EFC FAN: No apologies, just set Standard
WE WENT into the game with hope but no real expectation. We came out of the game with absolutely no hope and the expectation that this is going to be a long and not very enjoyable season.
Those expecting excuses of referees and spending etc will be disappointed... the sorry and somewhat embarrassing sight at Goodison was due to the sheer inadequacies on and off the pitch at Everton right now.
Putting out a team that was only one man different to the side fifth best in the country last year, this should have been a competitive game against a side we believe we can compete against.
Fair play to the Red Sox for playing pretty much all of the football and fully deserving the win, but the standard of our long-ball game was more akin to Stoke's anti-football except without their beast long throws.
Our defence have copped the flak this season, but this time it was the midfield which left us woefully short. With Cahill, Arteta and Osman all looking like players struggling for fitness, Fellaini wondering what day of the week it was and Neville showing emphatically why his CV says defender and not midfielder, we were simply swept aside in the middle of the park.
I feel sorry for Fellaini. He didn't set the price tag and more importantly he didn't make the decision to sign at last minute of transfer window.
Ideally, his first few games getting accustomed to English football would be in pre-season, but unfortunately and somewhat unfairly he's a 20-year-old who's got to provide results immediately.
The derby is always important, but the Liege game now really is the pivotal game in our season. A prolonged run in the UEFA Cup was what sparked us last season, however, the effects to our already negligible confidence if we get bounced out sends a shudder down the spine.
It's been standard protocol this season for our manager and players to come out and apologise after a poor performance. Save the apology this time and make amends on Thursday in Liege.
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