duncanmckenzie
First Team Squad
I honestly think you're pretty close there Col. If we go to Burnley needing any kind of result we're doomed.
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The Relegation Dogfight 23/24
- Thread starter UnfinishedBusiness99
- Start date
GreeksBearingGifts
Stuart Pearce
My crystal ball says the relegation drama will be over before the last day. It's a bit fuzzy which way though.
youreds1986
Geoff Thomas
Major Oak Morgan
First Team Squad
Everton stank the place out against Burnley. Fans did not sound happy.
Ian Moore Gone Little
First Team Squad
The Radio 5 commentator yesterday commented on how quiet their fans were. I think it was the same one (Ian Dennis?) who paused his commentary at the WFCG last season to let the listeners hear how loud our fans were. Our fans can really make a difference.
duncanmckenzie
First Team Squad
Correct, it was the Man City home game and he paused his commentary and said Just listen to that noise
Robert Learnshaw
COYR
Woke up and that Luton goal still rankles
HappyHappyJoyJoy
Viv Anderson
Burnley have won twice at home this season and will in all likeliness have nothing to play for if it came to that.
Hard to think of an easier game we could have in that situation.
Red Echo
Youth Team
Robert Learnshaw
COYR
Yeah, I know we're generally not great away from home, and yes also aware Sheff Utd will be up for it,
But we have to see Burnley and Sheff Utd away games as golden opportunities for 3 points, it'll be against the 2 poorest sides in the division with the reward of staying in the league, them having nothing to play for but pride. They are actually great games to have but I think we are just all haunted by our away record over the last couple years hence the trepidation
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
I’d rather be facing Sheffield United and Burnley in our final 2 away games than Liverpool
and Manchester City.
Robertson
Geoff Thomas
Or even Luton and Arsenal, as Everton have
HappyHappyJoyJoy
Viv Anderson
I feel that, and would much rather we wrapped up safety sooner rather than later.
This time last year we put our foot down and did just that.
Today's a bit of a shot to nothing against Spurs but apart from the City game, we can have expectation of getting something from each of the rest.
We won't, of course, but it's in our hands and I'm mildly optimistic.
Famous last words...
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
I think Everton will be okay if their points deduction isn’t too severe (say 2 or 3 points)-
they still have to play Forest,Brentford and Sheffield United at home yet.
I feel it’s a straight 5 game shootout between Forest and Luton (assuming Forest lose
today and both teams are defeated by Manchester City).
I just hope Everton still need some points when they visit Luton.
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Robertson
Geoff Thomas
Maybe. A lot will depend on any points deduction, and also the game against us. They have Chelsea away and Liverpool either side of that.
It’s all guesswork of course!
Quntib Hollox
Jack Armstrong
Everton to me look like they’re running on fumes. They were gifted the 3 points yesterday by comical goalkeepiNG16. They created next to nothing and even when Burnley went down to 10 they were marginally the better side.
Goodison was a nervous place too.
Goodison was a nervous place too.
Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
Hungry Horace
First Team Squad
Early goals against them please when we play there.
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Statto
Free Kick Specialist
Crazy stuff when you look at the XI from that fixture and only MGW, Danilo and Felipe are still at the club, and one of those is retiring at the end of the season.
Rockabilly
GAFF LAD. "Open your knees and feel the breeze"
Blimey!!!
Neurotica
First Team Squad
Maybe explain’s our lack of cohesion through most the season. The turn-over of players the last 2 seasons has been ridiculous. If we stay up this season we need to try and keep the team as settled as possible.
Statto
Free Kick Specialist
To a lesser extent than the promotion season, last time still showed some reliance on loans.
I know Henderson ultimately wasn't going to happen due to injury and perhaps some issues about his actual form, but that was exactly the type of deal we should have had an option on, such as the Wood deal (but not so silly). In the end we ended up getting a better option with Navas but that was never going to be permanent and probably didn't help us with FFP either, but I doubt we could have ended up with a better keeper and it definitely helped us stay up.
Likewise Lodi and the fact we didn't get an option there meant we had to look at the position again with Richards no closer to playing for us, we did well enough to get Aina there but even so with him and Tavares there's still a drop off and one of them is still on loan.
I think we won't get much discord on here for saying that of the rest, Worrall, Shelvey, Colback and Freuler ultimately weren't good enough for us or the right fit for the style of play we have. Which left Aurier (a player who could still do it, but the gap between him and Neco was closing, and a club wanted him off the back of AFCON) and Johnson (who we sold for a lot of money) as ones we had to sell to balance.
We're likely to need one big sale a summer, so this could easily mean we need to move on MGW or Murillo this time around. Not guaranteed but they are the obvious options.
Felipe is already going, Worrall will probably end up somewhere else, McKenna is on loan and then up in the summer too, We will either need Boly again or another similar player, but that will be losing 4 or maybe 5 if Murillo is the big sale out of our CBs again.
I'd still suggest looking at the LB position again simply because we can do better than Aina who is worth keeping as cover.
Our loan players (Origi, Montiel, Ribiero and Reyna) have done little to suggest they are worth keeping hold of so far, but then some of them haven't had a chance in the first team, which perhaps speaks for itself in part.
Hennessey, Boly, Aina, Kouyate are all up, though I think the club has exercised an option on Aina, which is good. Bowler and Mbe Soh are also up, who we won't miss.
After that, CM would look slightly light on options with MGW, Yates, Dominguez, Sangare, Danilo fighting for options, if Sangare isn't going to fit into the system we need to sell him whilst he still has the value and move for another option. First choice wide options are fine with Elanga and CHO but light if they get injured.
Otherwise up front we'd be then left with Taiwo and Wood but Taiwo's injury issues don't show any signs of clearing up soon so I don't see we can rely on either being the first choice option. So we do need to invest a lot there if we can but it's likely we'll see quite a few more out this summer and a few in - LB, CB, CM and Striker, maybe a winger as cover.
We'll also need to move on Vlachodimos because he's probably on a fair amount, would fetch something as an international keeper, and isn't very good
redforest
Geoff Thomas
If Everton still need points when they play Luton surely it will be a three way shootout. I just hope the bottom 2 are relegated by the time we play them as if either of them can catch us when they do, you justknow they will.
NFFCForeverRed
First Team Squad
Both Everton and Burnley were absolute shite yesterday. I suffered the whole match.
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
Yes-but Everton still have Sheffield United at home after the Luton game.
I don’t really expect Everton to be relegated-although some on here seem to think they will
receive another significant points deduction.
Who knows? We shall see.
I expect Sheffield United and Burnley to be down by the time we play them.