Reality check

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Take nothing away from the lads yesterday.  To come back from the dead like we did was an incredible feat.  Like Flem said yesterday, it felt like we won.  But I think WBA, Saints and Palace all winning put it into percpective.  We''re 4 points from safety now, and still have to travel away to Palace and Southampton.

It''s great to see Ashton finding his way in the Prem.  If he can put away chances which Hucks makes it will be a massive boost.  However, I think it is becoming increasingly obvious that our defence needs sorting out too.  I know we''ve had bad luck with injuries but we now have the poorest defence in the league.  Hopefully when Helveg and Charlie come back it''ll make the difference.  From the commentary yesterday it sounded like the two goals from corners were magnificent. Sorry Roy, but I''ve got to disagree.  The first no-one picked but Queudrue and the second Jonson let him go and Drury missed it on the line.  They are pretty basic mistakes.

If we can cut out these mistakes we''ve got such a great chance of staying up.  With Deano we''ve got a goal scorer and thats important.  Team for Everton:

         Greeno

Eddy  Flem  Doc  Drury

Jonson Damo Holt (Safri if fit)  Hucks

      Deano Leon

[At last? 0]

DDIM

Goal one was a lucky deflection. Goal 2 and 3 were the fault of Johnson who failed to stick with the man he should have been marking. Goal 4 was never a free kick and to be fair I would have expected Green to save.

I think having a go at Flem and Doc is a bit harsh. They dealt quite well with a couple if international strikers.

I think Helveg and Charlton will come back at full backs. As Holt gets fitter and fitter I think the defence will improve leaps and bounds.

By the end of Feb I expect most of the squad to be back fit and we have already shown that at this level our best eleven can cope. Our best eleven are far better that Shampton, W Brom Palace or even Blackburn.

It aint over yet.

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Sorry At Last.  I wasn''t singling out Flem and Doc as the reason we only drew.  I meant more our defensive lapses as a team.  If we had defended those two corners properly they wouldn''t have been goals.  You can''t justify against Hasslebainks two goals.  The first was just plain jammy and the second was unstoppable.  But if we can cut out the goals which can be defended against out of our game, it would make a massive difference.

[shropshire canary 0]

Jonson can certainly take the blame for Quedrue''s space for both goals, but his second was also created by Southgate''s flick on. He was being tracked back by Ashton until Eddy ran off the near post and got in his way leaving Southgate the space.

It''s all about defending as a unit and knowing/sticking to your tasks. Getting this right is totally and utterly the key to our survival now: forwards and goal scorers feed on confidence and they should all have got a dose of that now.

That said Boro''s movement for both corners to create the space was good - but we didi at least show we could create the same for Drury''s equaliser!

[ZLF 271]

I think DDiM is right, everyone is focussing on the goals but what was more disappointing is the overall defensive display. The back four (and I am not picking out any single player here) looked nervous and as if they were waiting to conceed a goal. Not surprisingly their confidence is entirely shot.

No one got as close to a defender as they should and were happy to let some one else take the responsibility. Positioning in particular was poor and the reading of a game non existant. yes the last three goals were not solely the fault of the back 4 but, the second goal apart, the back four did have an impact in the goals through bizarre positioning or simply ball watching.

The first goal was appalling from all defenders except the Doc - to say it was just a lucky defelction does not sum up the move at all; throughout the move Drury Eddy and Flem all allowed their players far too much time and space, through diabolical positioning, to do what they wanted with the ball in dangerous areas - watching opponents is not an effective defensive strategy.

Defensive changes have to be made and the quicker Helveg and Charlie come back the better, but unless we get an organiser and leader in to partner The Doc nothing will really change and confidence will remain low.

Everyone thinks we had a solid defence last season. Actually before we signed Hux we were conceeding goals faster per game than in the previous three season. Hux took the game to our opponents meaning our defenders had less to do and blossomed through confidence. Hux has a lesser effect in this league and an actual ability to defend become crucial. I said it last season and to repeat Hux was the best defencive signing we ever made.

Is it a surprise that a defence that struggled without Hux in the championship will struggle so much in the prem? A defender needs to be signed and the ones who can defend, rather than just run around a lot and glare, used.


OTBC