Match Day Thread EVERTON v WATFORD

???

 

That was when we givted another goal. sorry. No offence to any of us.

 

Just hope the new goalie's confidence has not been shattered by this.

 

lost for words.

sorry for the bad language but well, think you lot understand.

got to forget this now or will be miserable all Sunday.

have a good weekend all.

 

When you see Cleverley step up for the penalty and then bottle it when you assumed Gray or Okaka would take it........

And then you remember the defending that put us behind in the first place

 

I am not sure the fact he came into the middle of a game helped.

No time to really prepare or time to get a good understanding with the defence.

 

Glad I don't have a cat.

 

Put me off my dinner this has.

 

That has got to be the most painful defeat in recent memory. It was just the manner of it that was so awful. Why put extra pressure on the ex-Everton player for the pen? Just can’t stop thinking about it. What a perfect win for an Everton fan though? 2-0 down at home to come back to 3-2 then a missed pen by an ex-player. Doesn’t get much better than that for a football fan. Think that’s why it feels so awful to us. Now the international break to stew over it too. Not sure I can face MOTD2. I need a drink.

 

Even the Everton fans say we were very good till the 65 minute - then somehow managed to gift them a win.

Of course missing a penalty to at least get a draw hardly helps..

Now we will have players low on confidence and injuries building up.

 

You don't need to be an attacking player to take a penalty, Baines has been taking theirs for years. Go back in our history, some of our best penalty takers have been Keith Pritchett, Ian Bolton. Very good penalty takers over the years have included Ian Harte, Stuart Pearce etc..
We have to assume Cleverly was always nominated as the penalty taker and wanted to take it.
I appreciate though at a time like this we look for all sorts of reasons for what happened

 

I get the sense that we lost confidence once Gomes went off.

 

It's not surprising. When a new goalkeeper comes on to make his debut midway through a match and then makes a howler in his first piece of action then it will affect the whole team. We need TD. captaining the team at times like that - we also need Seb Prödl back as soon as possible, and I would play Mapps from the start.

 

Very true but I am not sure for all his qualities Cleverley would have been first choice in the eyes of many but guess he was.

Of course our strikers might have not scored themselves but Gray for example has taken them for Burnley.

Speaking of full backs - even Holebas could have been an option.

Oh well - really should have ever got to that stage anyway.

Clearly there was a communication break down with the new keeper - a shame as now his confidence will be shot and our defence raising doubts again.

 

A very frustrating loss to take after being 2-0 up

Does seem the injuries to both Gomes then Kabasele were the turning points.

As for Cleverly, Silva has confirmed it was his choice to put Cleverley on penalties but maybe this match was a bit too emotional for him to take one - especially so late on, to equalise. You'd expect both Gray and Okaka to nominate themselves - Gray for confidence and Okaka to say get me in that team - but if Tom is the nominated penalty taker after Deeney, then he has to take it!

 

He doesn't have to take it Kev. Any player can say 'I don't feel up to this' whoever has been officially nominated - it's who feels up for it at the time which matters.

 

Yeah I get that... but I think the way Silva is with his players, he wouldn't look too kindly on Cleverley if he says he is not up to taking a penalty in the dying seconds, to equalise against his former club! Sometimes it motivates a player more, sometimes they feel the nerves!

 

Unfortunately we could all feel his nerves from a distance which is my point. Have you ever seen Deeney looking nervous before taking one ?

 

What you said. Verbatim.