'F*** VAR' ⚽️
Walking out of the Racecourse last night, you could tell people were disheartened not by the result, but how VAR spoiled the game.
On the train home, two fans admitted they couldn't watch that every week.
ellbretland.substack.com/p/f-var-wrex...
Thanks mate
Great read from Ell as usual. Once again highlights the worst thing about modern football for match going fans #FuckVAR
'F*** VAR': Wrexham robbed of more than a win ⚽️
VAR is killing the essence of what it is to be a football fan. It denies match-going supporters the sheer joy of scoring a goal. Special moments are spoiled forever.
open.substack.com/pub/ellbretl...
That was Everton's 24th away win up at Newcastle 🔵⚽️
Only at Aston Villa (29), Bolton (29) and West Ham (26) have the Toffees won more.
Everton have also been victorious 24 times away to Derby County and Liverpool.
The date Everton recorded 40 points during the last five seasons 🔵⚽️
25/26: February 28
24/25: May 10
23/24: April 24*
22/23: They didn't
21/22: They didn't
*Points earned, ignoring deduction
Everton Heritage.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's ability to drive forward with the ball and keep Everton in possession so far up the pitch has been a massive boost to the team this season.
He's done it! Thierno Barry is now the top scoring Barry in Everton history 🔵⚽️
Thierno Barry 6
Gareth Barry 5
Barry Horne 3
Barry Rees 2
That's now two Everton away wins when manager David Moyes has had to watch from the stands 🔵⚽️
The Toffees beat Stoke 3-2 at the Britannia Stadium in September 2008 when Moyes was sent off by referee Alan Wiley after protesting his team should have had a penalty.
Give Everton the away team dressing room at Hill Dickinson on Tuesday and let Bournemouth have the home one.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s goals from midfield are such a boost. He’s now scored five, netting around once every four games and it makes a real difference. He pops up similarly to Fellaini and Cahill away from home. He’s fearless and has a go. It means you always have a chance.
Bernd Leno today became the ninth opposition player to score two own goals in Everton games 🔵⚽️
The Fulham keeper also put in his own net for Arsenal in April 2021.
Bob Roxburgh
John Murray
Shay Given
Ben Mee
Andy O'Brien
Ryan Shawcross
Chris Smalling
Craig Dawson
Bernd Leno
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has scored five times this season 🔵⚽️
He's now netted the same number of Everton goals as Niclas Alexandersson, Neil Pointon, Phil Neville, Tommy 'TG' Jones, Gareth Barry, Sylvain Distin, Kevin Kilbane, Mike Trebilcock, Ramiro Funes Mori and Scot Gemmill.
he date Everton recorded 37 points during the last five seasons 🔵⚽️
25/26: February 7
24/25: April 12
23/24: April 21*
22/23: They didn't
21/22: May 19
*Points earned, ignoring deduction
Gary Lineker netted in a 3-2 win at Southampton on his 25th Birthday
Roy Vernon was also 25 when he scored in a 3-0 victory over Wolves
Steven Naismith grabbed the winner against Chelsea as he turned 27
Colin Harvey was 24 the day he scored the opener in a 4-0 victory over QPR
Beto's not the first Everton number nine to net on his Birthday 🔵⚽️🎂
Bob Latchford scored a brace against Birmingham and brother Dave the day he turned 24
Dixie Dean netted twice on his 29th birthday against Bolton
Dave Hickson scored against Man United the day he turned 25
I always felt it was daft how Patterson was dropped after a clean sheet at West Ham a few years' back and it's daft how he's not retained his place after wins and clean sheets this season.
Big respect for how he's kept going, kept his chin up and delivered solid performances.
Beto is the third Everton player to have scored three goals past minute 93 in the Premier League era.
The striker has found the net in the 97th, 96th and 94th minute.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored once on 94 and twice on 95 while Ross Barkley netted twice on 94 and once in 95.
Beto today moved ahead of Iliman Ndiaye, James Beattie and Danny Cadamarteri in the Everton league goalscoring charts and is now tied on 14 with Steve Watson, Dwight McNeil, Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott 🔵⚽️
Beto's 97th minute goal is in the top seven for late Everton goals 🔵⚽️
The striker joins Royston Drenthe, Cenk Tosun, Iliman Ndiaye, James Tarkowski, Alex Iwobi and Yerry Mina in the list.
Everton’s backline today stands at 25 foot 3 🔵⚽️
Here are some things the Blues defence is the same height as…
Two-and-a-half story building
A tall giraffe
A mature small tree
Fire truck ladders
Small cliff
Standard garden hose
Half a basketball court
Standard swimming pool
Pretty certain Everton’s full-backs today are the tallest in Premier League history.
Jake O’Brien is 6’6 and Jarrad Branthwaite is 6’5.
Thierno Barry is now the joint-top scoring Barry in Everton history 🔵⚽️
Thierno Barry 5
Gareth Barry 5
Barry Horne 3
Barry Rees 2
(Thierno scored his five in 51 days, Gareth Barry netted five in 1,064 days)
That was a really fine finish from Thierno Barry. He had plenty to do and showed great nous and technique. The run and strike were spot on
Barry’s raw but certainly has the ingredients to make the grade. He’s acclimatising more with each game. I think he’ll be a very good player
I think it’s gone under the radar because Ndiaye has performed so ably but Everton really lack a right winger who gets to the byline and puts crosses in.
I think it impacts Patterson getting forward too and can even limit the options for the central midfielders. So unbalanced.
I prefer Dewsbury-Hall deeper in central midfield and I think if you eventually get a left-back who can get forward and reads attacks, Branthwaite, Dewsbury-Hall, the left-back and Ndiaye could be really quite something and creative playing neat triangles up the pitch.
Mykolenko is a real weak link now. It’s all down to his inability to know when to run. His positioning and timing is so off.
Compare that to the likes of Branthwaite and Dewsbury-Hall who know where to be and how and when to take the ball. Massive difference in Football IQ.
With the security of Branthwaite and three at the back, I was hoping Aznou would come on for Mykolenko with Patterson still on.
I’d also only play Dibling in his cameos behind the striker centrally. He’s never a winger.
We got a goal back but the set up reverts to dysfunction.
I did say back in December when he scored against Forest…
Thierno Barry’s first league goal for Basel didn’t come until the end of January. He ended the season with ten goals.
