Everton Irish and Opposition Irish

Everton drew 2-2 with Tranmere tonight. Duffy started the match and had a solid game. Naismith scored to put Everton 1-0 at half-time. 10 outfield subs at half-time as Coleman, McCarthy, Gibson and McGeady were introduced. Coleman came off, hopefully as a precaution after stretching for a ball and tweaking a hamstring. Gibson looked like he hasn't been away. Some great long and short passing and a decent strike at goal. McGeady did well with a few teasing crosses. Unfortunately Everton lack any real strikers at the moment. It is crucial that they purchase a couple of good ones, hopefully sooner rather than later. Tranmere equalised through a Stones mistake, before Osman put Everton back in front from a corner. With Alcaraz marching out of position, Tranmere took full advantage and grabbed an equaliser. With Stones and Alcaraz both making poor mistakes, Duffy's solid first half looks more impressive.

Next up, Leicester on Sunday in Thailand.

Martinez on Gibson: "Darron looks really strong. It's been frustrating for him but the quality and the technical ability he brings to the side is superb."

Martinez says that Coleman was taken off as a precaution and confirms interest in young Belgian striker David Henen. He is still 18 and yet to even make his senior debut so they still need to bring in Lukaku or someone in that bracket.

Good report irwin. I would thank you but I cant on my samsung galaxy which I am regretting buying.

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Originally Posted by Irwin3

Everton drew 2-2 with Tranmere tonight. Duffy started the match and had a solid game. Naismith scored to put Everton 1-0 at half-time. 10 outfield subs at half-time as Coleman, McCarthy, Gibson and McGeady were introduced. Coleman came off, hopefully as a precaution after stretching for a ball and tweaking a hamstring. Gibson looked like he hasn't been away. Some great long and short passing and a decent strike at goal. McGeady did well with a few teasing crosses. Unfortunately Everton lack any real strikers at the moment. It is crucial that they purchase a couple of good ones, hopefully sooner rather than later. Tranmere equalised through a Stones mistake, before Osman put Everton back in front from a corner. With Alcaraz marching out of position, Tranmere took full advantage and grabbed an equaliser. With Stones and Alcaraz both making poor mistakes, Duffy's solid first half looks more impressive.

Next up, Leicester on Sunday in Thailand.

Martinez on Gibson: "Darron looks really strong. It's been frustrating for him but the quality and the technical ability he brings to the side is superb."

Martinez says that Coleman was taken off as a precaution and confirms interest in young Belgian striker David Henen. He is still 18 and yet to even make his senior debut so they still need to bring in Lukaku or someone in that bracket.

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Can't say a 2-1 defeat to a league two side is particularly encouraging!!!

Leicester will probably put a score past them!!

They drew 2-2, tricky.

Following a dire 1-0 defeat against Leicester and a 1-1 draw with Porto, Everton continued a lackluster pre-season tonight with a 3-1 defeat against Celta Vigo. McGeady showed positive signs and followed up his assist against Porto with a decent finish to put Everton into the lead. Without Lukaku and Mirallas the Everton attack continues to look weak. They really need another striker and attacking midfielder to come in, although Martinez is increasingly blowing colder with regards to new recruits. Osman, Naismith and Hibbert really stood out as poor in the 1st half with Stones adding another calamitous mistake to his pre-season as he gifted Celta Vigo a goal to make it 2-1.

With Everton 3-1 down at half-time, we saw 5 substitutes taking to the field. They included Gibson and Duffy, who joined McGeady and McCarthy on the field as Everton switched to a kind of 433 formation. Interestingly this saw Gibson playing deep centrally with Besic to his left and McCarthy to his right. Celta Vigo continued their assault on Everton in the early part of the second half, but as the half went on Everton grew into the game. Gibson and Besic in particular were impressive in getting a hold of the game. Barkley provided a great outlet at times and created some good chances for himself as well as Naismith who didn't make the most of these opportunities. Duffy was fairly impressive again apart from one moment of dwelling on the ball which came to nothing serious. For me, he should be ahead of Alcaraz and should be vying with Stones for the 3rd choice cb position. Stones looked better at rb in the second half. McCarthy was fairly quiet although I can see him growing into this system with perhaps more attacking licence. He had a decent left footed strike that the keeper saved and he was also on the end of a really poor two-footed challenge that should've been a red, really. Thankfully, he came through unscathed.

The signing of Lukaku was great for Everton, but the main worry is lack of quality at the top end of the field. Besic also looks like a great acquisition. Great technique and skill, good passing and he likes a sliding tackle. It is of course good to see Gibson come through another decent 45 mins following being precautionarily rested in the last game. Everton face SC Paderborn 07 on Saturday in their last pre-season game.

I've been thinking about this for a while with everyone squad and martinez suited management to cup runs they should focus on winING the europa league they won't get in the top 4.

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Originally Posted by Crosby87

Good report irwin. I would thank you but I cant on my samsung galaxy which I am regretting buying.

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Is that because you're on the mobile site maybe? If you select the menu button at the bottom of the phone and tick 'Request Desktop Site' you should have all the regular features that you'd have on your PC or laptop.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I've been thinking about this for a while with everyone squad and martinez suited management to cup runs they should focus on winING the europa league they won't get in the top 4.

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It'll certainly be interesting to see how he manages the squad and what competition he prioritises. Depending on results Everton could be a 3rd seed for the group stage and end up with a tough draw. Playing the 1st XI in europe may be the way to go. A mix of 1st and 2nd XIs being used in europe and the league could end up giving them the worst of both worlds.

Coleman (Stones/Hibbert) Jagielka (Stones/Duffy/Alcaraz) Distin Baines (Oviedo/Gardbutt)

McCarthy (Besic) Barry (Gibson)

Mirallas (McGeady) Barkley (Naismith/Osman) Pienaar (Oviedo)

Lukaku (Kone/McAleny)

The squad is ok. Proprities for new recruitments are a striker and attacking midfielder. The 2nd XI playing together would only get them so far. Early rounds of cups and against a weak europa team, perhaps.

Ya thats how I'd play and hope to see Martinez, their first 11 with a bit of experience are more than capable for most of the stronger teams from portugal and Spain.

http://giant.gfycat.com/CalculatingBlandIberianmole.gif

That's the one. Even though they were 3-1 up, a couple of their players started to lose it a bit in the second half with some unnecessarily reckless challenges.

Apparently they were like that in their other matches too. Some lad headbutted one of the Wolves players.

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Originally Posted by DeLorean

Is that because you're on the mobile site maybe? If you select the menu button at the bottom of the phone and tick 'Request Desktop Site' you should have all the regular features that you'd have on your PC or laptop.

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Or quote the post and write thanks like this:-

THANKS!!!

(low tech method!!)

McGeady and McCarthy start Everton's Premier League opener vs Leicester City. Coleman on the bench but no Gibson or Duffy.

Coleman on for McGeady to play the last six minutes.

Leicester almost immediately make it 2-2.

And Leicester immediately go and score. I knew that Coleman was a goal waiting to happen.

Yes Greedy McGeeady gets a goal then Coleman come on and the score, unmarked man in the right back position/area!!

However I think Stone was still playing there Coleman seem to be lolling around in the central right wing area but that is
pretty normal, anyhow the guy who scored was left by his marker in space on the right unmarked the ball passed to
him and he scored, so think it was Stones fault but I was viewing form a stream so hard to make players out.

Coleman wasn't to blame. It was Stones' man who was left in space, as you can see here. Stones was at right full.

Yes I think I said Stones was at LB however defending all round from Everton seems pretty shock
there, at least from my point of view away.
Is that Coleman above Stones?
Anyhow it seems the have about 5 or 6 players #marking' the man with the ball.

I mean there are 4 Leicester players, unmarked begging for the ball.

I would not even call it schoolboy defending because I have never seen a school team that bad!!!



It is hard to look at that and think that is top flight football!!!

Who is the Everton coach? Mickey Mouse?

Either I dont' understand football or modern players don't!!

Maybe I should give Everton a call and ask if they need a defensive coach???

Thanks for the video though, could not find it on youtube.

Aye, that's Coleman above Stones. Coleman had only entered on to the field of play so I don't even think you could say he'd had time to find a settled position, although he was supposed to be playing a bit further up the field than usual. It wasn't his man either way.

You can usually find vines of goals pretty easily on Twitter and directly after they're scored. Just search for the name of the player who scored along with the word "vine". ;)