saintant

This is a game we really need to win to get us up to 18 points from 20 games. I reckon that will give us a decent chance of staying up.

Half way through the window and I have to say I thought we'd have signed a centre forward by now. I get it's not easy in this window but we all know this should have been addressed last summer so surely it's a priority. Every match we play is going to be tough relying on Adams up front and we need points urgently.

Some decent moments there for a cameo debut following a long flight from Argentina and few minutes training with the squad. I think he'll get much better and be a quality addition to the squad. Only the real top quality players go to a new club and make an instant impact so I reckon he showed enough to give us hope he'll come good.

Don't we only have 19 games remaining? Anyway, I hope your prediction is spot on. We'd all take 44 points from this position. Let's see how things unfold. Personally I think we are more likely to amass around 38 points at best and that would be going some based on the first half of the season.

I would say scoring two goals in each of the last 3 games, 2 of which were away and a home game against City shows that Jones is beginning to improve the attacking areas compared to what Ralph was achieving. Agree he's tightened the defence.

You predict we might get 29 points from 19 games - are you smoking something? 🙂

When Orsic becomes a regular I would expect him to be taking some of the corners particularly on the left where he can whip in in-swingers with his right foot. I agree JWP needs to mix his corners up. We need more work done on corners on the training ground because ours seem quite easy to defend against. Not to mention we need to work on defending corners better.

I would think Pep is a pretty good judge of a player.

Villa probably won't play a low block or park the bus. Therefore we need to treat this more like the City game. Come flying out the traps, press them hard and get on the front foot with pace and power. They are not great at the back apart from having a quality keeper - Mings has mistakes in him and breeds uncertainty in his team mates.

Agree. Whatever the issues with Lavia getting injured and Romeu having been sold you don't solve them by playing JWP in a deep lying role he is just not suited to.

Think the quote was from Brian Clough but I take your point. He also said , 'If one of my players isn't interfering with play he's not getting paid'

Like others he's starting to win me over mainly I think because he wants the team to be more aggressive which was missing under Ralph. Jones is very quickly turning us into a side that will use the dark arts when needed in exactly the same way as all other clubs do and that includes the best sides. We've been far too timid and soft for far too long and that breeds losers. He's come out and said several times we are way too passive and he's spot on. He's getting that side of our game sorted and that will make us harder to beat and hopefully lead to more victories as shown in the last 7 days. If you take away the Forest game the rest hasn't been awful and you can at least see what he's trying to achieve. Brighton beat us at a canter but they're proving how good they are and beating everybody - I reckon if we played that match again we'd give them a far tougher game. Fulham we were in with a shout of 1 or even 3 points right up to the end and they have beaten most sides put in front of them so our easier run actually included two of the form teams. Getting a win at Everton at the end of a real tough week and after the exertions of the midweek game against City was a massive result bearing in mind our horrendous record there. So plenty of positives and let's hope for another win against Villa.

I think the most surprising thing about JWP is that any manager would play him as a deep lying midfielder where he is and always has been pretty poor. He's always been at his best in a more advanced role.

Didn't expect that as I said at half time - Goodison is a graveyard but not anymore. We've owed them that for so long. Brilliant from JWP and Jones has pulled another welsh rabbit from his hat. Well played lads. Grand Old Team forum will be in melt down 🙂

Think we're probably not going to get back into this. A goal down at half-time at Everton is not a good place for us to be. Hope Jones makes the required changes and proves me wrong but this place has always been a graveyard for us.

Roll on the next cup game!

Would prefer to see us start on the front foot and get in their faces. Take the game to them.

He might be getting used to it.

Hopefully all our fireworks will be on the pitch. Nothing would give me, and many others I suspect, more satisfaction than turning these over today.

The bottom line is that we have to start winning league games very quickly if we are to have any hope of staying up. We wasted the Nottingham Forest game however many times Jones tries to claim we weren't that bad. The Brighton loss was acceptable although not the manner in which we allowed them to stroll to victory - they are a good side as recent results are proving. Fulham away we did ok but, having got so close to taking a point and possibly 3 should not have come away with nothing. Now, starting today we must begin chalking up wins although as It's Everton away I think a point would be acceptable. The performance against City was exceptional but this will be a different game and it is how we deal with the way Everton set up because they will likely want to keep things tight and make it a scrap so it'll be hard to play the same as we did on Wednesday. Jones must find a way of getting a performance in what will be a very tense affair. Let's see what he has up his sleeve.

Lawro has gone for 1-1 but put the kiss of death on us by saying he thinks we'll stay up 🙂

Maybe one of the main differences is that they had a meeting when home truths were aired and it got quite heated. Things that had been stored up maybe came out and it cleared the air and worked as a bit of a reset. Whatever the reasons the performance against City was exactly what the fans want and the passion, effort, desire, commitment, drive, skill and willingness to all dig in together for the good of the team must be maintained or even intensified. We cannot afford to revert to type and tomorrow is a massive game. I guess we'll learn a lot by the final whistle. 3 points would be fantastic but I'd probably take a draw if the performance is a good one.

I thought exactly the same thing.

I'd go with Baz Lyanco DCC Salisu KWP Lavia Diallo JWP Orsic A Armstrong Mara

Yeah, remember us pissing all over them and their fans chanting 'What the feck is going on' and we also regularly beat them at Maine Road.