Europa League | Thu 19 Mar 15

[Ted Hughes]

Nah.

[Beefymcfc]

Does the Europa league suit Martinez and his European tactics?

Funny if he won the thing.

[Beefymcfc]

[Wonderwall]

Poor souls

[Wonderwall]

Do you reckon Kone let his hair grow wild and natural until he got fit?

Also, Luke Harbutt has refused a new contract and is available a free, looks decent. I have seen him a few times, but rumours are Liverpool have poached him.

[Bianchi on Ice]

Does the Europa league suit Martinez and his European tactics?

Funny if he won the thing.

Fair play if he did, I like the bloke

[Bianchi on Ice]

Is Sterling that bad at pens?

Brendan tried to man-manage a pen from him..

Brendan:Raheem, you ready to take a penalty son, follow the shankly way and help me, sorry, us, to glory?
Sterling:(points to ear)I cant hear you Ive got my headphones on

[Beefymcfc]

Well, as we're recycling threads and I can't see much interest?

Wolfsburg v Inter is now on ITV 4, followed by the Everton game. Mancini's men just gone 1 up.

[Clowncrete]

Do you reckon Kone let his hair grow wild and natural until he got fit?

Also, Luke Harbutt has refused a new contract and is available a free, looks decent. I have seen him a few times, but rumours are Liverpool have poached him.

Garbutt looks one footed and not even making runs down the left even when there's acres of space in front of him today. Prefers to give a backpass instead.

[Nigels Tackle]

Do you reckon Kone let his hair grow wild and natural until he got fit?

Also, Luke Harbutt has refused a new contract and is available a free, looks decent. I have seen him a few times, but rumours are Liverpool have poached him.

Garbutt looks one footed and not even making runs down the left even when there's acres of space in front of him today. Prefers to give a backpass instead.

took a cracking corner just then
not seen us hit one like that in fuck knows how long

[Im_Spartacus]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

[DoomMerchant]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

i agree. i find him to be actually a very very frustrating player because he's clearly got the tools...but i fear he has the footballing brain of a Micah Richards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

cheers

[South Stand Balti]

Poor souls

This candle is quite mesmerising. If I look at it for a long time on my iPhone, will it burn a hole in my screen?

[Saul Goodman]

Good for Everton, carrying the torch for England.
Itll help England keep Italy at bay and preserve the 4th CL post for a wee bit longer

[Wonderwall]

Good for Everton, carrying the torch for England.
Itll help England keep Italy at bay and preserve the 4th CL post for a wee bit longer

There is an article on the bbc website on the coefficiency rankings. We would need to be outscored by italy for the next 3 years to come under threat of losing the 4th spot. I cant see that happening.

[Ted Hughes]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

i agree. i find him to be actually a very very frustrating player because he's clearly got the tools...but i fear he has the footballing brain of a Micah Richards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

cheers

I don't think this used to be the case. For some reason, everything seems to have gone pear shaped including his brain. I believe he was genuinely a prospect on the level of Rooney etc. In fact I can remember a bunch of us commenting on here, how much more intelligence he was using, compared to Rooney, when he was brought on for England to play the same job.

I wonder if he has been trying to impress rather than just get on with his natural game, & now can't remember what his natural game actually was.

[Hazy2]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

i agree. i find him to be actually a very very frustrating player because he's clearly got the tools...but i fear he has the footballing brain of a Micah Richards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

cheers

I don't think this used to be the case. For some reason, everything seems to have gone pear shaped including his brain. I believe he was genuinely a prospect on the level of Rooney etc. In fact I can remember a bunch of us commenting on here, how much more intelligence he was using, compared to Rooney, when he was brought on for England to play the same job.

I wonder if he has been trying to impress rather than just get on with his natural game, & now can't remember what his natural game actually was.

Get him for a lower price and develop him he has the ability, Everton fans are close to a riot with the back passing, he is suffering from scouse hate.

[Ted Hughes]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

i agree. i find him to be actually a very very frustrating player because he's clearly got the tools...but i fear he has the footballing brain of a Micah Richards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

cheers

I don't think this used to be the case. For some reason, everything seems to have gone pear shaped including his brain. I believe he was genuinely a prospect on the level of Rooney etc. In fact I can remember a bunch of us commenting on here, how much more intelligence he was using, compared to Rooney, when he was brought on for England to play the same job.

I wonder if he has been trying to impress rather than just get on with his natural game, & now can't remember what his natural game actually was.

Get him for a lower price and develop him he has the ability, Everton fans are close to a riot with the back passing, he is suffering from scouse hate.

When I've seen him recently, he has suffered from the same problem as our midfield; lack of workrate.

[BlueinBosnia]

Good for Everton, carrying the torch for England.
Itll help England keep Italy at bay and preserve the 4th CL post for a wee bit longer

There is an article on the bbc website on the coefficiency rankings. We would need to be outscored by italy for the next 3 years to come under threat of losing the 4th spot. I cant see that happening.

I can. Italian teams seem to take the Europa League pretty seriously, unlike English teams. There are 5 Italian teams in the last 16 of the Europa League, compared to 1 English team. Speaking pessimistically, it is likely that neither country will have a team in the last 8 of the CL, although the most likely team to go through is Juventus, again an Italian team.

One thing the BBC article fails to point out is that it is much, much easier for a strong-ish team in the Europa League Group Stage to pick up coefficient points than a team in the Champions League Group stage. Our win over Bayern picked up the same amount of coefficient points for England (2) as Inter did for beating Qarabag. Due to the far greater disparity in quality between the top team and bottom team in most Europa League groups than in CL groups (the 2 or 3 'minnows' in the competition each year aside), coefficient points are far easier to pick up there.

England picked up 16 group stage points (plus 1 further point from Hull's elimination in the Third QR), while Italy picked up 37. While England may pick up another 1 point via Everton, it looks like Italy will pick up a further 3, and are guaranteed 1. In the CL, Italy picked up 12 points, while England picked up 32.

So, overall, Italy cannot perform worse than England this year, and will possibly get 2 more points, in spite of having the bulk of their teams playing in what should be an inferior competition, and also having one fewer European competition berth.

[Hazy2]

Barkley seems to choose the wrong option most times, showing a real lack of intelligence and finesse. He did really well there to make the space for a shot initially, but the defender was always going to block him, yet a pass inside (well within his field of vision) would have seen a midfielder steaming in for a shot

I certainly don't see a player of the quality of a Rooney, Owen.....who, in their day were worth paying whatever it cost to buy them in their teen years. If anyone pays more than £20m for Barkley it's a total fucking gamble

i agree. i find him to be actually a very very frustrating player because he's clearly got the tools...but i fear he has the footballing brain of a Micah Richards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

cheers

I don't think this used to be the case. For some reason, everything seems to have gone pear shaped including his brain. I believe he was genuinely a prospect on the level of Rooney etc. In fact I can remember a bunch of us commenting on here, how much more intelligence he was using, compared to Rooney, when he was brought on for England to play the same job.

I wonder if he has been trying to impress rather than just get on with his natural game, & now can't remember what his natural game actually was.

Get him for a lower price and develop him he has the ability, Everton fans are close to a riot with the back passing, he is suffering from scouse hate.

When I've seen him recently, he has suffered from the same problem as our midfield; lack of workrate.

Ok he is in a system which baffles me, you want him cut loose, Maybe the goal v us was a one off, I happen to think he is worth a punt, god knows we have wasted so much in M/F.