Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on David Moyes following the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Sunderland at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday
David Moyes during Everton's defeat to Sunderland
David Moyes during Everton's defeat to Sunderland(Image: (Lewis Storey/Getty Images))
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Everton’s poor run of form continued on Sunday when they were beaten by Sunderland at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Rohl might have fired his side ahead two minutes before the break, but a second-half capitulation handed the Black Cats all three points.
Although Everton’s European hopes are not officially over, they head to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend needing a mathematical miracle to secure European football. It is now no win in six for the Blues, and both David Moyes and his players have come in for criticism.
And with Sunday’s defeat in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say ahead of Sunday’s final game of the season.
Paul McParlan
At half-time last Sunday at Hill Dickinson Stadium, it appeared that everything was going our way.
Our rivals for a European place, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham, were all drawing their games, while we were beating Sunderland 1-0. Fans checked their phones to see that Everton were in eighth place, and qualifying for Europe was a real possibility again!
Unfortunately, Everton are masters at turning hopes into despair. Our first-half display was uninspiring and unimaginative, but fans fully expected, given what was at stake, that we would improve after the break.
Instead, the team proceeded to produce their worst 45 minutes of the season. An abysmal second-half performance with catastrophic defending allowed Sunderland to dominate the game and reignite their own European ambitions with a 3-1 win.
The contrast between a bold manager making game-changing substitutions to win the game and one who seemed incapable of reacting was blindingly obvious.
David Moyes and Leighton Baines during Everton's defeat to Sunderland
David Moyes and Leighton Baines during Everton's defeat to Sunderland(Image: (Lewis Storey/Getty Images))
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Our best players failed when we needed them most. Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struggled to make an impact, and we hardly created any clear-cut chances. It was a mystery how neither were withdrawn.
Surely this was the time to try something different and give Charly Alcaraz and Harrison Armstrong an opportunity to make an impact?
The limitations of the centre-back pairing of Michael Keane and James Tarkowski have become increasingly evident in recent matches, with their mistakes proving costly.
Jake O’Brien is arguably a better centre-back, so why not play him there instead of persistently playing him out of position as a right-back? Sometimes, the stubbornness of the manager can cost us points.
Our season has collapsed at the worst possible time. We have not won any of our last six games and taken three points from a possible 18.
Seamus Coleman of Everton shakes hands with Jake O'Brien during Everton's defeat to Sunderland
Seamus Coleman of Everton shakes hands with Jake O'Brien during Everton's defeat to Sunderland(Image: (Lewis Storey/Getty Images))
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For Tottenham Hotspur needing a point to avoid relegation, don’t worry, Everton are in town! You just know it will be the same starting eleven, and our winless run will continue.
Last season ended with high hopes after three consecutive wins; this time optimism is in short supply.
The fans streaming towards the exit gates after Sunderland’s third goal had seen enough, and who could blame them?
I stayed behind after the whistle to applaud Seamus Coleman, but I understood why many didn’t. Nevertheless, he deserved better after his years of service to the club. This was not a fitting way to end his career here.
The implications of not making Europe are considerable. The best players won’t come here, so we have to gamble by signing younger footballers with potential.
Having seen how Tyler Dibling, Adam Aznou and Merlin Rohl have struggled for game time, what youngster with ambitions would trust David Moyes to develop his career? I know I wouldn’t.
I said last week that if we didn’t make Europe, questions would be asked about the manager. I stand by that view, and after Sunday those questions are refusing to go away.
Mark McParlan
The performance against Sunderland was just disgraceful. Everyone was furious and rightly so.
We watched completely and utterly anonymous displays from players such as Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Beto when it mattered most.
We as fans have been witness to the agonising, drawn-out death of our European hopes over a series of weeks. I have to question the bottle of our team in the big moments.
I’m sick of us taking the lead then completely losing control of football matches. David Moyes has to be more proactive. Sunderland were.
They made four changes between their first and second goals, compared to our two. One of their substitutes scored and two of the others assisted a goal.
James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, with their combined age of 66, cannot be a starting combination next season.
James Tarkowski in conversation with Michael Keane
James Tarkowski in conversation with Michael Keane(Image: (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))
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We’ve conceded a ridiculous amount of goals at this season’s end. These past few games have also been a terrifying glimpse into our defensive game in a world without Idrissa Gueye covering. Tim Iroegbunam is not the finished article.
Unfortunately, it was just Seamus Coleman that I felt sorry for. It was his parting goodbye that suffered from the disappointment of the day. I reasoned that 17 minutes of my time after the match was a fair exchange for seventeen years of service from Seamus, but 90% of the crowd apparently felt otherwise.
Ultimately, we’ve only reached 49 points (albeit with one to play) compared with the 48 in both the last two seasons. We’ve been dumped out of both cups embarrassingly early, managed to lose both derby matches against a bang-average Liverpool, and blown up in the run-in. Has this been a season of continued stability, or has it been one of stagnation, when we should have been pushing on?
Either way, I would not be relieving David Moyes of his duties. I still believe he has done a good job, but next year we must start seeing some improvement.
Key members of the squad are ageing another year, so we have to get this next summer window right, and Moyes has to use the whole squad better.
Still, we potentially have the chance to relegate Tottenham on Sunday, which could be fun.
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