With the game in Bangkok a few weeks before its a great opener! Quality team, tough start.

Reminds me of our opener against Norwich last season...that went well

I'd like to think that we're better than Norwich, in fact I know we're better than Norwich.
Still, its a tough game for us but looking forward to it

I really hope the players think they're playing Norwich too because they'll be in for a big surprise!

At times Everton will be chasing shadows as we stroke the ball around and our pace cuts through your defence, that's inevitable.

And with Jagielka and Baines in defence I don't think we'll struggle to score goals it will just be a case of can we keep out more than you?

Norwich on the other hand had no pace in the team and couldn't string more than a couple of passes together all season. We're not Norwich but I hope you think we are 👍

You do realise our defence was the third best in the league last year right? I'm not worried personally, last year we were slow out if the gates because we were adapting out style this year I have no such qualms

I do realise that but I've also seen enough of Jagielka at Sheffield United, Everton and England to know that he really isn't that good.

Too slow in his legs and his brain and the fact he plays for England just highlights how poor we are. Not in the same class as Terry, Ferdinand, Campbell, Keown, Adams, Butcher or even Steve Bould. Cahill carried him and does in every game, I'm sure our forwards won't mind playing him at all, in fact Nugent already did when he has when he was at PNE and he made him look a mug every time he played him so I don't think Nuge will be worried!

And Baines, he's not a defender in my opinion and he can't cross a ball so I really don't think Knockheart, Mahrez or Ritchie de Laet, who is faster than Lloyd Dyer, are going to be concerned by him at all.

So two of your back four have distinct weaknesses that we can definitely expose, I wouldn't be so confident if I were you because I'm pretty sure we'll score, it's just can we keep you out?

That I'm not sure about because you're a quality team but we will definitely cause you problems purely because of the quality football we play, the speed in which we move the ball and the pace and youth we have throughout the side. You'll be chasing shadows at times that's a guarantee.

Bookmarked

You have seen Baines play haven't you Arro? As in, Baines who is one of the best crosses and set piece takers in the prem?

This will be a tough game for us but being at home, we shout e looking to pick up points and I would be disappointed to come away with nothing.

Mersey - only for England which accounts for any Premiership players because I don't watch PL football, I have no interest in it, until now!

For England I have seen nothing of what you suggest though that is also what over heard but he gets turned inside out and definitely couldn't cross a ball, he didn't put in one single decent cross or corner in the any of the four or five games I watched so I can only base him on what I've seen 👍

Whatever reputation he has he looked ordinary for England and no say is he better than Cole! I didn't rate Berkeley either, he did nothing but show that he can't play wide because he doesn't know how to overlap af get down the wing, he's ok narrow and comes inside too much meaning we lack shape.

Stupid auto wrong - ^ no way is he better than Cole and Berkeley was too narrow. He looked like he could be good but not as a wide player. Again first time I'd seen him play too.

Also first time I saw Sterling play and he's next level.

Baines put in a cross in one of the friendliest which we scored off also jagielka scored in the same friendly

Barkley isn't a winger he's an attacking midfielder and like most of the England team all three play better for club than country

It's no coincidence we came 5th last year with these three in the team

Ok mate fair enough. Look I'm not going to sit here and tell you how good or bad your players are because you're the one that watches them every week not me.

I've seen Jagielka a lot and I really don't rate him, yeah he's decent but in my opinion he's not in the upper echelons of centre halves and there's a gulf between him and Cahill.

Baines again I've not seen a lot so I can only go on what I've seen for England and I've not been impressed. I can also see our players enjoying playing against him because I know how good they are and he doesn't look like he's got pace or likes being ran at and that's what our players do. Italy took us apart with a young lad with no experience and with Knocky/Mahrez running at him and de Laet overlapping we'll cause him some real problems. He's not Ashley Cole.

Berkeley well that makes sense then, I was getting really frustrated because he wasn't getting wide but if he plays centrally and was being played out of position so my judgement is unfair.

Everton are a quality team there's no doubt about that and we will have to be at our vey best to get a result but that's exactly what I expect from us. We will be ready and with a friendly in Thailand first this is definitely a winnable game for us.

Arro: I agree that Jags can be a bit suspect, but don't judge Baines on the World cup – and especially not the Italy match, where Rooney in effect just refused to coordinate with him in an 'I shouldn't be on the left, I should be in the middle' sulk.

When Moyes, newly installed at Man U, eventually decided (for some strange reason) that he could only afford to poach one of Fellaini and Baines from his old club, he chose to go with the wrong one. If he'd dropped his Fellaini bid and paid whatever was required to get Baines, I reckon Man U would still be in Europe and Moyes would not now be unemployed.

Barkley is class. When England finally give up the ghost on Gerrard and Lampard as CMs (about 2050, I fear) if he keeps his fitness (and doesn't let the media hoo-ha go to his head) he could get plenty of caps.

Under Martinez, Everton have become, unlikely though this may sound, quite an exciting outfit. They were well worth their 5th place last season. Whether they can do it again may depend on re-borrowing or even buying Lukaku.

Personally I think if Baines knew what he was doing as a full back he would have dragged Henderson in to cover inside so that he could keep his shape wide and then Rooney could try to pick up Henderson's player.
The fact he didn't makes me think he's more of a left midfielder than a full back and I still don't think our players will mind playing against him.

Berkeley I realise was played out of position so it will be good to see him next season.

Jagielka yeah my opinion won't change unless he has a blinder against us and makes me look a mug ha ha

Any team with Martinez is going to be quality. I like Everton and I hope they can go a step further and oust out Arsenal.

arrothefoxinoz

You've just been promoted and you're giving it large without a ball being kicked. Jags has been awful for England I'll admit,but he's never let us down,and nether has Baines. We haven't even bought anyone yet so how do you know what team you'll be facing? Martinez is looking to bring 7 new players.

Giving it large? Who is? I said we'll cause you problems because we will and if you knew anything about us at all you'd realise that we won't just be your standard promoted team, we walked the league by playing football and learning how to dig deep and not get beaten.

We can play football and we have pace so inevitably that's going to cause problems and I believe that is all I have suggested!

I would imagine you'll be starting with Jagielka and Baines as a certainty and I like I said I really don't think Nuge will fear playing him when he's always scored against him several times in the past, a strikers dream.

Knocky or Mahrez and de Laet will all enjoy running at Baines so you'll need a quick winger to keep up with them.

I said I didn't know if we'd be able to keep you out because you're a quality team there's no doubt about that but this game is winnable.

Who knows who we'll sign too but I'm certain that Pearson will sign who we need because our owners have the money and Pearson is very shrewd in the transfer market.

Just because we've only just been promoted doesn't mean that you're going to beat us. Our difficulties have come when teams park the bus and we have to break them down. The teams that come and attack leave too many holes and our pace exposes it. Defenders in the Premiership are no quicker than the Championship!

You should win but I wouldn't be expecting an easy game.

we walked the league by playing football and learning how to dig deep and not get beaten.

9 points isn't walking the league,didn't Cardiff have a similar lead and look what happened to them.

That's ok you tell yourself that and I really hope your manager and players think the same too because we are not Cardiff.

We played football to get out of this league and won it with six games to go, smashed all kinds of records and were considered by every other manager to be a country mile above the rest of the league. We're the best team to have been promoted in a long long time and this is the best team we've seen ever seen at Leicester so to think we're another Cardiff is disrespectful to be honest.

Cardiff Pld 46 W25 D12 L9 F72 A45 Pts 87 GD+ 27
City. Pld 46 W31 D9 L6 F83 A43 Pts 102 GD+40

The season Cardiff got promoted we absolutely hammered them, had 25 shots on goal, 18 on target and had 65% possession but we couldn't score and Bellamy had one chance and scored.

That's how Cardiff won promotion, by grinding out results without very much quality whereas we played our way to the title with an abundance of quality.

We dominated everyone, won nine games on the bounce and were top of the league and walking away with it since December and nobody got anywhere near us. You're going to get a big shock!!

Don't remember supporters of PL clubs ( with the exception of utd and Liverpool) being this pretentious 10 yrs ago

Yeah I know what you mean. With the exception of the top four, every team are beatable on any day and Everton at home really is a game that we can look to win and get off to a fantastic start.

Nobody will expect us to get anything but the difference with clubs like Everton and the top teams, they don't have world class players who no matter what you do for 93 mins, will beat you with a bit of of class in the 94th.

At the moment I can't see too much to fear from Everton, here's last seasons squad;

1- Joel Robles
2- Tony Hibbert
3- Leighton Baines
4- Darron Gibson
5- John Heitinga
6- Phil Jagielka
8- Bryan Oviedo
9- Arouna Kone
10- Gerard Deulofeu
11- Kevin Mirallas
12
13-
14- Steven Naismith
15- Sylvain Distin
16-
17-
18-
19- Magaye Gueye
20- Ross Barkley
21- Leon Osman
22- Steven Pienaar
23- Seamus Coleman
24- Tim Howard
25- Marouane Fellaini
26- John Stones
27- Apostolos Vellios
28- Victor Anichebe
29- Luke Garbutt
30- Francisco Junior
31- Matthew Kennedy
32- Antolin Alcaraz
33- John Lundstram
34- Shane Duffy
35- Conor McAleny
36-Tyias Browning
37- Hallam Hope
38- Matthew Pennington
39- Conor Grant
40- Ibou Touray
41- Chris Long

Not a huge amount to fear in there and take off 18 goals scored by Barry and Lukaka and they scored 43 which was the same as West Brom who finished fourth bottom.

Well, I think the top 4 is slowly becoming a top 7, or more of a top 4 with a next 3.

Last season Southampton and Newcastle seemed to spend most of the season in 8th and 9th but Newcastle were is disarray in the last 3rd of the season and southampton look set to lose more of their best assets. Stoke were the only other team never really in any danger of dropping and will probably have a similar season.

So taking that in to account and if the bottom half remains as competitive (low quality if you ask me) as was last season then 9th down to 20th really is anyones.

I'd happily settle for 17th right now but I wouldn't be surprised if we did finish in the top 10.

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But there is nowt to fear, we don't play with that mentality.
The worse that can happen is we lose.

But there is nowt to fear, we don't play with that mentality.

You won't be posting that if you're at the wrong end of the table come Christmas.

Why? Still isn't a reason to fear your opponent. We will play to win I guarantee it. Just hope we're successful at it enough times during the season

If we're at the wrong end of the table so be it, will still be a long way to go. Its where you are at the end of May that counts