Garnacho wondergoal deflates Everton’s defiant wrath

He’s in the top right hand corner, just behind Wally.

And the Arteta money.

I normally wouldn’t sit up this late and would catch a replay in the morning before knowing the score but this is one match that I just can’t miss.

Lonergan and Beto still on international duty or was one of them supposed to give the other a lift to training but lost the address?

Come on you Blues!!!

A historic day in the making. Let’s hope it is momentous for all the right reasons.

I’m with those who feel ‘Corrupt’ is not the best tagline for our campaign. I just think it will make supporters from other clubs less keen to get behind us as there is no evidence that the Premier League hierarchy have acted according to some other clubs’ wishes.

Greedy, self-serving, divorced from the ‘spirit’ of the game – all these things are obvious… but not quite the same as ‘corrupt’. Servile, weak, supine, cowardly, tin-pot, hollow are all fairly accurate but I would have gone for ‘money-grubbing’.

It’s all in the balance but relegation would be hard to survive. Hopefully the fight back gets off to the best start today. UTFT!!!

Is that the only thing you’ve taken from 35 minutes of play Ernie? Ashley Young only did one thing wrong that I could see though the yellow is a big problem for him.

What is the main issue is that effort and fight (from players and supporters) won’t necessarily get us out of the hole that the Premier League have dropped us in. A world-class finish has upped the pressure on us and that added pressure is being ramped up the longer we go without scoring.

Man Utd aren’t a good side but they’ve seemingly acquired the knack of winning despite that. We have often played better than the results would indicate.

Praying the ‘luck’ is with us today. Need to avoid any more yellows and sucker-punch goals first off and then hope we can convert a couple of the chances we should be able to generate.

COYB!

First of the funny games that Sky/Optus must be playing. I first try to log on to the game but I’m met with a black screen so, after a few minutes, I log out and then log back in.

This time I get several minutes of ads so after 5 minutes log out and go back in to again get a black screen… then about 9 seconds before kick-off, the picture and sound come through but there is a buzzing similar to a vacuum cleaner to drown out the crowd. So if anything happened then I don’t know about it.

Anyway, on to the game. That was a great goal from the kid but again Young was playing at defending, nowhere near his man and no intention of trying to get near the ball.

We were missing Onana making himself available for the ball and McNeil and Garner were nowhere to be found. After 30 minutes we picked up and could/should have scored three or four, Calvert-Lewin powder-puffin headers and Gana still can’t shoot despite having a good game.

Finally, with biased refereeing like this, no wonder United are a team full of divers as they get almost everything they fall over for.

We get awarded a free kick, United player kicks the ball away, and Doucoure gets a yellow for complaining about it. The “advantage” incident was ridiculous too.

Spectre of Wayne Rooney over their goal, might end up being goal of the season.

First half overall reminded me of the early season “xG” matches; we have to bury some of those chances. COYB

Of course not Si, but he’s they only real selection we have to make.

He’s done far more than one thing wrong. All he does is shovel the ball up the line. Every time.

Same old story. I’m done with Dyche.

Young is the new Holgate. Calamity. Should not be on the Pitch to start, and at least taken off when he got the reckless, unnecessary yellow card.

Well I guess that those of us who thought the players would give as much fight as the supporters were mistaken, they have reverted to their previous home form.

The manager still can’t realize what a hindrance Ashley Young is.

Bill (16), I disagree. I thought that this was one of the best performances by Everton this season.

One wonder goal, 1 penalty and yes, 1 poor goal to concede. But those were the only 3 chances that Man Utd had. But, otherwise I thought we played some slick football.

We should have taken at least 2 of three golden chances in the 1st half – Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure and Gueye. 2nd half, Onana pulled off a great save from Gana and Mykolenko was unlucky to hit the crossbar.

If we play like that most of the remaining matches, we will be okay.

Immensely disappointing. Gone back to bed.

Ashley Young is a liability. Doesn’t matter how fit he is, how experienced he is, he has crossed the line and lost the edge needed to play in the Premier League.

Yet again a turning point, surely his last start for us?

We were decent today but didn’t take our chances, while Man Utd took theirs with aplomb.

Deflating for sure, but our biggest battle is going to be the appeal against the points deduction.

We’re going to be in the Bottom 3 for a while yet, and we just have to hope that Luton don’t get too far away from us. Keep playing like this and we will pick up points, I’m just not sure if we can pick up enough to make up for the ridiculous 10-point disadvantage.

Well when is a bear pit not a bear pit? When we lose with a whimper. It will be our lack of goal-scoring that sends us down if we go.

I thought Tarkowski was good, Garner okay… worst 2 wingers in the league and a centre forward who scored 1 out of 5 good chances.

From my seat in the Park End, it was a stonewall penalty.

On to Forest where we need to get something before all the passion fritters away.

Bill, that’s a ridiculous statement. Have you ever played top level sport? It’s very rarely decided simply on level of fight.

Adrenaline is obviously something people don’t get. The right level and it’s a boost but too much and control disappears.

I saw plenty of good ‘attitude’ but too much anxiety, snatching at chances plus stupid attempts to win an unwinnable ball. The first goal made the task one of expending too much effort just to get back to parity.

The 10-point deduction is crippling, the sense of injustice might fuel the fans but isn’t exactly what the players need. Difficult fixtures in a row, some injuries probably inevitable and the likelihood of suspensions to come mean the task ahead of the players is immense.

Out of misery you have to find the positives and be objective.

The positives. Branthwaite again. Mykolenko impressing also. Being objective. Young must never start again. Seamus is fit so he and Patterson have to share the duties.

Most importantly. Don’t be so horribly wasteful and put the ball in the net. I think that is the aim of the game. It was, as I forecast yesterday, one of those games that somehow you knew was coming. It is going to be very stressful from here on in.

Man Utd showed how to score: three shots (one miraculous), three goals. We had double the shots and rarely actually threatened. We have to score in periods when we are in charge of the game.

Spirited and gutsy, but calmness in front of goal is a skill, not an attitude.

Imo… we where what we are. Ineffective against half-decent teams, Maguire had Calvert-Lewin in his pocket all day.

We don’t attack with any flair or pace and there were gaping holes in the defence.

Only caught the second half. Only consolation is, unlike the FSW and Lampard teams this one didn’t fold and hide.

I think the international breaks always affect our rhythm and maybe it will be our away form which will save us.

Again had trouble logging for the 2nd half and had this black screen again until the picture came on 45 seconds into the half but at least the vacuum cleaner was switched off.

Not much to add other than VAR decided the slight touch was more convincing than the dive but really what more can Young do to get dropped altogether, he’s past it.

Didn’t see any signs of any protest other than some red cards that you couldn’t pick out what they were representing but then the crowd behind the goal was rarely shown.

I’m sorry but McNeil and Garner showed nothing and I thought Gana did as well if not better than most except for his usual shooting. If some think Onana isn’t upto much then perhaps today showed how he is missed but we really do need a clinical striker, Calvert-Lewin just seems to go through the motions and Doucoure seems to have started missing most of his chances.

Back to the appeal then, eh?

I thought we played well today and that scoreline flatters them. We just couldn’t score. You just knew those fluffed chances in the first half would cost us.

Ashley Young is a liability, I’m afraid. He’s cost us again because that mistake for the penalty killed the game.

On another day, we equalise and get something. They’re a better team than people think and are on a good run. Today is disappointing but, if we play like that against the teams in the bottom half, then we’ll be okay.

Not sure where Beto was but Calvert-Lewin needs genuine competition. Harrison needs to offer more end-product and not just work-rate. I thought Tarkowski, Branthwaite and Gueye were good today.

We really need to get the points reduction reduced because these players, try as they might, won’t do it. We need to be 10 points better than three teams. We aren’t.

Manchester United were a remarkable price today because form and ability were ignored in the belief that passion would suffice.

We are Everton, fight on, stick together, up and at them, keep the faith, three teams worse, etc, etc. Meaningless platitudes, sadly.

We need to win the appeal and get some points back. We need our lawyers to show some backbone because our players are frightened and fragile.

What’s really worrying is this is the worst Man Utd side in recent – 20-year – history.

Surely Onana and Gana in midfield. Garner slows everything down and his first impulse is always to go backward.

Gueye didn’t protect the defence and continually bailed out of his defensive midfield role. Young should have been subbed at half-time.

The home form is a real worry and, if Dyche doesn’t sort it quickly, then we are going down. I think the -10 points is too much of a hurdle to overcome.

It can get worse. This is Everton, it will.

There’s no quality on or off the pitch. Dyche gives slow learners a bad name.

Thelwell signs bad names. But he has a master plan, apparently.

Young is a liability, we need Seamus back next week. He should have been subbed at half-time, that’s two games he’s cost us, and another early booking.

The penalty finished us, and that’s down to Dyche. McNeill, Young, Doucour! and Harrison were poor, and I thought Danjuma was shocking.

I hope Seamus and Onana are fit for Forest, and Dyche must pull the finger out, and bin Young. Massive game next Saturday.

If Ashley Young continues to be the Liverpool All-comers hokey-cokey champion, he will single-handedly (or perhaps single-footedly) take us into the Championship.

I hope he spends more time on the bench.

Didn’t get to see the game but, by all accounts, we let a very poor Man Utd side dominate us. Really, really poor today.

For every win in us, there is another defeat… which is why, unless we get big investment, we will remain a Bottom 6 side.

As for Dyche, it’s a difficult one but I think the club needs to review his position at the end of the season. Tactics and subs are baffling.

So much for coming out on a mission.

An absolute awful start which basically set the tone.

We all know there are weaknesses in this team that are easily exposed by talented teams like Man Utd but unfortunately Dyche has to go with the hand he has been dealt fully, which will result in defeats like this against this kind of opposition with big money behind them.

It’s going to be a big struggle but won’t get easier when you concede so early, even on your own ground.

These aren’t the games that will define the season.

Man Utd are in that monied group forming the higher echelon of the Premier League that walk all over us 9 times out of 10.

We are dross hoping our level of dross outguns the dross of 3 others – well in, Moshiri.

Pat 34, don’t talk rubbish. There’s plenty of quality in the squad. The promoted teams can’t draw on the likes of Danjuma or Gueye when injuries hit. Or Beto. Or Patterson.

Let’s not lose our heads because the form side in the Premier League and Champions League side beat us; we actually did okay today. On another day ,the scoreline might have been different.

And it was great to see us keep going, even at three-down.

Some really harsh judgements on some of the players I’m reading – including Ashley Young.

I’m not happy he is starting ahead of Patterson but we didn’t lose that game due to his lack of contribution. Okay, the penalty was a bad choice but plenty of penalties happen that way and few defenders don’t dangle a leg every now and then.

The problem was how far United advanced in that move without any sort of challenge. No foot in by Young and I think Martial is through and scores anyway.

We have a thin squad. Dyche has to wring every ounce out of everyone. Young put in some crosses that probably deserved someone making more of them.

One of the most disappointing things about today for me was that I tried and tried but hardly ever felt any “defiant wrath” in the second half and not a huge amount after 10 minutes to be honest.

It’s so easy for me to say this sitting here 4,000 miles away, but it saddened me to see those thousands of empty seats with 5 minutes to go. It seems like we were given the opportunity to make some sort of emphatic statement today, but we didn’t.

Perhaps the occasion was too big?

We regroup, move on, stay strong, get something at Forest.

The team performance was not that bad and Man Utd were flattered by the scoreline.

I wouldn’t complain too much about the ref as he could easily have sent off Young when he awarded the penalty.

Chermiti looked sharper than Calvert-Lewin in his brief cameo.

Danny, we did okay today? Seriously! I hope we don’t do as well again. Maybe losing 0-3 is okay on some planet.

And I wouldn’t rely on Danjuma or Beto to turn up any time soon. Or ever.

The Coaching team are all Burnley and add to that on the pitch we have Tarkowski and McNeil from Burnley. Harrison from Leeds. Young from Villa’s reserves, Garner from Man Utd’s reserves, Gueye from PSG’s reserves. The bench are all journeymen such as Keane, Danjuma, Godfrey, Patterson and a very old Coleman.

If you buy reserves and Championship players, then you end up in the Championship. We’ve circled the drain for two seasons and now we have had a load of bleach to send us on our way.

Christine,

I really really hope so.

Definition of a liability.

“Didn’t get to see the game but by all accounts we let a very poor Man Utd side dominate us. Really really poor today.”

Don’t know who your sources are, Kunal, but that’s just not a good representation of the game, especially the first half which really should have been about 4-1 to us. Their goal was an out-of-the-blue, unstoppable, world-class finish that was pretty much the sum of their threat first half.

Game realistically ended after their second but that could be said to have been against the general run of play up to that point.

Also Kunal, big investment isn’t allowed, that is how we ran foul of the PSR. Spending is limited by genuine income, a wealthy owner putting their money in directly doesn’t count as income.

Thought it was a typical after the international break performance. Expecting this team to rise to the occasion was a tall order.

Young starting and not subbed at half-time, even with a yellow card, was as expected, and an injured Beto mean’t that Calvert-Lewin failed to lead the line. Typical pressure arrived as a result in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

We didn’t play poorly.

Si @42 I couldn’t disagree more about Young.

His penalty completely changed the complexion of the game. It was a stupid challenge and once again he’s completely screwed the team in a big game. Remember the Liverpool game?

Young is a mess in big games. He always makes mistakes of real consequence. He should have been sent off today as well.

He is a serious and very real weak link in a team full of guys giving 100%. He is a liability, and my only criticism of Dyche is why in the fuck does he start this guy in front of Patterson?

I don’t like him in Blue, never have, and hope he doesn’t play another game for Everton. His contribution today turned the game on its head – in the polar opposite direction of what we needed and wanted.

This is a tough season and this result is a real kick in the nuts at a low moment for us.

We’ve been done by possibly the best overhead kick I’ve ever seen. Better than Rooney or Bale. Extraordinary bit of skill and so early on, it’s swung the game massively in Man Utd’s favour.

Even then we probably should have been 2-1 up by the time they score the penalty. And 2-2 would have looked about right on balance. Very fine margins.

So the result is shit but we will play at that level and at least draw more often than not, you would hope.

Personally, I think we’re in much better shape to stay up now than we were when Dyche took over. There’s a lot of games to play, the squad is improving albeit slowly and we’re definitely better than at least 3 other teams.

It’s just not the “fuck you” fairytale we were all hoping for.

Yes, we definitely weren’t dominated – Man Utd simply had more quality at the top end of the pitch.

And, although it didn’t really affect the result, that was among the most incompetent reffing displays I’ve seen this season. Utterly useless and inconsistent.

I’ve said all season, if there’s one thing that will take us down it will be the form at home.

We lose most games let’s be honest, that’s five losses already with Newcastle, Chelsea, Man City and Villa the next four in the league.

It will be the away form that has to accumulate enough points to stay in the league.

Too much nervous energy expended before kick-off by all concerned, methinks.

Dyche will need to start thinking up a Plan B. Plan A may well work away from home but it ain’t working at Goodison. Also, make subs that change the pattern of play, not more of the same, unless we are winning of course.

We need world-class lawyers to get that 10-point deduction turned into a fine, as playing with it is a weight too much for these players.

And so the moaners start!

The opposition were 6th, without the points deduction we were 15th. A wonder goal so early was always going to be a big blow and the VAR really summed up our week. This was not a bad defeat but a game where our luck was right out at both ends of the pitch.

We pressed very well, had a number of chances and weren’t scared to have a go. The crowd went quiet which was disappointing if not understandable. Our wingers are not playing very well and I can’t see what Danjuma has that we were so keen to have!

This was never going to be easy and we will look so much better with Seamus and Amadou in the team. We need to dig in, work hard and don’t let a loss to a Big 6 team affect us. There’s a long way to go.

Robert @51,

I think that’s the best goal I’ve ever seen. What was it? A 20-yard cross?

To hit that ball overhead, leaving your feet as it speeds through the air so quickly is simply ridiculous.

Everyone in my house actually yelled out, it was that good.

I reckon our squad put up a great fight to get us some points recently. Never mind their part in the humiliations by Luton, Wolves and Fulham. Imagine their horror to have those hard fought points taken away.

Any Evertonians among them would have taken this as a spur to seek revenge. Any of the hired hands (and we have a few) will see it as an excuse. Our team have an excuse to relegate us.

Today was utterly predictable. Down to Dyche now. He was poor today.

I’m sorry, boys (players). 40,000 fans. £40,000 raised to fight injustice. 40,000 voices (and reasons?) to call out the Premier League.

And on the pitch, the one place we have charge of, you let us down.

Yes, I’m (just about) keeping faith, as are so many on here and elsewhere. But are you? Are they?

Onward. In Dyche we (have to) trust. #UTFT #EFC

ps: I’ve just cancelled my Sky subscription as per another thread.

That goal on 2 minutes was like getting struck by lightning, it was the million-to-one goal.

Still, we got ourselves into the game and we’re the better team in the first half overall. It was very disappointing that we didn’t convert at least one of those very good chances that fell to Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin and Gana. The game really hinged on us grabbing an equaliser from one of those.

The penalty was the killer, Young was dangling his leg and it was asking for it. Martial knew the script and down he went. I would prefer the inexperienced Patterson to be given a run in the team, but the manager mustn’t be seeing enough in training? Seamus back could solve the problem anyway, we’ve missed the captain.

I thought we played not far from our usual standard today but they were clinical and we were not. With the point deduction, even if it’s reduced, we will have to address that fast.

Shithouse football from a shithouse manager.

All this talk of tapping into the crowd, bearpit etc — has nobody told Dyche that the players need to engage the crowd?

We sat back and just let them come at us. They scored almost immediately, albeit with a worldy. When we finally came back into it towards the back end of the 1st half, it was because we pressed and harried them into mistakes and had numerous chances.

When we needed to start the 2nd half in the same vein, what did we do? Sat back and invited them onto us again.

Imo, a dodgy penalty but we invite that kind of pressure. Man Utd are a poor team and we let them toy with us. The lack of pressing and effort from the players just killed the crowd.

As I say, awful football tactics from Dyche. Been the same all season. Just when we need a bit of momentum, we throw in a performance like that. Just cowardly from Dyche and the team. I can’t believe where we’re at now, no identity, shit manager and players whose default position is go backwards.

Dyche gave this up on 80 mins when he took Calvert-Lewin off. Harrison had a mare as did most of the midfield yet most stayed on the pitch.

So deflated after that, first time in a long time I’ve left the match early. Dyche makes Moyes look like a tactical genius. How low can we go?

Kenwright and Moshiri between them have killed this Club. I’ve been going to the game since the mid-70s and seen a lot of shite but nothing as gutless as this shower. It’s soul-destroying.

Right, I have to say first off I’m as angry and bewildered as the next Everton fan. But, for all those complaining, for all those saying we’ll be fine, just take a sneaky peak at the table as it stands.

We are deep into the poop, and think that lots of fans, indeed lots on ToffeeWeb, need to get real.

We are in grave danger of going down. Forget the “We are a big club” crap. We aren’t and outside of a historical context, haven’t been for a generation. All the club can do is take each game at a time and hope things go their way.

This weekend it didn’t happen. Next weekend it might or might not. No one knows, so please can the posters who claim to be olde worlde soothsayers give it a rest.

People on the Live Forum today highly critical of the performance must have watched a different game from me. I thought the effort was there and having someone with the ability to put the ball in the net would have made a massive difference. But we don’t, not on a regular basis anyway.

This great club has no divine right to be in the Premier League. Those who do think so are, in my opinion, wrong. Certainly Dyche needs to bench Young, but the team are making chances; making and taking are two very different things.

I can’t accept the blind negativity from some. Yes, things are bad right now and will very likely become a lot worse. Pragmatism and an understanding of the present predicament would go a long way towards the sanity of some people.

We might survive or we might not. I’ve had to ask myself how I would feel if my Everton were to be relegated. Sad, angry at Moshiri and his idiocy (new stadium apart). But there’s also a part of me that wouldn’t really mind. Having got over the original shock, it might not turn out to be so bad.

I thought we might’ve got something today but never expected to. Decades of watching Everton have taught me never to expect anything.

So, I am grateful and happy that they scraped survival the last two seasons… Do I think they can for a third time, sadly no. And it’s only my opinion, and they’re like arseholes aren’t they? Yes, I know I’ve set myself up for a kicking with that last sentence, so fire at will.

Si, you are kidding me. He was on a tightrope after getting another yellow card early doors. He did the same against Diaz.

Every player he marks is quicker than him so he relies on blocking him off or diving in. He has cost a point at Anfield. 2 against Brighton (not because of the deflection but because his legs had gone and he didn’t get closer to Mitoma).

The odd decent cross does not anywhere near justify his place in the starting 11. I am crapping myself when he’s anywhere near the team. He’s been a good player but way past it now.

Anyone know why Beto wasnt on the bench?

“His penalty completely changed the complexion of the game.”

No it didn’t Jamie, it just set the seal on what had been an intensely frustrating game up to that point. Martial would have scored then anyway if he hadn’t been brought down.

Why should he have been sent off? For the challenge that gave the penalty away? No way was that a bookable offence.

Did you honestly think we were just about to equalise / surge ahead in the game at any point in the second half?

Their early goal was my worst nightmare and the game panned out exactly as I expected. As I posted earlier some people really don’t seem to understand the effects of adrenaline. We simply didn’t need to have to chase the game because we are really not good at that sort of thing. Nine times out of ten this squad will concede rather than equalise when having the extra pressure of having to come from behind.

It is actually embarrassing for the whole ‘resistance’ movement that supporters left early today.

It wasn’t to be today.

Sean Dyche beginning to sound like Walter Smith: Lost 3-0 but it’s a ‘pretty decent performance’.

Must do better and get out of the Bottom 3 as soon as possible. If we go into February or March lower than 14th, then it might be curtains.

Regardless of the horrors to come from the Premier League and their commission, the fight on the pitch must continue, but we have to force it.

We can’t just sit back and wait for other teams to have an off day.

Just win the ‘winnable’ games please.

As much as we all wanted this one more than anything, I’m proud of the effort today. Aside from the wonder strike, they didn’t have any good chances all first half, and we had at least 4-5 of them. Obviously you have to finish those chances, much like earlier in the season, but if we get just one it’s an entirely different match. And the match is entirely different without the silly penalty, which was harsh but inevitable with how slow Young is. Without the pen, I think we come back to grab a point.

I’m rarely one to praise the team when we’ve just lost 3-0, but aside from Ashley Young — who is becoming our new Michael Keane, with an error in him every other match — we weren’t that bad. Even Gana today was pretty good, with his best ever strike from distance cancelled out by his big miss earlier on. Once Dyche finally comes around and starts playing Patterson, now that we have enough sample size to show that he couldn’t be any worse at right back, we’ll be fine barring any injuries.

We obviously can’t go on a run without picking up points, but I still think we’re good enough to survive. This brutal run in December will tell us a lot. The doomsayers may say otherwise, and we have no divine right to stay up, but just like the last 2 years, we will find a way, especially because we’re better this year.

Trevor,

“I can’t accept the blind negativity from some.

I thought we might’ve got something today but never expected to. Decades of watching Everton have taught me never to expect anything.”

That blind negativity is hard to see sometimes.

I thought the pink placards were a good stand out before the game but I would have preferred to see this tag line:

Masters

(PL LOGO)

of Corruption

If you play well, you should get a result, as playing well means you are defending well and scoring, we done neither.
A game is over 90 min so there will be times when you play well, it is what you do during this time that defines a game. We have just lost another home game where we should be getting at least a draw.
Regardless of the points reduction we still had only 1 player who has been playing regularly over the last number of games missing.
Why the manager insists on A.Young as full back I don’t know, he may have experience but his lack of speed negates that and means he needs the winger to provide coverage.

We need every point we can get, so showing training videos where the players are zipping the ball around to each other without looking doesn’t cut it.

To day a wonder goal may have been a body blow, but there was still lots of time to turn it around, and here’s hoping we can get over today”s result and look forward to the next game and everyone learns from it

Who came up with the idea of little pink placards ? And what was written on them in protest ? “Down with this sort of thing “ ?

What exactly was that more than 40K spent on? Did the ineffectual plane swallow it all up? I didn’t see a single “special”/costly protest banner in the ground? Weren’t we told when we contributed that money would be spent on banners?

Genuine question: who put the red (red?) cards on all the seats? Was that something done by the club or from the 40K with the club’s say so?

Jamie @ 58..
Everyone at our house, all three of us roared out also when that went in but it was far from complimentary!
Something like “Holy fuck, for fuck sake – give us a fucking break – you lucky ., Pickford should have saved that – should never have allowed that cross
…dickheads and so on.
Bottom line is if Calvert Lewin was Harry Kane, we would have won that.
Dyce needs to drop Young, I said a month or so back he is too easily skinned with tricky wingers and becomes a liability – I would imagine Coleman will be in there once fit enough.
Was there a bear pit atmosphere ?

So five points behind Luton, we must hope for a reduction in our points penalty, but nothing to worry about – eh !!

Little difference in the scheme of things, but…

watch the slo-mo of the “penalty”. Young is drawing his foot backwards, away, when Martial steers his foot outwards to find it. Cheating at high speed, again.

Ref was right first time and in a good position to see it.

“So five points behind Luton, we must hope for a reduction in our points penalty, but nothing to worry about – eh !!”

Not if we get 6 points chopped off, Oliver, which does not seem utterly improbable.

We all see things slightly differently, don’t we? I am as disappointed as anyone about this result.

Going into the match, I was optimistic that we could grind out a result against this Man Utd team but the script was changed when they scored an incredible goal on 3 minutes. The same player tried to repeat the strike in the second half and missed by a country mile.

We created 4 good opportunities to grab an equaliser and get ahead before half-time time but with no luck. We are where we are and I believe that we are better than at least 3 teams by a margin exceeding the 10 points that we have been penalised.

Calvert Lewin is leading the attack as well as ever but he seemed isolated, with 2 red shirts marking him and a lack of a blue shirt within 5 metres of him to receive a layoff.

Onwards to Sheffield, COYB.

I understand there will be a protest against the lack of protest. The chant will be forty grand, forty grand, forty grand…

Unlike previous protests, this protest is player led. Contributions thru their GoFindMe page.

A Ray of Sunshine

As many on here know, I look at the 38 fixtures and add the results from last year for fixtures yet to happen to those already completed.

Just updated the table – deducting Everton 10 points

Currently this is
20th Luton 21 points
19th Sheff Utd 28 points
18th Burnley 29 points
17th Everton 31 points

We can do this – and well done Mr Burnham for his letter.

“Once Dyche finally comes around and starts playing Patterson, now that we have enough sample size to show that he couldn’t be any worse at right back”

He needs to be better than not any worse (which he may well be) which would make him just as bad.

I’m sorry, but despite the rants Ashley Young did not cost us the game today. Sean Dyche’s tactics did not cost us the game. Not converting any of plenty of decent chances in the first half and United’s efficiency with theirs cost us the game.

Paul Ferry @80, there were 4 new banners in Gwladys Street, Park End had a banner also.

Nobody put the placards on the seats, they were handed out outside the ground.

I’m guessing Sky didn’t do a close-up of the banners for fear of upsetting their mates at Premier League headquarters.

Too much hype today, honestly feared the worst. I wasn’t comfortable with this frustration, it’s put too much pressure on the players

We will be better when things calm down as on paper I still believe we are 10 points better than the Bottom 3

I’m glad this game is over

Let’s get back to where we were a couple of weeks ago

The more important games for us are against the teams around us and bottom half, starting with Forest away next week

There are still 25 games to go. People on here reacting we are 5 points behind Luton with a handful of games to go

Get a grip, stay optimistic and move on to the next game.

I haven’t read all the posts on here before posting. I know I should have but the thought of reading more negative words prevented me from doing so. Sorry.

My own negative thoughts therefore are briefly as follows. The idea of the fans splurging how ever much on an aeroplane towing a banner, “corrupt” cards and various other banners, whilst in theory seemed to be a popular idea, it did nothing except highten tensions amongst all concerned which played against us on the pitch. United were up for this match as much as we were except that they didn’t have as much as us on the outcome which, in the event played into their hands. They got a fortunate, if superb, goal after only 3 minutes. Bad for us and good for them. They didn’t really look back. A fortunate penalty and the game was over.

Please no more banners etc prior to future games. By all means cheer on the players on but let the games flow naturally and not put the players under any more pressure than they are under already. It isn’t helpful or necessary.

We can get out of trouble but it is going to take a bit longer than some would have hoped for initially. The Manager and the players know what is needed. Leave them to get on with it.