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Everton Match Thread + Pre-Match Show with guest Ian Taylor (Live Now)
A couple of games spring to mind instantly against Everton for me, one where we got battered 5-1 in 1978 with Bob Latchford getting 4 goals and the other when Les Ferdinand completed his double hat-trick in April 1993. We did have a couple of players in Andy Sinton and Bradley Allen also get hat-tricks against Everton in the early nineties, but a clear indication of how much football has changed in that time is the fact we are now massive underdogs to get any kind of result at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Recent history has shown Everton are quite slow starters in the Premiership, though its fair to say watching our second half performance against Bolton Wanderers many of their players will be licking lips at the prospect of playing against us.
On reflection the first 45 minutes against Bolton was not that bad and if you brought a neutral into Loftus road, they would have been hard pressed to see which team came from the Championship, the worrying thing from our point of view was the lack of discipline showed after we conceeded a late goal in the first half and never at anytime in the second half did we make the Bolton keep make a save. We were not watching runners from midfield (something we don't have by the way), the lack of fitness or pace which enabled players like Petrov and Muamba to waltz pass our defence. I think tactically we offered no surprises in that second half and it become all a bit predictable and I know these players can play far better than they showed on Saturday, which leaves the game this Saturday to now focus on.
It goes without saying this week, we are all waiting with baited breath concerning the immenient takeover and already drawing up a list of players to replace the current ones. I suggest that Warnock will obviously be given funds to strengthen, but to expect the likes of Peter Crouch or Scott Parker to pitch up at Loftus Road is surely way off the mark. I do not see our wage cap being breached for any new player and certainly if you go after the better calibre players they will not even lace their boots for what we pay, in many ways its a sad indicment of football today and not Queens Park Rangers Football club. It is my understanding Warnock has highlighted key arears within the team that needs strengthening and whilst I would not expect anyone new before the weekend, its likely a few of those intended targets will be brought in by the time we play Wigan and conceivably a couple more on deadline day, once clubs have finalised the final 25's with the Premier League.
This current potential takeover in many ways reminds me of the last one, we the fans were full of optimisim though results on the pitch at that time were not very good. It's pretty much like we find ourselves today, though admittedly so far its been only one heavy defeat.
I am sure when Neil Warnock warned we would get tonked 4 or 5 nils this season quite often, he did not envisage the first one would be at home to Bolton. The team never gave us anything to cheer about and as said in my Bolton report, many players seemed overawed with the occasion. They really need to step up to the plate and fast. We all know Everton are a hard working side and under Moyles they are exceptionally hard to break down and it will be interesting to see how Warnock plans to address our obvious defensive deficiencies, whether he plans to play a holding midfielder in front of the back four in the shape of Connolly/Derry or plays a similar formation to the one that started against Bolton. I think the latter will leave us wide open and I can a similar scoreline, if we go there looking to avoid defeat it might be boring to watch, but we could just come away with something. I do believe these group of players are far better than they showed on Saturday, though whether they can put it right this Saturday is open to question
Everton have a couple of injuries and it will be interesting to see if Moyles starts with Arteta. Its unlikely that Kieron Dyer will be fit and with Clint hill suspendid, Warnock has a couple of dillemmas ahead of the trip to Goodison. We don't have great cover at left back (though Connolly has played there more than once) and at right back I felt Bradley orr was a little off the pace. In my opinion, this game will come a little too quickly to change our start around and I am expecting things to be really difficult on Saturday, though it is conceivable we could score our first goal of the season.
Prediction 3-1 to EVERTON.
My starting 11 to face EVERTON
Kenny
Orr
Gabbidon
Hall
Connolly
Derry
Busacky
Faurlin
Taarabt
Bothroyd
Campbell
Recent history has shown Everton are quite slow starters in the Premiership, though its fair to say watching our second half performance against Bolton Wanderers many of their players will be licking lips at the prospect of playing against us.
On reflection the first 45 minutes against Bolton was not that bad and if you brought a neutral into Loftus road, they would have been hard pressed to see which team came from the Championship, the worrying thing from our point of view was the lack of discipline showed after we conceeded a late goal in the first half and never at anytime in the second half did we make the Bolton keep make a save. We were not watching runners from midfield (something we don't have by the way), the lack of fitness or pace which enabled players like Petrov and Muamba to waltz pass our defence. I think tactically we offered no surprises in that second half and it become all a bit predictable and I know these players can play far better than they showed on Saturday, which leaves the game this Saturday to now focus on.
It goes without saying this week, we are all waiting with baited breath concerning the immenient takeover and already drawing up a list of players to replace the current ones. I suggest that Warnock will obviously be given funds to strengthen, but to expect the likes of Peter Crouch or Scott Parker to pitch up at Loftus Road is surely way off the mark. I do not see our wage cap being breached for any new player and certainly if you go after the better calibre players they will not even lace their boots for what we pay, in many ways its a sad indicment of football today and not Queens Park Rangers Football club. It is my understanding Warnock has highlighted key arears within the team that needs strengthening and whilst I would not expect anyone new before the weekend, its likely a few of those intended targets will be brought in by the time we play Wigan and conceivably a couple more on deadline day, once clubs have finalised the final 25's with the Premier League.
This current potential takeover in many ways reminds me of the last one, we the fans were full of optimisim though results on the pitch at that time were not very good. It's pretty much like we find ourselves today, though admittedly so far its been only one heavy defeat.
I am sure when Neil Warnock warned we would get tonked 4 or 5 nils this season quite often, he did not envisage the first one would be at home to Bolton. The team never gave us anything to cheer about and as said in my Bolton report, many players seemed overawed with the occasion. They really need to step up to the plate and fast. We all know Everton are a hard working side and under Moyles they are exceptionally hard to break down and it will be interesting to see how Warnock plans to address our obvious defensive deficiencies, whether he plans to play a holding midfielder in front of the back four in the shape of Connolly/Derry or plays a similar formation to the one that started against Bolton. I think the latter will leave us wide open and I can a similar scoreline, if we go there looking to avoid defeat it might be boring to watch, but we could just come away with something. I do believe these group of players are far better than they showed on Saturday, though whether they can put it right this Saturday is open to question
Everton have a couple of injuries and it will be interesting to see if Moyles starts with Arteta. Its unlikely that Kieron Dyer will be fit and with Clint hill suspendid, Warnock has a couple of dillemmas ahead of the trip to Goodison. We don't have great cover at left back (though Connolly has played there more than once) and at right back I felt Bradley orr was a little off the pace. In my opinion, this game will come a little too quickly to change our start around and I am expecting things to be really difficult on Saturday, though it is conceivable we could score our first goal of the season.
Prediction 3-1 to EVERTON.
My starting 11 to face EVERTON
Kenny
Orr
Gabbidon
Hall
Connolly
Derry
Busacky
Faurlin
Taarabt
Bothroyd
Campbell
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