Other PL Round 1 Matches - Saturday 14th August, 2021

[Stan]

all kick-offs 15.00 (BST)

Burnley vs Brighton

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

Everton vs Southampton

Leicester vs Wolves

Watford vs Aston Villa

[RandoEFC+]

The only nice thing I have to say about football ahead of this weekend is that it's nice to see some 3pm kick-offs back. I suppose also that I'm grateful that I'm playing in a friendly on Saturday so I don't have to spend two suicidal hours watching Everton do what they call playing football. One down, thirty seven + cup games to go and another horrible season is out of the way.

We are an absolute shambles of a club. Our summer has been nothing short of absolutely ridiculous. It says it all that the whole Sigurdsson fiasco isn't even at the forefront of our problems. We've made probably the most divisive managerial appointment we could have, the dust has settled for now but just wait until we sell James Rodriguez this month, end up caving in and letting Moise Kean leave on loan for little to no money, and use the money to bring Rondon in on a free and sign one (or both, who fucking knows) of the Longstaffs from Newcastle. Lose a couple of games, there's going to be murder from our fanbase. And it'll be wrongly aimed at the manager because it's the board that have been doing just about everything wrong for the best part of a decade.

Recruitment started off well this summer, Begovic is a decent backup option for Pickford. Townsend and Gray add something we don't have even if it probably won't be of top seven quality. But we haven't signed a right-back yet again. We might get it done by the end of the window, which would be better than not at all but it's still too late. We've needed someone there for 3-4 years and the best we've managed was loaning Sidibe for a season, half of which he played right midfield. We've failed to sell any of our players, Iwobi, Gomes, Holgate, Rodriguez, Kean, Delph, Kenny, etc. all apparently available for the right price. It's hard in this market admittedly but again, you find a way if your club isn't run by idiots top to bottom. The 4-0 friendly loss to Man Utd last weekend was almost the cherry on top of a terrible summer, but I don't want to say that as I know we'll still find a way to out-ridiculous ourselves at least once or twice more before the end of the transfer window. It's criminal that after the money we've spent over the past few years, we have to go into the new season expecting to see players like Delph and Iwobi play a significant role for us this year. We're past pointing at Koeman and Walsh now, they still played a big part in where we are today but all Brands and Moshiri have done since has done more harm than good.

We have absolutely no chance of qualifying for Europe this season. Absolutely none. I can easily see teams like Aston Villa and Leeds finishing ahead of us. Expectations have never been lower to my memory. If there's anything positive to take from this season it'll be things like Anthony Gordon breaking into the first team properly and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin having a relatively injury-free season as he's looked like a player in pre-season.

Even the basic functionality of the club seems to be total garbage. All of the streams of pre-season friendlies available for members seemed not to work at all, and now apparently they're fucking up the digital season ticket rollout as well.

But overall, 0 games played and my general feeling towards Everton being "fuck off Everton" already is a new record. FC Isle of Man finally got started last weekend, maybe I shall invest my energy into them instead. Even aside from Everton's bullshit, the Premier League itself has never held less appeal for me than it does now either.

[Reluctant Striker]

Interesting set of openers.

Everton vs Southampton is the battle of 2 sides that can literally do anything. From top the league, at least early on. Through to heavy defeats.

Leicester vs Wolves is a potentially fascinating match up. At one stage they seemed to be jostling for that 1 spot in & around the procession Top 6.

Burnley vs Brighton the 2 sides that somehow linger because 3 others or more work out weaker. But they are the target for Brentford, Watford & Norwich to get ahead of, along with a few others.

Watford vs Villa this match up has been made into a 1 man derby by Troy Deeney. Talked plenty when Watford were ahead of Villa. As a Birmingham fan & Watford striker. Probably been forgotten now by everyone else. But he'll be up for this 1.

[Dan+]

An absolute must win and the manager must step down if he fails to deliver it.

[Dave]

As much as I cringe at our first set of fixtures, the best time to play the European Champions away will be the first game of the season after a European Championship that a lot of their players participated in.

 

How I expect we will line up...

Guaita 

Ward -:Guehi - Kouyate - Mitchell 

McArthur - Riedewald - Schlupp

Ayew - Benteke - Zaha

 

Gallagher is unable to play, Luka is injured and it may be too soon for Andersen.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

@Stan and @Dan, what is your defence likely to be on Saturday?

Thinking of one or two choices in defence, but not sure if they will play or not. 

[Stan]

15 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

@Stan and @Dan, what is your defence likely to be on Saturday?

Thinking of one or two choices in defence, but not sure if they will play or not. 

Pereira - Amartey - Soyuncu - Bertrand

 

 

We're trying to get Vestergaard in and completed before tomorrow so he's eligible but no guarantee. 

[Dan+]

1 hour ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

@Stan and @Dan, what is your defence likely to be on Saturday?

Thinking of one or two choices in defence, but not sure if they will play or not. 

What Stan said. I think our side will be basically the same as Saturday.

Although I'm sure Harvey asked me a similar question about a player of ours this time last season, think it was Castagne, I advised against and it was a truly terrible decision so I might not be the best.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

21 minutes ago, Dan said:

What Stan said. I think our side will be basically the same as Saturday.

Although I'm sure Harvey asked me a similar question about a player of ours this time last season, think it was Castagne, I advised against and it was a truly terrible decision so I might not be the best.

I remember that. Got a goal and an assist on his debut I think. 

Cheers both for this. 

[Dan+]

1 hour ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

I remember that. Got a goal and an assist on his debut I think. 

Cheers both for this. 

Goal and a clean sheet I think. Absolutely comical.

I'd be surprised if our side wasn't... Schmeichel... Ricardo, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand... Ndidi, Tielemans... Perez, Maddison, Barnes... Vardy

Probably Vestergaard in for Amartey next week.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

8 minutes ago, Dan said:

Goal and a clean sheet I think. Absolutely comical.

I'd be surprised if our side wasn't... Schmeichel... Ricardo, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand... Ndidi, Tielemans... Perez, Maddison, Barnes... Vardy

Probably Vestergaard in for Amartey next week.

Cheers for that. Got a couple of your lot in my mind but wasn't sure who'd start defensively. 

[Stan]

4 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Cheers for that. Got a couple of your lot in my mind but wasn't sure who'd start defensively. 

Barnes is probably the best value for money pick.

[LFCMike]

Any rumours on who the others are @RandoEFC? (For FPL purposes)

[RandoEFC+]

35 minutes ago, LFCMike said:

Any rumours on who the others are @RandoEFC? (For FPL purposes)

If it was me I'd sack them all off. Isolating or not, they play for Everton. What is there to think about here?

On a serious note, Kean, Gbamin and possibly Gomes are the other names mentioned. 

[Dan+]

Vestergaard is eligible for tomorrow - I do think we may just stick with Amartey though. Will be surprised if Vestergaard doesn't start at West Ham though, seems built to face a Moyes side.

[Fairy In Boots]

We will take half a dozen games to get going and gel, away first game back I think 1-1

[RandoEFC+]

Everton 0-1 Southampton (Walcott 78')

[Dave]

Mateta starts over Benteke. The latter being declared not fully fit.

[Reluctant Striker]

Mings has the armband.

Usual 4-3-3

 

[Reluctant Striker]

6 hours ago, Fairy In Boots said:

We will take half a dozen games to get going and gel, away first game back I think 1-1

I'd take an equaliser right now..

Listening to the radio commentary & Watford's Sarr sounds to be running the match.

[RandoEFC+]

Just finished my game and Southampton's new signing has scored on his debut. Imagine my shock.

[Dr. Gonzo]

This Armstrong lad looks like he’ll fit in the premier league fine.

4 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Just finished my game and Southampton's new signing has scored on his debut. Imagine my shock.

Everton haven’t been terrible, but there’s been some awful individual errors from Keane and Holgate.

[Reluctant Striker]

2-0 Watford.

That man Sarr with the 2nd.

No disrespect to Watford, but he will surely end up somewhere higher at some stage soon.

 

And this is why Villa were only 11th last time.

Pulling rabbits out of hats at times in unexpected matches.

But then this kind of result.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Watching Rafa in deep conversation with Duncan Ferguson is still so weird to me 

[RandoEFC+]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

This Armstrong lad looks like he’ll fit in the premier league fine.

Everton haven’t been terrible, but there’s been some awful individual errors from Keane and Holgate.

Turns out Godfrey was one of the players isolating. I'd have him in there with Mina all day. Keane has 6 good months then 6 shit months and Holgate blows hot and cold week to week.

It's astonishing that we're desperate enough to start Richarlison after he's played two international tournaments this summer. Not the sign of a functional club at all.