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Setup at Everton is all wrong, he was never going to make a success of it. Fair play to him.

Can't disagree with that & although I'm defending Southgate to a point, I don't really rate him as a manager. My point is the team selection & formation on the face of it aren't the issue, it's how he plays them. Within those systems he still tends to go much too negative thinking that will...

Sure & we should certainly play on the front foot by all means, but you've got to also protect against your deficiencies. Teams that win tournaments are nearly always defensively sound first & foremost. We saw it ourselves with City, Robins had to be more pragmatic as we were shipping goals for...

Per 90mins is the best way to go, irons out those kind of queries.

This. It's why Everton have failed despite having had an excellent manager in Ancelotti & decent recruitment teams in place with the likes of Marcel Brands & previously Steve Walsh who they pinched from Leicester (discovered Mahrez & Kanté etc.) They don't have a model of what they actually want...

ACL Will miss start of next season.

Did he? I know he said he was taking those 2 regardless as he wants their experience & thinks they can feature at some point. The rules definitely don't state 'new' injuries...

Injury, illness or Covid contact. Nothing that says 'new' injury though. If he decides someone like Henderson or Maguire won't be 100% then he could change them. Not that he will but it allows flexibility. More likely is if someone gets injured in training or the friendlies then...

He can. Can be changed up to the day before the first game.

Starting XI v Croatia leaked...

Yeah, apparently approx £75m is amortisation & impairment & this doesn't count toward FFP.

They'll get a questionable valuation on the stadium & then sell it to themselves probably. Normal, accepted practice somehow.

28% Long Pass Accuracy 🤮 As stated earlier, I love Kelly as much as anyone but we need better in possession. I don't want my Midfielders aimlessly lumping the ball forward under minimal pressure. Sheaf is an enormous improvement in ball retention.

Indeed. And compare to Kelly too? I bet Kelly's Pass Completion % is in the 60s?

Sky have changed their tune & now saying TAA IS included. Wonder who misses out... Trippier? Or even Saka?

Eh? What have I twisted? Sheaf is already a done deal anyway so it's a moot point.

So if James chooses to go elsewhere you'd just have Kelly in that role with Eccles as backup? I love everything Kels has done for us & he's invaluable to keep around, but he's almost certainly going to miss huge chunks of games & his ball retention at this level is really, really poor.

Eccles has had 1 Championship start in that position in a dead rubber game. Sheaf was one of the best at the role in L1 & largely performed well in 21 starts there in the Championship. I'm sure Eccles will be great in the future but it's a big ask to expect him to be at that level immediately.

Criticised once or twice in a match thread sure but it's not held against him as a stigma like it is with Sheaf. re: Walsh, why is it one or the other? Especially as they play completely different roles. You wouldn't play Walsh & Hamer as the double pivot surely?

Sheaf is a huge upgrade in technical ability than Kelly & £750k (if true) for a young first team player on his way up is nothing in the grand scheme. If you want the finished article, stick another zero on that. Given time I think he'll be excellent for us. Also, it's funny how the giving ball...