The Man in The Shed



7th December – You just knew

The one thing you don’t need before a game is for a previously struggling opponent to sack their manager. Somehow even the most inept interim appointment manages to get at least a couple of games’ worth of improved performances out of the same players. I guess it is just the release of pressure and frustration that allows those same human beings to play with more freedom.

So the idea of an Everton team driven by a passionate Duncan Ferguson was very concerning to me. He was a real old school player in his time and a very passionate Scot with Everton in his blood. So it was no great surprise to see that passion transferred to the crowd, the players and specifically Calvert-Lewin.

Despite the vast majority of possession and decent overall match stats. the Chelsea defence seemed to be overwhelmed by Everton and coughed up individual errors which helped the home team score three goals. It would have been easy to take my frustrations out by taking cheap shots at the players after a performance like that. I waited a few days until I had calmed before deciding that one bad game from a young team is just something we’d have to live with. As long as lessons are learned by those players then we swallow the loss and move on. With a large gap between Chelsea in 4th and the chasing pack we could afford one bad day.

Sad really that lost in the day was another goal for Kovacic. Like buses, none for ages and then two goals within weeks !

Perhaps a more important game to come in a couple of days. A home win is required to progress in the Champions League.

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