Seven of the best takes from Everton vs Brighton

Every single employee at Ollies Takes were invited to Goodison Park on the 4th of November to watch the Toffees take on Brighton which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Goodison Park after dark (credit: Oliver Henderson).

It was a wet and cold Saturday afternoon in Liverpool (shock) as the Toffees tried to continue on their good form including a 3-0 win over Burnley midweek.

Everton started the game well which fans have become accustomed to under Dyche and found an early opener through an unlikely source in Mykolenko, who scored his first goal at Goodison Park.

On the whole, Brighton dominated possession throughout the game but struggled to create many chances and relied on an incredibly frustrating deflection which lifted the ball over T Rex arms Pickford in goals. 1-1 probably a fair result.

I am writing this edition of Ollies Takes en route to Lisbon, thankfully escaping grim weather in Northern England, so lets get into a few takes that the whole word has been waiting for...

Take #1: Dycheball is working

Sean Dyche commanding his troops during Saturday's 1-1 draw (Credit: BeIN Sports).

There is no denying that the football played under Sean Dyche is not beautiful but there is also no denying that the game plan is working with Everton winning five of their last eight in all competitions.

The Everton side ranks high in the league for chances created on an "expected goals" basis and look relatively dangerous going forward with Calvert-Lewin being crucial to the Toffees setup.

Sean Dyche is one of the best managers at understanding a squad's ability and will not play a brand of football that his team is not capable of delivering, something Frank Lampard was guilty of doing during his reign.

Lampard attempted to play Barcelona type football and to be frank that was never going to be successful with a cattle of Neil Maupay and Alex Iwobi.

Dyche laid the defensive foundations last year to keep the club up, and this year has added a bit of attacking threat to the team whilst maintaining the defensive stability making Everton a tough team to beat.

Whilst Everton are more of a threat going forward, there is still a goal shortage with many players lacking the composure to convert chances.

Everton attackers need to take a note out of Alexander Hamilton's playbook and not throw away their shot.

Take #2: Ashley Young ain't the guy no more

Ashley Young getting run past by Mitomo during Saturday's clash (Credit: Jess Hornby/Getty Images) .

Mitomo on the left was the Seagull's main attacking threat and Young simply did not have the legs, ability or defensive acumen to neutralise the situation.

Young is not a natural defender and was unable to cope with Mitomo who easily got around the 38 year old Englishman several times throughout the game.

Young lacked composure on the ball, turning it over at every opportunity I remember and provided little attacking threat including a couple terrible deliveries into the box whilst struggling to meaningfully combine with Jack Harrison on the right side.

I do feel bad slating Young because starting premier league games in your late 30s is an impressive feat however he should not be selected over Nathan Patterson who has exciting potential and already put in a few solid performances this season.

In Young's defence, he was up against one of the in form wingers in the competition but this gulf in class between the pair proves that Young aint the guy no more.

To better prove Nathan Patterson's ability to defend, see below for the Scotsman's forward defence on the streets of Sydney in an image taking during November last year when the side ventured down under.

Nathan Patterson forward defence on the Sydney streets during November 2022 (Credit: Oliver Henderson) .

Take #3: Goodison pre and post match scran is so bad, its good

Lucky's Blue Dragon is an honest establishment (Credit: Oliver Henderson) .

I treated myself to a chips and gravy postgame from Lucky's Blue Dragon which of course accepts cash only and is run by honest Evertonians.

The line pre match was about 30 deep so I sagged that off and returned post game for one of the most ordinary feeds I have experienced in recent times…. and boy did I love it.

The chips weren't cooked through and lacked seasoning whilst the gravy was a bit watery but other than that, the feed was perfect.

Vibes in the shop were immaculate and everything was served with a smile, so I would rate Lucky's Blue Dragon 1 star for food but I will have to award it a situational and respectable overall rating of 3.5 stars.

Take #4: There is the English language and then there is the Scouse language

Having not been to Goodison Park since 2019, I had forgotten some of the daft language that comes out of a scousers' mouth. It was good to be home.

Scousers are not known for class and they certainly have a way with words by impressively pairing offensive language in a manner that I have not heard outside the stands of Goodison Park.

Everton players, Brighton players, referees, Brighton fans and most notably ex-Liverpool players Adam Lallana and James Milner were in the cross hairs of the Everton fanbase on Saturday.

Take #5: Everton is certainly the Peoples Club

Everton is known as the Peoples Club with community involvement being a key aspect of the club's identity curated throughout the course of it's history.

Attending Goodison yesterday reminded me just why Everton are known as the Peoples Club with every fan around me knowing one another, checking in on each other's families and wellbeing whilst also being willing to have a chat with this annoying Australian draped in fresh Toffees merchandise.

Take #6: Brighton away support was class

Brighton away fans were rowdy at Goodison Park (Credit: The Argus).

Brighton fans sung all day even when down 1-0, so fair play to them and I apologise for flipping them off a few times throughout the game. It was nothing personal.

I shared a beer with a couple Brighton fans on the train up from London and it appears to be a bit of a whirlwind for Seagulls fans at the minute with the team playing in Europe and taking on dutch powerhouses in Ajax just a few days ago.

The Seagulls have gone from battling it out with Coventry in the Championship a few years ago to playing at the Johan Cruyff Arena, this coming Thursday.

This train chat with a good couple lads explains why their fans were so willing to sing whilst losing and why the players were applauded post game like they had just won the league.

Take #7: New Stadium looking a bit different to Goodison Park

Everton's new stadium is coming along (Credit: Oliver Henderson).

I forced myself out of bed early this morning and ran to the construction site of the new Everton Stadium located at Bramley Moore docks, as I knew I would regret it if I missed the chance to see the stadium.

Whilst the stadium is in a relatively advanced stage, I think they are yet to lay the plaques for fans of which yours truly will have a small piece of history alongside 30,000 other Evertonians.

A completed stadium and Goodison Park will be worlds apart with the scale of the stadium dwarfing any nearby infrastructure.

Whilst there is so much character at Goodison from the pre match feed to families holding the same season ticket for decades, the Stadium will be an incredible upgrade with certainly no more obstructed viewing.

Very steep seating will be a key feature of the near stadium and surely must have been approved by a building authority run by Everton fans.

The next time I return to Liverpool for an Everton game will be when the new stadium is complete and I would like to thank the club for giving me an excuse to return (not that I needed one this time).

See you at some point in the future for another edition of Ollies Takes.

OT