As we look ahead to the visit of Everton this weekend, we had a chat with the guys at popular fan site ToffeeWeb to get the lowdown on the blue side of Merseyside.
Q. The last time we met the points were shared at Goodison Park – perhaps you could share your thoughts on the game?
It was a frustrating one for us, the like of which have littered this season while Ronald Koeman painstakingly assesses and improves the squad he inherited from Roberto Martinez.
We had the better of that game and would have won it with better finishing from the few openings we created but there was nothing more predictable for us than Christian Benteke ruining the evening with a headed goal from a deep cross! Hopefully Seamus Coleman won’t be marking him again this weekend.
Q. How has the season gone so far for the Toffees?
Again, it has been slow going but in the past month there have definitely been signs that Koeman is getting to grips with the job and the team. Since a horrible defeat at Watford in early December we’ve beaten Arsenal, Southampton and Manchester City at home and won at Leicester. We had to choke down another defeat to Liverpool in a very tight game and only managed to draw at Hull but the cup defeat at home to Leicester was really the only game where we feared we’d taken a backwards step.
The manager seems to know his best core team now and what formations work best and, obviously, that win over City on Sunday has raised the bar considerably for what is expected over the remainder of the campaign. But if we know Everton, we’ll probably follow that up by losing at Selhurst Park and losing all momentum again!
Q. There has been a lot of talk recently about a possible move from Goodison Park but how do the fans feel about it?
Us Blues love Goodison Park as one of the last great, traditional footballing arenas but we realise that the stadium issue has to be addressed one way or the other soon because the Grand Old Lady is showing her age. If you ask most Evertonians, they would probably favour redeveloping where we are but if we have to move, a waterfront location like the one being proposed on the north docks is the one we would support. By putting us right on water near the city centre, it could really transform our profile and prospects.
There is a lot less enthusiasm for the other site being looked at on the edge of town near the M57 because the fear is it would take us too far away from town and our roots.
Q. It is such a shame to see former Eagle Yannick Bolasie suffer such a bad injury and while we wish him all the best, how has he done since he signed for Everton?
He had done about as well as most of us had expected. We knew we were getting a mercurial player but one who could have a big impact on a game with just a couple of key moments. His pace, unpredictability and power were clearly attributes that Koeman and Steve Walsh wanted at Everton and were prepared to pay a premium for.
At the time he got injured, he was our most productive winger so it was a big blow to lose him. And, obviously, it was a massive blow to him personally because a year out is a long time. We’re just pulling for him to come back as the same player he was.
Q. Are you expecting much from the transfer window and if so, what areas need to be addressed?
We went into the window with high expectations. The sense was that Koeman was frustrated that Everton weren’t able to get a couple of key deals over the line in the summer and his comments after the FA Cup defeat against Leicester were an indication that he didn’t want a repeat of that.
With James McCarthy in and out of the side with injury, Idrissa Gueye on duty at the African Cup of Nations until early February and the years catching up with Gareth Barry, bringing Morgan Schneiderlin addresses one key issue in central midfield.
We need another striker to help Romelu Lukaku though and we’ve needed another creative attacking midfielder to relieve the burden on Ross Barkley so it’ll be interesting to see if there is any movement to resolve those needs. Longer term issues like the goalkeeper and central defence can probably wait until the summer but it wouldn’t be surprising to see another centre half come in this month either.
Q. We have already touched on the rule changes for this season but do you think the standard of refereeing is getting worse or do they need more help?
It certainly feels like the standard is getting worse and I do think they need more help. It’s an incredibly difficult job, particularly in the Premier League where the game is so fast, but there is also a lot of inconsistency in the application and interpretation of certain rules by different referees.
Certainly for the big decisions like reckless tackles and penalty incidents, I feel the game could benefit from video technology rather than key, game-defining moments being decided by one person. Football is a multi-billion pound sport now and it doesn’t seem to make sense that the outcome of matches and the destination of points should be so susceptible to individual human error, interpretation and emotion.
Q. Who is your choice to win the Premier League this season?
Like most people, I probably wouldn’t have picked them before the season started or even in mid-September but you have to favour Chelsea at this point with the run they’ve been on and the points advantage they gave.
Although Tottenham look to be coming on very strong at the moment. I have no love for Chelsea at all but I’d take anyone winning the pot over Liverpool!
Q. What is your view on Palace so far this season?
A bit surprised things went as south as quickly as they did for Alan Pardew, to be honest. It looked as though in Benteke he had found a goalscorer to spearhead a robust team that has individual quality in the likes of Andros Townsend, Yohan Cabaye and Jason Puncheon but I don’t think many managers could survive the kind of run you had towards the end of his tenure.
Sam Allardyce seems to be taking his time to have an impact but he usually manages to turn things around. If he could wait another week to get his first Premier League win though, that would be lovely!
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
These are fairly obvious but for Palace it has to be Lukaku because he has a good scoring record against you and he’s far and away our best goalscorer. And given Everton’s vulnerability to high crosses, we’ll be fearing Benteke, although we should be a bit stronger back there in that regard if Koeman goes with a back three of Mason Holgate, Ashley Williams and Ramiro Funes Mori.
Q. Prediction?
1-1. We’ll concede the first goal but then find the resolve to fight back!
Q. And finally, the floor is yours to promote any projects that you are currently working on.
Nothing major at the moment. I just tweaked ToffeeWeb’s design and am in the midsts of a long-term project to update the older content on a website that has been going over 22 years now. That’s a lot of old pages and neglected sections!
