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Paul Gorst and the rest of the team will be with you today from 7am to ensure constant coverage of all things EFC, including news, great photos, nostalgia, live interviews and much, much more.

The ECHO will also provide you with the very latest transfer news as it happens throughout the week, with every rumour and story digested and analysed each day with updates from full-time EFC reporter Phil Kirkbride, Adam Jones and much more.

There will be all the latest team news before games, plus every one of Marco Silva's press conferences covered live and with video.

We want you to get involved too - tell us your thoughts on what's happening at Goodison Park by tweeting @LivEchoEFC or @ptgorst Join the debate and get involved today!

Everton vs Crystal Palace Live

What’s the opposite of salutations?

Snoitatulas?

Yes, I’ll keep making that joke until someone tweets me telling me to stop.

Anyway, it’s only a temporary snoitatulas as we head over to Goodison Park for live updates, team news and commentary of Everton’s clash against Crystal Palace.

Join myself, Adam Jones, Dave Prentice and Chloe Chris Beesley HERE.

Please.

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New Banners

Anyone making the trip to Goodison Park via Walton Lane this afternoon?

You’ll be treated to some new Everton banners!

Thanks for the tweet, dad.

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Palace Build-Up

Salutations!

I’m Sam Carroll and I’ve replaced Paul Gorst ahead of Everton’s clash with Crystal Palace this afternoon.

The Blues are aiming to win their third Premier League game in succession for the first time since January 2017 today as Roy Hodgson makes the long journey to Goodison Park with his side.

Palace have struggled themselves, winning just once since the opening day, and Marco Silva will be hoping to take full advantage this afternoon as Palace arrive with Wilfried Zaha an injury doubt.

James McCarthy, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Andre Gomes, Yerry Mina and Seamus Coleman all handed the Blues boss a lift yesterday as they trained at Finch Farm, but Morgan Schneiderlin could replace the Senegalese midfielder in today’s starting line-up.

Our men Adam Jones and Dave Prentice will bring you live updates from Goodison Park as well as pre-match build-up, team news, post-match reaction and everything in between.

Get involved by tweeting @LivEchoEFC or @SamCarroll0.

Stick with us!

Marco Silva looks on
Another victory, please! (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Sigurdsson Stat

More of this today please, Gylfi.

How good has the Ice-Man been this season?

Let me know @SamCarroll0!

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Silva's centre-back conundrum

Everton manager Marco Silva admits he has a “big decision” to make over his centre-back options now that Yerry Mina is finally fit and it seems that Blues supporters are torn over the issue.

Colombia World Cup star Mina was the club’s big defensive purchase of the summer having joined on transfer deadline day in a £27million move from Barcelona after a protracted chase for his signature.

Despite his impressive form at the tournament in Russia – netting three times with headers from corner kicks including one past Everton’s Jordan Pickford playing for England – he has yet to pull on a royal blue jersey.

During Mina’s absence, Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma – who also joined on deadline day in a loan deal from Chelsea – have struck up a promising centre-back partnership.

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A touch of Klaass

Davy Klaassen has given his take on why he feels he never made the grade at Goodison Park.

And he accepts his style of play just wasn’t suited to the blood and thunder of the Premier League.

The former Ajax captain told EFL Voetbal:

Davy Klaassen
Davy Klaassen (Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

“It is a combination of factors. I was not good enough for the game that Everton wanted to play.

“It has to do with yourself, with style and with choices of the coaches. I noticed quite quickly that it would be difficult at Everton, even before Ronald Koeman was fired.

“Before I signed, I expected that there would be a little more football in the team, although I also knew that English football is a lot of running and pounding.

“I was used to the game at Ajax: always the ball on the floor. In England, I sometimes had the idea that the balls always flew over me.”

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Silva in it for the long haul

Marco Silva has been speaking to Sky Sports about how he is in it for the long haul at Goodison Park.

The Portuguese has already managed two other clubs in the Premier League at the age of just 41 having taken charge of relatively short spells with Hull and Watford.

However, he is thinking more long term with the Toffees as he told Sky Sports:

Marco Silva during the Everton press conference at Finch Farm on October 19, 2018
Marco Silva during the Everton press conference at Finch Farm on October 19, 2018 (Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

What the owner told me is to not just think about the next day, it’s something more. It’s to prepare the club to compete at a high level, to achieve what the club achieved at some moments in the past. It’s a long process. You can achieve it but you have to build, to make the right steps to prepare the club.

“Of course I know what our fans want. They want to achieve something and they want it tomorrow. I want to give them what they want, I want them to enjoy what they see, with a team that has a big commitment, but I am here to prepare not just the present but the future of the club.”

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Usmanov wanted?

Alisher Usmanov’s name is again being linked in connection to Everton today.

The billionaire, it is being claimed by The Mirror, is wanted at Goodison Park by chairman Bill Kenwright as he plots to have Usmanov team up with his friend Farhad Moshiri to “recapture the glory days of the 80s”.

Alisher Usmanov
Alisher Usmanov (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

It’s an interesting piece and it reads:

Bill Kenwright wants to bring together billionaires Farhad Moshiri and Alister Usmanov.

A successful double act of Moshiri and Usmanov has the potential to recapture the glory days of the 80s.

Chairman Kenwright, who brought Moshiri on board, is prepared to take a back seat after the Iranian increased his shareholding from 49.9 per cent to 68.6 per cent with the promise of it becoming 77.2 per cent by the end of next July.

But lurking in the background and having the financial clout to rival the spending of Manchester City and Chelsea is Usmanov who recently sold his 30 per cent share in Arsenal to owner Stan Kroenke for £525million.

Moshiri and Usmanov are already business partners and the Uzbekistan born oligarch sponsors Everton’s Finch Farm training ground on a five-year deal worth around £75million.

More significantly for Everton’s future Moshiri knows Usmanov is eager to switch his allegiance from Arsenal to another football club.

Earlier this month, Usmanov fuelled rumours of investment in the Merseyside club.”

Farhad Moshiri with Bill Kenwright
Farhad Moshiri with Bill Kenwright (Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

What are your thoughts on this link, Blues?

It would certainly bolster the Blues’ finances somewhat and surely make them even more competitive in the transfer market.

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Brilliant Brazilian

We’ll start with some chatter from Everton’s latest brilliant Brazilian, Bernard (try saying that after a few shandies!)

The diminutive attacking midfielder is making a big mark already at Goodison Park and Chris Beesley was given the chance to speak to the summer signing this week about a range of topics.

Bernard in action against West Ham
Bernard in action against West Ham (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Bernard insists that he never feared he’d be too small to succeed in the Premier League and reckons Richarlison’s fearless attitude can spur his Everton team-mate on to greatness.

At just 164cm tall (approximately 5ft 4½in), the Blues new recruit as a mere centimetre taller than the the division’s shortest player, Bournemouth’s pocket-sized Aberdonian winger Ryan Fraser.

Given that Bernard was twice let go by home city club as youngster due to his tiny stature, some doubted whether he’d be able to stand up to the rigours of the English game.

However, those who have seen him turn out for Marco Silva’s side so far will have learned that as well as silk, there is steel to his game.

Bernard said: “I was released on two occasions at Atletico Miniero.

“Obviously this caused me some concern but I did get another opportunity and once I started playing, I improved.

“I just had to show my qualities every day in training and in all games, because I knew this would be a problem I would face on a daily basis.”

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Good Morning

Good morning and welcome to another day of live-blog action with me, Paul Gorst.

There’s no Sam Carroll for you today, but never fear, for I shall be doing my best impression of our live blog extraordinaire.

So then, it’s game day and Everton are finally (FINALLY!) back in action after that long and often painful international break.

The Blues host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park and we’ll be building up towards that clash all morning as well providing you with some interesting transfer tiddlers, too.

Let’s crack on, shall we?

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