crystal Palace (the team of the eighties) and Coventry City in September the highlights. th

We are 8 in the league and Leicester City at Filbert Street beckon.

I get in from school and my Dad unusually is home before me. I always worry about things like this after he was made redundant from Tillotsons the year before but tonight it is only good news as he tells me to get my skates on as we are going to watch Everton at Leicester just under an hour away from where we live in Northampton.

I am ecstatic and just have time to get dressed in my Everton tracksuit and my Adidas Kick before we set off down the Welford Road towards Leicester.

This is a big deal for me as whilst I have been going to home matches since the age of six, I had always wondered what it was like to see the Blues on their travels and finally it is happening.

I never shut up on the car journey to Leicester asking my Dad if we will wear our away kit, who will take penalties and whether he thinks we will win?

We listen to John Dunn on Radio Two on the car radio and the Radio Two sports news is listened to intently for any team news.

On the way to the ground my Dad spots an Evertonian walking to the match and offers him a lift. He is a student from Liverpool but at University in Leicester and he is made up with the lift,

particularly as the temperature has dropped as winter takes a hold.

We park up about a 10 minute walk from the ground and pass the hot dog stands and men shuffling out of the many pubs near the ground. The main difference is that everyone seems to be talking with that East Midlands accent rather than what I am used to on match days.

We have seats in the Main Stand and my Dad warns me that it will not be like going in the Top Balcony and that with us being away fans I won’t be able to shout out like normal.

I get a programme and am less impressed with Leicester’s than our own matchday magazine and the team news is that Eamon O’Keefe is our only change from the defeat to Norwich City coming in for the injured Mick Lyons.

The atmosphere is so much different from Goodison. It is strange not being able to shout out and to see my Dad, normally so vocal, so muted feels weird.

The attendance is only just above 15,000 which is also strange as although Goodison attendances have been impacted by the massive increase in unemployment they are still a lot bigger than this crowd, so much so that I can even hear the shouts from the players.

Leicester are near the bottom and despite Everton struggling to play free flowing football, Peter Eastoe scores our winner and we hang on for a hard fought 1-0 midweek win which takes us up to the lofty th heights of 7 in the league and with young players like McMahon, Wright and McBride prominent the future looks bright for the rest of the season.

And so, even though I get to bed dead late for a week night, I am massively excited at the treat I have just had, finally getting to see Everton away and not only that but seeing them win away.

And so begins a lifelong love of watching Everton away. Over the next few years my Dad takes me to grounds up and down the country and we watch Everton in loads of places that I would never ever go to unless it was for a football match. I learn new chants, observe some great styles of dress and as I get older and start to go to aways with my mates,

I get to live out my Everton obsession more and more.

my Dad the (already) classic ‘Winter Turns To Spring.’

In fact some of my greatest memories watching Everton have come in away matches and it all began on that cold November night in 1980.

We have some time before the match so we meet my mate Steve in a pub to get our tickets and our Liam laughs at the banners all over the pub still commemorating Leicester’s 2016 Premier League win. He thinks that is old news now and displaying a sort of Everton elitism beyond his years thinks they need to stop going on about it. I offer the opinion that if we had won the league like that we would still be dining out on it but he just laughs.

Fast forward 37 years. Gulp. Yes 37 years… th

October 29 , 2017 and it is the day after my son’s th 12 Birthday. Something called ‘Rockstar’ by Post Malone is number one in the charts, the Conservative Government are trying to work out what the hell to do with Brexit whilst screwing around with people’s livelihoods with their crass overhaul of the benefits system and a right wing and unpredictable Republican President in the United States is terrifying the whole world with his antics.

Apart from a load of other presents including a table tennis table and loads of adidas gear I surprise him with a Dad and lad ticket for the Everton end at the King Power Stadium for our away trip to Leicester, his first away match…He is ecstatic and the sheer joy in his face reminds me of someone…

He plays footie in the morning in Rugby and gets battered 5-1 although he plays well but I comfort him with the hope that Everton will do better.

His Grandad who took me to his first away match all those years ago meets us at home. He’s 75 and hasn’t been very well this year but he could still pass at someone 10 years younger and he’s excited at three generations of the same family going to an away match.

We drive down that same Welford Road as my Dad and I did 37 years ago and our Liam asks me what kit I think they will wear as he has chosen his new third strip to wear to the match.

We listen to the outstanding ‘Adios Senor Pussycat’

by Mick Head & The Red Elastic Band and I play

We walk to the match hand in hand despite him being a year off from being a teenager. I will miss that when it stops. We pass the fast food stands and people streaming out of pubs and walk down a hill towards the King Power stadium and Liam shocks me by saying he wishes we had a stadium like that. I ask him why and he says because it is new and modern.

I say what about tradition and heritage and he looks at me like I am mad and says at least there won’t be any beams in the way of our view. I have no answer….

We get him a programme and in we go to the ground after his Dad is frisked for ages as if his 6876 coat has a few rocket launchers in it.

There’s a few chants around the various bars inside but the mood amongst the weary and nervous fans is apprehensive and the electric atmosphere I hoped he would experience is sadly lacking.

Our seats are right next to the Leicester support with a load of bored looking Police and stewards in between us and them. Our Liam looks excited and is made up that he will now have seen as many Everton matches as his sister.

After a long pre-match period of Remembrance tributes the match gets underway and my son learns that for some football fans it is impossible to say a sentence without the word ‘fuckin’ being part of it.

Soon though he hears his Dad mutter those words under my breath as from our own free-kick in their half, we get caught on the break and seconds later are 1-0 down.

Worse is to follow as I leave him to go to the toilet and we score an own goal to go 2-0 down and my romantic dream of some sort of wonderful symmetry whereby his and my first away matches, both against Leicester, end up with Everton wins, seem to be going up in smoke.

And the rest of the match confirms this as Everton huff and puff without any end product and as the joyous Leicester hordes taunt us with relegation chants and as it all goes off in the far right end corner of our end, Liam learns some new elements about away supporting culture.

He wants to stay to the end whereas I want to leave early but we stay til the final whistle and I am so disappointed for my lad as we walk out after a fairly abject Everton performance and he asks me if I think we will go down?

And I think back to my first match and how that Peter Eastoe goal put us up to th 7 in the league and yet we only won one more away match the rest of the season and ended up narrowly missing relegation by the skin of our teeth.

Where you are in October/November is not necessarily a barometer of where you will finish the season.

So, I tell him things will get better. We will get a new manager, we will buy some much needed new players with pace and we will climb the table.

Of course I do. It’s what us Dads do.

And we will.

Won’t we??

Meanwhile he gets home tired and still with some revision to do but he’s full of it to his Mum telling her all about the match and the crowd and as he goes to bed I get a big hug and he thanks me for taking him and how much he appreciates it.

And despite the defeat I smile.

Because I know that win, lose or draw he’s Everton and he’ll be Everton forever.

Kieron

Random Thoughts…..

Cold, Cold Ground….

Can’t be doing with the modern day fad of having football grounds in the middle of nowhere with the possibility of a pint in a pub before the game as unlikely as an Everton away win. The “Amex” (please don’t let our new ground be called anything like that) stadium in Brighton is a case in point. Good to tick another one off the list but I couldn’t help thinking, “This isn’t how it was meant to be”. We turned up a couple of hours before kick off after a lengthy drive down. There is nowhere to park unless you’ve booked in advance for the stadium car park.

We aint that organised. We were told to drive to a racecourse over some hills where we could do the park and ride thing. We didn’t. We parked on a verge at the side of the road a few hundred yards away. The only place in the vicinity to get something to drink or eat was the “fan-zone” There was a bar in the stand you could join the queue for but it was lengthy and they let one person in when one came out. Once in not many were in a hurry to come out again. We decided to go in – not since the 70’s have I been in a ground that early – and had a few pints underneath in there. Just not the same. Drinking swill surrounded by breeze block has never been part of a good day out for me. Having a good laugh in a decent, warm boozer with decent ale has always been half the fun. 99% of the fun at the moment, to be fair. I know of people who stayed in Brighton for the weekend, drove in and got told to go to the park and ride and got in to the match at half time. Still, atmosphere was better than Goodison’s though….

Time….

I have an acquaintance, an old school Blue who I’ve mentioned on these pages before. Must be clocking 80 now. I’ve never heard him talk Everton down or be anything but positive. He phoned me recently regarding something which was absolutely nothing to do with Everton. But then, it always comes to it. He asked me what I thought of the present situation. Not good I answered. “He’s got to go”, he insisted. “For the good of the club, he’s got to go!” He then told me the following tale. He’d been invited to the Dixies at the Phil at the end of last season. He was in a room with the players, their wives, the Board, etc. Although getting on a bit he felt the same about it as you, I or any other mad Evertonian kid would. He was made up.

Then he saw that RK was off to the side by himself.

He said he thought this seemed a bit strange as all the players, the staff and other guests were in little groups laughing and joking but RK was alone, just scrolling through his phone. Being a nice fella he went over to him so he wasn’t on his own, introduced himself and started chatting away. “And d’ya know”, he told me, “from the minute I got there he was looking for someone more interesting or important to talk to. In the end, I lay my hand on his arm and said, ‘I’m so sorry for invading your space and encroaching on your time Mr Koeman. You enjoy the rest of your night’. And he didn’t say a word as I walked away. That’s not right. He doesn’t get us at all,” he said.

Fumblin’ With The Blues….

But when all is said and done, that isn’t why he had to go. He had to go because he was stubborn and because the football Everton was serving up was garbage. Such is the malaise that has set in that already the club appears to be in real danger of being relegated. These things have a way of developing their own momentum. Coming out of Chelsea a mate said to me, “If we play like that from hereonin we should be OK.” I told him that if we play even better than that and still get no points we would be relegated. Another mate said after the Leicester game that even Lady Luck hates us. I told him Lady Luck doesn’t hang around the relegation zone. She lives further up the table, as always. Hope I’m wrong.

A Sight For Sore Eyes….

Top telly Stuff Just Now Blue Planet II Vietnam Snowfall Bounty Hunters Ray Donovan Dross Telly Porridge (the new one. How could they?)

Step Right Up….

Closing Time….

When Skies Are Grey…! Get your Skies Are Grey or I’ll shoot you..!

Mmm..… I wanted a copy of The Black Watch really

In the face of the new competition, WSAG introduce the new hard-sell tactics…

Don’t buy it, don’t sell it, don’t read it.

A shout out to all those actively involved in the campaign to rid us of the rag. It doesn’t get any better if the reports you read – largely on social media – are anything to by. They’ve had so long to learn the lessons and do things differently that you would almost think they were doing it deliberately.

(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night…

Top 5 Everton Films: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Betty Blue Goodison Fellas Gross Encounters of The Shite Kind Mutiny on The County Rd On The Waterfront

TommyBoy

#wsagdiary Phil Redmond continues his daily diary from earlier in the issue.

say. Maybe sometimes Moshiri should keep his own council.

The Nigerian striker is expected to be able to secure a work permit and join the Everton first team squad for next season.

October 04 October 03 After his ill-advised interview / vote of confidence with Jim White, Farhad Moshiri has become the latest person underfire at Everton.

In his defence of Koeman, Moshiri pointed out that the defeat against Burnley was the only “unexpected” league defeat this season.

Predictably the Everton Jihad are all over this with people calling his comments a disgrace and typical of the small time attitude of the club.

The trouble with coming out in the media, particularly if English isn’t your first language, is that people will look to twist your words to suit their own agenda.

You’ve really got to make sure there’s no ambiguity in what you

Awkward looking photo of year...

Almost unnoticed James McCarthy has joined up with the Irish squad and again there’s a war of words as arch phoney Roy Keane pipes up again and says Everton need to take responsibility for the players ongoing injury problems.

Where do you start with this?

Tit. In other news, Arsenal majority owner Stan Kroenke is meant to be trying to buy out Moshiri’s mate Alisher Usmanov to great excitement amongst some Evertonians. According to the sages he’ll then buy Kenwright out and we’ll all live happily ever after.

October 05 Alisher Usmanov moves quickly to dampen any immediate hopes he’s on his way to Goodison.

He releases a statement saying he has no intention of selling his shares to Stan Kroenke.

In other news, summer signing Henry Onyekuru is apparently banging them in for Anderlecht.

October 06 England last night qualified for the Euros or whatever it is next year, beating Slovenia 1-0 with a late Harry Kane goal. Michael Keane made a late substitute appearance.

Hopefully this cameo will give his confidence a bit of a boost because he’s been less than impressive in recent weeks for Everton.

October 07 There’s loads of rumours flying about at the moment surrounding Ademola Lookman.

Apparently, the young winger is unsettled in the North and is unhappy about his lack of playing time. These type of stories always circulate when things aren’t going well but it’s a genuine mystery as to why Koeman hasn’t sent him on in recent games when we’ve been screaming out for width. Arsenal and Spurs are interested. Aren’t they always.

October 08 Michael Keane turns out for England in their 1-0 borefest in Lithuania.

He’s again unimpressive and almost scores

an own goal with an errant clearance.

In other news, the Sundays are unanimous that Ronald Koeman has got until the end of October to save his job. Insightful stuff as always.

October 09 More loose lipped nonsense from the international break.

Olivier Giroud has again been banging on about nearly joining Everton but that he made the right decision staying with Arsenal whist Thomas Vermaelen again hints he was denied the chance to join the Blues by Barcelona who wouldn’t let him go.

Back at the ranch, there’s a rare piece of positive news. Phil Jagielka has declared himself fit for Sunday’s vital clash at Brighton.

October 10 Everton are rumoured to be trying to sort Henry Onyekuru’s work permit out for January. I’m not sure how that will affect the loan arrangement with Anderlecht.

Ireland knock Wales out of the World Cup with a James McClean goal after a mistake by the underfire Ashley Williams.

Williams has had a nightmare start to the season and appears to be the latest favoured boo boy amongst those blues who just have to have a scapegoat.

If he’s selected by Koeman, he deserves the same backing as the rest of them. One thing nobody can accuse Williams of, is hiding on the pitch. Gylfi Sigurdsson meanwhile will be at the World Cup. He scores as

Iceland beat Kosovo 2-0 to become the smallest country ever to qualify for the competition.

In other news the under 23’s, captained by Jose Baxter beat Portsmouth 2-1 last night in the under 23’s League Cup. Nathan Broadhead and Anthony Evans were on the mark for the young Toffees.

October 11 Tom Davies scored the winner for England under 21s last night as they overcame the might of Andorra 1-0 in the Euro qualifiers.

The unimpressive Three Lions featured five blues with Davies joined by Kenny, Dowell, Calvert-Lewin and Lookman, all of whom probably need to leave Everton to join one of the big clubs to help progress their career. Or so certain sections of the media would have you believe.

In other news, it’s one thing getting your game moved for Sky or BT but it appears that Sunday’s trip to Brighton was moved for “overseas TV” and isn’t being screened in this country. I sometimes wonder why us mugs bother.

October 12 With the internationals thankfully out of the way, thoughts are starting to drift towards the weekend and the pressure on Ronald Koeman in the media, is getting cranked right up (When of course they shut up about Liverpool v Man fuckin United for more than five seconds).

All sorts of weirdos are sticking their tuppennorth worth in, with

Elton Welsby the latest to call for the Dutchman’s head. Koeman is also being talked up as being Holland’s next boss in the Dutch media.

One things for certain, he desperately needs a win this weekend.

October 13 In his press conference today, Koeman distances himself from the Holland job saying that all that matters at the moment is getting Everton up the table. He feels that the early start for the Europa League didn’t help his preparations as it reduced the amount of training sessions available for his new comers.

Apparently, James McCarthy is nearly ready for a first team return, probably next week, which can’t be bad.

October 14 The under 23’s steam roller Man City’s young stars 3-0 over there last night. A result that will only increase the calls for David Unsworth to take over as first team manager.

game to game as its difficult to keep up.

For this one Rooney, Holgate and Jagielka came back with the most notable absentee being Ashley Williams who was left out after a horrific few weeks.

Basala Sambou, Luke Garbutt and David Henen were the men on the mark.

The first team travel to newly promoted Brighton tomorrow for a game that in normal circumstances you’d expect them to win.

Following their last spell in the top flight in the late 70’s/early 80’s, things quickly went nuts for the Seagulls. Brighton found themselves homeless and on the brink of extinction.

For years they played at an athletics stadium. The return of Brighton to the top flight is one of football’s feel good stories.

The Seagulls have adapted well to life in the top flight and seem to be looking to make their AMEX stadium a fortress.

They’ve won their last two home games against West Brom and Newcastle and will look to keep things tight whilst hoping to counter on the break.

They are limited though and this is surely a game we must be looking to win. I’ll go for 2-0.

Lose here though and you really wonder what’s next for Ronald Koeman

October 15 Brighton 1 Everton 1: A late Wayne Rooney penalty rescues a point for Everton after another substandard performance.

I’ve almost given up listing the changes made by Koeman from

For me, this game underlined the problems we’re facing since the departure of Romelu Lukaku.

For long periods Everton dominated possession but there was no focal point upfront, a situation not helped by the Dutchman sticking CalvertLewin wide left.

As it was, in the first half, we were restricted a to a couple of decent efforts from Gana Gueye whilst Brighton despite hardly crossing the halfway line, came closest with Michael Keane clearing off the line from Lewis Dunk.

After the break the game opened up a bit with Brighton throwing a few more men forward and both Mason Holgate and the impressive Nikola Vlasic had chances whilst the invisible (again) Gylfi Sigurdsson was clearly hauled down in the box

and should’ve had a penalty but Brighton soon realised they had little to fear and as the game progressed they started to put on the pressure.

And so it was, with 8 minutes to go, Anthony Knockaert slotted the Seagulls ahead after another bit of sloppy defending by the underfire Morgan Schneidelin and at that point it looked like curtains.

Indeed, if sub Izzy Brown had slotted like he should’ve done a few minutes later it would’ve been.

As it was, rowdy looking Spanish fullback Bruno, decided to elbow Dom Calvert-Lewin in the face following a harmless looking free kick and Wayne Rooney saved the point. In injury time Kevin Mirallas was denied by a superb double save by the Brighton keeper but in truth a win would’ve been more than the Blues deserved.

October 16 Afterwards the underfire Ronald Koeman admitted his team were under performing but scrambling for positives, said he was happy with the character

the team showed after falling behind.

It’s all a mess though.

The players look confused and totally lacking in confidence and strangely enough the only spark seems to be coming from the younger players.

Yesterday, the two centre backs were OK but only Pickford, who’s save from Brown late on was as important as Rooney’s penalty, Vlasic in patches and Holgate could really be happy with their contribution.

Burnley. I do feel a little sorry for Icelander who I’m sure didn’t ask Everton to pay £45 million for him but his performances to date have not been remotely good enough. He’s not the only one like.

October 18

At the moment, it’s the so called stars who are letting us down.

The Under 23s fell apart last night dipping 3-1 against Wolfsburg in that weird European thing we always get beat in.

It’s difficult to see how Koeman can turn this around, not least his fractured relationship with the support.

Boris Mathis scored the Blues goal. James McCarthy got 45 minutes under his belt as part of his return to fitness.

For all that, I just can’t see them sacking him unless we end up in a full blown relegation battle.

Thoughts now turn towards tomorrow night’s Europa League clash with Lyon at Goodison. It goes without saying that Everton desperately need a win not least to salvage any hope we may have of qualifying for the knockout stages.

October 17 Gylfi Sigurdsson has been talking about his Everton introduction and he admits it’s been hard going. He feels a couple of scruffy wins would help build confidence and get us on our way.

To be fair we had those last month against Sunderland and Bournemouth and then fucked up against Limassol and

If nothing else, the team needs a performance.

In his press conference, Koeman stressed the importance of a win tomorrow.

He met with Kenwright and Moshiri at the weekend and said that whilst he’s got their support now, he knows that football is a results business.

Lyon themselves could probably do with a result after drawing their opening two fixtures.

They opened the group as the favourites ut without wanting

to be flippant their star players appear to be a fella who bombed at Chelsea and Memphis fuckin Depay.

To be fair I knew sod all about Atalanta so that shows what I know. For the Blues, Jonjoe Kenny will face a late test whilst James McCarthy might be back on Sunday. Other than that there’s no further news on any of our potential returnees.

October 19 Everton 1 Olympique Lyonais 2: Both Everton’s European hopes and Ronald Koeman’s managerial tenure hang by a thread after an eventful night at Goodison.

Yet again the Dutchman made wholesale changes and as a result the team looked ragged and shapeless. They did again show a lot of passion and effort and at times had the French outfit at full stretch.

Typically though they made the worst start possible with Mason Holgate conceding a stonewall penalty inside the first five minutes, which was calmly despatched for 1-0.

For half an hour Lyon strutted around like Real Madrid as the shellshocked Blues, typified by the hapless Davy Klaassen ran around like kids at an annual dad v lads match.

boil over right in front of the St End. No doubt after the shenanigans against Split in the qualifiers, UEFA will be all over this like a cheap suit and inevitably the club will face further action.

After about half an hour though, the blues led by Tom Davies started to at least take the game to Lyon and there were a few positives to cling to as the half ended.

After the break the blues came out fired up and both Holgate and halftime sub Ademola Lookman went close in the opening moments.

Everton continued to dominate possession but the Frenchmen kept their composure and looked dangerous on the break.

Morgan Schneidelin limped off after one goal saving challenge and both Sigurdsson and Sandro were thrown on in an attempt to save the game.

Things seemed to be drifting until Ashley Williams sparked a mass brawl down by the St End after charging the goalie. Within minutes, Williams, turning in his best performance of the season bulleted in from a pinpoint Sigurdsson freekick and suddenly the crowd started to believe.

Sigurdsson then whipped in another set piece that beat everyone and came back off the inside of the post. When your lucks out though, it stays out and moments later a quick Lyon

break after a mistake by Sandro in midfield led to Bertrand Traore flicking in the winner at the near post.

At that point heads all around the stadium dropped and Everton were beaten. CalvertLewin was denied by a fine save by the Lyon keeper but in truth the French outfit could and should’ve added more in the final minutes.

At the end there were some boo’s but a lot of applause for a performance that was probably as good as anything this season.

It does though look like Koeman’s days are numbered. A scenario that wouldn’t have crossed anyone’s mind during those heady days of June and July when we looked like we were making a genuine attempt to take on the elite.

Sad, sad days.

October 01 Apart from the obvious calls for the manager to have his goolies cut off. The big talking point from last night seems to be the handbags in the second half where it appears that a couple of blues tried to get involved as the grappling threatened to

Typically the media and a lot of not arsed about Everton, fair minded followers of class and dignity FC are widespread in their condemnation. For once I agree with them and hope UEFA hit us with the ultimate sanction.

A five year European ban for all English clubs until we “get our house in order”.

Everton move quickly to ban one punter who was pictured “attacking” the Lyon goalie whilst holding his kid. On cue UEFA announce charges against the club for “aggressive behaviour towards players” by our fans.

Koeman’s back in front of the press and reports that Rooney, Baines, Jagielka and Schneidelin (who just has a knock) will be involved against Arsenal on Sunday. He thinks we’ve got a good chance of a decent result on Sunday.

He’s obviously disappointed with our current run of form but feels we were much better last night and are suffering due to individual mistakes.

He recognises he’s under pressure but is not phased by it. You’ve got to say he’s got bollocks.

Cont p48

Düsseldorf 2017 As we all know, being an Evertonian can be a thankless task. Many an enjoyable day, weekend or trip has been ruined by a pathetic performance on the pitch by our beloved blues.

We can't quit though. Just like a junkie addicted to a drug that he knows will ruin his life, despite swearing that ‘enough is enough’ we still return to the fold, be it actually going the match or, if you manage to break that part of the habit, we are still looking for the results on match day and getting that sinking feeling as we inevitably lose at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates or even worse Vicarage Road.

It's in our DNA, we cannot escape the pull of the blues, they have too much of a hold over us.

What often compensates for the Everton inspired let downs, is the camaraderie with our fellow Toffees. That bond, that kinship.

Lifelong friendships are formed with fellow devotees of the boys from L4 4EL. Whether it's just a few fellow travellers who sit near us, whether friendships formed in school or work or from joining a supporters club.

We can be from completely different backgrounds, social classes, political affiliations or have different musical interests: we understand each other, we know the pain and the joy that following Everton brings: the mutual assured destruction or the euphoric moments that can only be experienced through supporting Everton.

From a football perspective I was an outsider at school. The only Evertonian in a Manchester school that was sixty per cent United thirty per

cent City and a mixture of other teams but no fellow Toffees. I followed Everton because my dad was a true blue from the valley, who attended Heyworth Street school and there was only one team his son was going to support.

For the first 17 years of my match going, I went with dad until is untimely death in 1987. I forged some good friendships with blues I stood with, friendships that are still going strong today. In 1994, I acquired another good friendship with Paul, a fellow Blue who I knew through a mutual acquaintance and we sit together at the match to this day. But I was always looking to join a local supporters club, with whom I could attend matches and share the ups and downs, and plenty of ale watching our great club.

In 1998, I saw a notice on the Blue Kipper website from the Chorley Toffees. Chorley is about five miles from where I live so I thought I’d check them out. It turns out that they had been formed the year before at Nuremberg by lads who met by chance in one of the pubs near the ground.

The eight were from the Chorley area and had gone over to Germany for the game were Martin Carr, Lee and John Curwen, Åland & Paul Miller, Joe Heald, Craig Jones and Martin Daniels (Danny).

By chance they met each other in a pub and agreed that there was a need for a branch of the Everton Supporters in the area. On their return from Nuremberg they got together and formed the Chorley Toffees. The group quickly grew and a regular coach was arranged for every home games and many away matches (including many memorable away games).

Although the membership has dwindled in recent years, mainly due to family commitments for a lot of the younger members (and probably frustration at some turgid football!) there is still a regular group who attend every home game.

a beer in ‘Wonton’….which turned out to be a coffee shop and not a bar!

To join the Chorley Toffees is a decision I have never regretted and I have had some fantastic times with the gang over the past nine years.

Last year, it was decided to mark the tenth anniversary of the clubs foundation with another great European trip. At the time, it looked as if Everton would miss out on Europe this season, so the decision was made to go back to Germany – originally the idea was to go back to Nuremberg but after the brains trust got together the choice was narrowed down to Düsseldorf.

Eventually after some negotiations on the phones, the two groups were reunited and plans were made for our assault on the local bars. We were outside one bar, but couldn't make out its name. It did, however, have a large bell outside it so it was duly named the Bellend and in we went. It was clearly a popular hostelry with many rooms, but didn't appear to have space for 13 Englishmen in need of sustenance.

As no one wanted to miss a match, the decision was made to go on one of the European break weekends and possibly watch a Germany third tier game. Of course, Everton had to put a spanner in the works and qualified for Europe, leaving those of us who weren't flushed with cash debating whether we could afford the trip and a Europa jaunt or two.

However eventually we reached the back room.

We were served by a barman whose manner can only be described as brusque! He clearly adopted a Basil Fawlty attitude but whatever his shortcomings in pleasantness, he was an efficient supplier of incredibly wonderful ale, albeit in measures that could not be described as generous.

Eventually fourteen of us put their names down to the trip, though one lad had to jib it due to work commitments. The main arrangements were left to Alan Miller and Craig Jones. Craig sorted out decent apartments and flights for us and a kitty was kept, and by the time the trip was due, we had all paid our full subs.

It was decided to keep a kitty so €20 notes were going into it with regularity. After four wonderful beers our tour carried on, taking in more of the fine establishments Düsseldorf had to offer. Food was acquired, ale was supped, brain and memory cells were being depleted.

On a dark Friday morning, 04:30 to be precise, myself, Steve Jones and John Fairbrother were getting onto the coach at Blackrod as it set off with stops at various locations in Chorley for the 10th Anniversary soiree.

It didn't take long before the first can was cracked open and the festivities had begun. It may have been a red eye hour but the coach was already bouncing along to Manchester Airport. The flight to Düsseldorf was smooth, and after a few ‘lost in translation’ moments, the train tickets were acquired for our transfer to the city.

We were staying at the City Apart hotel on Klostersrasse, a twenty minute or so walk from the centre. After dropping our bags off, the plan was to keep together but that plan went out of the window straight away as one group went bounding off, no doubt desperate for their first pints, leaving five of us behind. We tried to follow but as we quickly found out, despite seeming to be a well set out city, Düsseldorf seems to have a knack of turning your geographical knowledge to mush, and getting lost in Düsseldorf quickly became the norm rather that the exception.

Our five eventually gave up he ghost of trying to find the others, so Andy Yates suggested grabbing

We ended up in Auberge, which turned out to be a bar/club playing loud rock music – nectar from the Gods for myself and Arnie but not quite as palatable for some of our number. But after a few requests the sounds of The Jam and The Who were blasting out to more universal approval from our group and Arnie and myself were not displeased either. Our group had split up a bit at this point and the younger lads in the group decided to check out he seedier offerings of he city whilst myself, John and Steve grabbed a curry wurst each and made our way back to our apartmentbut with no little difficulty. Eventually after walking round in circles, a taxi was flagged down and with aid of my google maps we directed the driver to the hotel.

The next morning, stories emerged of the night the rest of the lads had experienced. Craig, who will now forever be known as ‘The Rhinestone Cowboy’ had somehow fallen asleep on the banks of the Rhine, bereft of wallet, and been woken up and given a lift home by the police!

After a breakfast and a freshen up, the festivities started again, with The Bellend as he destination of choice. It must be the beer rather than any masochistic tendencies as the barman who served us this time was equally as abrupt.

This was the day of the football trip, and third tier side Aachen were chosen. However, I baulked at the idea of paying €30 on the train as that would make a sizeable dent in my remaining spending money. With a two hour journey there to factor in, a few of us decided not to bother and carried on our tour of the bars. We were greeted on our journey by seven very pretty young German students giving away free beer as part of a freshers week task. A dream for any red blooded male!

Whilst we were talking to them we found out the lads had got to Aachen only to discover the match had been cancelled! You couldn't make it up!

Martin Carr was then presented with a large melon by another student, for which we had to do an exchange as part of the aforementioned freshers tasks – Martin bought a large butternut squash and some crockery and gave it to him.

The day was turning more surreal by the minute and especially in world that Martin inhabits as the word ‘character’ was surely coined upon meeting him! We have pictures from the day of him standing in a shop window as a tailors dummy, looking at some budgie smugglers, photo bombing a tv interview and milking a cow (not a real one).

For myself and the older members of our number it was all about the beer and food but for some of the younger lads another visit to the brass house was in order, where you chose your partner for the night by her number. Stories emerged of their adventures in ladyland.

Once such story concerned a certain female being chosen by the number of a favourite Toffees player. Apparently, the ‘ladies of the night’ were sat behind windows with numbers, and the punters chose their ‘date’ by number. Number 17 was particularly popular due to the it corresponding with the shirt number of one of Everton’s more recent icons. And so ‘Tim Cahill’ was selected and she was no doubt bemused by a gang of lads singing the name of our favourite Aussie footballer to her.

It had been a long day, finances were running low, so I decided around 12 it was time to get off, and Alan asked me if I would ensure the Rhinestone Cowboy got back safely. This time I got back without any detours but for the rest of the lads the night carried on, and for most it was between 04:30 and 6am when they returned to base camp, thankfully with no one sleeping out on the Rhine.

Sunday was departure day. Checkout was at 11 but we left our bags at the hotel whilst we hit town again, first stop being The Bellend where were

we're now being treated as regulars and with more polite service. A walk along the Oberkassek where we had taken a boat trip on Friday resulted in more beers and food.

Using the public convenience became a challenge in itself as in here there was a cleaner, if that's what you call her, who would give you paper towels in return for a small fee. No one knew what he fee was but to not give her money meant you ran the risk of physical assault. My first visit resulted in an ‘hello….hello… HELLO!!!’ being bellowed after me as I'd failed to comply with the house rules. Second time I got a whack on my arm as clearly I was short changing her only giving her 10cents. 20 cents however did he trick and kept her happy. But I did consider easing off the drink in order to limit my life threatening lavatorial visits. The food in Düsseldorf had all been of an excellent standard and my Tortellini was superb – though I cast an envious eye (and nose) at the pizza’s some of the lads had.

By this point a couple of the lads had ‘hit the wall’ and were not quite as boisterous while others were still going for it. Greg and Andy, in particular were struggling. Joe was very proud of the shoe horn he had purchased from a shop (yes, you read that correctly and no, I have no idea either!) Jeremy Corbyn’s was being continually sung to John Curwen, our resident Tory, who is no fan of the Labour leader.’

Seven Nation Army’ was duly sought out and played on Spotify but JC (our John, not Jeremy) took it all in fairly good spirits. Paul had obviously enjoyed the pizzas in Düsseldorf so much that he bought another on the way back to the station whilst Patrick and his dad were tucking into cakes that they had acquired- we all know how much beer can stimulate the appetite!

It was a weary bunch that arrived back in England as midnight approached and I was certainly happy that I had booked the Monday off work but credit to those who made into work the next day.

All in all it was a magnificent weekend though my wallet won't thank me for it. We have a great camaraderie between us in the Chorley Toffees and it's only a pity some of our other members were unable to attend this time. Plans are afoot for another excursion next year, to either Germany or Holland. The bond between us has grown, a bond forged in blue and white and strengthened in beer and food. A fabulous European away day has been had. And this time our club couldn't put a dampener on it.

Trevor Edwards @blackrodblue

#WSAGmatch BURNLEY (HOME) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch EVERTON 0 BURNLEY 1 Seven things to take away from today’s game 1. The Blues did not create enough today – not a great day.

2. Burnley made if difficult – fair play to them but it’s not good enough.

3. Too much space for Burnley goal – it was a well worked goal but we should be defending better 4. The Blues too slow - zzzzz 5. Burnley are a good well-organised team Burnley came with a game plan today and stuck to it - deserved three points.

6. Niasse can’t match his impact from the bench in fact he was dreadful after the first ten minutes.

7. Home is not a fortress this season – another defeat. Got to improve.

@General_Zod_PE1 Confidence shot. If we're serious about being monied then the board will act one way or another. Going to be a long season. @thecrosbyfonz as bad as the days of Walter Smith. Wankity, wank chequebook and pen @lincolnblue2 Sorry to say but that was atrocious! This manager is devoid of ideas! If we're in this position new year we COULD GO DOWN! Neil Mckeown Dull, predictable, no way back for him from this Paul O'Callaghan Sack him. Not even trying and look knackered.

Alan Jolliffe Get Koeman out now before he destroys this club of ours. He wrecked a half decent Southampton side ....look what he's doing to us

Matthew Brannan Transformation into ale house team complete with comedy handball shouts and players with 1 club goal shooting from 30 yards Michael Veskovich Those handball shouts were embarrassing - so desperate! Commentators can see it, we can see it when is the board going to take note ffs?

Tony Fitzpatrick Far too comfortable for Burnley.

Koeman won't come back from that now Stuart Mcminn Shambolic mess .. no balance to the team, no pace, no movement, 11 people on a field...

Steve Grimes Wouldn't mind being a manager myself, you get paid a fortune for doing nothing then get paid a fortune to fuck off!

Michael Veskovich Just a real bad stink at the club. And why was I wanting Burnley to hold on?

This isn't the supporter I want to be, but I want Koeman gone! I hope this is it! And where is Lookman ffs???

Simon Maloney I'm trying to think back to a similar time and what happened to change it.

Struggling to see what the answer is but I do know we're destroying Siggurdson rapidly.

Michael Harris Must have set a world record for the most number of 'not quite centre forwards' on the pitch at the same time. Utterly clueless tactics.

No leadership on the pitch. The opposite of NSNO. Time to bin Koeman Julian Connor Actually feel sorry for Koeman for the first time today. In starting Niasse and Vlasic he picked something like a balanced side, which we have been crying out for, but the players absolutely stunk. Nobody taking any responsibility on the ball, Schneiderlin playing like he's bare footed and the ball in on fire, he just wants rid of it ASAP. Last season he was a leader on the pitch and dictated the play, don't know what's going on with him.

They aren't a team, too many shirkers, the defensive players only want to defend and the attacking players only want to attack, there's no cohesion. Only Gueye actually tries to do both but he's just not very good going forward.

Matthew Brannan Baines - one of my all time fav players - what does he actually do? That little check back to play a simple pass with his right foot. Every

time! Offers nothing but makes us totally predictable Tony Concannon Baines had a bad game but he had no help at all, especially in front of him. He had to cover all the left side... attack and defense.

Dan McLaughlin Do one Ron Ron, ah do one Ron. Richard Osborne Koeman should really be fired. I don't think he will. Ashley Williams should be fed into a mincing machine, boiled, canned and served to hungry dogs.

Gareth Fieldstead I wanted Unsworth after Bob. Not since the 96/97 season have I been so optimistic to being so flat. The players look bereft of ideas or confidence.

Matthew Brannan The thing that makes it worse is failure to address previous mistakes. Gutted feeling like with the investment really had a chance to push on - like giving a smack head a winning lottery ticket and they swap it for a score and a pack of malteasers GP Hatton Time to go, you Dutch bulb!

Mick Upfield Today we were shite. The players were shite. The manager was shite.

We as fans were shite. Everton were shite.

Sundays are shite!!! Next up Brighton away. Of course I'll be there cheering the Blues. #UTFT Billy Guillermo Jones No leader fullbbacks are shite williams has gone mids have no pace and no striker ffs he has to go Russell Jonjo Laverty Abject. Utterly devoid of fight, ideas or belief. It's 100% Koeman’s fault and there is no way they will turn it round for him. They need to just pull the trigger, the longer they leave it the bigger the job for the next man.

Darren Owens As much as Koeman takes a lot of blame the players need to seriously have a look at themselves also. Fucken disgrace the lot of them. This is just gonna keep on going wk in wk out. There doesn't seem any positives to grasp onto. Another weekend fucked up. I said come Christmas the FA.Cup will be are only chance of chasing silverware. Soon as Burnley scored it was game over. Too many number tens no real width or attacking threat. Well Mr Koeman you signed all the same type of player and didn't address the centre forwards or width wingers to bring balance to the team.

John Burns No pace no direction no width manager looking lost and he wants Barkley out the club Paul Rezon I resign from Everton... So, dad n lad ticket available every game, it's partly the M6 mostly that utter shite on the pitch though... PM me... seriously đ&#x;˜?

Trevor Edwards Hope next Friday I have a dream with the lottery numbers in Darren Owens I said Fri in a post Burnley where 4/1 just to win get at least a tenner on it pay for your ale after watching that load of shite. I never normally back against us but it was so obvious Burnley would beat us after Limassol. Crystal Palace must be praying for a fixture against us because they'd probably do us as well.

Chris Walsh Siggy should have had us 2 up when they scored but seems to escape criticism. Vlasic the only player with his wages today.

self-styled 'world's biggest Evertonian' with him.

Jimmy Tyrrell There are No comments to describe that Debacle, just awful.

Andy Berry No passion for the royal blue jersey...im miles from home trying to keep me pecker up...onwards Evertonians...footballs chosen tribe...

Mike Williams I think we've been sold a pup.

Paul Hennessey But second half ok, we were better? Awful....he's lost it sadly, mad changes all over the shop every week and during games Gerry Linford I'd still rather support a shit Everton than a successful Liverpool...

Antony Green Hate criticising our manager, as it’s more than just him.... But, it does come across now that he was like a kid in a sweet shop over the summer. Can’t really see how so many similar players in the system he plays can really hurt well organised defensive units. At times today there were 6 attacking players ahead of the ball, not just when we were pressing with 10 mins to go either.

That’s just killing any momentum so we go back and across. Then, cross after cross from wide positions 25 yards out - easy to defend at any level. Creativity lacking massively - Both on and (but mainly) off the ball. Step up Mr Koeman, we looked really good in parts last season... re-think needed or you’ll be hounded out.

Mick Abrams Nobody in that ground today believes in Koeman. Would be a mammoth task to get Ancelotti but EFC should do everything they can to get him in Robert Stephen Larkin Gets fuckin worse every game Andy Wilcock We've become Sunderland.

Paul Jones There is a bad smell around the club at the moment. It’s the smell of fear & confusion...& I don’t like it. I hope the new regime are more decisive than the last one....

Paul George Horatio Malcolm Its hard work being an Evertonian John Matthews Taxi for Ronald, and he can take the

Adrian Gregory Fair play to Burnley comfortable away win for them as for us a bright start that soon faded once they scored.

We didn't look like scoring and the is a lack of leaders on the pitch with the courage to take the ball and try something they are all scared and hiding Antwan Clayton Bin Koeman. đ&#x;š• He’s lost the players. Hope Moshori is more ruthless than Lovey Bill.

Sam McPartland There isn't much I can say that I haven't said every game the past few weeksSoulless performance - no belief and players obviously not gelling and not liking Koeman either = shitstorm brewing quickly. - we've been here before but the money that's been spent makes it feel totally unacceptable Leigh Tindsley Directionless. Leaderless on and off the pitch. No plan or structure to the side. In short utter shite Stephen Hickson Its time we got rid of this man in charge, if u look at our away results alone and look at the performances we r a absolute disgrace, home results last year disguised them Eoin O Cuilleain Angry Blues.

#WSAGmatch BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (AWAY) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch BRIGHTON 1 EVERTON 1 Seven things to take away from today’s game 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Rooney saves the day – excellent penalty. .

Pickford earns a point - not for the first time this season Jordan Pickford makes a few great saves, where would we be without him?

Poor defending yet again - we have to do better, for Brighton’s goal there were too many players unmarked in the box and it was far too easy.

Schneiderlin looking a shadow of a player looks a different player from last season and so out of form.

Tom Davies the missing man - why is only being brought on in the 90th minute?

Lookman and Kenny on the missing list too why are they not in the starting eleven?

Brighton’s grouns is in the middle of nowhere I don’t want to rush back to visit this new ground.

@TheStreetEnd Somewhere between Walter Smith and Mike Walker. @stdomingo The only surprise about that result is that anyone is surprised by it. Is it ok to say now I never wanted Koeman @thecrosbyfonz bunch of floppy dicks.

the finger at the team not just the manager there's no hunger, desire nor want in the squad Neil Jackson What formation are we actually playing?

Mick Abrams Get rid now. He's not fixing it, 18 months in we look shambolic.

Philip Davies Lovely weather for this time of year.

Mark Ellis Just keep the same team for a few weeks and see whether they can get some confidence. And/or fuck off the manager.

Bernard Cleveland What Schneiderlin gives to this team I'll never know. 2 weeks now he's failed to make a clearance in the box.

John Howley 5 goals in 8 games. 8 pts from 24.

After the so called ‘hard start’ 1 point outta 6 against the ‘easy’ teams. Look like they’re out of the Europa League, get a result at Chelsea in the League Cup, do me a favour. Arsenal next up. I really wanted this fella to do it, world class player, legend and all that. But he hasn’t gorra fuckin clue, we’re as bad as ever. The football is shocking, no pace, no plan, no idea. Send for Delta Mick Upfield Shite. Players on the pitch and Koeman need a bloody good kick up the arse. Get the kids in.

Matthew Brannan Dreadful in every way possible - the lack of results is really just the icing on the cake - the failure to address weaknesses (full backs), the lack of player improvement (list any), the dogmatic selection of under performing players (take your pick), the tactical ineptitude (DCL wing back), the awful recruitment decisions and the decisive approach to player management are all serious issues which deserve attention.

Paul Smith after 200 million spent, its turgid shite, taxi for pork pie face.

David Mcmullen It's all about the manager and the training ground. Please gives us a ghost of John Moores and a Delta...

Ian Jay I’m sick of this shite like any other Blue should be...but let's not forget after we get panned

by Arsenal next Sunday...that'll be all of last seasons top 6 we've played...we should give him til just before the January window...

Eamonn Dempsey We don't look like we can score and things are going to get worse we have to point

Philip Tracker Didn't spoil a great weekend in Brighton and Lewes.

Phil Stevens Gone by the evening

A modern gothic horror (Do Do One, Ron) Gothic (n); A mix of horror and romance, with elements of psychological torment, isolation, science and monstrous creatures.

Just another month at the Grand Old Lady, then.

The month started and ended with some optimism, at least, but was largely a nightmare on the Gwladys Street before we even reached Hallowe’en.

The Bournemouth performance was eminently forgettable, but for the two goal salvo by Oumar Niasse; people didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the desperate situation we seemed to be plummeting towards.

As usual, I was watching in a packed pub, full of disappointment at team selection, tactics and substitutions, but to be honest my mind was already wandering towards the scan I had booked in for the following midweek.

As I sat nervously in the Marina Dalglish centre, I’ll be honest, the current plight of L4 4EL was far from my thoughts. I even felt new found respect for the founder’s family, as fellow patients came in and out, clearly concerned for the youngish man very much out of place at a breast screening clinic.

Two days later and I was forced to miss another match due to an open evening in work. Dressed as a vampire for the evening (don’t ask) despite union advice not to attend due to the ongoing workload issues, I was confident the corner might finally be turned with a

victory over Limassol. As the game had kicked off, one prospective parent came round with the game streaming on his phone. We discussed our chances and, as we’re both peering onto his screen, their first goal goes in and a familiar sinking feeling comes over us both.

“FFS” I exclaim, knowing but not really caring that this isn’t really the language one should use at such events but I think we both knew that Everton were driving us to such despair.

Still, surely Burnley would be the watershed? That I had to endure amongst gleeful Kopites was bad enough, but that feeling of going into the international break with a dismal defeat is a familiar one but never easy and for the first time in a long time, I felt a despondency entirely at odds with the excitement of just three months ago.

Where did it all go wrong?

As the work situation intensified and other pressures mounted, there needed to be an escape. Not caring about international football other than to admire Italy’s new kit and Gerald Pique’s stance after the barbaric treatment of Catalans wanting to apply a basic right, I decided to go for a few drinks and drown my sorrows with friends in town one Saturday. This foray

on Sky to get a stream of the Brighton match and not because of the bizarre Indian TV deal for the game, but because they thought it was inappropriate for children so the Internet safety shield wouldn’t allow me access. It wasn’t the best performance but to describe it as a video nasty seemed a bit harsh.

included a trip to a poutinerie I would wholeheartedly recommend as something different if you’re feeling peckish and want some chips, cheese curds and gravy from Canada.

Talking of town, how sad that almost every weekend now we are hearing about a fight or a stabbing and someone fighting for their life after violence when people should just be out having a good time. It certainly wasn’t as moody when I first arrived in the city in 1999. Drugs play their part, I know, but I got the train home before it got too late because - perhaps due to the failings of the city’s two teams - there seemed to be developing an aggressive undertone where we were sat and I read later there was a stabbing in the bar opposite just a couple of hours later.

Not too downbeat, said our esteemed editor, so I can now write about two positive experiences. Firstly, Joe Parkinson came into school to do some coaching and I managed to watch some of his session and have a good chat with him about the current squad, his recent experiences in the game, and the game in general. I wanted to remind him of Earl Barrett getting asked ‘who are the big eaters’ in the build up to the 1995 final but thought better of it. He was a good bloke and that make my week.

Going back even further, Peter Reid was doing a signing of his new book so I took my one year old to meet him and to get said book and this photo signed. Real gent, funny... everyone has a Peter Reid story and I’m looking forward to reading it. At around the same age, I’d taken my little girl to meet HK in the exact same spot and, when they’re older, I hope it means something to them and that the current underachievement doesn’t diminish the greatness we had twenty to thirty years ago.

In between times, I actually had to change my settings

Then, of course, came Lyon.

My first proper game of the season, a key fixture given our terrible start in the Europa League… a must win, given the desperate situation we found ourselves in.

Being an aficionado of the European game, and culture in general, Lyon’s a city I’ve always wanted to visit and a team I’ve always wanted to watch. They have an illustrious history of superstar players and a gastronomic reputation second to none. I was slightly disappointed by their team performance, nearly as much as ours.

However, once again the idea of this not being for the faint hearted – nor the young – rang true. I don’t regret being there, not at all. I guess I’m just glad my kids weren’t subjected to the negativity and vitriol therein…

Similarly, just as Sky warned me that the previous game had been unfit for infants, the idiot Dad who went to punch a player with a toddler in his arm underlined the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in, both as fans but also society.

That he was presumably paid well for an interview the following Sunday, in which he said something along the lines of ‘they can ban me all they like, I don’t want to go back to that shower of shit’ emphasised the point.

Despite the defeat, this was a game I actually enjoyed.

Only part of the performance, mind, but the experience, as I’d splashed out on a hospitality ticket for the game and enjoyed the luxury of a lounge and all the trimmings that came with it. I don’t think I could do it every game but it was nice as a one off. This being Everton, there were of course some issues: my ticket went missing in the post twice so I had to go and pick it up early, plus, however welcome and special you’d been made to feel before and during the game, no number of free Everton mints brightened the gloom as you let the stadium following yet another defeat and the villain of the piece seemed to be the same no

matter where you sat in the ground.

Which brings us to today and the morning after the horror show of the afternoon before.

The abject defending. Toothless attack. Disjointed passing. Lack of atmosphere.

Fight.

Passion.

I could go on, but don’t want to.

It all feels a bit surreal, watching events unfold. This isn’t how it was supposed to be. Watching on as Arsenal waltzed the goals in was hard enough when softened by pints of lager shandy, regardless of the hand-rubbing Kopites in our midst.

Anyway, that was then. Three days later, things seem a lot rosier.

I wrote the main part of this article sat in a car park, whilst my son had his morning nap.

Two hours later, he was getting fitted for his first pair of shoes when the news broke about Koeman.

It’s a shame, but it was never meant to be... if gothic is a mixture of romance and horror, and HK felt like his tenures were a marriage, this was an ill fated one night stand that you instantly regret and leaves a bad taste in your mouth (metaphorically anyway)

I never liked Koeman as a player, and only a few times as our manager. I admired his celebration when Holland beat West Germany; I respected his tweeting habits, his ambition and honesty and even the way he handled Christmas tree gate. But I didn’t like him and never really felt that he liked us very much either.

Talking of love, the day of Koeman’s sacking I was due at the doctors for the results of the biopsy.

I sat in trepidation in the waiting room, alone and wondering who the next manager might be... as well as how I’d tell the family.

My name flashed on the screen and I walked down to room 3. The results weren’t ready, I had to wait and ring back on the Wednesday morning.

I did so. Still nothing.

Two hours later I had a phone call from the apologetic doctor, giving me the all clear, and a new chapter could begin.

Call us insecure or precious, but we need to be loved a bit don’t we? And within five minutes of his first press conference, Unsworth showed us that he does.

I actually met him this time last year, when my son was very poorly in Alder Hey and I saw Unsy in the atrium there on the way out one day.

Being a fellow Lancastrian, I always loved him as a player growing up, and let him know this discretely, plus that the Norwich game was a very special moment. He concurred, saying it was the best day of his life, and despite the result, I think the Chelsea game might just have usurped it: even though it’s never nice to be knocked out of a cup (especially one we’ve never won) he should be proud of how his team performed.

Another gothic convention, then: the hero saving a damsel in distress.

For how long he gets the chance, we know not… whether it’s him or an alter ego, another hero or villain will enter stage left and become the protagonist of our narrative.

David Rollo

An Evertonian Abroad (Wales)

(or Trying to avoid Kopites and failing) Tales of Stupidity, verbal abuse and petty theft)

Kopites, Kopites everywhere and not a brain in sight.

It’s been one of those months’ folks.

Given our current plight it has been a time when I could have done with avoiding any of those fine upstanding representatives from across the park and by and large I was successful, because every single one of them I have encountered this month has been a cunt. Actually, there was no need for “this month” in that last sentence.

I therefore had to get away.

It all began with a visit to the physio in a bid to help soothe a shoulder and arm that have spent far too much time over the previous four decades dropping Redshites. I sourced the criteria I employ on such occasions, and chose the first physiotherapist that cropped up on Google search.

Mistake.

As you might have guessed from the subtitle of this article, the physiotherapist was a Kopite which he didn’t actually announce until late in the day, but he smacked of kopiteitis from the start of my session as I suspected from very early on. Not for him small talk on the weather/football/music...oh no... very early on the conversation turned to

international bankers, anti –Semitic conspiracy theories and religion. All the time he was mangling my arm and he really was, I was in a similar amount of pain to that felt by a Redshite every May when they once more end up potless having believed that everything was theirs in August.

Have you heard of Khazars? I had a vague concept of who/what they were but they may as well have been from a Harry Potter novel for all I knew and cared. Well, Redshite physio decided to enlighten me on them.

Apparently they are a multi ethnic Turkic group of peoples and the Askenazi Jews are descended from them. I say “apparently...” because this was a Kopite talking so it is inevitably going to be utter bollocks, and in this case I scented the stench of anti-Semitism. It seemed to me that anyone I have ever despised was almost certainly a Khazar.

“Margaret Thatcher?”

“Khazar”.

“Norman Tebbitt?”

“Khazar”.

“Hitler?”

“Khazar”.

“Barney, the purple dinoasaur?”

“Khazar”.

“What football team do you happen to support?”

“The Mighty Reds mate!”

“Manchester United?”

“No, fuck off. Liverpool, mate”.

I was now gaining a perverse pleasure from this conversation, and with Mrs Zheet N Kopitez in the room, I began to indulge in another favourite hobby of mine – It’s called Press the buttons of a Kopite.

The list now began to include more obscure ex Liverpool players and fans because as we know, they really don’t know their history, each time I was met with the response “Khazar”, although sometimes with an added flourish that exposed the darker and more frightening recesses of this Kopites mind.. For instance, when I mentioned Redshite and kiddy fiddler Jimmy Savile, I was agog to be told; “Khazar. Real name James Silverstein”.

When the Rothschilds began to be put into the equation I really hoped I didn’t have long left of my session, but what was meant to be a forty five minute massage stretched to three hours and I eventually left with the feeling and I had been to an Alt-Right meeting (we used to call them fascist back in my day). Still my arm is better and as tempting as it might be to resume knocking Kopites out again, the fear of having to return to Adolf Redshite puts me off somewhat.

Stole a rolling mat.

Encounter number two this month was with a fair and pretty young lady and university student who happens to be the current beau of my stepson, and who I had been warned in advance was of a Kopite persuasion.

“Oh yes, I have read all the classics...Harry Potter...” at this point my ears closed, my lips curled and steam began to pour from every orifice.

Mrs ZNK saw the early warning signs and escorted me quickly out of the dining area towards a more private outdoor area where my bellowed “Did you hear that fucking thick Kopite?” could not be heard by the sedate diners within.

Excuses were made and I was escorted home, the fume becoming subdued astonishment that a human being could come out with such stupidity.

Then again, it’s a Kopite innit?

Stole a lovely set of gold cutlery.

It was at this juncture I decided I needed a break from my daily environment and a trip over the border to Wales was planned but not before I finally took Mrs ZNK to her very first Everton game, (the Lyon match) and almost certainly her last.

Being a Denim fan she found Goodison Park to be charming and quaint until she heard some of the verbal utterances emitting from within once the game started. “Aren’t they angry“ she observed after approximately two minutes after kick off, and indeed we were.

Wanting to impress her lover (me, when I’m capable) she began to join in with the abuse but she hadn’t quite got the hang of it. With the Lyon players going down like Katie Price backstage at a Dreamboyz concert, Mrs ZNK began to vent her spleen.

“Get up you bloody hedgehog!”

This was the first time I had been introduced to her and so I was keen to impress upon her my suitability as her future father in law. We went out for a family meal and I was on my best behaviour.

I was teetotal and I didn’t swear once and even Mrs ZNK had to admit that I was behaving in a positively debonair fashion. We were discussing all the grown up topics such as politics, science, the arts and all that shit. My prospective daughter in law had only volunteered some early titbits to add to the conversation but enough to suggest that she had a modicum of intelligence that indicated she could be a suitable paramour for my stepson.

Whilst on the subject of psychology I waived her mis-pronunciation of Oedipal as a charmingly quaint error in diction and we continued onto Literature.

Unfortunately, it was at this juncture that her true colours emerged. Having spoken glowingly on the merits of Chekov, she interrupted me with this piece of wisdom.

I looked at her quizzically, and then began to curl into a ball and then tried to edge over towards the vacant seat on the other side of me as she repeated the anthropomorphic admonishment ad nauseum every time one of their players went down.

Eventually, in an attempt to silence her I asked her what she meant by “hedgehog”.

“Well, they keep curling into balls don’t they?” came her entirely logical reply.

Two minutes later: “Get your pickles out!”

It was beginning to feel like the old days when I used to have a pre match trip. I ignored it, but she said it again...and again...and again.

“Look. What the fuck do pickles have to do with anything.?”

“Prickles! Prickles – like what hedgehogs have”.

Like I said, almost certainly her last Everton match...her last with me mos’ def (Hip talk kids).

Stole away from Goodison before I was recognised.

Our Welsh trip began with a Meic Stevens gig in Wrexham. For those of you who don’t know, he is the Welsh equivalent to Bob Dylan with stories of hanging out with Syd Barrett and drinking with Jimi Hendrix on the night he died.

He is also a brilliant songwriter who, had he chosen to write, sing and perform consistently in English would no doubt be revered in the English speaking world also.

Fiercely anti-Tory and anti establishment, catch him while you can because at seventy five years old he is still performing superbly and delivering greatest hit sets of wonder.

Stole a beer glass and a plectrum.

Following on from Meic Stevens we headed south to Laugharne. For our Welsh wanderings we had invested in a Satnav/Tomtom which I think may have belonged to Gary Glitter previously as it had a propensity to direct us to every local primary school on our route.

I had always wanted to visit Dylan Thomas’s spiritual home and was now finally doing so 112 primary schools later, and I was not disappointed.

It remains pretty much as he would have seen it sixty five years ago, although as with many Welsh towns on the fringes it seems to have its smattering of hippies and crusties and as we all know they are only just behind Kopites in the list of evils to be avoided in Britain.

The estuary that both the boathouse and writing shed in which Thomas wrote, look out upon is a stunner and it is peace personified, as it was for this day being shorn of Redshites waddling around professing greatness and talking in that ridiculous

George Harrison impression so beloved of John Bishop.

Stole a pint glass and menu from Browns Hotel and some stones from Dylan’s Garden.

We also visited New Quay which was another Dylan Thomas haunt and despite a proliferation of chinless wonders from the southern counties it also appeared to be a Kopite free zone unless the dolphins that adorn the coast are not naturally diving but practicing Gerrard/Heskey/Owen penalty area flops.

A final stop off in Aberystwyth was made in order to traverse Devil’s Bridge. I fully expected this to be chock full of Kopites given they are his spawn but no, not one of the little irritants in sight. I imagined the bridge to be inhabitied by the swirling spectres of Keegan, Dalglish, McDermott and Rush, overseen by the ogres; Shankly, Benitez and Klopp. But no, this too was a Kopite free zone.

As a result, I returned to England, at peace and imbued with feelings of love and lacking in enmity.

I don’t expect this to last and at the moment I don’t think Redshites will be to blame for the short lived feelings of calm. I fully expect Everton to ruin this new found equilibrium in my life. The bastards.

Everton keep stealing my heart.

Diet Diary update: I did promise to keep you fully updated with the progress of my diet within these pages and so it is with great pleasure I can report an achievement of massive proportions. I have put on nine pounds and now stand proudly at 15 stone 1 lb. To celebrate I shall be having cake.

Stole a cake from Marks and Sparks.

Stay cool Blues. We all know Dr. Brian Cox is a fey gobshite but his band had a prescient point.

KOKO Peace ‘N’ Love I Zheet ‘N Kopitez Cave No. 1878 Qandahar, Afghanistan

#WSAGmatch EUROPA LEAGUE: OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (HOME) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch

transform this bunch of players into a team. What I want to know is who’s responsible for missing out on that striker that’s what this season’s missing - a focal point of the team it certainly wasn’t Koeman.

EVERTON 1 OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS 2

David Mcmullen He's got to go.

Seven things to take away from today’s game 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Tom Davies comes of age – he was the sole holding player in the second half and did a great job carrying the team forward.

Lookman makes a difference - came off the bench and made an impact with his direct running at the Lyon defence.

Fighting spirit returned tonight - much better, this hasn’t been evident much this season.

Europe almost over for another year – we’ve a mountain to climb to qualify.

Williams had his best game tonight for a while – not sure what he was thinking starting a brawl by attacking the Lyon goalie. It worked though.

Lyon a very dangerous team - they could have scored a lot more than 2 goals tonight.

The Lyon trip just a holiday now – enjoy yourselves!

@stdomingo @Everton are a laughing stock. From the manager to that idiot in the Gwladys. Where to now anybody?

Dale Comber Has to go tonight

Pete Holden Give him 5 more years. 5 million pound for Sandros from Prescot Cables...

Lee Weightman Players not playing for him. HIS signings have largely been shite. He's lost he crowd as well now.

Tim Carr The team not playing for the manager.

Time for a change.

Andy Wilcock Bye-bye Den Perry...

Rich Kent He's well and truly lost the Dressing Room and Fans. Out tonight please, with Unsy and Joe in for Arsenal at the Weekend.

Steven Doherty Joke of a team selection = Joke of a performance...He's lost the players and the crowd...He ain't ever getting them back...x Phil Stevens Unless they’re giving him the full season regardless I can’t see the point in him staying a day longer. We’d be giving him more money for another window to waste on shite. If he’s going then now is the perfect time.

John McHugh Got to go tonight, there’s no point in giving him any more time. He’s tactically inept.

Ray Folkard Is it not the difficult 2nd album people?

@mjellisuk Grim lad. Defeat on Sunday and he has to go. No idea what his best team is, or even his best 7/8 starters.

Tim Calder Not a bad album, just needs a good producer to come in to sort out the mix...

Phil Jones If we lose Sunday then he’s got to go.

Got to.

Michael Harris Never mind ordering a taxi. Could comfortably fill an Eavesway coach with those who offer nothing to the club

Julian Connor If Koeman's decided not to shave again until we win a game, at least he'll be able to get himself a bit of temp work as Father Christmas after he's been sacked. If we don't beat one of Arsenal or Chelsea he's a goner.

Kevin Rogers Fucking love to know who the fucks everyone calling for his head think is out there to

Martin Edwards Crowd tried to get behind them but there wasn’t really much to shout about. How long must we put up with shite for? How long?

Mick Abrams So easy to play against when we have the ball, just as easy to play against when we don't have the ball. Board inaction delaying the inevitable. No plan, no clue, vaarwel Ron

Paul Hennessey If he is given more time. He has to pick a team Sunday. Choose one player up front, one number 10, two midfielders and two wide players and stick with them for 3 games. Changing the team (with 4 or 5 changes) shape and captain every game isn't helping us here. They are going to give him until after the Chelsea game rightly or wrongly so getting behind them is about the only option until then Brian Ferguson 10 minutes before h/t we looked ok. 5 mins after our goal we looked ok. Roughly 15 mins out of 90 to be just ok is nowhere near good enough for EFC. Adrian Gregory Plenty of spirit and fight but a lack of confidence and quality we need a win but not sure were that will come from Richard Gillham I believe the gang of three are getting away with murder, they never bought a striker a left sided centre half and a left sided attacker liked Koeman said, so I have sympathy for Koeman only a bit though.

Trevor Edwards Better performance in terms of effort but never looked like scoring from anything other than a set piece. No clear organisation or plan from Koeman, throw 'em on and hope for the best.

And I thought Cuco has bad enough at right back.

Clear that confidence is shot and Koeman is unable to instil it in them.

John Holt All the shit people chat if you luck back it's rare we beat the top teams and this year they are all on blob! We have a few new faces and they need to settle in ! I was expecting us to be settled

and on form after Xmas I feel that Koeman needs time and should get it! We have a few key injuries that we are missing it will all work out !

Bernie Crilly Depressing beyond belief now ffs!!!

Noel Hulse I could have gone to see Michael Head tonight. I chose Everton.

Cymro Ambyth Koeman's big mistake was not finding a Lukaku replacement, which was always going to be difficult. We are five points off fifth. The over reaction is symptomatic of modern life i.e. shite.

Steve Kirkham How can a team that looked so good at times last year be so average? Lukaku?

This is Mike Walker bad. In fact it’s worse because MW didn’t have the money that big Ronald has.

Can’t see a bright future but what do I know!

Jonathan Bradley the worrying thing for Koeman is that he abandoned his own system and threw together a team over half time, and it looked loads better than one he had spent three months coaching Pat Beattie We saw some short glimpses of how good we can be last night, but short glimpses is certainly not enough, we need more. I said at start of season, with the number of players we brought in, that it would be Xmas/new year before we see the best of them.

Tim Healiss That was close to our probable best current line up. That's how bad it is. If anybody can explain how Sandro gets on the pitch with his terror of the box, I'd be grateful.

#wsagdiary Phil Redmond concludes his daily diary from earlier in the issue…

October 21 Adding to the gloom, the under 23’s dipped 1-0 at Finch Farm against Sunderland thus missing the chance to go top of the league.

The first team face Arsenal at Goodison tomorrow in another game that could spell the death knell for Ronald Koeman or act as a springboard to better times.

Arsenal are the same they’ve been for years.

team

On their day they can be unstoppable and can blow most teams away with the most fantastic football imaginable.

However, they do give you chances and as Watford found out last week they still can be brittle when put under pressure.

If Everton play the type of half arsed insipid shit that we’ve seen for most of this season, then it promises to be messy.

If however they can tighten up at the back and put the Gunners under the type of pressure they managed at times last night, then you never know. Last season after a shocking spell, a hardfought win against the Gunners signalled a second half of the season revival for the blues which culminated in 7th place and this seasons ill fated Europa League campaign.

No doubt Ronald Koeman will be looking to that game for inspiration for his players. God knows they need something. If

nothing else he must pick a team that will compete. Get amongst Arsenal and the crowd, like they did last night, will get behind the team. You never know.

October 22 Everton 2 Arsenal 5: A new low as Everton disintegrate like an old Echo in the rain against an Arsenal team who looked determined to put their season back on track after last week’s dip at Watford.

Yet again, Koeman picked a lop sided team devoid of width and pace and were made to pay.

From the off Arsenal went for it and three times in the opening ten minutes Jordan Pickford had to bail them out.

At this point there was a rare shaft of light as Wayne Rooney rolled back the years to bend in a passable impression of his maiden goal for Everton all those years ago. In 2002 though, there was hope of a bright new tomorrow, whilst today’s strike just delayed the inevitable.

From here, the Blues needed to tighten up and consolidate but all too often Gana Gueye was being left to do the work of three men and our three centre backs were being pulled all over the

To be fair he’s had some bad luck with his preferred right side of Coleman and Bolassie wiped out by serious injury.

What’s really done him though has got to be the, in hindsight, bizarre recruitment drive this summer which seemed to consist of bringing in as many once paced “number 10’s” as possible whilst ignoring the most glaring deficiency in the squad, namely a striker.

place by Ozil and Sanchez who was also doing a good job as referee.

If Everton had got to halftime still ahead, a win might’ve been possible, as it was Nacho Monreal levelled just before the break and the belief drained away from the players and the fans like an emptying bath.

The second half was just horrible as Arsenal’s ponces ran riot against a ten men Everton after the most predictable sending off of the season after Gueye left his foot in once too often.

The ground was two thirds empty for the last quarter of an hour and you wonder how long Koeman’s got now. I think they’ll hang on until the next international break but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if it was earlier.

October 23 A massive day in the history of Everton football club as Ronald Koeman pays the price for a calamitous start to the season and is sacked after 16 months in charge.

I’m still struggling to compute how badly things have gone

since those heady summer days when anything seemed possible.

In truth, Koeman rubbed a lot of fans up the wrong way from the off.

His regular holidays, his detachment from the history of the club and his short term contract made a lot of people suspicious.

He never referred to the club as “us” and gave the impression he thought he was doing us all a favour. This was all well and good until results took a turn for the worse as it gave some fans an easy stick to beat him with.

It’s unclear who was responsible for this massive failure but Koeman was always going to be the fall guy.

His constant meddling with formations and personnel was never going to help as was his public criticism of certain players but I’m sure he didn’t legislate for the form of the likes of Schneidelin, Williams and Baines to fall of the cliff so spectacularly.

After the last couple of weeks, Koeman’s position was becoming untenable but the new manager, whoever it is, has a massive task to turn things around.

October 24

There’ll be no incoming players until January and the new boss will encounter a confused, demoralised and confidence stripped bunch of players.

So, who’s going to take over?

David Unsworth, who’s taken over the role on an interim period is a decent shout but you wonder if he’s got the necessary experience.

In any case it’s rumoured that the club are after a “name” with Carlo Ancellotti being the popular choice. For me that would be a terrible decision, another short term appointment with his eye on a job at a “bigger club”.

For me they need to be looking for a young, hungry manager who recognises the size of the club and sees it as an honour to manage Everton.

I’d be happy with Sean Dyche or Marco Silva with a curveball shout for Nuno Espirito Santo who’s pissing the Championship with a load of mad Portugese and Brazilian players and who surely has the coolest name in world football.

Whoever gets it though will get my full support and it’d be nice if all blues took that stance instead of spending all day, every day on social media telling the world how shit the manager is and how right they were in the first place.

According to Sky sources (ie: Farhad Moshiri), Bill Kenwright and a “significant” amount of players want David Unsworth as the new manager (in which case I’m in) whilst Moshiri himself is “thought” to want a “big name” with Ancellotti and Manuel Pellegrini being the number one choices.

impossible to see us beating them down there. UTFT. Finally, the under 21’s dipped 21 at Lincoln in the Checkatrade trophy with Franny Jeffers in the hot seat in place of Unsworth.

The young blues apparently played quite well but couldn’t over turn Lincoln’s 2 early goals.

Dennis Adeniran was on the mark for Everton.

October 25

I really don’t like these leaks particularly when there’s clearly a difference of opinion between the owners.

Chelsea 2 Everton1: Another day, another defeat, however tonight’s performance at least gave a bit of hope for the future.

In other news, Sean Dyche is apparently “flattered” to be linked to the job whilst Phil Neville’s thrown his hat into the ring as well. Ryan Giggs has also been all over the telly expressing his interest. Well I’m interested as well and I’ve also got fuck all chance of getting the job. Whatever happens, David Unsworth’s in charge tomorrow and in his first press conference, he stated his case for getting the job fulltime.

He sees the next few games as his chance to stake a claim and has been working on a plan to beat Chelsea tomorrow. He also plans to sit down with Ross Barkley and hopes to persuade him to stay at Goodison. All very positive stuff.

As expected, Chelsea made 9 changes from the weekend, but so did Everton, with David Unsworth bringing back a number of players who haven’t featured recently in Lennon, Mirallas and McCarthy, whilst handing a first team debut to young midfielder Beni Baningime.

Tomorrow’s game represents a bit of a free hit for Unsworth as nobody will be expecting anything.

Everton will have Schneiderlin and McCarthy available and you’d expect Chelsea to rest a few of their stars.

If Unsworth can inspire and organise his team then it’s not

Chelsea bossed the first half without really creating much.

At this point Everton looked sharper in the tackle but never remotely looked like scoring.

Antonio Rudiger capitalised on some shoddy marking and it all looked depressingly familiar.

After the break was a different story with the blues flying forward at every opportunity and but for the Chelsea keeper

Unsworth knows though that for all the positive words he needs a win.

Sundays game at Leicester, who appointed ex Southampton boss Claude Puel last night, would be the ideal starting point.

Willi Cabellero would’ve won comfortably. The keeper denied Rooney, Lennon, Jagielka and Mirallas, whilst Ademola Lookman hit the bar and the side netting.

When you miss chances against these teams though, invariably you get punished and so it was as a bit of magic from Willan in injury time wrapped up the tie for Chelsea who’d been forced to bring on some of their big hitters to see the game out.

There was still time for CalvertLewin to bundle in a reply after Oumer Niasse had bullied his way past a couple of defenders but it was all too late and the blues bowed out of the League Cup. We’re never going to win it are we?

October 26 Afterwards, Unsworth was proud of his team’s second half performance, if understandably disappointed by the result.

He gave special praise to debutant Beni Baningime who came in late on for the unwell Morgan Schneidelin.

A nice touch was that he included all the subs and non playing members of the squad who he felt all contributed to teams generally positive performance last night.

October 27 In his press conference for the Leicester game, David Unsworth reiterated his pride in the teams performance the other night but understands that now is the time for positive results.

As he said “This is Everton and we expect to win and put in a certain level of performance”.

He reported that Barkley, Bolassie and Coleman continue to work hard in training but are no nearer returning to fitness.

One piece of good news surrounds Gana Gueye who is close to signing a new five year contract with the Blues.

October 28 The Blues travel to Leicester tomorrow for what will be our biggest game for some time.

A win would give the whole club a massive lift and improve David Unsworth’s chances of landing the manager’s job full time.

Anything less will only increase the pressure and uncertainty currently surrounding the club.

It certainly won’t be easy.

Similar to Everton, the Foxes have struggled partly due to an extremely difficult run of fixtures

at the start of the season and have made the decision to replace the toad like Craig Shakespeare with that weirdo who was at Southampton last season, Claude Puel.

No doubt their players, many of whom were champions two season ago, will be fired up and in the likes of Mahrez and Vardy they have two bona fide match winners.

You do though get the impression that Unsworth is a more popular choice than the new Leicester boss and hopefully this will be reflected on Sunday. I’m as confident as I can be that we’ll get a positive result.

More next time

Diary Extra You might recall in the diary section of the last issue that we questioned the hypocrisy of some of our local based pundits who have been all over the media slagging off the current team whilst forgetting their own sometimes inglorious past.

Well Radio Merseyside listeners were treated to an absolute comedy feast after their bore draw with the Mancs the other week.

For those who didn’t hear it, one Kopite called out little Davy Thompson asking him what right he had to slag off certain Liverpool players given he was hardly a star.

As the fan said “I saw you play”.

Anyway “Tomo” was less than impressed and engaged in a mutual slagging session which led to anchorman Mike Hughes to step in “come on lads, sort it out”.

The little turncoat finished off by telling the punter to “jog on” and hasn’t been heard on the airwaves since.

Sensational stuff.

#WSAGmatch ARSENAL (HOME) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch EVERTON 2 ARSENAL 5 Seven things to take away from today’s game 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Rooney goal came out of the blue - great finish but totally against the run of play.

Pickford an outstanding goalie - made ten good saves today to prevent an even bigger hammering for the Blues.

Heads went down again – as soon as we went behind. No fight.

Arsenal deadly - lethal in front of goal today.

Kenwright looked very unhappy - he looked like all Evertonians gutted, could this be the end for Koeman?

Some players looked shellshocked at the end – doesn’t auger well for the next few games. The players seem completely lost.

Questions need to be asked - how much longer will this carry on, something has to change very soon.

David Woodhead We're gonna have to call on Big Sam to dig us out of this mess :( lol Gary Norris Not just the fault of the manager but he has to carry the blame. Get rid as soon as!!!

Matthew Keenan Just sack him. A change is as good as a rest. He hasn’t got it in him to stop this slump.

David Mcmullen I actually don't dislike Koeman like I did not dislike Martinez BUT he's got to go.

It's sssssshhhhhhhocking.

Mark Wainwright The board need a good look at themselves for keeping Koeman in the job.

Absolute shambles Mick Upfield Calvert-Lewin, Kenny and Pickford were positives. Koeman mis-managed the booking of Gueye and we caved in after he received his red card. I cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel and sadly for Ronald Koeman, it’s “Goodnight from me”.

Jamie Yates The above all the more reason for Unsy to get a shot. His boys (inc. niasse) the only glimmers of hope at the mo.

Trevor Edwards Go Ronald. Please.

David Deakin Nothing left to say....manager, players and coaches all not got a fookin clue....big changes need to be made and quickly.

@Hightown1978 Adios senor Koeman @mgmmrphy T'ra Ron, thanks for the memories; there was that.., no the one where, erm, when they went to... nope got nothing, soz Jay Kent Everyone can fuck off.

Kevin Rogers Anyone who thinks it’s all the managers fault is a fucking moron I’ve seen more fight watching the flat house on banky Tim Calder Not there. Wife’s birthday so visiting son at uni for lunch. I’m so glad I chose to do this...

Deian Lye-Vella Some of them, they just look stunned. 2 shots on target? So very poor.

Stephen Leyland Think he has to go now can believe how bad Sigurdsson has been 45m Swansea laughing all the way to the bank Andy Wilcock If we were a dog....

Julian Connor Feel for Pickford, he thought he was leaving 'keep it down to single figures' behind.

Should have been 5 by half time but for him. We appear to have spent 45 mil on the Icelandic Leon Osman minus the goals. Seen as the buses are off tomorrow I'll pay for Ron's taxi to JLA. Arsenal are an embarrassment, clearly better than us but still feel they have to resort to histrionics.

Sam McPartland Just a gigantic mess, I actually intensely dislike Koeman I seriously think he's deluded if he thinks he can carry on managing this team

Wes Cartlidge Arsenal had scored 1 away goal and won 1 away point in their 4 away games before today. Enter Everton....

John Walsh A completely clueless performance. Senior players were anonymous. No belief, even at one up.

Dave Farrell The Sauce Station in the Upper Bullens is brilliant.

John Holt The players need to step up or it will get worse got to buy a decent striker in Jan give Koeman time 10 months ago he was the messier!

Ray Liennard What team. We don't play as a team and we haven't all season.

Mick Abrams Everything is happening as most expected; losses to Lyon, Arse & Chelsea next. He has to go, the board have to act Ben Mills Our goals against column this season is fucking abysmal, I honestly fear that somebody will hit 10 against us if we don't act now and I fear mostly it will be the redshite at Anfield in December if we don't make drastic changes Mary Westhead Its blatantly obvious that the players don’t want to play for Koeman at the expense of the team he has to go now or we are in the championship next season didn’t get his logic on team selection again sack him now and none of this give him time by Moshiri Neil Mckeown Didn't see any of it but I'm drinking a pint that cost £6.15. Koeman out.

John McHugh Get that twat out of my Club.

Alan Gillibrand He is simply destroying the club with bad buys. Shite manager. The players Koeman has brought in are no better than what we had in the under 23s. We are in deep trouble I said it after the Chelsea game Rich Kent Thanks for your efforts Ron, but recent results and performances have been unacceptable. You'll find a Delta Cab waiting outside The Players Entrance...

Lee Murphy Well at least he'd had a shave Sean Rostron Thought Graham's ensemble today was very moody, almost Sopranos-esque. Oh, and Kenny Sweeney Is he still in charge Antony Green A few weeks ago, I commented that a few XBOX FIFA EXPERTS who had probably never kicked a ball were moaning too early. So, I played my boy last night, I was Everton he was Arsenal.

He kicked my arse, my players were running all over the place chasing the ball, all out of position, no marking - no idea what I was doing. He was passing quickly and cutting me open at will whilst I huffed and puffed pressing any button as many time and as hard as I could. I didn’t have a clue.

Neither did my players - who by the ratings they have are all very good. Sadly - all too realistic. FFS.

Everton Greatest Games: The Toffees' Fifty Finest Matches Jim Keoghan, who you’ll know from his previous books ‘Punk Football’ and ‘Highs, Lows and Bakayokos: Everton in the 90s’ has written another. In this he has compiled a list of Everton’s finest matches and interviewed loads of Blues (including WSAG’s Graham and Phil) to give first-hand accounts. Below we print an extract.

v Liverpool 1–0

28 October 1978 Football League Division One Goodison Park. Attendance: 53,141

Everton: Wood, Todd, Pejic, Kenyon, Wright, Nulty, King,

Dobson, Latchford, Walsh, Thomas Liverpool: Clemence, Neal, Kennedy (A.), Thompson,

Kennedy (R.), Hansen, Dalglish, Case (McDermott), Heighway, Johnson, Souness Referee: P. Partridge

King(s) of Liverpool Years without a win, the sense that Liverpool always have the measure of Everton, the fear that a battering is on the cards. If this all sounds depres-singly familiar, it’s because it is.

Everton’s modern malaise in Merseyside derbies is nothing new. In the 1970s, the picture was every bit as bleak.

When Liverpool visited Goodison in the autumn of 1978, it had been 362 weeks since Everton had bested them in a head-to-head.

‘People moan, justifiably, about us rarely beating Liverpool nowadays,’ argues Dave Kelly, ‘but back then you also have to take into account that not only could we not defeat them, we also had to watch as they won everything. So you have to put the lack of derby victories in that context too. When it came to Liverpool, the 1970s were a very dark

time for Evertonians, probably the worst ever endured.’

Despite Everton’s often erratic form during the 1970s, prior to that derby, matters on the pitch had been looking up. Since Gordon Lee had arrived, Everton’s outlook had improved markedly. Although in its relative infancy, the 1978/79 season was looking good for the Blues.

‘There was extra spice to that game because both teams were at the top of the table,’ says Martin Dobson. ‘Liverpool might have been in their pomp but because our form was so good, we fancied our chances. Gordon [Lee] had got us playing well and we had nothing to fear.’

But, irrespective of the Blues’ improved form, amongst the supporters there was a sense of unease that would be familiar to those who follow the club today.

‘Liverpool were so good back then, and their record in derbies so impressive,’ recalls Phil

Redmond, co-editor of When Skies Are Grey, ‘that you went to those games fearing that we could get turned over, even if things were going well on the pitch. It was a bit like it is nowadays. They had a psychological hold over us.’

On an unseasonably hot October afternoon, 53,000 crammed into Goodison to watch what Match of the Day, in a rare example of pre-Sky hyperbole, billed ‘THE MATCH OF THE SEASON!’

‘I remember there being a huge build-up to that game,’ continues Phil. ‘It felt like a cup match. I was sitting in the top balcony, down by the Street End. After playing footy in the morning, I got down there early enough to see all kinds of “entertainment” on the pitch, the weirdest of which was the police dog displays. The club was really making the effort beforehand for some reason.’

Liverpool were unchanged from their previous game, boasting the side that had taken the league by its throat.

Everton, by contrast, had one key absence, with Mick Lyons out injured; Roger Kenyon was deputising at centre-half.

‘You look at those two sides’, remembers Brian Viner, ‘and in one, Liverpool’s, there are no weak links. In Everton’s, the likes of Roger Kenyon, Mickey Walsh and Geoff Nulty suggested a side that couldn’t match Liverpool player-for-player, so would have to work a lot harder for any chance of a win.’

A raw and raucous atmosphere in Goodison seemed, as it often does on derby day, to be reflected in what unfolded on the pitch. From kick-off, the play was frenetic; tackles flew in,

movement a blur, the rhythm of the game played at the highest of tempos.

Watching those two sides, you would never think that Liverpool were the kings of Europe and Everton their overshadowed neighbours.

Recent history seemed to mean nothing as the Blues took the game to Liverpool with an attacking display that would shame some modern Everton sides. In a first half that rang with blood and thunder, it was the home team that always seemed to carry the greater threat.

Aside from Graeme Souness’s speculative effort at the Everton goal, Liverpool offered very little. The chances, when they arrived, fell instead to the Blues. Latchford came close early on, putting a header wide and later forcing a smart save from Ray Clemence. He then had the best chance of the half when a mix-up between Clemence and the Liverpool defence presented him with a tricky header into an open goal.

Agonisingly for those watching behind in the Gwladys Street, the ball trickled inches wide.

‘Even though this was Liverpool,’ recalls Phil Redmond, ‘the kind of side you could imagine getting outplayed and still nicking a jammy win, at half-time it felt good that we had been so much better than them. Despite yourself, you had that weird feeling, something that very rarely occurs for us, that maybe this could be our day.’

Under a floodlit pitch, this time switched on to compete with the sunlight, Everton (attacking the Park End) started the second half strongly.

Almost immediately, a sublime cross by Walsh nearly put Nulty in. But, although he flung himself at the ball, the Everton midfielder couldn’t quite get his head to the cross.

It felt like the game’s momentum was with Everton and that a goal was on its way. But it would take a moment of magic for one to be conjured up. And, on this occasion, the magician in question was Andy King.

King was just 19 when he had moved to Goodison from Luton Town in April 1976 for £35,000. Almost on arrival, he was taken to the hearts of Evertonians.

‘There was just something about him that we loved,’ remembers Dave Prentice. ‘Maybe it was his chirpy, effervescent personality or maybe it was because he “bought” into Everton. It was clear very quickly (and later confirmed by the many kind things he’s said about the club) that he became an Evertonian once he had arrived. I think the fans always have a soft spot for those who choose to become a Blue.’

Always capable of a moment of magic, this busy midfielder was about to score his most memorable goal for the club.

‘I remember Mike Pejic looping a ball into the box which was headed down,’ says Brian Viner.

‘I could just about make this out through the glaring sun.’

The ball bounced right outside the box, where it was met by the onrushing King. The midfielder adjusted his body to account for an awkward bounce and then let fly. To the delight of every Blue inside the ground, he caught it sweetly. The ball flew over the fingertips of a beaten Clemence and exploded into the top corner.

‘To this day I can see the ball curling away from Clemence,’ remembers Mike Constantinou, who was stood in the Lower Gwladys Street. ‘As soon as it was hit, you just knew. Cue complete euphoria and insanity. The Old Lady was at her best and was shaking, we were all just being carried around in waves of people, arms around each other, fists clenched. It was complete bedlam.’

A tale later told by King to TalkSport, possibly apocryphal, possibly not, gives a beautiful illustration of the difference between the two clubs at the time.

‘The story goes, and it’s true,’ he recounted to Richard Keys, ‘that Souness, as I’d hit it, said “you’ve missed”. I turned to him as it went into the top corner and said, “I did. I was aiming two inches to the left.”’

Whether true or not, the story has a nice ring to it, contrasting the effervescent glee of the underdog with that of the dour, unsporting sourness displayed by the perennial winner.

In response to being one down, Liverpool (inevitably) upped their game and, not long after, nearly silenced Goodison when Johnson put the ball in the back of the net. Most Evertonians probably think otherwise, but sometimes the officials can come to the rescue in derbies. The flag went up before Johnson had struck, and the goal was ruled offside.

With that, Liverpool’s brief resurgence started to run out of steam.

As the game edged towards conclusion, it was Everton who would come closest to scoring, when Thomas had his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Hansen (who opted on this occasion to use his foot rather than his hand).

‘When the 90 minutes was up, Goodison went mad,’ remembers Brian Viner. ‘I think that we gave more voice that day than we had six months earlier when Latchford scored his 30th. Goodison was hysterical. We’d actually been singing ‘Bobby Latchford walks on water’ during the game. But for the remaining halfhour or so, the ground shook to a chorus of “Andy is our King, oh Andy is our King, oh Aaaandy is our King!”’

After the game, as jubilant Blues danced around their hero, BBC North West Tonight’s Richard Duckenfield stuck a microphone under the nose of King. ‘Andy King …’ he began, before a local bizzie hovered into view and started to barge the pair down the nearby players’ tunnel. ‘Can you get off the pitch!’ barked the bizzie, making his allegiances plain for all to see.

The supporters never got to hear Andy King’s immediate thoughts. But that might be just as well, as his goal probably said more than any words could.

‘In a time when Evertonians had so little to cheer, that was an unquestioned highlight,’ argues George McKane. ‘The 1970s, specifically when it came to Liverpool, had been really hard for us. It’s probably difficult to explain to modern fans what it felt like to live so comprehensively under their shadow. So, to beat them, finally, was magical.’

Blues of all ages got to experience something that had been denied them for so long: a proper post-match gloat.

‘After so many Monday mornings going into school and having to put up with their smug faces,’ remembers Phil Redmond, ‘it was great to go in and give the Reds in my class loads.

The novelty of the experience was made all the sweeter when you saw just how pissed off they were.’

Although, according to Phil, the reaction of some was a bit of an eye-opener for one so young:

‘I think that was the first time that I really realised what a bunch of shitehawks they really are. I had a go at one mate and he shot back sourly, “How many European Cups have you won?” Typical Redshite, can’t lose graciously, not even the once.’

The book is available in all good bookshops as they say and places like Amazon. Here’s a link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everton-GreatestGames-ToffeesMatches/dp/1785313142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie =UTF8&qid=1509288099&sr=1-1

#WSAGmatch CHELSEA – CABABAO CUP (AWAY) #WSAGmatch continues. Match comments by Lee Molton alongside comments posted by you on WSAG's twitter and Facebook following the match. Get involved look out for the #wsagmatch CHELSEA 2 EVERTON 1 Seven things to take away from today’s game 1. Passion, energy and width - we have got our Everton back.

2. Confidence restored – it’s early days but maybe a bit of belief is starting to come back into the team in the second half.

3. Baningime looked solid – he had a great debut and looks like he could become a great player for Everton.

4. Positive subs for a change - Unsworth went for it and we nearly took it to extra time.

5. Lennon and Mirallas perhaps still have a future – both gave us width – something we have been seriously lacking.

6. Same old defensive problems though - The Chelsea 1st goal showed that we still struggle to pick up players.

7. Hope now for Leicester game – maybe we can start winning again and climbing the table.

@mgmmrphy They're coming from an awfully long way back, but that's a start. @Hightown1978 very happy with the second half performance and the fight, tempo, enterprise and movement. Not an ounce of luck but it will come John McHugh Encouraging.

Declan Hynes seemed better but was that because I want rhino to do well and it was an average Chelsea side?

Lee Murphy Disappointed in a good way... Eh?

David Woodhead We'd have lost that 4 or 5 nil if Koeman was in charge... so in my books well encouraging :) Julian Connor First half, better shape but more of the same, no threat. Second half seemed like we had more shots on goal than all of the rest of the season combined. Nice to feel hard done to and frustrated rather than listless and despondent!

Mick Abrams Very promising debut from Baningime and a much better performance than anything Koeman served up this season. Shape, fight and energy finally Chris Thomas More like it - width, effort, just needed that touch of luck! And after just one day!

Pete Weller Night and day compared to Sunday.

We lost but really after results lately that’s not important. How we played was and we were much much better, especially in the second half. We looked to have pace and organisation that have been missing all season. Substitutions were well planned and at the right time. Encouraging all round.

Trevor Edwards Best performance of the season.

Passion, pride and Chelsea knew they'd been in a game. Still lots of work to be done but very encouraging. Excellent debut from Beni.

Ray Burns Not gonna change completely in 2 days. First half shite, second half was miles better than recent displays, shows what a decent team talk can do. Besides, it's a shite cup, we have bigger priorities.

Bernie Crilly Vast improvement with us finally seeing spirit, determination, organisation, and pride in the shirt. Also have to say a magnificent travelling support as well. Bring on Leicester.

Onwards & upwards.

Phil Jones Beni looks some player doesn’t he?

Lookman getting minutes too was great to see.

Fancy us to walk over Leicester after that.

Matthew Keenan an improvement. Better than we’ve had in any game since city away. Still loads to be working on. First half was poor. But we grew into it the second half and probably would have beaten a lesser side. Willian scored a great goal like. If that comes off the post instead of going in, then DCL scores like he did, we could have looked

whenever that may be. Always gutted to go out of this cup, as it's our best chance of winning a trophy and every year we act like we are too good for it.

Michael Lowe saw the team and spewed it. meet the caretaker manager, same as the last manager and the same as the future manager.

Like them, I’ve given up.

Terry Owen I'm also slightly leathered watching my Dylan at Newport DVD. Fuck off, Everton.

Kenny Sweeney Second half performance was excellent didn't deserve to get beat the team played for each other and never stopped pressing at extra time. Disappointed to lose but it’s not as doom and gloom as it was at the weekend.

Andy Lord-Ashton I expected a game or two at least before the team got used to the caretaker manager. One 45 minutes to get used to new style away at Chelsea is more than acceptable in my book.

Graham Brindle If Koeman was in charge for that game he would be getting slated. Chelsea were bang average disastrous season. Whoever didn’t get two Strikers in should have gone with Koeman, January could be too late.

Andy Berry Big improvement...the kids did well especially Baningime... better width and more desire 2nd half on the down side we have too many of the older players getting old together...

Carl Edwards Great showing from the young British lions Ian Hemsworth for all those moaning when was the last time we went to chelsea and had more shots and more shots on target than Chelsea...?

Mick Palin It is what it is. A below strength Chelsea who were shit and a full strength Everton who were just as shit Rich Kent Much much better, especially 2nd Half. Encouraging signs for all to Paul McGann Beaten by a Chelsea B team says it all...

Joe Farrag We played with more drive, which after the past dozen or so games the result to me, is neither here nor there, it was the desire to want to win which pleases me. COYB. Mark Ellis Second half was better and more like it. Will struggle until we buy a proper forward or two

Paul Hennessey Deserved to go out on the basis of the first half performance, Williams at centre back and Rooney up front. They are the changes we need to make. Second half much better though.

Lookman and Davies should be a must moving forward Paddy Howlin Much improved 2nd half and the first time we have looked competitive away since we drew at Man U in April. Something to build on for Sunday.

Geoff Ged Best performance of the season. More like the old Everton. Getting stuck in and closing down. No complaints. Hopefully as confidence grows we will start getting a few positive results soon Mick Upfield I’ve got to admit it’s getting better..đ&#x;Žś but it’s a long and winding road and I’m sure we can work it out.

Stephen Cruise only their keeper kept them in it.1st half we had to get used to playing forward not done that for a while 2nd half like I said only their keeper kept them in it

WSAG October Playlist saturdaynight The Warning (Inner Mix) Logic Follow Me (Fred Everything & Olivier Desmet SF Vocal) Aly-Us Supermodel SZA Boom Boom (Heartbeat) [feat. Rachel K Collier] [Digs Deep Mix] Ray Foxx ABCs of New York Princess Nokia Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott) SZA Childs Play (feat. Chance the Rapper) SZA It's Good For The Soul (Jay Negron Sunshine Sound Acetate Edit) The Salsoul Orchestra Better Sit Down Boy Confidence Man Seen and Not Seen (Extended Version) Talking Heads Be Thankful (For What You've Got) Sunset Gun Promised Land (Longer Extended Version / Juan Atkins) The Style Council sundaymorning Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band Morning Song Leon Lowman Venus As a Boy Bjรถrk Don't Let It Get To You Rostam Creature Comfort Arcade Fire Shout To The Top! The Style Council Today (This Army's for Peace) Belle and Sebastian And Then She Smiles A Certain Ratio Lazyitis (The One Armed Boxer Remix) Happy Mondays Treason (It's Just A Story) The Teardrop Explodes Rainin' Through My Sunshine The Real Thing Don't Let It Get To You (Reprise) Rostam Goodnight Song Luca Nieri Adios Amigo Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band We've Only Just Begun Carpenters Picasso

For more music follow WSAG on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/1130593024/playlist/0c7kBqDQyfsTDAB0ZgzNw6

listen to this...

A selection of the things we like that might interest you REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT: THE SOUND OF LIVERPOOL 1976-1988 Some exciting news here: Following the Manchester North of England collection, Cherry Red Records are set to release another post-punk heavy box-set this January. The new collection is called Revolutionary Spirit: The Sound of Liverpool 1976-1988 is a 5-disc, 100-song collection of artists from Liverpool during that period Revolutionary Spirit: The Sound of Liverpool 1976-1988 is due out in January 2018. The finalised tracklist has yet to be officially announced, but the collection’s official Facebook page has posted a discby-disc list of the featured artists.

Cherry Red promises that the boxset will include: “familiar names, key tracks, unreleased material, demos, rare and obscure releases, artist sleevenotes and unseen imagery.”

Artists to be featured on Revolutionary Spirit: The Sound of Liverpool 1976-1988 include: Deaf School, The Dance Party, The Teardrop Explodes, The Original Mirrors, Dalek I, Cook Da Books, The Wild Swans, China Crisis, Pink Industry, It’s Immaterial, The Room, The Lotus Eaters, The Pale Fountains, Care, The High Five, Marshmallow Overcoat, The Walking Seeds, Ministry Of Love and many others.

There will, undoubtedly be some bands missing – there always is when collections like this are

released but promising.

it

looks

very

You can find out more by liking their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Revoluti onary-Spirit-1625195224157881/

CANDY OPERA One of the bands not featured so far is Candy Opera, a largely acoustic band formed 1982. This isn’t perhaps surprising as they never released any records. But they were much loved by over half the Editorial team of WSAG. We’re not quite sure but there’s a rumour circling that a German indie label – Firestation Records – is about to release a retrospective of their demos from between 1982 and 1990.

We’ll leave that there for now…

THE NEW MERSEYBEAT And to prove that we’re not just a bunch fey pop chancers with our heads stuck in the 1980s, here’s a list of our favourite current bands

You’ll be made up you did.

‘IN THE NAME OF THE SON – THE GERRY CONLON STORY’ BY RICHARD O’RAWE The story of Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four who were wrongly imprisoned for 15 years for crimes they didn’t commit, is fairly well known following the 1994 movie ‘In The Name Of The Father.’

from in and around this great city of ours.

1. The Mysterines – a young band from the Wirral featuring a 16 year old girl singer who sounds remarkably like Patti Smith.

2. Peach Fuzz - a band signed to Skeleton Key Records who describe themselves as “hazy cosmic jive”. Featuring Danny Murphy who has been part of the Red Elastic Band in the last few months.

3. Psycho Comedy – a Walton band, well North Liverpool at least. Imbued with New York vibes from Television, Patti Smith, Lou Reed to a lot of early 70’s films set in NYC as well. - they have cosmic vibes.

Their two singles, to date, have been fantastic.

4. The Fernweh – a band who bonded over a great appreciation for Fairport Convention’s fourth album Liege And Leaf, along with classic English folk music and sixties psychedelics such as The Moody Blues and The Zombies. The band includes in its number, Phil Murphy, another Red Elastic Band band and brother of Danny from Peach Fuzz.

5. Nick Power not a band as such but have to include him here. Nick’s solo album Caravan has just been released.

The Coral keyboardist and songwriter recorded the album alone over a two-week period in a static caravan in North Wales, with only an acoustic guitar, pots and pans, chopsticks and a Casio synthesiser accompanying him and yet manages to sound like Simon and Garfunkel.

Incredible.

You can find out loads more about the above by searching for them on Twitter, Facebook or Soundcloud.

Jim Sheridan’s film, whilst employing vast amounts of poetic licence with the truth, starred Daniel Day-Lewis and based upon Conlon’s own book told the true story of how Gerry and some of mates were fitted up and forced to sign confessions for the IRA Guildford pub bombings despite not being members of the IRA nor having anything to do with the attacks.

Even worse for Conlon his relatives the Maguire family and ultimately his father Giuseppe were also framed by the Police and wrongly imprisoned with Giuseppe Conlon dying whilst in jail.

This biography by O’Rawe, a close friend of Conlon’s, is what happened after his release from prison in October 1989 and it

makes for gritty and pretty grim reading.

Despite having showbiz mates like Johnny Depp (who writes the foreword) Shane MacGowan and Day-Lewis himself, Conlon’s life after prison was a struggle ending with his premature death at 60 in 2014. O’Rawe pulls no punches in describing the turmoil of Conlon’s downward spiral, particularly after the making of the movie, as flush with crown compensation but with no counselling or psychological support he became a crack cocaine addict.

Conlon clearly never recovered not only from the injustice of his situation but more the guilt he carried for the death of his father in prison and it ate away at him despite his apparent ‘freedom.’ The truth is he was never free from what had happened and he chose to try and escape into the world of narcotics and block out the feelings of injustice and guilt that he had.

For me personally it was a very sad tale as I met Gerry in 1992 at a Pogues gig and experienced at first hand the charm and warmth that he possessed as an individual and which comes across from so many (including Depp) in this book.

He told me how much he loved scousers, he got me back stage to meet the (alas MacGowan less) Pogues, he kept me supplied with draw and he took issue with someone who slagged off the British saying that it was British people like Gareth Pierce his lawyer who had secured his release. After a cracking night chatting and drinking he gave me his number and said to call him so we could go out on the ale with Shane but knowing what I know about MacGowan at the time and reading how Gerry’s refuelling evolved at this time it was probably for the best that it stayed in my wallet to brag to mates…….

5 TELEVISION THINGS WE'VE BEEN WATCHING 1. End Of The Fucking World – not sure if the *** are actually part of the title but we never use them in WSAG. This was brilliant. A nihilistic roadtrip for a couple of teenagers, James and Alyssa full of murder, love and regret. Right up

our street. The first episode was on C4 then the rest on All4 and we watched the lot in one sitting.

James thinks he’s a psychopath. At 17, he has already killed a load of animals, ranging in size from butterflies to cats, and he remembers every single one. We see them laid out like museum exhibits. Now he wants to kill something bigger – someone bigger, in fact. He thinks that Alyssa is the one – to kill that is.

Alyssa has her own issues. Her step-dad is a twat and she feels alone in the world. Sometimes, she says everything feels too much and she has to lie down, “and see the blue or the grey or the black, and I feel myself melting into it, and for, like, a split second I feel free and happy, like a dog or an alien, or a baby”.

They are exaggerated cartoon teenagers. In fact, they are cartoon teenagers and the show is based on a comic of the same name by Charles Forsman.

Both Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden are fantastic in the lead roles. It’s fabulous – comedy so dark that you can barely make out the comedy. And yet it is funny, as well as being convincing.

2. Stranger Things 2 – another thing we watched in one go. The first series was the surprise hit on Netflix last year, this new series was probably the most hotly anticipated show of the year. And it didn’t disappoint. It was better than the first. Incredible television.

If you haven’t watched it because you only like stuff like The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad etc then you’re really missing out.

Yes, it’s full of 1980s nostalgia but it’s beautifully realised and all the young cast are brilliant – each given room to develop their own characters and breathe life into them. Tonight we will start watching it for a second time since last Friday.

3. Louis Theroux Dark States – a truly depressing but necessary documentary series. Louis has the ability to elicit answers from unwilling interviewees just by

remaining silent. Compelling.

4. The Apprentice – once again, the apprentice stooges don’t fail to entertain and enthrall with their crass stupidity. Essential television.

5. NFL This Week – it’s back… well it has been for a few weeks now and thankfully the BBC have left it exactly as it was. Mark Chapman, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell are all fantastic. Could teach the Match Of The Day pundits a thing or two.

SZA ‘CRTL’ WSAG seems to have a new found love for what could be described as

R&B although as we’re never anything less than pretentious, we prefer to call it new soulful hip-hop.

Get us.

We’ll always be little indie kids at heart but some of the best records this year have been by Frank Ocean, Princess Nokia, Syd and now SZA. Frankly, this is fantastic and deserves your attention.

Immediately. She was on Jools Holland recently too – one of the only decent things in the whole series.

platitudes from us arl bastards but the second issue was very enjoyable.

By the way, if no one has told you the picture on the back was of Gary Chase, one of our esteemed cartoonists and we’ve got the original picture.

There’s a lad selling this on our island so go up and say hello and buy a copy. They deserve your full support as there can never be enough fanzines.

All the best.

Languid and soulful, the record gets deep under your skin. It is a record you will put on again and again.

The obvious touchstone is the meandering R&B of Frank Ocean – these are delicious slow jams with delicate yet powerful vocals and intimate insights into femininity, self-esteem and youth. On Normal Girl, SZA laments that she isn’t one, while on Pretty Little Birds she candidly considers shaving her legs.

The presence of big names like Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar is exciting, but ultimately they’re just complementing SZA’s moment: and undoubtedly, Ctrl is a special moment.

(I nicked that bit because as the publishing deadline fast approaches for this issue, I need to get things finished. The wife is trying to get me to watch The Walking Dead, I’m not that big a fan but it means we can sit down together. Anyway, I’ve got this album on repeat and given what else has been released lately that’s probably the best endorsement I can give. Go out and buy it, steam it… you won’t regret it.)

THE BLACK WATCH There’s an invader on WSAG Island. A new fanzine called ‘The Black Watch’. They don’t need any

‘JIMMY WEBB : THE CAKE AND THE RAIN’ - JIMMY WEBB It should go without saying that songwriter Jimmy Webb wrote some of our favourite classic songs from the sixties and seventies.

Indeed the recent sad death of Glen Campbell rightly highlighted some of his classics such as ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’ and rightly gave Webb the wider credit that many of us had recognised for years.

This is the first part of his memoirs and it focuses on his childhood and teenage years up to the years 19681973 where he made his name and his fortune as a songwriter.

He doesn’t follow a linear route unlike most auto-biographies and flits between decades constantly which whilst sometimes difficult to follow means that you are constantly kept interested.

I have only just started this fairly vast book and if it continues the way it has started it augers well for a fine read from a master wordsmith.

Most of the reviews have concentrated on the fact that he does not hold back in his recollections of the Hippy era free love, Mary Joanna and Charlie lifestyle that Webb filled his boots with during the late sixties and early seventies.

Sounds right up our street then….

Send anything and everything to us here at WSAG and if we like it or think that our readers might like it we’ll happily review. Send to: whenskiesaregrey@btinternet.com

WHEN SKIES ARE GREY is an independent Everton fanzine.

Written by supporters for supporters.

WSAG used to be only on sale around the ground on match days. It's now on sale all over the world. Any time, any place, anywhere.

WSAG is now produced monthly.

You can subscribe for this season for ÂŁ20.00 and you will receive 10 issues over a year. Subscriptions are available here: http://www.freewebstore.org/WSAG/Digital_Subs/cat150030 _1892561.aspx On subscription we will send you confirmation and full instructions on how to download WSAG. As part of your subscription you will also receive all digital back issues free.

WSAG is a celebration of all things Evertonian. A celebration of this thing of ours. It's a shared experience and we want to make it an inclusive as possible. Join us. You can see a sample free copy here: http://www.exacteditions.com/read/wsag If there's anything else you want to know about WSAG contact Graham at whenskiesaregrey@btinternet.com.

The forty fourth digital issue of When Skies are Grey (E044) was produced in October 2017 by Graham Ennis, Phil Redmond, Kieron and Thomas Regan.

Cover by Mark Mordecai Thanks to the following for their words, pictures and stuff: Jonathan, Greg, Lee Molton, Benny Blue, Terry Smith, Trevor Edwards, Stan Getz, TommyBoy, Dean Gannon, Mark Mordecai, archie styles, Jimmy Gatz,Paddy Howlin, Jim Keoghan, and all those who have sent messages and tweets in the last month.

Thanks also to: All our subscribers, all at Exact and Mixam, Tim & Lee at Weavers Door, All at Violette, Ian @ Last Night From Glasgow, Miles @ WONDERFULSOUND Tom @ Shoot Music.

As ever much love to: Julie, Louis and Ruby; Nikki, Danny and Lauren

The next digital issue will be uploaded: E045in mid November 2017

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