ManUre v Everton (FA Cup)

Godfrey leaves his studs on Rashford's calf and gets a deserved yellow.

Hope that slows Rashford down a bit. He's been excellent, consistently dangerous in possession.

Should have scored on a counter but, as with all of our play, we weren't quite in control of the ball throughout that attack.

DCL coming on. I'd rather not risk him, personally.

In amongst all the dross, Onana is getting there. He's more in control of what he's doing. Clearly our best player on the field now Iwobi's off and Gray has gone quiet. Onana is going to be really good.

Brilliant goal!!!!!!!!!!

Offside of course

A genuinely fine goal ruled out for offside.

Fucking shame. That was excellent from Gray.

Tonteau wrote:Gutted, such a good goal. Gray is our most threatening player by some distance.

Yep. United have some clever players but he can look them all in the eye after this. He was quiet for the first 20 in the 2nd half but then we hardly had the ball during that period.

Blue gazza wrote:onana booked for similar unpunished fol by malacia

In fairness I thought that would be a straight red in real time. Foot wasn't up though.

We've played some good stuff last 15 minutes.

6 mins of extras.

United penalty last knockings. Even if they miss, this will burn up the remaining time.

Ah well. A plucky effort. The spirit is still there and we actually played some good stuff at times today. Fucking gutted about Iwobi though, I fear he's done for the season.

And we need to stick with 3 at the back, without doubt.

Not much to suggest we’ll survive this season. Very poor squad, very little quality. Lots of effort but United didn’t really get out of second gear to beat us.

hairy cataract wrote:Not much to suggest we’ll survive this season. Very poor squad, very little quality.  Lots of effort but United didn’t really get out of second gear to beat us.

I thought there were some encouraging elements in that game, taken in isolation.

The trouble is we've had these false dawns before - the defensive solidity early in the season, the Palace game, the draw at City. It all comes to nought in the end.

Shitting myself about the Southampton game already.

Hard working performance but ultimately they’re not good enough. Nothing is going our way and we are shit out of luck. Paterson and Iwobi injuries now means reinforcements will need to come in but I don’t trust the club to make the right decisions.

I’m going to try to enjoy the rest of the weekend now.

Lumper wrote:Hard working performance but ultimately they’re not good enough. Nothing is going our way and we are shit out of luck. Paterson and Iwobi injuries  now means reinforcements will need to come in but I don’t trust the club to make the right decisions.

I’m going to try to enjoy the rest of the weekend now.

Well yeah, that's one consolation. Get the depression out of the way on a Friday night and then forget about it.

callmebubbles wrote:Would rather have lost 6-0 with a load of reserves and kids than lose another 2 to injury. Disaster all around really. Southampton the final nail for Lamps.or will he go before? Dont think Lazarus could escape the mess we are in

I hope Lampard survives.  I think.  I dunno, with the players we've got, we're either going down or surviving by a whisker or two.  Lampard definitely seems to have the players on his side, however shit they are.  We can't keep changing managers once or twice a season, at some point we need a long term plan and it might as well start with Lampard.  Give him a few seasons, even if it's in the Championship, get some stability and for fuck's sake start buying some promising young players.  It's an absolute disgrace that we had no youngsters on the bench tonight except Simms, who clearly isn't rated by Lampard.  Every other club seems to be regularly playing 18 and 19 year olds, or buying young players that nobody has heard of who turn out to be more than decent.  We just waste money on shit.

hairy cataract wrote:

callmebubbles wrote:Would rather have lost 6-0 with a load of reserves and kids than lose another 2 to injury. Disaster all around really. Southampton the final nail for Lamps.or will he go before? Dont think Lazarus could escape the mess we are in

I hope Lampard survives.  I think.  I dunno, with the players we've got, we're either going down or surviving by a whisker or two.  Lampard definitely seems to have the players on his side, however shit they are.  We can't keep changing managers once or twice a season, at some point we need a long term plan and it might as well start with Lampard.  Give him a few seasons, even if it's in the Championship, get some stability and for fuck's sake start buying some promising young players.  It's an absolute disgrace that we had no youngsters on the bench tonight except Simms, who clearly isn't rated by Lampard.  Every other club seems to be regularly playing 18 and 19 year olds, or buying young players that nobody has heard of who turn out to be more than decent.  We just waste money on shit.

Yes, no doubt about that. And that counts for something. Lampard is the one manager of the Moshiri era who has not been able to splash the cash extravagantly. Yes we've spent money on his watch, not all of it wisely, but most of it has been covered by the sale of our most inspirational player.

I'm ambivalent about whether Lamps stays or goes to be honest, I can see the pro's and cons of keeping him and binning him. I don't even think relegation (or not) matters hugely. I like Lampard as a bloke. He has the players on his side. I'm concerned about his tactical nous. There is no guarantee that any replacement would be any better. It is what it is. It doesn't matter. We need a plan and a vision and we're looking at a need for a total structural club rebuild. Either the current custodians of this club learn some lessons very quickly, or they pass it on to someone who can do it properly. We haven't had a remotely savvy board since the early '90's. That's just mad.

I'm not at all convinced I'll see a proper turnaround during my lifetime, it will be a long haul. And even then, the reality of today's financial pecking order stacks the cards against us. The new stadium will help. I sometimes think about Sunderland - their stadium is pretty big, and not that old, and look at them. But we're bigger and better than them. We have the potential to at least do a Leicester, which is all that we can realistically aim for in the modern football world. Just be properly relevant, if only for a few years, and win a trophy or two. Our baseline, if we're run properly, is a return to late Moyes-era comfort and respect with some decent footy to watch.

Speaking personally, and if this isn't too much to ask, it would be nice to see some time invested in a "how to run a football club" distance learning course right now, so that my kids can get something positive out of supporting this club of ours that I inflicted on them. At least I've seen us win some trophies and I can claim to have been a regular at Goodison watching a team that was arguably the best in Europe at that time. What have my kids seen? Some occasional Baines/Pienaar magic, the excitement of us signing a washed-up Eto'o, and Ancelotti taking us top of the league for a couple of weeks. They still talk about the James assist for Richarlison at Anfield as if it won us the CL. Talk about scraps. They don't even remember us finishing 4th.

And yet my eldest still went to the pub tonight with his Kopite and Chelsea supporting mates to watch our inevitable defeat. He still nags me on a weekly basis to get hold of some tickets so that we can get to some games this season. I've seen him sing Spirit of the Blues and Royal Blue Mersey in his mates' faces even when we've been twatted in a derby, and my heart has swelled. I'm proud of his pride and his defiance. He deserves far better. We all do.

Sorry for going all maudlin but my best mate lost his mum last night and he's devastated. He's watched her suffer for months but as all of us arl arses know, the end of the suffering doesn't really mitigate against the pain of the loss. So maybe speaking to him today has given me a little perspective right now, and also an enhanced appreciation of time. I hope to be back to normal and ranting about Mosh and BK by the end of the Southampton defeat, if not before.

Let's finish on a positive. Onana is a find. When he leaves school and properly grows up, he'll be a superstar.

Rotterdam 1985 wrote:

hairy cataract wrote:

callmebubbles wrote:Would rather have lost 6-0 with a load of reserves and kids than lose another 2 to injury. Disaster all around really. Southampton the final nail for Lamps.or will he go before? Dont think Lazarus could escape the mess we are in

I hope Lampard survives.  I think.  I dunno, with the players we've got, we're either going down or surviving by a whisker or two.  Lampard definitely seems to have the players on his side, however shit they are.  We can't keep changing managers once or twice a season, at some point we need a long term plan and it might as well start with Lampard.  Give him a few seasons, even if it's in the Championship, get some stability and for fuck's sake start buying some promising young players.  It's an absolute disgrace that we had no youngsters on the bench tonight except Simms, who clearly isn't rated by Lampard.  Every other club seems to be regularly playing 18 and 19 year olds, or buying young players that nobody has heard of who turn out to be more than decent.  We just waste money on shit.

Yes, no doubt about that. And that counts for something. Lampard is the one manager of the Moshiri era who has not been able to splash the cash extravagantly. Yes we've spent money on his watch, not all of it wisely, but most of it has been covered by the sale of our most inspirational player.

I'm ambivalent about whether Lamps stays or goes to be honest, I can see the pro's and cons of keeping him and binning him. I don't even think relegation (or not) matters hugely. I like Lampard as a bloke. He has the players on his side. I'm concerned about his tactical nous. There is no guarantee that any replacement would be any better. It is what it is. It doesn't matter. We need a plan and a vision and we're looking at a need for a total structural club rebuild. Either the current custodians of this club learn some lessons very quickly, or they pass it on to someone who can do it properly. We haven't had a remotely savvy board since the early '90's. That's just mad.

I'm not at all convinced I'll see a proper turnaround during my lifetime, it will be a long haul. And even then, the reality of today's financial pecking order stacks the cards against us. The new stadium will help. I sometimes think about Sunderland - their stadium is pretty big, and not that old, and look at them. But we're bigger and better than them. We have the potential to at least do a Leicester, which is all that we can realistically aim for in the modern football world. Just be properly relevant, if only for a few years, and win a trophy or two. Our baseline, if we're run properly, is a return to late Moyes-era comfort and respect with some decent footy to watch.

Speaking personally, and if this isn't too much to ask, it would be nice to see some time invested in a "how to run a football club" distance learning course right now, so that my kids can get something positive out of supporting this club of ours that I inflicted on them. At least I've seen us win some trophies and I can claim to have been a regular at Goodison watching a team that was arguably the best in Europe at that time. What have my kids seen? Some occasional Baines/Pienaar magic, the excitement of us signing a washed-up Eto'o, and Ancelotti taking us top of the league for a couple of weeks. They still talk about the James assist for Richarlison at Anfield as if it won us the CL. Talk about scraps. They don't even remember us finishing 4th.

And yet my eldest still went to the pub tonight with his Kopite and Chelsea supporting mates to watch our inevitable defeat. He still nags me on a weekly basis to get hold of some tickets so that we can get to some games this season. I've seen him sing Spirit of the Blues and Royal Blue Mersey in his mates' faces even when we've been twatted in a derby, and my heart has swelled. I'm proud of his pride and his defiance. He deserves far better. We all do.

Sorry for going all maudlin but my best mate lost his mum last night and he's devastated. He's watched her suffer for months but as all of us arl arses know, the end of the suffering doesn't really mitigate against the pain of the loss. So maybe speaking to him today has given me a little perspective right now, and also an enhanced appreciation of time. I hope to be back to normal and ranting about Mosh and BK by the end of the Southampton defeat, if not before.

Let's finish on a positive. Onana is a find. When he leaves school and properly grows up, he'll be a superstar.

Amen to all of that, and my heart goes out to your mate.

Onana is a weird one. He gives the ball away all the time, but is brilliant at getting it back. I'm not sure if that makes him a good player or not. I remember watching his YouTube reel and thinking that he also had a good eye for a devastating pass through the lines, but we've seen none of that. I'd like him to see him getting into the top third of the pitch more often. And I also have no idea why we never throw him up top for the last fifteen when we're losing. I mean, he's nearly eight feet tall, just lob a few crosses in at him. Maybe he doesn't know how to head the ball?