Shameful

[disco]

There's a world of difference between needing a specific result to progress in a CUP competition, and playing for a point in a league that is of little value when you still have dreams of Europe.

I would love it if Everton miss out on Europe by 2 points.

[AFII]

Everton played to our weakness.

Crouch and Bellamy is very limited type of players and they took them out without any big trouble at all.

Give Crouch a push means danger over and it doesn't need to be a big push. Play deep and Bellamy is more or less useless as an attacking threat.

If we had better and more complete strikers then Everton wouldn't have been able to play in the same way.

Replace Crouch with Klose and Bellamy with Villa for example and they wouldn't have been able to play in the same way.

[dom9]

I'm not sure there is Disco.

It's about being realistic. They thought they could not win, so they saw that 1 point is better than no points.

They are better off than they were on Friday, and they are better off than they would have been had they lost.

[AFII]

There's a world of difference between needing a specific result to progress in a CUP competition, and playing for a point in a league that is of little value when you still have dreams of Europe.

I would love it if Everton miss out on Europe by 2 points.

They will probably be over the moon if they qualify for the UEFA Cup. If we miss out on the CL then it's a fiasco. That's the difference between us and Everton.

[disco]

I'm not sure there is Disco.

It's about being realistic. They thought they could not win, so they saw that 1 point is better than no points.

They are better off than they were on Friday, and they are better off than they would have been had they lost.

But had they gone for it, and given themselves a chance of 3 points, they may have got them. For ****s sake, they're in the top 10 in the league and beat us 3-0 at Goodison, they're not Watford

That's my point.

Vs Barcelona, losing meant being out of that cup, as did drawing against Juve, a world of difference.

[enema of the state]

They played like a small team

I'm the opposite - I stopped enjoying the derbys more than a decade ago

Its rich of moist to harp on about how theres been a difference of £100 000 000 in specnding and then get all offended when his side are referred to as a small club.

joe royle started the "small club" mentality/tactics and it continues until today. harvey and kendal's teams and all those of yesteryear ALWAYS tried hard to win. that doesnt mean being loose defensively - certainly some of the kendal era everton teams where incredibly hard to break down - but what ive been watching for the last decade in derbys is a small (time) club with small time fans creaming their jeans over a 0-0 draw and releasing a celebratory video when they win the odd one.

[Bob]

But had they gone for it, and given themselves a chance of 3 points, they may have got them. For ****s sake, they're in the top 10 in the league and beat us 3-0 at Goodison, they're not Watford

That's my point.

Vs Barcelona, losing meant being out of that cup, as did drawing against Juve, a world of difference.

They were closer to three points than we were (johnson shot). They played the perfect game IMO.

[disco]

They were closer to three points than we were (johnson shot). They played the perfect game IMO.

[enema of the state]

They played the perfect game IMO.

then my friend, you need to get yourself a new pastime, football is not for you

[Dhav]

I didn't think the Juve away game was necessarily backs-to-the-wall stuff. We ventured forward on occasions and can certainly remember Baros missing at lease a couple of guilt-edged chances. Besides, that one is a poor analogy because we earned the right to play defensively over there by beating them in the home leg by taking the game to them.

The Barcelona one is slightly different. In a European tie for each leg you employ whatever tactics will get you through against the opponent you're facing. In this case we played ultra defensive. IMO it is different to approaching a league game looking for a point, in which case you've already admitted you can't win the match, which is a small-time mentality. At least with the Barca game we did what we could to overcome them and defeat them overall.

Having said that, I was somewhat embarrassed by our complete lack of ambition in that match. I remember us only venturing forward once, and that was in injury time I think. We often did the same under Houllier. I remember an away tie against Roma the year later in the CL it was much the same.

[Bob]

then my friend, you need to get yourself a new pastime, football is not for you

Cheap shot.

They could only play the counter-attacking game; they knew their weaknesses and played to them. If they had pinched 3 points, folk* would have been lauding Moyes' tactics.

*obviously not on here.

[ronan]

they played to their strengths and got what they deserved.
a point
if we couldnt break them down then tough **** imo
no point blaming everton ffs.

[dom9]

But had they gone for it, and given themselves a chance of 3 points, they may have got them. For ****s sake, they're in the top 10 in the league and beat us 3-0 at Goodison, they're not Watford

That's my point.

Vs Barcelona, losing meant being out of that cup, as did drawing against Juve, a world of difference.

I think it comes to down to expectations.

We went to Barcelona wanting a draw as they were the superior team (you can't deny that). At Anfield, the team, and the crowd edged it with a penalty.

Everton went into the game on saturday knowing that they were the inferior team - playing at a ground where we have 15 month unbeaten record, and no goals conceded in sive October. They went for the draw because that was a realistic goal for them.To go for the win, was more risky, so they went for what they could realistically achieve.

It's a compliment I guess.

[enema of the state]

Cheap shot.

nope, literal quote

[enema of the state]

They could only play the counter-attacking game; they knew their weaknesses and played to them. If they had pinched 3 points, folk* would have been lauding Moyes' tactics.

*obviously not on here.

they can play whatever tactics they want - but when the optimum tactics are what evertons were on saturday - then they have fallen a long long way and they REALLY are a small club.

of course i can see the merit in their defensive discipline but i dont enjoy watching sides play like that. if you call that the perfect game - expect the ridicule the comment deserves.

your point about them going closest to winning it is just wrong: best chance of the game fell to carragher, next best to bellamy inside the 1st 5, next best to crouch late on when he kickd at air. I saw a clear penalty when crouch was taken out off the ball too. my mum would have saved that johnson shot.