 Welcom y toffi TV er is the match preview, Everton vs Brighton at Goodersham Park, the first game of 2023, as it was the first game of 2022, and I hope it's not the same result as a year ago, but it's young fresh from the Etihad at the weekend where you saw everything get a very, very good point. A well deserved point. Well deserved. For the batland display it certainly was a well deserved point. It's all part of the game. It is. It's all part of, you know, can you keep out the best team? Well one of the best teams in the world, yes we could. How are you feeling going into this one? Because I've seen a lot of things thrown around, there's must win. Is this a must win in your opinion? All games are must win really, aren't they? Particularly at home. But the season won't be defined by that game. The fans' reaction to it could be defined, particularly on Friday we play Man United. And again, I'm not an advocate of free hits, because free hits almost says it doesn't matter what the outcome is. But I could easily see us getting a good result, which means winning at home, and then give Man United a really hard time on the Friday. You win both of those. It was a different season, wasn't it? So let's see. More hope than anything else. I went the Etihad like 2,999, whatever it was, other Everton fans. By the way, lots of youngsters there, which was good. Maybe that was adults not turning up because it's New Year's Eve. But youngsters as in the mid to late teams. And so the future looks sound, and they ended up, well, I took my great nephew, Josh, he was sad there, wasn't he? And he was looking forward to it and obviously then enjoyed it. But yeah, I mean, that's the sort of performance we turn up every now and again. Perhaps more often than it should be, just against the so-called bigger or better teams. And we just need to find that energy again tomorrow night. I think we'll be all right. Yeah, I mean, it will be a tough game. I watched a lot of the Brighton Arsenal game after our game at the weekend. And even though Arsenal ended up winning 4-2, Brighton had a goal ruled out by VAR, but they took it to 4-3 in the last minute of the show. Arsenal had to be on the middle, certainly to hang on. Really good football team Brighton, they've obviously been building. Listen, since they changed out Chris Huthon, when Eve was doing all right, I suppose, if you looked at it from the next day and they go, well, don't spend a lot of money and you've just got this fella who tries to keep them up. They wanted to be better and more progressive and they brought in Graham Potter from deep gone on and on. I think Graham Babers, the CEO there, has done really well and they're a good club moving in the right direction every year seem to be improving. If they could get a goal scorer. They wouldn't have got a huge amount of physical challenge from Arsenal, would they? You know Arsenal do you mix it a little bit? They do? But Arsenal are football side as well. For them, this will be a different challenge. A challenge, yeah, absolutely. But they won, like I said, they won a goodness in last season. We need to make it our game. Well, the previous four home games that we'd had against them since they come back up, haven't won all of them. That's right. You know, it was their first win in that. I think it was something like nine since they'd won an evidence or something over the years. The agents was in charge then, don't they? So I think the problem for evidence would be going into this one. It'll be another case of playing against a side who a team who's really good on the ball. Good movement. If you'd like to dominate the ball, you've got good movement. You've got players like Troshard who's a lovely little footballer. You've got really good movements all over the pitch. Exciting, younger players. And it's a big challenge. And the other big challenge is Everton have lost their first league game in the calendar year for the last five years. Is it that many? I knew it was five in a row. Whereas we had unbeaten on New Year's Eve for seven years, we've lost the first. Well, let's break that then. Let's break that, you know, and make McAllister think he's still on the pot, I suppose. Well, yeah. I mean, going into this one, obviously Everton went through a back five at the Etihad at the weekend Ben Goffrey joining Connor Cody and Tarkovsky at the back. Cody was obviously back for the first time. This is the side that lined up at the Etihad at the weekend Cody, Goffrey, Tarkovsky at the back, Patterson, Michalenko. And then we had a midfield three of O'n Arne, Drisha Garnagay and Alex O'Woby. So one change then, yeah. And we had Dom and Damari Gray, up top Gray, obviously floating, making it a five, four, one at times. But in possession and certainly trying to get the outboard to Dom. One change then? Well, obviously O'n Arne is the fourth and fourth change, isn't it? He's suspended for this one. So it'll be interesting to see Franklin Bargo's really, because obviously Tom Davis came on at the weekend. Oby, I think he had one pass in the 25 minutes he was on, but he was doing almost a man-to-man job, if you like, on the brun. The corey. It's warm up isn't going to help you. It's warm up. I wouldn't have felt them at the weekend. You still came on? Who I think was in obviously flangol on part, looked at him on the bench and things maybe. O, the man that you might throw a total surprise in, I doubt it. But young guys at price, he's really, really well in Australia and has done well for the 21s. He's an energetic midfield player, but I can't really see Franklin to that. I think it'll be Davis or the corey, he'll make up that other place. Who'd you go with? The corey. I'll tell you why I'll go with the corey. That's good. One of us will be right. Exactly one of us should be right. Just because I think he gets it on the pitch better and he's a bigger fella. I think John Davis is fine coming on and doing specific jobs. But I personally will go with the corey. The problem isn't the lavish garn is going to have to play in the six, isn't he? So therefore you want movement in front of him and the corey will do that. Now the corey started the season quite well in the double pivot with the corey. If you remember him and the corey was centre mid. The corey was quite give a penalty away day one, but in general did all right. It's where his head is. So it's dooby. It's where his head is isn't it? Both him and Davis are where the heads are. Exactly, both are out of contract. So I know the corey's got an option, both are out of contract. So you go with Davis was it? I would yeah. I don't know why, but I would. Probably as in a not to corey sort of thing. I think clearly he would have to start well and be really difficult for the manager of ease. A bit lack of days ago and off the pace a little bit. Because people will remember him sitting on the ball and twirling his thumbs. And Tom's energetic got a good engine and stuff like that. I think the corey's quicker though isn't he? I think for Brighton's movement I think we need people who can gather that. Brighton don't jump out at me as a physically large team. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't much enough. People like Cassie, they're massively big but they're energetic. So then you're into mobility then? Mobility in the corey's more mobile than Tom. Tom might use the ball better than the corey. I don't know, the manager might go actually, I'll do what Carl Amantillotti did, which is put Davis in the sixth. That's where I was going. He might go a double and go gone and Davis next week or the other and maybe make them feel three more of a triangle this time where it will be is the one who does break forward. You can see those two, one or other being the first change anyway. The big disappointment I am at him for the manager is James Garn. There's not fifth this would have been the chance of dropping. But like I said, Isaac Price was on the bench at the weekend. I know because my jeans injury. It's a bold decision to put him in. It would be to throw him in but we've seen other clubs do. But listen, I hope he leaves everything else as it is because I off-dorm the three and then ask our fullbacks to push on. I think it's one change isn't it? I think it's one change. There's a lot of noise about Frank Lampard. In some respects it's justified. A bit of criticism of different things. Is it a must win for him as a manager? I know you said before every games a must win and I get that. But at some stage we've won three games of football so far this season. I've gone into three in four home games and the three were Wolves Brighton and Southampton. And then we have a bad run and we've got big games again. A lot of people will have looked at those three games and gone. We need seven out of these next four games. The away game being obviously Man City and we've ended up grabbing a point out of that. Now we can almost get back on to that forecast by winning the next two home games. All being Brighton are a very good sign but they're not Man City. So we have to hope that the crowd will be with us. But for you, you're looking at a manager that we've had 17 league games and we've won three of them. It's difficult isn't it? It depends if you're against the manager's fault. This is what I was edging towards. I was going at what stage. I always look at the players first and go we've had this many managers and we haven't done very well. At some stage it can't all be the fellow in the workout board. It's an interesting one because hopefully we no longer have a trick happy owner. I think we sat on the sofa the other way around or maybe it was on your newsdesk thing and said don't touch the manager till mid-feb. I think that was your idea. My arm is the end of the hand but yeah. When the window is closed. So whoever does come and if they do come in says that's what you're going to go with. None of this. Let's splurge a load of cash on players that never play and just burn through it. I just think that to some degree for me anyway. I've seen enough of us performing to know if they do what the manager wants then we get results. Now your question then becomes why can't he get it out of them every single game. You interviewed him and he said don't tell them not to shoot. I don't tell them to drop their energy levels. And both those things are the things that make a difference. All right let me just interject just very quickly there. Is that a worry? I had this conversation with my dad at the weekend when we were watching the city game. And he said at half time is what I'm going. I like Lampard, I do. And I think he's got good coaching staff around him. But if I'm the owner and I'm looking at it and Frank Lampard says to me I tell these to shoot every opportunity they get. And we've walked off a pitch at the Etihad. With no shots or what? And we've had another single shot in 45 minutes. Then why can't... If you're the manager that'd be the... Why aren't they doing what you're telling them to do then? Because off the weekend in the first half Everton had four or five opportunities to shoot in the first half and ended up just passionately wired. I'm just being devil's advocate. You're right to be devil's advocate really. I mean perhaps I counter with one of the things I said just before half time to people around me like my great nephew and Mrs and what have you. Which is A, a bit like Ped said on one of your shows just before while I was listening about let's get to half time and just be the one goal. And I said the problem is Pep will get into their heads at half time. Right? Because footballers seem to have the attention span of a nat. Goldfish often. And the other thing is you talked when you were doing that thing with Ped and if you're not seeing it you should it's quite good. A bit long but quite good. Always got a final way. There's now managers. Arthetta is a good example. Pep does it. A constantly coaching from the touch line. So Pep Guardiola and Arthetta were far better squads than us. Know that their players need to have it reaffirmed to them over and over again during the play. What are they supposed to be doing? Then perhaps we should be doing that now. That's not in France DNA. Then send Cole up to do it. Or just keep in. Whatever. But I do think that that is a conundrum. Because again, my metric has always been is this manager getting the most out of this squad? And it's very simple because it's a binary question. Yes or no? Me? No. That becomes a trigger point. Do I change the manager then? Because the subsequent to that is, who do I get? Who I'm confident will get. Will get more. With a trigger happy owner, we end up with an aladise. And we'll never ever know whether he did something over half a dozen games. I kept us up the other year. Or whether the manager had already turned it round and it would have been the same outcome. But as far as the owner was concerned, he got what he needed. We stayed in the league. And then we bin him and we get somebody else. We all know what happened there. So I think some of it is showing you nerve. You know, it's... I think Dave Witch was talking on a podcast and he said something like, for him, he almost doesn't care how the manager's doing what we need is continuity. And I think there's a behavioural psychological thing around that as well. Because these players need to know that the manager's going to outlive them. Because it's dead easy. I'm not saying they're downing tools, but maybe some of them do. Or not listening enough is because the manager will go to reset and start again. And we've had like seven resets in seven years or something. So I think it's important that if they are going to change this manager out, it is an absolute last resort. And therefore in that context, both the manager and the players almost need to keep doing enough for that not to happen. What do you say to people then who would say, that's fine. We'll look at it. We'll get behind them. But if results don't change in the next few weeks and we leave it. Sorry, let me rephrase it. It's great having continuity. But what if you leave the wrong person in the job too long? Because I see that when I've almost said, let's give them a bit more tools at the top of the pitch then we can properly look and go. Right, where's your excuse now then? We can all say, we know the recruitment team made errors in the summit by not buying someone similar to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. If that's the way we're playing and our manager is sat in a position to say we can't go long because we've got Neil Mowlite. Then why do you buy someone we can go long for? Why don't you play someone you can go long with? You know, that's the thing. I think, you've heard this crap from me before when we do the business stuff. There's excuses and there's reasons. And I think that this last but one or maybe the last one, pre-match the manager moved from reasons to excuses. It's almost like I'm just going to keep saying we haven't got Dominic there for that's why we're struggling. He's back now. Let's hope he stays that way. And you talk about the recruitment team failed in the summer. Not the board, not the director of football, not the owner, not the manager, all of them. So I'm asking myself because you're asking me who in the club is saying to the manager, for example, why aren't you getting the best out of this squad? Because you're not. So how can we help you get the best out of this squad? And I say it a lot and keep boring people to death with it. That and you've heard this as well. It's a bit acute so it's not binary, it's not real in black and white terms but people don't fail, businesses do. So we can't load it all on a single individual called the manager. Unless we let the manager make decisions which we as business people or observers or whatever think are blindly, clearly wrong. So we need to help the manager to perform to his best ability because he isn't. So that he can get the players to perform to their best ability. Because if you can get in, for example, Antony Gordon's head comes out a thousand miles an hour, puts all the effort in, closes people down, does this, does that, does the other and he goes off the field at the end of the game and you go oh thank God he's back on it. And then the next game he's looking at me, I swan around, I'm good too good. So it's how you retain. And I think again you said probably you said leave him on the bloody bench. We've just said don't change the team. Antony needs to know he has to earn his place but so do the others. Whether you're a confident enough manager in your own how long you're going to be here to say I'm going to play Tom Davis because you sat on a bloody ball for 15 minutes on a warm-up but 10 hog dropped Rashford for turning up late for a team meeting and he probably respects that did wrong, shouldn't have done it, blah. Why they're not ringing Premier League footballers up and saying on your way, you might say that's wet nurse but since you do that right from the academy through they make sure people get there. But anyway the point being it's a difficult one just like you don't necessarily get the players you want in January very much doubt you get the managers either. And it just does a give a let to everyone and it's almost an abstract observation but it gives the board a let as well we've stacked the manager it was his fault and you can just revisit program notes perfect manager totally fits our profile stick with him then because we get relegated it won't just be the manager's fault the board won't it literally the board the club's fault I've been giving the free pass as far as I'm concerned in this last year they've been giving this review, internal review strategic review we don't know what it says so we've not seen it well no but we saw program notes the other day about how fantastic everything isn't it we lose the home game against the team we've heard a lot of nonsense from the board we have in my opinion because I want to see more change but what I would say this is just a bottom up we're going to do something more on that but 12 months ago and the CEO Thomas wrote this actually in the echo he did make a good point he did make a good point he was like if Everton Everton if they are going to change the manager need to know exactly who they're getting and how quick they can get them in because last January we changed the manager and rightly so shouldn't have been the manager in the first place but they changed the manager and they let it dwindle for two and a half weeks in a transfer window at a time when we need the players we needed someone to come in and go we need this, we need this, we need this and we let it drift we didn't even allow at the time Duncan Ferguson to go listen this squad needs this and this even if he wasn't going to stage the manager he was there as the caretaker so Everton did turn round and went like you know what Mishiri I'm going to have to sack him the result aren't good enough we've given what we can blah blah blah we have to have we're going to John then if we're sack him Frank Llanpard we're taking John Blane and be ready to go because one thing Everton can't do because this year they wouldn't get away with it it's drift at this time of the year so it's almost like well let's give the manager then all the tools what's happening? Everton don't score enough goals and create chances we have to get the strike in it we have to get a winger in it for me we have to get another Miffio player in it if he won we've got really Alexa Wolby and if he ain't on it like he wasn't against Wolves city has to do with his job exactly and city was a different thing and for this game a lot of people would be looking at Alexa Wolby to try and carve them over but if Alexa Wolby is just have on one and you go you look over to the bench he was coming off that he was coming into my field from there I think for me Everton as far as I'm concerned we should have been the ones to have a player by the tree like the other lot did we should have had that done I don't know why we haven't but Everton have known the minute Dominic Ardillun got injured and when that window shut on September 1 Everton have known they needed another forward play and we're now in January we knew last May yeah well of course we followed this again it's when reasons cross over into excuses we've had a 5-6 week break ok maybe World Cup mess about with stuff in our ways but it doesn't matter but we must the director of football must have known who he wanted to get got to what we need and who to get we must have been talking to them throughout that window bit like finalising with a plan that with a plan that as soon as the window opens we're good to go maybe we'll get stunned and lunchtime tomorrow we'll announce a player but I shall now be breath because if we've had all that time which is almost like having another summer prep isn't it and we're not hearing the right things from the selling club or the player and surely we go to the next one that's what you'd think wouldn't you bringing Sims back isn't going to plan sort of thing isn't it but I mean they can't exercise that until the window opens anyway so he's come back and it makes sense to do that but the facts of life are you just said the owner rings up and says I'm going to sack him Thelwall should say thanks very much for that you can take my resignation while you're at it because if Kevin Thelwall hasn't come here saying I make these decisions you can overrule if you like that's fine because you own the bloody thing but you don't initiate it so what we should be expecting to happen and I have next to know real confidence that it happens in the way I think it should but it might be happening but not necessarily in my way if you like is questions are being asked discussions are being had scenarios are being run and they've made a decision now if they've made a decision which is the decision you made on the sofa a while back that says if I simplify it wait till the windows close and then decide so that any inbound person knows what the crack is you also gave logically those three home games to the current manager and maybe what you're really saying is that you should have that then had been him but you've still got like you say you've got to have somebody else to come in but that's it it's not necessarily a blind faith in in franklin you should never have blind faith in anyone and go why are you protecting them whatever it's not a case of protecting either it's a case of looking at the whole situation and going are the players still with them which seems like they are because we've got nothing in the final third true now don't come back at the weekend and all of a sudden look at more of a threat for me we're still not cheap enough is that perception a reality? I don't know probably perception because a look and think we've got somebody who can run and can jump don't make a run and a guy's got a wonder girl but they were there you've got three home games against those three teams I expect a couple of wins in them because I think everyone would be perfectly within the remit to turn on and go is this fella actually good enough for our football club but what I'm trying to say is he wasn't good enough today he became the manager was he what I'm saying is for me the big thing for me is trying to give him the tools so that you're removing those question marks unfortunately haven't done that for him so if the window closes and we haven't got the three players you can't attack him no no what I'm saying is still not doing getting the boost from what he's got that's what I'm saying this is what we started 15 minutes ago we point saying he's got to start getting some results hasn't he because it doesn't matter where I can sit there and go I feel a bit sorry for the manager because he hasn't got this striker or that striker but games are going by games are flying by we've got 17 and we've won three which is my question same but different is he getting most from the squad and if the answers know why not and I actually agree with you we need to give the manager something to turn that around but it doesn't necessarily have to be in my world new player great if we get them because we need to understand why if he hasn't lost them why is he not getting the most out of them consistently right and we had it Anthony Gordon was sick but if he'd started at City he'd have performed because he wants to show off on that stage you've got to try and get into his psyche as a lad of his age and say a bit like you did with Lewis look how old he is lad and he's doing it this almost isn't good enough Mr Royce's phrase almost isn't good enough so they need some degree of consistency and they need to perform to the best of their abilities and part of their abilities is being tight is being aggressive is being high energy and all that good stuff and you just have little smatterings of quality you win games in this league and in Damari Grey you can have a smattering of quality in a Wobie you can have the same and that's what we need to do the manager if he thinks I'm Frank Lampard and I want to play beautiful football that's going to get him the sack really that's a when not if but reality is they need to be together and if the club had the confidence because the petrified are all slot if they had the confidence tell us what's going on I don't make great confidences but say we know what we need we're working on it it ain't going to happen before just because it's not and we don't go huff and puff but there's lots of buyers for people who can score goals like the bottom half of the premier league and some of those will have deeper pockets and some of them won't some of them will be more attractive simply because of where they are geographically and so on and you'll end up with silly prices for the average players and that's when it really gets scary because then you start saying stick with what we've got well see it's like I'm optimistic for tomorrow anyway no listen it'll be a dare a really good start and I think but there a team I give you opportunity and it's up to Evan to take them the whole thing is we need results no manager whether you like him or dislike him the manager can calm the noise by winning football that's what he has to do we'll just have a very quick look it's a bit of a danger man who we've picked out probably surprising but it is Trossard he has played 16 games and got 7 goals 2 assists average is 2.4 shots which is more than what Evan had at Man City at the weekend but that's an anomaly it's also more than Harland had here but he is a really good player Trossard and they had the kind of players you'd like to see in a blue shade and those ones so Evan will have to be on their guard with him this is a much longer match preview than I anticipated so we're going to finish it there so let us know what you think in the comments section below what score are you going for what does the manager need to do in your opinion to win games obviously to calm the noise down let us know subscribe if you haven't skipped the video thumbs up big thanks to John if you want to become a toffy tv premier see you all cold at the end of the screen now see you later take care