It’s hard to shake off the feeling that Jack Grealish is slowly rediscovering his best version after signing for Everton on loan this summer. The 30-year-old has five goal contributions in eight matches and has created the most chances from open play in the Premier League so far this season.
Grealish won the Premier League player of the month award in August for the first time in his career after registering four assists in consecutive starts against Brighton and Wolves. He scored his first goal in a royal blue shirt in dramatic fashion – a 93rd-minute winner to end Crystal Palace’s unbeaten streak at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Along with Iliman Ndiaye, he has become the cornerstone of the Everton attack under David Moyes this season.
“He is even better than I thought,” said Moyes following a 3-2 win away at Wolves at the end of August, in which Grealish provided two assists, completed five dribbles and missed one big chance.
“He probably needs a bit of love and attention. He needs the games as well. Hopefully, he starts building on it and he gets even better as the season goes on.
“He is making a big difference. Whether it is his assists, his presence, lots of things. So all credit to him. He is playing the minutes he may not have had in recent years.
“You know, he’s so good. What Jack gives us is something just on the edge, which, hopefully it’s on the edge of creativeness and maybe scoring goals.”
He has created the most chances from open play (19) and has the most progressive carries (31) for a player in the league this season. He’s also second in the league in key passes (20) and goal-creating actions (6). Grealish’s four assists are also the joint-highest in the league so far.
In short, Grealish is a chance-creating machine who takes up the ball on the left, darts towards his opposition full-back, pauses, lifts his head up and follows it up with either a decisive and incisive pass or a layoff to a nearby teammate to exploit the space and chaos he’s created.
The problem, however, is that the strikers haven’t really lived up to Grealish’s brilliance. Instead of feeding on chances and getting into great goal-scoring positions, both Beto and Thierno Barry have been massively underwhelming this season.
They have a combined one goal in the league between them this season, and while summer signing Barry is yet to open his goal-scoring account at Everton, it’s Beto who’s been a bigger let-down.
The Everton number nine has the third-highest expected goals per 90 minutes in the league this season. He is fifth on the list of the highest expected goals (3.9) this season but has only scored once. For comparison, Erling Haaland has scored 11 goals from an xG of 8.9.
While Beto is no Haaland, the least you’d expect from him is to convert simple chances. The Guinea-Bissau international had chances to open the scoring in big games against Manchester City and Liverpool this season, but failures in front of goal have proven costly for David Moyes’s side.
The Toffees’ attack, led by Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, has created 12.5 expected goals – the ninth highest in the league so far. However, they’ve only scored nine goals from those chances owing to the strikers’ profligacy. Only Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have scored fewer goals compared to chances created more than Everton in the league this season.
It’s also not just wastefulness plaguing Everton’s strikers. Beto and Thierno Barry are also not getting into good goal-scoring positions to take advantage of the brilliance of Grealish and Ndiaye.
Beto and Barry are currently averaging 2.6 and 2.4 shots per 90, placing them 79th and 72nd in the Premier League, respectively. Both of them have just four shots on target between them and while Beto gets 42.4% of his shots on target, Barry’s conversion rate is 33.3%.
At this point, the problems stemming from the striker position are clear as day to everyone at the club, especially the fans. It remains to be seen how Moyes and his support staff opt to address this issue because the current level of wastefulness in front of goal is unsustainable.
While respite can only be found, if at all, during the winter transfer window, in the meantime, does Moyes stick to his misfiring strikers or tries to shake things up? What about Iliman Ndiaye as false 9?
Reader Comments (76)
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Frank Crewe
1 Posted
31/10/2025 at
14:28:46
We have two of the best wide players in the Premier League and two of the worst strikers.
It must be energy-sapping when you see you’re flogging a dead horse week after week as chance after chance goes begging.
Sam Hoare
2 Posted
31/10/2025 at
14:45:23
Misleading title here. It’s not (just) the strikers. As the article states, Beto and Barry are not being given that many shots in the box. And though Beto has missed a few, Barry has barely had a sniff.
A lot of these ‘chances’ are cutbacks for the likes of Gana and Garner.
Easy to blame the strikers and neither have been great but the issue is we are not playing to their strengths and we’re often creating chances for the wrong players.
Ryan Holroyd
3 Posted
31/10/2025 at
14:55:00
Barry has an xG of 0.5 goals. He’s hardly getting chances, never mind missing them.
Beto has been the main culprit.
Nevertheless, Grealish, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Garner, Gana, O’Brien, Mykolenko and Röhl never look like scoring either.
Jay Harris
4 Posted
31/10/2025 at
14:56:39
Totally agree, Sam.
When you see Alcaraz and Armstrong play precision passes behind the defenders for Beto to use his speed and strength, you see the potential to score.
On the other hand, he is not good at hold-up play or ball control, so why does Pickford keep lumping long balls up the pitch for him to win and control?
One other point that has been my beef for years is that we constantly look for goals from our Number 9 because we don’t buy or develop goalscoring midfield players. Even the likes of Tarkowski are no longer productive from set pieces.
Dale Self
5 Posted
31/10/2025 at
15:28:00
While I want to be careful about indicting Moyes, it seems much of our early productive creativity has turned into sterile possession in the opponents’ half. Some of that is due to the price of experimenting when you do not have enough interchangeable players in the squad.
However, as was discussed on Kieran’s article, Moyes isn’t doing himself any favors with static setups. We need to take some chances in the second half because teams have figured out how to soft double on Jack and get away with it.
We simply don’t have enough smartly timed runs with players who are threats around the box. We need to get Ndiaye and Jack in adjacent positions at some point. Long enough so that the opponents have to make an adjustment, then maybe some of our clunky plays would produce opportunities.
Derek Knox
6 Posted
31/10/2025 at
15:49:24
Serious question:
How did the likes of Beto become a top-flight professional footballer, when he can’t even accomplish the basics, and seemingly can’t even score a goal?
Rick Tarleton
7 Posted
31/10/2025 at
15:55:21
I’d like to see one of Grealish, Ndiaye or Dibling used as a striker. The approach play then would not be dependent on the ability of our fullbacks to overlap and swing over inaccurate crosses. The ball would have to be worked through the midfield.
All of the three players mentioned above have the ability to beat a man in a confined space. Is anyone else thinking of this possibility?
Christy Ring
8 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:01:16
I like Grealish, but at times he needs to play quicker balls into our strikers, but Beto’s problem is his first touch is so poor, and Barry needs to be a more physical presence.
Ndiaye has been playing really well on the right; I would start Alcaraz at Number 10 ahead of Dewsbury-Hall, who I thought was very poor against Spurs.
Kevin Molloy
9 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:10:39
We had a striker who went a whole season without scoring a goal from open play, and he was our record signing, and also added nothing to our play.
Our real problem is the low block and a lack of pace. What can you do, there was a clamour for youth and we had a threadbare squad. it’s going to take years to regularise.
Mike Gaynes
10 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:17:08
Sam #2 and others are spot on. It’s not just Beto. Our #10, Dewsbury-Hall, has one goal, and his backup, Charly Alcaraz has none. Grealish, for all his creativity, has one goal.
Garner and Gana, despite multiple shooting opportunities created by Jack and Ili, have one apiece. And Tarkowski and Keane aren’t finishing set pieces (although Jake did last weekend).
Only Ili is really cashing in consistently.
Ray Said
11 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:25:37
Like Christy (8), I think Dewsbury-Hall has disappointed as the middle of the 3 behind the striker. Ndiaye is the player most capable of effectively attacking left or right so play him in the role occupied by Dewsbury-Hall.
Ndiaye is a very effective presser so there will be no loss in that regard. Dale (5) makes a good point that we need to get Grealish and Ndiaye linking more.
Stephen Meighan
12 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:40:15
I just hope Moyes doesn’t play either Beto or Barry on Monday night. Let’s face it, both of them are awful and neither would get a start in any other Premier League team at present.
Why not try something different with maybe Ndiaye up front with Alcaraz supporting him because the system Moyes has been playing isn’t working. Let’s face it, we have nothing to lose.
Sunderland have started the season well and will be up for it with a passionate crowd behind them but I feel, if we start positively, it’s a game we should be getting something out of it. COYB
Robert Tressell
13 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:41:37
Some good points already made:
– low block and lack of pace is a big problem
– Grealish slows things down a bit too much and doesn’t suit Beto’s game
– we have sterile possession (excellent phrase, Dale) as a result of the lack of pace and movement and crap full-back play
– the strikers are not being provided with bags of chances
It’s nice to have Grealish because he’s skilful and famous etc but…
Maybe we just needed someone fast and direct rather than someone slow and technical?
I think we’d be more of a goal threat if the three behind Barry were Ndiaye, Alcaraz and Dibling.
Jerome Shields
14 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:41:46
Moyes’s deliberate and predictable build-up play and poor set-piece preparation is the problem.
Ryan Holroyd
15 Posted
31/10/2025 at
16:57:13
The main problem is the full-backs who don’t offer any width at all.
Jon Atkinson
16 Posted
31/10/2025 at
17:19:28
When’s our leading assister last season and a goal getter getting a start?
Let’s have it right: the strikers aren’t being teed up with sitters. I’m no fan of Beto but his last two on target got pretty good saves from the keeper. Barry isn’t getting any meaningful game time.
Grealish was poor first half against Spurs but had some exceptional dribbling, ball carrying in the second half, that all came to nought as he mostly cuts in-field and the next player does little to nothing with it.
I’d like to see Alcaraz in the middle rather than Dewsbury-Hall because I feel Alcaraz will get more shots of feed balls into the strikers than Dewsbury-Hall, who has been mentioned variously on here, doesn’t afford much attacking intent. Alcaraz is all attacking intent.
Pete Jeffries
17 Posted
31/10/2025 at
18:00:24
Got to disagree with some of these posts.
Firstly, Dewsbury-Hall is an excellent player and links up well with Grealish and Ndiaye; dropping him would be a big mistake.
Alcaraz is a good option as striker in place of Beto or Barry; both are useless.
Gana is a weak link, painfully slow passing and recovery; he is well past it.
Garner is best placed instead of Gana at centre-midfield.
Mykolenko is another who needs replacing, every winger turns him inside out and he can’t block crosses.
We desperately need two full-backs; Jake O’Brien is doing his best but is out of position.
The jury’s out on the rest of them.
Robert Tressell
18 Posted
31/10/2025 at
18:19:57
Worth taking up the option to buy in Grealish?
I think it’s £50M isn’t it? … but could probably be negotiated down to, say, £35M.
I’m not sure.
Mike Gaynes
19 Posted
31/10/2025 at
18:35:26
Robert #13, Jack Grealish is the best creator in the Premier League so far this season and you think we’d have a better attack without him?
We had someone fast and direct, name of Doucoure. If you’d rather have him than Jack, I’m ordering up some testing for you. Involves a cup.
Pete #17, painfully, I believe you may be right about Gana. The league’s leading tackler last season is now a distant third in his own club, behind even Ndiaye, and his passing isn’t getting any better.
I would drop Dewsbury-Hall into the spot next to Garner and, as Jon and others have suggested, give Charly Alcaraz the starting job at Number 10 for a while. He knows how to release Beto through the backline.
Robert Tressell
20 Posted
31/10/2025 at
18:58:17
Mike # 19, not doubting the creation stats or the talent. It’s more about the most effective use of our summer budget.
For all his ability, Grealish hasn’t yet proved to be a big difference maker for us — and probably isn’t as effective for us as Ndiaye on the right wing.
Might we look better as a side with someone in the style of Schade, Ouattara, Sarr or Semenyo who is more of a wing forward than a wide playmaker? Emphasis “in the style of” — not suggesting we actually buy these players.
It’s possibly too early to judge — but you can probably see where I am going with the question.
Whatever the case, Doucoure isn’t the right comparison to Grealish — different position and role in the team. There’s an interesting comparison with Dewsbury-Hall (who gives us more overall) but we can save that for another article..
Colin Glassar
21 Posted
31/10/2025 at
19:14:19
Our two forwards are crap and our midfielders go into Man City mode once they reach the opposition box. Very rarely do they try and have a pop but prefer to pass the ball sideways.
No wonder we find it hard to score goals.
Liam Mogan
22 Posted
31/10/2025 at
19:31:14
Jack Grealish has been our best player this season. He has made a difference, getting assists in the wins v Brighton, Wolves and scoring the winner v Palace. In 2 of the games we have lost, Man City and Leeds Utd, he didn’t play or start.
It’s easy to pick holes in players once the results don’t go your way. It’s worth remembering that last season we had Harrison and Lindstrom on the flanks. He’s a massive improvement on that.
It is true we look to have become predictable. The strikers are limited and the defence drops too deep. It’s up to Moyes to solve these problems. I’m not sure leaving out our best and most impactful player would help.
As for signing him at the end of his loan? Mixed feelings. He’s reaching the latter years of his career and it might be more sensible to invest in younger players. But I would love to see him with better players around him. Especially a full-back who wasn’t afraid of the ball.
Jerome Shields
23 Posted
31/10/2025 at
19:32:46
Ryan #15
The full-backs play a more inverted role in Moyes’s system. They are not told to overlap.
Ryan Holroyd
24 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:17:30
They used to, Jerome, with Baines and Coleman.
Ryan Holroyd
25 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:19:30
I don’t how anyone can call Barry useless after about 2 matches.
Ryan Holroyd
26 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:20:41
Not a chance I would pay £35M for Grealish.
Michael Kenrick
27 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:36:58
You might have a point, Ryan, if all we’d seen of the useless Barry was “after about 2 matches”.
But if you’d been watching, I think you’d have seen him on the pitch for a few more than 2 matches.
In fact, the senior side has had a total of 11 games in league and cup so far. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you how many of those he’s been involved in.
In fact, why don’t you tell us which of those 11 games he hasn’t had any involvement in?
Paul Smith
28 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:50:59
We’re privileged to have Grealish here, we’ve been dogshit for years. How many times does he lose the ball or waste it?
A top quality player. Him and Ndiaye are a class apart and we’re lucky to have them.
Dave Abrahams
30 Posted
31/10/2025 at
20:56:54
Liam (22),
I‘d beg to differ over Grealish being our best player this season.
I’d say Ndiaye with his three goals in the three wins v Brighton, Wolves and Crystal Palace helping us to 9 points out of the 11 we have gained.
He hasn’t been that bad creating chances in a lot of those games with an assist v Liverpool and doing a lot of defensive work as well.
Stuart Sharp
31 Posted
31/10/2025 at
21:03:51
Interesting thread. There are a couple of things mentioned we could try. But I wouldn’t drop Dewsbury-Hall, personally. He’s a quality footballer and I’m surprised some folk think he’s been poor. Maybe change his position within the midfield, but don’t drop one of the better footballers.
Gana was awesome last season but perhaps is finally fading (could Rohl play there?).
As for Alcaraz, he fades in and out of games, but while he certainly looks best through the middle, I’m not sure he’ll turn Beto’s form round all that dramatically. Would rather we drop Beto.
Jerome Shields
32 Posted
31/10/2025 at
21:06:26
Ryan #27
Yes, Coleman and Baines did overlap, but Moyes seems to have continued as Dyche had in his system of inverted wingers with no overlapping full-back. I agree, overlapping full-backs would help as you suggest.
Dave #30,
Ndiaye does seem to be more effective. He is new to that position and seems to be putting a lot of work into it.
Sam Hoare
33 Posted
31/10/2025 at
21:49:34
I’m not saying this is definitively the case with Grealish but it’s possible that a better individual player does not make the team better. I’m sure we all remember when we last qualified for the Champions League despite losing comfortably our most talented individual in Rooney.
What matters is how well the team is working together. Not how good the individuals in the team are. Right now, we seem to be less than the sum of our parts.
Derek Thomas
34 Posted
31/10/2025 at
22:18:24
Is he the player Pep signed? I’d say No, but neither is he the player Pep lost patience with and dropped.
We still have a decent player on our hands — but, are we Mr Moyes, by overusing him (and having him always stuck out on the wing) getting the best out of him?
Grealish (and Ndiaye) can fire in good balls all day, but — with a couple of interchangeable under-achieving galoots in the middle — what’s the point? Both have to come inside more, get into the box and create a bit of panic.
“Well, shake it up, baby, now (shake it up, baby)
Twist and shout (twist and shout)
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, baby, now (come on, baby)
Come on and work it on out (work it all out)”
Robert Tressell
35 Posted
31/10/2025 at
22:27:13
Jerome,
I think our full-backs are unable to make overlapping runs because they are rubbish — not because of any tactical instruction. We have really awful full-backs — probably the worst pair in the Premier League from an attacking point of view.
Sam, you’re right, we are playing like less than the sum of our parts. I think that’s because the parts don’t fit together well.
Steve Brown
36 Posted
01/11/2025 at
01:10:17
The full-backs are definitely crap.
They are the opposite of what we need with two wingers who like to cut in and leave space for the full-backs to overlap.
But, I thought part of the problem v Spurs was that Gana and Garner played too deep. They were sat in front of the defence playing a low block for most of the game. One of them needs to get forward.
As for our attackers, let’s be kind and say the football is not their friend…
Paul Griffiths
37 Posted
01/11/2025 at
02:15:12
So, the answer to a question about our poor pair of strikers thus far and to provide depth for the minority position on this thread is to point out how poor and low-firing everyone else is around them (@10). That really helps us. Doesn’t really get us far, does it?
That said, each one of the players listed @10 has been more important for us so far this season than Beto and Barry with their pitiful one goal between them.
But don’t worry, it’s all about service — not the quality of said misfiring duo. They will bang them in with better service.
Mike Gaynes
38 Posted
01/11/2025 at
04:07:44
Robert #20, Grealish has been a massive difference-maker in all kinds of ways. Even if he might not be the ideal fit. As to whether we’d look better with more direct wingers, I have no idea. Ask me when we get a couple next summer. (I can’t wait… I’ve been pissing and moaning about our glacial flanks for years, but we’re still one of the slowest teams in the league.)
Michael #27, Barry has played 247 league minutes. That’s the equivalent of 2.8 matches. Add in another 106 in Cup ties and he’s been on the pitch for less than four games. That you and others are so eager to write him off as “useless” after that ridiculously short period of time just blows my mind.
Steve Brown
39 Posted
01/11/2025 at
04:29:27
What is it with Everton fans?
We seem allergic to players with quality — Grealish, Gordon, James, Richarlison, even Kanchelskis. Lord knows there have been precious few, but all questioned despite being head and shoulders about the rest of the team.
Yet we love the talentless players like Beto, Niasse, Stracqualursi, Harrison and Doucoure (I could name a hundred others) simply because they have a good attitude, love the club, run about a lot, and track back?
Of course they loved the club. They were all crap and could not believe their luck to be playing for a club this size.
How has this tendency played out for us over the last 30 years? I think it is the successful outcome of Kenwright’s long-term indoctrination plan to dumb down expectations.
Mihir Ambardekar
40 Posted
01/11/2025 at
06:41:29
There are many issues. We are not playing that great since Matchday 1.
We have strikers who can play a certain way. They had a few chances which they should have taken but overall we are not playing to their strengths.
We are overly dependent on Grealish and Ndiaye. Grealish slows the game down. We are not using McNeil, Alcaraz and Dibling enough.
I don’t get the obsession of using Dewsbury-Hall for large parts of the game. He works hard and contributes defensively but very average from an attacking point of view.
Moyes isn’t changing his approach and is not making proactive substitutions. We have a good squad but Moyes is not getting the best out. He has to try something different.
Colin Glassar
41 Posted
01/11/2025 at
06:50:01
Spot on, Steve Brown, 39.
We are lucky to have him.
Ryan Holroyd
42 Posted
01/11/2025 at
07:55:23
What I am saying, Michael, is the minutes he’s had compare to about two matches, as Mike at 38 has said, in the Premier League anyway.
Neil Cremin
43 Posted
31/10/2025 at
08:05:37
Maybe Mick Gaynes @19 has a point in that we are missing someone fast and direct like Doucs. He may not have had the ball control but by carrying the ball quickly into the opposition’s penalty area, he caused havoc even if he lost control.
This often yielded up chances from the loose ball. We have had very little of those type of chances this season.
I like Grealish but he does need to take more risks by shooting or putting the ball in quicker. Holding onto the ball out on the left, drawing 2 defenders and then passing it infield to Dewsbury-Hall who I have yet to see take a shot at goal is a waste.
I like Dewsbury-Hall work rate but he also needs to shoot. If the inside pass is to Garner, then there is some chance of a shot.
As said already, with the exception of Ndiaye, none of the other midfielders can score.
Andrew Clare
44 Posted
01/11/2025 at
08:29:41
Maybe the title of this thread should be:
Jack Grealish’s brilliance being wasted by mediocre manager
Daniel A Johnson
45 Posted
01/11/2025 at
08:34:23
My mate who is a massive Man City fan said Grealish will flatter to deceive at Everton. How many of his chances created were genuine opportunities for a goal?
He said the main frustration with Grealish is that any attacking momentum on the break is lost the minute he gets the ball.
Guardiola used to do his nut in on the sideline when City attacked on the break and Grealish would put the handbrake on the minute he got the ball. Guardiola would shout “Jack, faster! Jack, faster!” every time he got the ball.
When Grealish gets the ball, he instinctively slows down, the ball sticks to him like glue, and he draws players to him, which is why he gets fouled so much.
The only issue is when he gets the ball, he allows the opposition to collectively reset its formation. Which effectively means our forward line gets marked out of the game.
It was an issue at Man City with Jesus and Haaland up front, but they had De Bruyne, Silva and Foden to break teams down. This is compounded and made worse for us with the fact we have Beto and Barry and a weaker team collectively to break through a static well-drilled defence.
He’s a good player but, despite his stats, I can’t help but feel if he’s hurting us more than he’s helping.
Michael Kenrick
46 Posted
01/11/2025 at
08:57:12
Sadly, Daniel, I think your City fan’s description of Grealish is bang on the money. Any momentum in attack just grinds to a halt — and that is why nothing is usually the end product, irrespective of our undoubted striker shortcomings.
I don’t know what the solution is unless we somehow change the way he plays… and something tells me that is just not going to happen.
David Bromwell
47 Posted
01/11/2025 at
09:11:34
Who knows what will happen on Monday?
However, one thing is certain: we will not be playing Dyche football, and we will have some clever, entertaining players on the pitch.
Remember, we are work in progress, and still a long way from being a guaranteed top-half team. It’s frustrating but it’s going to take time; meanwhile, I hope we can get sufficient points to keep us out of trouble.
Apart from our inability to score goals the last two games have illustrated that we also have defensive issues and I expect that other teams will try to expose this.
I hope the Manager will tweak the side and we will see changes to make the forwards more effective and the defence more dominant. Easily done?
Daniel A Johnson
48 Posted
01/11/2025 at
09:19:46
Guardiola knows the transition period when the game switches from defence to attack is where games can be won and the difference can be made because the attacking team are out of position.
When Grealish signed for Man City, he went missing for 12 months and hardly started. This was apparently because Guardiola was trying to recoach and remould Jack to get him faster in the transition.
Guardiola micro-manages every player in his team when in possession of the ball and the only word Guardiola would ever shout when Jack got the ball was “Faster, faster, faster.”
Eventually, Guardiola just got fed up of him and dropped him. He couldn’t change him.
Our problem is that Moyes got Grealish to come to Everton by stroking his ego and making sure he knew he would start every match and all play would go through him. In the World Cup year, it would all be about Jack.
As a result, the Moyes tactical masterplan has been sussed: double up on Grealish and our play grinds to a halt, our strikers are statues marked out of the game.
Ndiaye aside, how can you expect a team fighting relegation for the last 6 years to suddenly play possession football and slowly pick teams apart with intricate skill and flair?
Ian Bennett
49 Posted
01/11/2025 at
09:24:46
Some of the comments truly baffle me. Yeah, Grealish is being double-marked and is slow on the ball, but he’s also hugely talented and creates most of our chances.
If you played Ndiaye on the left, we’d be faced with a similar issue of double-marking him.
The issue isn’t those two talented players, it’s the speed the ball comes to them, and the lack of decent runners off them.
When the ball can be played out quick, it’s 3 or 4 touches, and the time and space is closed. The full back is too deep and the opposition know he’s not good enough on the ball when he does receive it.
Does Dewesbury-Hall offer enough support to Jack? I’d say Garner offers more, which is odd.
Joe McMahon
50 Posted
01/11/2025 at
09:46:53
David @47 how many years have we been a work in progress?
I do admire the patience of many Evertonians. Our neighbours win every major trophy there is with some regularity, and we have to keep waiting season after season.
I’m 56 and I’m now wondering if I will see Everton win anything again. Not winning anything, or seeing goals and attacking football has now become accepted learned behaviour.
I hope our owners look at younger positive managers (very soon). We need a boost.
Daniel A Johnson
51 Posted
01/11/2025 at
09:48:34
Ian.
Grealish is slowing the play down and the problem is now that, in front of a static defence, he’s laying the ball off to Mykolenko, Beto, Gueye and Gardner. Whereas previously it was Haaland, Walker, De Bruyne and Foden.
We can’t break a static defence down we don’t have the quality.
Jerome Shields
52 Posted
01/11/2025 at
10:08:33
The way Grealish plays suits Moyes’s tactics. Bar the lack of overlapping full-back, I can’t see that much difference from Moyes’s trademark attacking build-up.
Opposition teams got that used to it, they didn’t bother to challenge in midfield, just made sure they were back in formation to retrieve the ball and counter-attack.
I am baffled by the lack of Everton’s set-piece preparation, both attacking and defending. I would have thought it a must.
Robert Tressell
53 Posted
01/11/2025 at
10:21:27
Michael # 46 and others – I don’t think there’s any chance of Grealish changing the way he plays.
And I don’t see Moyes changing the way we’re set up either (and in truth he doesn’t have a lot of options in that respect either).
Who is more likely to be here next season: Moyes or Grealish?
Dave Abrahams
54 Posted
01/11/2025 at
10:40:55
Mike (38),
You said Grealish has been a massive difference maker in all kinds of ways but you never elaborated those “All kinds of ways”!
Dave Abrahams
55 Posted
01/11/2025 at
10:52:06
Steve (39),
Why is it wrong to point out the faults of Grealish? He has them and more praise him or over hype him than criticise him.
Gordon always had the potential he is showing now at Newcastle — he flattered to deceive more times than he glowed while with us.
James was adored by plenty of Everton fans and I liked him a lot when he showed those moments but he was a flop just as often in many games.
Richarlison had his moments and had more supporters than critics I’d say.
And being honest, did Kanchelskis have any critics?
Dale Self
56 Posted
01/11/2025 at
10:54:50
Ian 49, good points.
I would only add that Garner understands what is possible due to his tenure here. I believe Dewsbury-Hall is a thinking footballer who can figure it out with time.
Christy Ring
57 Posted
01/11/2025 at
11:37:04
We can criticise Grealish, but we’d be a lot weaker without him, and he very seldom loses the ball.
I think he’d be more effective in the middle.
Kunal Desai
58 Posted
01/11/2025 at
12:26:18
I don’t doubt the quality of Grealish improves our team from last season. For me, it depends on what happens next summer and whether the club decide to add better quality.
He’s on loan; do they decide to make the deal permanent or do they pass on that option, bearing in mind the club will also have to possibly identify the next manager as I don’t see Moyes staying beyond his contract.
Signing Grealish long term may not be in the plans of the next manager. Just thinking ahead.
Eddie Dunn
59 Posted
01/11/2025 at
12:41:24
I totally agree with Sam @2.
Grealish and Ndiaye have managed to wriggle through but usually provide cut-backs for oncoming midfielders whilst the play is generally ponderous as both wingers don’t get to the byline quickly and the defence is allowed to reset.
Beto can sore goals if the ball is threaded through a gap for him to run onto but this is not happening.
Stuart Sharp
60 Posted
01/11/2025 at
12:52:06
Grealish is the best player we’ve had in ages. Yes, he has his faults (I wish he’d shoot more, for one), and we are becoming a bit formulaic, but he improves our threat and ability to retain possession.
He’d look even better if we had a better left-back and a proper striker. The suggestion we are missing Doucoure is hilarious. And while I agree with some of what Steve Brown says, I don’t remember Harrison getting much love. Or indeed any.
Mike Gaynes
61 Posted
02/11/2025 at
00:46:15
Neil #43, I had absolutely no intention of suggesting that we were missing Doucoure. I was merely teasing Robert that if he did, I was going to order up a pee test for him.
Dave #54, I see three ways that Jack has made a difference:
1. His obvious ability to set others up with scoring opportunities, which is proven by the statistic Anjishnu quotes.
2. The fact that he attracts so much attention from the opposition, creating more space in the attacking end for his teammates — the shooting lanes for Garner’s shots being an excellent example (we need to take better advantage of this).
3. Ball retention and lack of turnovers. He is our least likely player to lose the ball in a key area and trigger a counterattack for the opponent (Dewsbury-Hall and Gana are often culpable for this).
Sure, I too would like to see him shoot more and not slow the ball down so much when he receives it at his feet. Some one- and two-touch work might make him even more dangerous. But I still think he’s really, really good.
Sean Kearns
62 Posted
02/11/2025 at
01:48:57
Wasted by having a donkey up front and also being partnered with Mykolenko on the left. We love Mykolenko but really he’s not elite…
Grealish and Ndiaye try their hearts out with Inadequate help from their full-backs. If we have a proper elite left-back and right-back, we would see the best of our wide players. Until then it’s tough to judge them…
Keane Lewis-Potter from Brentford gets my vote.
Steve Brown
63 Posted
02/11/2025 at
05:51:18
Sean,
I don’t love Mykolenko or any crap player we’ve signed over the last 10 years.
Alan J Thompson
64 Posted
02/11/2025 at
06:13:20
There are times when I think that Grealish has slowed the game to the point that the opposition defence has time to reorganize but then there are times he gets to the by-line inside the area and draws defenders to him.
On other occasions, he stops just outside the corner of the penalty area and plays a shortish pass inside to Garner or Gana to shoot.
I’d like to see further options given to him, say Ndiaye moving into the centre to occupy the central defenders while Beto, or even O’Brien from out wide on the right start a run towards the far post while Grealish cuts back and fires a long, high ball towards that run.
In other words, more options may not only help Grealish but also give the opposition more to think about. As I’ve said before, Grealish should be the icing on the cake, not the only flavour.
In our previous great teams, there has always been more options, the most obvious Harvey, Ball, Kendall and Morrisey. Anyone remember who played wide right or did Jimmy Husband just come in on the back post when Joe Royle had taken the defence with him, and vice versa?
Yes, I know, rather an unfair comparison.
Ian Bennett
65 Posted
02/11/2025 at
08:02:08
Getting a good player in, is getting a good player in. Years ago, we had a Peter Beardsley. He was a top class player, way above much of the dross that shared the pitch with him.
Was he a problem? No, the issues we faced were not buying more players of that ilk, rather the host of labourers that followed.
One tip for Moyes is probably put the better players nearer to Grealish. Players on his wavelength.
If you want a class team, it needs class players in it.
Dave Abrahams
66 Posted
02/11/2025 at
08:29:20
Alan (64),
I’m glad you mentioned Johnny Morrissey — he was a real winger who did his job up and down that wing attacking and defending, scored a few and put plenty of assists on to the head of Joe Royle.
He accepted the responsibility he was given, like the penalty v Leeds in the semi final of the cup, and before anyone mentions he had better players around him, Shankly knew of his vast potential in Liverpool reserves and the games he played in the first team. He went berserk when Liverpool directors sold him behind his back to Everton.
Ray Roche
67 Posted
02/11/2025 at
08:49:26
Dave,
Morrissey was one of my favourite players from that or any era. Talented as you say and hard as nails.
I remember him putting so-called hard man Jack Charlton in his place, and Charlton, and other pseudo hard men didn’t want to know afterwards. Cracking player!
Dave Abrahams
68 Posted
02/11/2025 at
08:53:39
Ray (67),
A tough little nut who could give it and take it if anyone tried it on with him.
Tommy Smith knew the score with Johnny and never got into any trouble with him!
Alan McGuffog
69 Posted
02/11/2025 at
09:15:13
Ray, he was supposedly in Charlton’s infamous “Little Black Book”. Apparently our lad had left stud marks in his chest. The only pity is it wasn’t in Bremner’s or Giles’s!
A wonderful player and it reminds me of Brian Labone’s tongue-in-cheek remark about 1970 being the only time three men won the league.
Ray Roche
70 Posted
02/11/2025 at
09:22:35
Alan, Dave, you’ve probably heard the anecdote of the time when, early in a game against Leeds, Morrissey tackled Charlton so hard leaving him in a heap on the floor.
Morrissey went over and appeared to be seeing if Charlton was okay, but actually said “Put that in your fuckin black book” and trotted off.
Apparently, Charlton refused to mention Morrissey when asked about Morrissey and his hardest opponents.
Liam Mogan
71 Posted
02/11/2025 at
09:39:00
At an ex-Leeds players’ Evening I went to a couple of years back.
Paul Reaney said both Everton and Johnny Morrissey were their toughest opponents.
Alan J Thompson
72 Posted
02/11/2025 at
15:57:08
Johnny Morrissey (Moggsy) was that team’s last honoured player when chosen for an English League team to play an Italian League team.
Unfortunately later became known as the player’s player and the Embassy man, but a cracking winger.
Neil Cremin
73 Posted
02/11/2025 at
19:18:18
I agree with Sam 2 and others that don’t buy into the lazy headline.
I just watched the most prolific goal scorer in the Premier League get his usual 2 goals for Man City. What is most interesting is that both were counter-attacks where he had loads of space and ended one-on-one directly in front of the keeper.
Why? Because there is quick ball to him poaching on the half -way line. If our strikers had that luxury, maybe they may get more goals. Instead, the nearest they get is a long punt from Pickford.
Not saying they would be as prolific as Haaland but I’m sure they would convert some of the chances if they become available.
Instead, we have a Plan A which is pass the ball to Grealish but this often slows down play and our strikers have only half-chances to convert.
Dave Abrahams
74 Posted
03/11/2025 at
11:02:41
Mike (61),
I pay little attention to stats and Grealish is “a chance making machine” really ridiculous. He attracts so much attention from the opposition, he’d attract a lot more if he moved around a lot more and found some space in better positions to receive the ball.
He still loses the ball quite a bit to a tackle or a wrong pass and if you think he has been “a really really good player” in his seven and a bit games for Everton, then I have a different opinion to that — which doesn’t make me right, of course.
On your last paragraph, I hope he does change his play and do a lot more tonight at Sunderland and start to change my opinion of him. Tonight is one of those occasions when a really good player makes a big impression on the game and result.
Eric Myles
75 Posted
03/11/2025 at
11:45:14
Kunal #58, isn’t Moyes’s contract through to the season after this? So no new manager input required.
It’ll be Moyes saying whether he wants to keep him or not and the rest of the team working out the finances and contract if so.
Andrew Clare
76 Posted
03/11/2025 at
12:14:46
Johnny Morrissey was a great player in our greatest team.
One of the reasons Joe Royle scored so many goals in that 1969-70 side.
Mark Murphy
77 Posted
03/11/2025 at
17:12:12
Talking of misfiring strikers.
Our old prospect, Chermiti, is getting pelters at Rangers..
https://www.followfollow.com/forum/threads/chermiti.312084/
and Thelwell with him.
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