Yesterday's Cup Final

[Alex Sapphire]

has anyone counted how many times yesterday a poster asserted this was Everton's "cup final".
Viral marketing at its best.
maybe someone can tell me the basis of this claim?
They played with more passion, worked harder, put a foot in, outmuscled us and weren't intimidated by our talented lads.
When was the last time an Everton team didn't line up against us like that?
It might give some comfort to imagine (like in Div 2) that everyone is more motivated to beat us than any other team, but that doesn't make it right.
In fact its plain wrong

[CityFanFromRome]

has anyone counted how many times yesterday a poster asserted this was Everton's "cup final".
Viral marketing at its best.
maybe someone can tell me the basis of this claim?
They played with more passion, worked harder, put a foot in, outmuscled us and weren't intimidated by our talented lads.
When was the last time an Everton team didn't line up against us like that?
It might give some comfort to imagine (like in Div 2) that everyone is more motivated to beat us than any other team, but that doesn't make it right.
In fact its plain wrong

Well they always try to play that way against us, but not always they manage it so well, take last year's 2-1 win for us at Goodison for example. I think it was their "cup final" because Moyes really wanted to get one over us for many reasons, one being the Lescott transfer, the second that we are loaded while he has to be very careful with the little money he has to spend, so he surely did his best to otivate his men like it was a cup final. And he succeeded, judging from yesterday's game.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I seem to remember this season that a number of managers have said that's the best we have played this season after playing City.It's just the way it is that against the richest club in the world teams will raise their game and we have to expect it.

[Dronny]

We just have to take it as a compliment and get on with it, it's something that the Arse, Chelski, Scousepool and the shit do game in and game out.

I thought Everton played really well yesterday and altho a number of our players got lost travelling from Manc to Goodison we would still have struggled had we played well. Everton should have beaten the Arse the other week and got a great point against Chelski just before that....yesterday was never going to be anything other than a tough bloody game.

So Mancini said that he learned a lot about his players after yesterday, I hope that he earns his crust and transmits his learnings to the players for Tuesday's Cup Final ( I know its a semi! )

[Wonderwall]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

[david yearsley]

The atmosphere created yesterday was more intense than any dipper derby or scum match I´ve seen at Goodison -as previous poster said we must take that as a compliment - problem was once blue scouse looked into the eyes of some who weren´t up for it on our side, it just fuelled their already ravenous appetite

[CityFanFromRome]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Who doesn't? But realistically, no team will play every game like a cup final, and with Tuesday's derby on the horizon, and it being a semifinal, I don't like it but I can understand that some players' mind was already on that.

[Wonderwall]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Who doesn't? But realistically, no team will play every game like a cup final, and with Tuesday's derby on the horizon, and it being a semifinal, I don't like it but I can understand that some players' mind was already on that.

Sorry mate, if anyones mind was on the semi final then they need to get a grip of themselves. that is NO excuse for playing as crap as they did.

[CityFanFromRome]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Who doesn't? But realistically, no team will play every game like a cup final, and with Tuesday's derby on the horizon, and it being a semifinal, I don't like it but I can understand that some players' mind was already on that.

Sorry mate, if anyones mind was on the semi final then they need to get a grip of themselves. that is NO excuse for playing as crap as they did.

I know it's not an excuse, I'm just saying it happens to any team. It's not right, but you can't always avoid it. Still, if that's the case they need a good bollocking for not concentrating on the game at hand, that's for sure.

[mcfc1632]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Agreed - all the cup final talk is a cop out - you can be sure that whatever team is put out by the scum on Tuesday will have been wound up big time to win every 1st and 2nd ball and having seen this weak character display they will be instructed to muscle us

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Agree. Thank god we aren't drawing against complete and utter shite at home anymore and aren't treating them as inferior opposition. Losing to good side away from home I can just about stomach, although the performance was out of order.

[Original Dub]

Everton were fantastic yesterday and totally outclassed and outmanoeuvred us all over the pitch. Our attack was toothless and our managers tactics were flawed. All this cup final talk is bollox, I want MY TEAM to play every game like its a cup final. For 100k a week, its not much to fuckin ask.......... is it robinho you halfwit?

Agree. Thank god we aren't drawing against complete and utter shite at home anymore and aren't treating them as inferior opposition. Losing to good side away from home I can just about stomach, although the performance was out of order.

We aren't doing that ANYMORE??? We've played two teams at home under Mancini FFS!!!
Oh how your tune has changed.... that was the worst performance of the season and I'm fucked if I'm going to "stomach" that again.

This isn't about how Everton played, this is about the fact that the formation was wrong, the players were out of position and said players all underperformed. So "cup final" or not, Manchester city didn't turn up in the first place and that is so so worrying, just like it was worrying enough for Cook to call Mancini and offer him the job after the last time it happened.