 Welcome to Toffy TV. Let's talk about the season. So far, seven games, four victories, two draws and one defeat. I thought Rafferbynni says he's going to be sach by now. So did some people. So did some people. You forgot a penalty sheet though. The feet as well. I didn't forget about it. I didn't forget about it. Yeah, I've been alright. I've been good. I've been good. Do you want to elaborate on that? You set me up with. I thought he'd be sach by now. I wanted some elaboration on the whole thing. I didn't really know where to go with it. Now I'll do it. Listen, there was a few people who boldly predicted he wouldn't last six games as ever to manage it. Now we've had eight. So there you go. He's already ahead of nine. Ahead of ten. You've had two card above cup. You're absolutely right. One one, one one, three one. With the last six. Yeah, so it's been okay. I mean, he obviously could have been better. We almost won at United. I think we probably should have won at Leeds. You temper that with, we had a great nine minutes against Burnley and things like that. But it's been a good solid start, I think, by the moment. What have you made of the style of play? A lot of people in the summer, we've got Rathbone, he says, rub the mindset off. It's not the fella. I don't mind the fella. It's going on through the links to Liverpool. It's more to do with the way he plays football. It's just me. So what have you made of the style so far? I've been very pleased with the way we've played. I think I've been pleasantly surprised. I, Welsh, in that camp of the Liverpool thing, got over, had gone. Small club thing and all that, gone. You know, enough managers, we've had the vetors far more than that. And he's supposed to be on our side. So I wasn't bothered about that, but I was concerned. I haven't watched the football anti-lotty produced, which was horrific. You know, seeing all that ice is footy and stuff like that. I just wanted to be entertained a little bit. So we did worry me. There's no point in me sitting here trying to pretend that I thought everything would be great, because it didn't. So it has been. Can we get better? Absolutely we can. I don't think we can play counter attacking football all the time. But the kind of football I've seen ever in play has been from foot at times, quick on the break. Lots of crosses and shots. That's what we go to maths for. I don't go to maths to sit in my chair seat and watch 900 passes to go nowhere, which we saw on the Martiners or whatever. You can get born at times. I want to see stuff where you're on the edge. You want to see goals when we scored at least two goals in most. I think United was the first. I'm feeling it as well. In a lot of games we scored at least two goals. And United we should have scored two. So I think I've been pleasantly surprised by the way we played. I think what he's done is he's looked at the squad, he looked at the strengths and kind of just gone, let's play to those strengths then and see what we can get out of it. It's worked. I've enjoyed most of it so far. It's very much what as an Evertonian you expect to watch. This idea of whatever it is or what the school of science is or those kind of questions. It's hard sometimes for people to actually know what that means. I think what we're doing is we're getting the best out of a batch of plays. Getting the best out of our better plays, even though they haven't played as much. Dominic Harvanlun obviously with injury problems and the same with Charleston. We're getting the best, like you just said, of what they do because of the style we're playing. Obviously the plays we've added to the side. I found it enjoyable. I think we've seen so far, we've come back against Southampton, we've come back against Burnley. Those can't get beaten into Manchester United. We've shown that there's a toughness about us, I think. I think there's a genuine team spirit. I think he's building a team with players who fight for each other, because it's another really important event and trait. Fans identifying with players on the pitch, seeing that they're working hard before the fans, doing all the hard work, getting back. The things that we just expect as fans, or the generation of fans, expect to see. I think, as I said, just that little bit of extra little bit of, I wouldn't quite call it a flay. But just that little bit of extra has got us through these games as well. Because it's been a decent set of fixtures. Let's get that right. It's been a good set of fixtures. But also the kind of fixtures that if you don't take it seriously and you don't plan properly, that you can be caught out with. Southampton open day of the season, going behind 1-0, going into half-time. I think, oh God, there we go. Then coming out and using your class and putting them to bed. Sort of the same rebellion, it was only for like a real 10-minute spell. But after the 10 minutes we controlled the game then and we put it to bed and we controlled it. Norwich was just a difficult fixture because of the way they put men behind the ball. Obviously, Villa 3-0 down, but really, again it was the flip side of the Bayneley game. If Damari Gray gets that foul, then who knows how different that game could be. Damari Gray scores at 0-0. Shaves the post there, 30 seconds later, you're 1-0 down. Leeds probably should have got three points out of that. So it's, I think so far, certainly as I said, the style have been pleasantly... I wouldn't say surprised because I think Rafa Benitez is the kind of manager who will come in and identify what he needs to do with the plays he's got and build off that. I think that's what he has done. Plus, coming in at the beginning of the season, clean slate. Having enough time in the summer, knowing that he's got some good footballers there and being able to adapt that and change it around. So far it's been really, really pleasing. And as I say, I don't think you can say he's done too much wrong so far. No, playing with the pace, getting the pace into the squad in the summer. I think particularly Andrews Tarnes and I think a lot of Evertonians, excuse me, but they've been scratching their head a little bit because you were looking at, there was a lot of, even though we knew it was nonsense, there was a lot of rumours about spending this money and that money and going after this player and that player. When Andrews Tarnes and came in on a free and people were like, what? You know, on the Damari Gray for £1.6 million, you know? I think if Damari Gray had cost £15 million, people would have been happier. Kind of thing, but he coming for that price and it's like, well, why are we getting them so cheap then? He must be pushing everything else. And they've come in and made a huge impact. I mean Andrews Tarnes has got five goals already and four assists or something. He's made a huge impact. Damari Gray's being fabulous, you know, pace, good control, goes by people like they're not there. Just Evertonians love that, love people who get you on the edge, you see. And when we're on the counter attack now, we're last season. We're breaking, slow the game down, turning, knocking back and let team set now. When we pinched the ball, you automatically lean forward. You're thinking, we're on and we're away. I mean, that's been a real, a real plus this season and a real key change. Yeah, because I think as well, just on that, I don't think that's the case of just two players coming in and making a difference. I think that the way the team now is set up, there is a difference. And obviously, you know, those two in conjunction with whoever else is with them, whether it be with Charleston, you know, Anthony Gordon in the last game, Alex O'Wobee. You're right, there's a real emphasis on breaking forward, not putting your foot on it and stopping and turning and having a look round and allowing the opposition to get back. There has been a real, because there has been a real change of personnel in there. Players in maybe the number 10 position will slow us down. You know, you can see the difference with what that pace brings to you. You know, if you have Dom off-front, you've got an extra bit. But even with, you know, picking up points even with, you know, Ronddon in the side, because of those three players that you've given that extra bit. And then obviously, I think the added to that is obviously the midfield as well. You've got Allen and the Corite playing, you know, last season they sowed the seeds, but they were both still, they were both still conservative in the way they played. The Corite had to cover a lot of the ground of Hamasodrigus, and Allen was just playing as the sit-and-roll, and it, don't get me wrong, it worked. But only in, only so far did it work, it was so far this season. Those two players have become, you know, where other teams might have three man midfields, those two have took over, took over with just two. And the Corite's ability to get round the pitch, and Allen's ability to see what's happening in front of him, and use his experience to pinch the ball, those two as well have just given us that platform to build off, nick the ball in the middle park and then get away with the counter-attack. And I think that's, that obviously, I don't think anyone's understating it because I think we've seen what the real the Corite looks like so far this season. And that, again, is just a massive bonus to what we've had so far. The goal are all-trathored, was a thing of absolute beauty. You know, springing off the United Cornyn, you clear it and graze out first, and then he wins the second ball, and he's away, and it's the Corite. That doesn't happen last year, the Corite doesn't go. So if Gray pinches it, who's coming through, he's then going to go and do it on his own. He maybe gets shuffled into the corner and tries to get something, because the Corite has been told by, he says to break forward, go on support, he's ready, when he does ever so well to turn back and play the ball and take on the end steam and through and we score. And that was something that we just didn't do last year. And we didn't have that pace, right? I don't forget how low Ritty is quite quick. But it's being key there, what he's done with those two men, he's got them pushing forward as well. Almost like my ffilders used to be, which was, you do, you do all the jobs, you're up in that, you're not just stuck, anchored to one place, you go and join in, and you're outnumbering, you're working, you're harrying, I think. By doing that, you've got tarns in doing it, Gray's coming in nicking things, you saw that, and he's just mentioned through, he's probably as comfortably as best performance in anewent and sheath at Old Trafford, which is a difficult place to do it, in terms of discipline and everything else. So he's been key of being able to do that, and that's been a big thing. And you mentioned, you touched on it before, is that we've done half of these games without probably our best two players, which is Norman Ritty. But also, I think you look at the defensive units as well, that we've put out so far, we've barely been able to put out the same back four. And I think that's definitely something which we, defensively, we've looked okay, not brilliant. Again, it's funny because it is meaner and keen again, the partnership that are again probably our best, because we all want Godfrey and meaner to work, because it's the pace, but it is so far probably being meaner and keen, because certainly with the right back position, and Godfrey, does he naturally suit it? I don't think he does, and we need obviously shame his back, but obviously we need a young, good, young, solid right back. Well, more than that actually, somebody can get up and down and open the game up. We didn't have Pickford as well for the game, a couple of games, and we've seen that at Villard, you know the difference he would have made. So it's not been, certainly it's not been without its problems as well. Dom with Charleston, Pickford, Seamus Coleman, meaner missed games at the beginning of the season, because Deane's had a little problem, and as we speak now he's got another problem, and we don't know what's going to happen with Deane, but it's such a small squad as well. You look at the bench some weeks. The likes of a woby has been out and you go mess, and you're right, you're looking at that bench, and when you're losing those players as well, you're losing options off the bench. The manager's talked about it's not just having your full 11 fit, you want everybody fit, you can really release the pressure on the 11 you've played, you know, Rondon's coming in. You know, as much as Gray and Tarmson have been massive hits, he hasn't at the moment, but I've seen a lot of criticism for him, but at the end of the day, the lad has brought him to be sub. He's brought him probably with the idea that come November, December, he's fully fit. We can start pulling Dom out or taking Dom off with half an hour to go over ever and giving him a breather. He's had to play to get fit. You know, when he haven't played for five months, so he has looked short, there's no question about it, but he's got on with it. Probably, you know, he's been, probably got more effective each game. Without really looking sharp, he don't think he looks sharp yet, but against United, at least he was knocking people about a little bit for the 90 minutes this time. So we've done all that with a lot of injuries as well, and I think that's the credit that not only the manager these years, but the coach and staff and the players as well. But it hasn't been perfect. No, I think the next, you know, as we move on from this now coming through the international breaking, as it starts up again, you know, it's important that we get those players, you know, as many of those players back, obviously the first team players, so we can get, almost we can just get players back on the bench and start to be able to mix it up a little bit when we need to, just so we're not stretching everyone too much, because it's great sitting here talking about you're starting 11, or maybe you're starting 11, but you've just got to be careful that you don't stretch them too far so that they either pick up injuries or they go out of form. So it'd be nice to have some of those players back. I like to shame those comments, so you have got an option of looking at Ben Goffin going, well, you can play centre back or whatever. Because ultimately the squad, if anything holds us back this season, it will come down largely to that squad, the squad size, the depth, it's just not there, anyone can see, like we said, a couple of the games you've looked at the bench and gone, Jesus Christ, there's a mix of kids. Well, we've even lost Tom Davies for a couple of the people like him, or Norrie's a squad player. Gobaman, we were all hoping that this would be the season that he'd stay relatively fit and start establishing himself. He's done all the pre-season and played in games, he's had an abscess and a slight strain, he's been sub against United. Training again, he's back. So even people who you're having on the bench, you've bolstered your bench. Some games, you know, we shouldn't be having two goalies on the bench. You know, and United, or the game before, we ended up, you know, we've got United, we had like Charlie Whitaker on the bench, you had a brand to it. Against Norrie, you played the night before, 94 minutes, the night before, and it's sub, so, it's great having the young lads on and, you know, what we've seen is Lluwyr Stop and that's actually gone on. A couple of games, which I think is a good thing for it, but it's a great thing, really, to see a card and the kids coming through. But you want them on that bench because they've forced away on the bench. Yeah, you want them there because they've done something and you know they're going to be a difference. That's happened too many times and we don't really want that to happen, but it shows the situation we've been in. And I know some times people go, well, why didn't you just put so-and-so on the bench? We've had occasions where we've only had eight on the bench. And people say, well, why don't you just put so-and-so on the bench and say, well, what's the point if they're not ready? We want kids to be ready. We want kids, and that's the reward, isn't it, to get on the bench. We want kids to be ready and to be fortunate, so they are there saying, but to the manager, go on, put me on. You know, Lluwyr Stop might end up having, I don't know, half a dozen, five-minute appearances if he's lucky, if we get through games. And then he's saying to the manager and every time the manager's looking, say, well, that ain't the Gordon. You know, we had, man United, I thought he took his opportunity to impress and I thought, tactically, you looked, it was his best game. Forget about everything else you want him to do. Tactically, you want to lay that marker down to say to the manager, you can trust me if you put me on. I will do the hard run and I will stick to the game plan. I will do what you want me to do. And first and foremost, that's what for me, saying to the manager, like, Rafa Benita, he wants, he wants that first and foremost. Do your job and all the other things will come next. You'll build on top of that. So it's for the next one now, it is, whether it's Lewis Dobbin or whatever, it's for that next one now to start understanding that. So that they can come off the bench because this one, we can't rely on the Fabian Delsard in the world. We can't rely on Gabamans in the world. And you've got to start, hopefully there will be, you know, two or three from the path those young players you start going, I've got an opportunity here and I can take it. And the manager will, will give me a go. He's not afraid to put someone on it. If you, if you try it on young girl, you know, you're six for five or six for four wherever he is. You know, you're looking at that and going, well, like the Xalan and the Coray, you were in every week, but, you know, there's a chance for me if Fabian Delfard's never seen, you know, Tom Davis, you know, so he's got to get himself fit, he's going back with injury. But if you're him, you know, well, the Sims was on the bench and obviously the last picked up another injury, which is unfortunate for him, you know, Dobbins got to be the, the carer for everybody to look at. I'm going, well, I'm going, he's forced his way in, so. Can I? You know, that's what we need. We want that to, we're getting rewarded because they're doing the business. That's what I want on the bench. Because ideally, we'd have two or three, then both they're on merit, not they, because we haven't got anyone else. Yeah, it's, it's going to be interesting. They'll go forward because obviously, I think that squad depth is, it's going to be the difference in some games. You know, you look at, as I said, the filler game was a, was a huge one. You looked at what they could bring on with an hour gone. And what we, I mean, don't get me wrong, he doesn't always work like that. We've seen that at Ultafford. But you know when you're playing the better sides with the players who are in and around you, if they can bring players off the bench and you can't essentially, you can't get those difference makers. And it's funny because when we play the Brighton, which I think probably funny, I think Brighton might be our tactically our best performance this season, just the way that we went down there and handed it, we soaked up the pressure and then we, we broke. That should have won five or six. Yeah. We could, you know, what was, you know, we, there was opportunity, but I think the fact that on that day, which I thought was good was, I think, well, we was left out, but then he's brought on, late on, as a game changer to someone to, and I think people underestimate how important, it almost felt like on that day, it held that we'll be back for that reason, because, you know, we'll be going into that game was done all right. So it was, you have to have that a couple of plays on your bench and you can hold back and say, listen, we all know there's going to be plays like Tom Davis, you're going to bring on, maybe, you know, if you want to boost the image field, but you want, you want game changes you can bring on, you know, and I think that's going to be important, going into those games, if you do have them, but that comes from having that squad. We'll see what happens, we're coming into a, we're coming into a period now of a few, a few games, a few games there, we can still, you know, definitely get, definitely get wins out of. Then there's another international break and when we come back, we hit, obviously, that December play, and there's a lot of tough games in that, and it'll be interesting to see where we are come those games. We've got two own games now, haven't we? We've got two own games, we've got West Hamarone, which is a tough game, but it's a winnable game. A chance to put a market down with them, put some distance between us, and then we've got Wafford-er-on the week later, so, and that's another game I'd expect to have, and it's a win. And again, a tough game, because they have the, like, a shari, a quick on the break, and rangieries there now, so tactically and different, you know, different things, but again, you're looking and going, well, beat them, you know, and then you've got, you start getting some tougher games then, but that's what it's about. You just, I think I've just done this season, it's just gone game by game, and just gone, you know, we've got a game some, you know, playing West Ham this weekend, it's a home game, so I expect Evan to win, but I expect it'll be very, very difficult, but if the manager can, and we don't know yet, but if he can welcome back the charlison and Darmell, one of those, two into the evening, just on the bench, you know, maybe Seamus Coleman, and immediately, that gives you two options off the bench then, doesn't it? And straight away, it makes you feel better about yourself. I mean, West Ham, when he beat us a gooders in last year, you've just been some of the bench, their bench basically won them the game. He'd come on and out with Shutech, he got the winner in the end, but he brought Antonio on, he brought Lanzini, I think, and another. He'd come on and he stretched us, and he would puff on and puff on, and they had that, because we had that injury. Yeah, we'd have that option. We had no options really, Ham has come on, he hadn't played for weeks, so he was rusty, and they just got the lucky break at the end and took the goal, so. Your bench is going to be vital now, and it's what we've gotten. Maybe we've had a period where we've been a little bit unlucky with injuries, and hopefully now we can kind of manage our way through to the window, and I expect Evan to bring one or two in the window, because the manager's already into that, that's what he expects as well, so. We get to that window, and we're in a decent position by Christmas in and around it, and that's all we can ask for. Yeah, it's been a good start, we'll have to see. But two points off the top, so it's been a good start. It's been a good start, we'll have to see how it continues, but I do think that there's a, I think what's important is there is a, I think there's a belief, I think fans are looking at it, and I don't think anyone's getting too excited, but I think people are looking at it, thinking we're in a safe pair of hands, because it's not being a, it's not like last season, the way we started last season, it's all noise, noise and goals, and catching people cold, and all the rest of it, but there was definitely a soft underbelly there. Whereas in this season, I think you can see tactically already that there's a little bit more. There's a struck going on, isn't there? I think the biggest thing that I've taken before we finish is that I can actually see an editing scene, and I can actually see what he's trying to do, where there's, let's be honest, for the last few years, all be mount, what are we, what do we do, where's the plan, what do we think. Yeah, go performance, bad performance, whatever, you've seen that at a villa, we were playing in a way, we were doing alright, and then it just unraveled, and I think so far in every game, you've seen us play the same way, and you've seen us go behind and come back, or whatever, but we've played the same way and people are doing their jobs, and I think that's the most important thing so far. No, you know, it's not... Should people be a bit more excited thinking you're dropping Dom and Ritty back into this side, but that is done. Cos I think we've got better and better each week. Yeah, of course. I think you add Dom into it and suddenly the team has a lot more going for it. It has someone up front who knows how to deal with defenders and knows how to bring midfielders into the game if you put the ball over the top to somebody. Somebody can really work them into it with Charleston as well. I think how you put those two in the team of what the team's done in the last month. I think the team's... I think there's belief, team believes in itself, going one-nil down at Old Trafford. You see right now they're coming on, you just probably... We've got it. Obviously we said this after the Villagame. Get away from that where you go behind and suddenly you get another one very quickly. You've got to stay in games. I think at Old Trafford, a lot of people that there is a determination among this team. You add those extra quality plays into the side, then yeah, it's got to be there. It's got to be there at every game. It's a mental battle as much as a physical battle. You've got to be able to do it every single game. I think we've got the right manager for that though. Just someone who's... I don't think there's too much drama about him. I think it's other people who want to maybe create the drama about him. See who he's managed and all the rest of it. I don't think there's any drama. I think it's business and it's work. I think all the other stuff will come but I think that's the most important thing. Players seem to be buying into it. Exactly, that's all you can ask for. That's all you can ask for. They play the game. That means that they go this might work or this is working or I can do this. Because this fellow understands. You've seen that so far with hands and don't like it. So let's just hope it continues. It's being a solid start and let's just hope it continues and we keep battling away getting wins and listen every game this season that we've been in. That's all you can ask. Let us know your thoughts anyway on the season so far to you. Give us a score out of ten where we are so far this season. Let us know. We both think it's been quite positive so far but let us know. Obviously going out the league cup that was disappointing but that was one of those things. Seven. Solid seven. So far. Let us know your thoughts. What have you been impressed with or have you not been impressed with it so far? I think it's just been an easy run of games and you know it looked but when we've had the easy run of games before that hasn't mattered. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Make sure to give this video a like. Subscribe if you haven't already. If you want more great videos, daily live videos. Join us over on Patreon. Thank you.