Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Thursday 19th August but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.

Your Everton v Southampton Match Reports

I_would added 17:12 - Aug 14 Tosh
2

DellBoyWally added 17:29 - Aug 14 Wrong keeper, wrong RB (Where's KWP), wrong CB (Livra for Stephens), wrong AMs - got to be Stuey and Tella. Forster was far better in the warm up games. McCarthy was error-prone. Tella and Stuey are far superior to Walcott and Djenepo who aren't consistent providers or scorers. Strange team in my view
10

I_would added 17:34 - Aug 14 Strange manager.
2

Boris1977 added 18:11 - Aug 14 Looks like Ralph is striving for continuity from the last few seasons. Two RB's on the bench, second choice keeper and no subs to change things. Got pretty predictable.
10

codge added 18:30 - Aug 14 We played so well in the first half and then we did our usual second half collapse.Why we can’t play two half’s well l don’t know. The first goal they scored came from a poor clearance from guess who Stephens didn’t understand why Bednarek didn’t start overall the new kid at right back was great and Armstrong looks to be a great addition along with Perrau we will be ok.Still baffled by the starting lineup though.

15

SaintPaulVW added 18:58 - Aug 14 In some senses same old same old. Start slow, dominate, score, fail to take further chances second half fall apart, make no changes until behind, changes do nothing perhaps even make things worse. On the positive side, Armstrong looked sharp, Livra looked awesome in the first half, Salisu looks good, Perraud was fairly effective. we seemed to play the ball forward faster. On the downside - Poor defending is still our Achilles heel. We started the second half being overrun, Ralph should have changed things but didn't last year the excuse was there was no one on the bench, that doesn't wash this year. We should have tightened up and looked to score on the break in the second half.

14

Foreverred added 19:32 - Aug 14 Strange line up, why was walker peters,Forster, s Armstrong bednarek, missing from today line up. Ralph makes his own problems. For god sake play your strongest team when they are all available, was he still thinking this was a pre season line up , while the Quality was sitting on the bench. We will be in trouble if he keeps tinkering with the team. Please please please use the vestergaard money on a no nonsense CB , one that can actually marshal the back four. Semmens must make that money available or we will be leaking goals all season ,they are out there so get on with it.

16

SanMarco added 20:12 - Aug 14 What are you doing Ralph? Great - you are an eccentric manager but selections, tactics, substitutions have to be sensible. We have all seen that Saints performance before, many times, under you. I fear a very long and difficult season ahead. Yes, it is only one game but we conceded three to a powder-puff Everton. If JS is first choice after all this time then something is very wrong.

10

Peterx added 20:37 - Aug 14 Positives Livramento, Adam Armstrong, I also thought Djenepo is coming along. I'm not saying I agreed with the line-up but they performed well. -ve's I don't get that KWP and Armstrong who were 2 of our best players last year did not start. Theo was absent. For sure Stuart Armstrong or even Tella would have been a better starter. Weve seen the pattern of conceding a lead so often, and weve seen Stuart Armstrong is effective in defensive midfield, he is a way better option to have on the pitch when the going gets tough to shore up our defensive midfield in a Plan B. Fraser had the better pre-season with way less goals conceded and should have started. Iwobi came on and affected the game and they scored and then we took off one of our more effective players in Romeu, replace with Diallo and they scored again. I would love it if we took the initiative for a change and made an early sub.

10

Manooman added 21:27 - Aug 14 In short.... Substitutes 10 minutes too late. Never understood why we bought Walcott. Great debut AA. & VL.
12

sandywelsh added 21:39 - Aug 14 Jack Stephens and Alex McCarthy would not get a place in any other Premier League team. What sort of starting line up was that? Kwp and Armstrong were our best players last season. Why didnt Tella start he has been brilliant in pre-season games? Forster must start next game.
11

Boris1977 added 23:34 - Aug 14 Next game starting 11: Stephens(GK) Walcott McQueen A Armstrong Forster JWP Redmond Adams Romeu Peters McCarthy Director of Football: Ian Branfoot
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Boris1977 added 23:47 - Aug 14 Next game starting 11: Stephens(GK) Walcott McQueen A Armstrong Forster JWP Redmond Adams Romeu Peters McCarthy Director of Football: Ian Branfoot
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KriSaint added 06:06 - Aug 15 Strange starting 11. Bednarek and Stuart Armstrong were probably rested because of their participance in the Euro 20 tournament, but McCarthy in goal was a big surprise, and so was 'Tino' Livramento, but that said , I thought Tino played pretty well. No doubt Bednarek, S. Armstrong and KWP will start vs M.U. , and I think Tella will come in for Walcott. Everton didn't look great and to be fair they only had 2 ½ chances from which they scored 3. Stephens gifted them a really stupid corner from which they equalized. No communication between him and McCarthy???? And I just don' t know why McCarthy didn't run out and defend with his life and give disgusting diver boy Richarlison a bruise while preventing him from getting in behind and volleying the ball over McCarthys head? Disappointing! Romeu usually is good at protecting the ball and distributing it cleverly. He had a bad come back game with - unlike him - some pretty poor distribution + he didn't protect the back four when ugly Doucouré had all the time in the world to control the ball and blast it in the top near corner on the edge of the box. We have to remember, though, that Romeu was injured for several months with a foot fracture, and he obviously needs games to get back to his best. One good half and one bad. Could have been worse, but - obviously - a disappointing result. A. Armstrong had a good debut, and Adams worked well and hard and had a fine assist. It worries me that Ralph is so poor at protecting leads. Bednarek (who clearly is a better defender than Stephens) on for Stephens at half time would have been a good signal to the rest of the team. Bednarek wouldn't have allowed the third goal to happen. Also Tella on for Walcott at half time would have added some much needed energy to protect the lead for as long as possible. Walcott was nearly invisible. At least Djenepo tried, also against the ball. A manager has to be good at anticipating the development of a match. Ralph, strangely, isn't, and that's bad.

11

PezzaSaint added 08:45 - Aug 15 What I never understand is why all players who played in a tournament over the summer aren’t ready to play at the beginning of the season as suggested by Kri? What makes Bednarek and S Armstrong different to Che Adams? I’ve always complained about Ralph’s inability to read how a game is going to change in the 2nd half and how he is constantly out thought by the position manager and yesterday was no different, Benitez puts Richarlison up front and Ralph does nothing. Everton were poor in the first half, did he really not think that Benitez would not make a change? I think our record of losing leads shows that Ralph never learns and isn’t brave enough to change systems to counter opposition changes!!!!!!

8

vanmans added 10:55 - Aug 15 Has Ralph lost the plot already. Why did he not start with his best players Bednarek, Stuart Armstrong, Walker-Peters and Forster should have all started. Why did Ralph not make any changes at the start of the second half when we were being overrun? Ralph needs to get a tactition in to work beside him because his tactical knowledge is zero!!!
9

Sadoldgit added 11:33 - Aug 15 He said that he was going to make changes early in the second half but we started to look brighter for a time so he held back until the second goal. Frustrating I know but it isn’t easy to know when to make changes when you are ahead. Stick or twist? Get it right and you are a hero, get it wrong and you are a useless muppet.
-2

IanRC added 12:12 - Aug 15 Have to agree with most of what is said here. Bright spots Tino had a great first half though should have been replaced by WP as he started to tire in second half. Some really good link up play between Adams and Armstrong and a great finish by Armstrong (Danny who?). Disagree with most over Djenepo, think he can be a great creator if he can just get his final ball right much better than Walcott or indeed Redmond. JWP and Oriel clearly not up to full speed yet, we surrendered initiative in mid field after half time. Unbelievable RH didn’t put Stu Armstrong on. Similarly using Stephens rather than Bednarak very strange. Tella too should have replaced the ineffective Walcott much earlier. Did Salisu get a call to leave ball for their equaliser ?, shame given that we had played a good safety first approach in defence first half. Obvious concerns remain over centre backs although I am hopeful about Salisu, Bednarak partnership. Lack of height in attacking penalty area is a worry but very optimistic about Adams / Armstrong partnership. Hopefully JWP and Oriel back to fuller fitness next week. MUFC will be a good test given their start.

7

LoisDeem added 14:03 - Aug 16 Bad enough that the selection from ‘two for each position’ were the wrong ones, and that we ended up with too many lightweights starting, with debutants already carrying established stand ins. As many have said, what’s the point of a ‘strong bench’ if there’s no urgency to get the right replacements on. WTF have Forster, Bednarek, Walker -Peters, Stuart Armstrong and even Diallo done wrong pre season FFS? Rather than square pegs round holes why not the old fashioned if you’re good enough you’re playing, which might leave only one of Bednarek or Salisu with Livramento and KWP right side, and accommodate best player (Stuart Armstrong) at all costs. Experiment over, or admit you’re beaten RH, and get some help in -either for the remainder of the season, or perhaps just to organise the second half’s .

0