Everton FC: David Moyes hails ‘rough diamond’ Kevin Mirallas
Liverpool Echo
Apr 1 2013
DAVID MOYES believes that unearthing rough diamonds like Kevin Mirallas is the key to progressing Everton as a club. The £6m summer signing from Olympiakos was the matchwinner against Stoke on Saturday night with a superb individual goal. And after the 1-0 win which kept Everton hot on Arsenal’s heels, the Blues boss revealed his desire to keep adding international players to his Blues squad. “It’s not easy to find international players who can come in and make a difference,” he said.
“To keep finding that level of player gives us a chance. We need to continue to develop young players and bring them in but also need players to come in who can help the team. “We need to add them. “We want to see Everton in Europe and if we’re in Europe we need to think how can we take the team forward. “We need to try and make sure we continue to progress. We can’t stagnate. We’ve got to keep moving forward. “I’m a manager who wants to win and wants to be successful. I’ve been really fortunate at the club I’ve got and with the players I’ve got but I want to keep that going. “I don’t want that to stop.” Moyes words reconfirmed the criteria which he feels may keep him at the club beyond this summer. He wants confirmation that he can continue to add players of the quality of Mirallas, without having to lose influential players he has already brought in.
“Kevin was top goalscorer in Greece where he was a threat and scored lots of goals,” explained Moyes “and that’s what we hoped to add to Jelavic’s goals when we signed him. “Kevin’s injury (earlier in the season) meant that we were a little short at times this season, but if he can get back to form and show a little of the form he had at the start of the season we’ll be happy. “There are just glimpses of it coming back. “We can’t expect players to come in and settle straight away. You can think of lots of players who take a lot of time and I wasn’t sure whether because of his injury he was taking a bit more time to settle in. “But generally he’s getting back to it. He had a couple of shots today where he was coming in and one whisked past the post, another deflected for a corner so on another day he might have been unlucky not to have had a couple of goals. “He’s quick and he’s almost like a wide striker. “I wouldn’t really call him a winger and I wouldn’t call him one who plays directly down the middle so it’s a little bit different and we’re getting used to using him as well.”
Moyes also explained his change of system, with fit-again Phil Jagielka at the heart of a three-man defensive line-up. “We’ve not had a great record against Stoke City in recent years so I changed the system today to try and maybe catch them out a little bit,” he said. “They hit the bar from a long throw and had a couple of big chances but we defended the set-pieces quite well at times.
“We worked with it for a couple of days and it worked because of the players I had available to me, while the players I didn’t have made it very difficult for me to try and go and win the game in a conventional manner. “I thought today our three at the back handled them quite well. There were a couple of iffy moments but generally we handled them well. “We played nearly 3-4-3 today with three forwards which at times left us more exposed than I would have liked. It was sort of a gamble because we had to try and catch them out and the goal was a little testimony to that.” DAVID MOYES said Saturday’s win over Stoke pleased him almost as much as the Blues’ triumph over Manchester City a fortnight ago. The Everton boss said: “We’ve not got a great record against Stoke City in the last four, five or six games so we were glad to get over the line. “It was a great individual goal by Kevin Mirallas and sometimes against Stoke City that’s what you need. “People who individually can take people on and beat them and thankfully he did it from about 70 yards out.
“We believe that we’re in there chasing Europe. I don’t think we’ve ever been out of it.
“We’re hanging in there, We’re underdogs probably but we have games to play and we’ll go and give it a go. “It’s great that we’re getting into April and you’re still talking about Everton having a chance of getting into a Champions League spot. “It’s a big call and a long way away, but we’re in with a chance and we’ll try and finish as high up the table as we can. “We have all the top teams to play, albeit it is harder to face them without Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini, that’s for sure.”

Race for the Champions League places will go to the wire, insists Everton FC defender Phil Jagielka
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Apr 1 2013
PHIL JAGIELKA is confident Everton can push their rivals for a Champions League place right up until the final day of the season. Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Stoke courtesy of Kevin Mirallas’ 70-yard run and finish built on the win over defending Premier League champions Manchester City before the international break. Since their dismal FA Cup quarter-final exit at home to struggling Wigan the response has been typical of the Toffees, bouncing back with a maximum six points.
That has reignited their top four challenge, now only four points adrift, and even though Arsenal and current incumbents Chelsea have bigger squads, more star players and have spent more money, Jagielka insists Everton can still match them. “We’d like to think we can prolong the chase as long as possible,” said the centre-back, returning after missing three matches with a gashed ankle.
“If we’re going into the final game of the season still in with a chance of Champions League football then we have to look at that as a fantastic season. “Unfortunately for us it is a season when five or six teams at the top rather than two or three are performing well. “It seems like Spurs have played well again and won, Arsenal have so everyone seems to be desperate for that fourth spot and we’re desperate to be in there as long as possible. “The manager has got the players he’s got, he has done the best he has with the players he has got in and when I look around the dressing room I’m happy with the players we have trying to get us into fourth spot. “We are – as far as spending is concerned – a little bit below the other teams but I am sure they won’t look forward to playing us as much as we are looking forward to playing them.” Third-placed Tottenham will find that out next weekend when Everton visit White Hart Lane and Arsenal also less than a fortnight later. Those two matches are likely to be definitive in the Toffees’ chase to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition for only the second time. The doom and gloom which emanated from Goodison Park after their Cup failure has quickly been dispelled. “One of our worst performances of the season came in the most important game up to that point but I don’t think the lads in the changing room ever need a kick up the bum,” Jagielka added. “We don’t have too many people who don’t turn up on a regular basis.
“But maybe it was a general reminder that possibly before we play the good stuff we make sure we stick to our guns and get the dirty side out of the way.”

Everton 1 Stoke City 0: Match-winner Kevin Mirallas can be Blues star man in run-in if he can stay fit
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 1 2013
TO ACHIEVE great things in the Premier League you need a game-changer; someone who can rise above the mundane and transform the ordinary. Great things to most clubs outside of Manchester translates as Champions League qualification, and to wit Spurs have Gareth Bale, Arsenal have Santi Carzola and Chelsea have Juan Mata. For Everton, Kevin Mirallas can be that man. He just needs to stick around. A moment of brilliance from the Belgian enlivened this hard-fought, terse contest between two sides battling at opposite end of the table, but maddeningly he was unable to go the distance. Mirallas’s body may well still be adapting to the physical rigours of English top-flight football, and particularly the attrition of a tussle with a team built like rugby league stars with the height of the Harlem Globetrotters. But Everton desperately need Mirallas, who was forced off with a groin injury ten minutes from time on Saturday, to tough it out. Shorn of two of their big-game men in Steven Pieannar and Marouane Fellaini they were fortunate to have the former Olympiacos form back in the sort of form he was exhibiting before Autumn. It was a timely reminder of the exhilarating individual flair which lit up those early wins over sides like Aston Villa and Swansea.
Plenty of water has passed under the bridge since then, but despite the woes and set-backs Everton are still in with a shout of the top four. All credit for that to the indomitable spirit in the Goodison dressing room then, because they truly are a hardy bunch. Tim Howard was back ahead of schedule here after the not insignificant matter of two broken bones in his back, and Phil Jagielka played through the pain barrier of the still-healing gash in his ankle. Both were superb – both instrumental in the triumph. If their mental and physical strength rubs off on Mirallas it will be a blessing.
The Blues were deployed with three at the back, as Jagielka’s return was accommodated alongside Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga, while Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman played further up the field as wing-backs. It was an interesting tweak, although whether it was the absence of Steven Pienaar or the unusual set-up, the Blues’ left-sided menace lacked its usual potency to begin with.
Everton had an early fright when Howard could only parry Robert Huth’s towering goal-bound header, and Jon Walters nodded the rebound onto the cross bar. If that was a let off, Stoke too enjoyed a little fortune when the ball struck Marc Wilson’s arm in the penalty area and the home crowd howled for a penalty. Referee Mike Jones wasn’t convinced but replays suggested those appeals were well founded. Everton couldn’t claim to have deserved much more than the stalemate in the early stages, with their general play lacking zip. But they began to brighten as the interval approached when Baines started to find his rhythm, and crossed for Nikica Jelavic to aim a dangerous header at goal which Asmir Begovic was well-placed to handle. The same combination almost saw Everton go ahead moments later when Baines’ low delivery was met by the Croatian, who saw his diving effort deflected behind for a corner. Seamus Coleman is ever improving was finding little pockets of space down the right flank but alas when cutting inside he is presented with the option of shooting on his left foot and one particularly errant effort underlined why he is so reluctant to try it. Still, at least the chances were starting to come and eventually the hosts capitalised. Howard’s clearing punch found Mirallas on the edge of the area and he surged forward with the ball. Sensing opportunity Goodison roared him on, and when the Belgian realised that his team-mates were not going to catch up he decided instead to go for goal, with some luck on the way when the ball broke back to him off Steven N’Zonzi. Mirallas still had a lot to do though, and he did it expertly; skinning the hapless Geoff Cameron before scoring with a shot which Begovic got a hand to but could not prevent going in. Moments later he almost doubled his side’s lead, this time being teed-up by Jelavic but the forward could only drag his shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Stoke thought they had equalised when Ryan Shawcross beat Howard, but the off-side flag spoiled his celebrations, and then Bluenose Jon Walters cut in off the left flank to test the USA international with a venomous drive. It was a brief flurry for the visitors who were soon back defending, as Mirallas again caused trouble cutting inside and winning a corner with a deflected strike. After the break the Potters began to show their customary belligerence, and managed to get more deliveries into the Everton area. One Glenn Whelan free kick was met by Huth who went very close to equalising with a header which was inches wide. Then Ryan Shottom appeared set to head home at the far post when Sylvain Distin could only divert Cameron’s cross into his path. Fortunately for the Blues, the Stoke midfielder wasted the opportunity. Everton’s threat began to dwindle, although Jelavic should have done far better with his close range header from Darron Gibson’s deep cross. Then the Croatian did much better curling a free kick fractionally wide from just outside the area. But generally Tony Pulis’s side were dominating, and went probing again when Cameron Jerome blazed his shit wide after smart inter-play from Shotton and Whelan. There was a time in this season that Everton might have thrown three points away by conceding a soft late goal.
Fortunately they’re built of sterner stuff lately, and weathered the storm. It’s a mettle they’re going to need as the calibre of opposition rises dramatically in the run-in. And Everton are going to need Mirallas to show it too.

Keeping Kevin Mirallas fit is key to Everton FC’s Champions League hopes - Leon Osman
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 1 2013
KEEPING Kevin Mirallas fit could be the key to Everton’s hopes of a top four finish, admits Leon Osman. The Belgian forward scored the only goal of the game as the Blues secured a hard-fought victory over Stoke City at Goodison on Saturday. Mirallas, 25, had to be substituted with 10 minutes remaining after complaining of a groin problem, and team-mate Osman believes his ability to stay in the frame over the remaining eight fixtures will be pivotal as David Moyes’s men battle to qualify for the Champions League. He said: “It was an important win. "We knew what type of game it was going to be. "We knew it wasn’t going to be about the football you play, it was going to be about battling and maybe nicking a goal with a good individual moment and that’s what happened.
“Kevin can light up a game at times. It’s important that we try and get him in the game as much as possible. "You might get 20 minutes when he’s not in the game, but when he is we all know what he can produce. “He’s certainly showed he’s got the quality. "At times he’s been a real plus for us the way he goes about his job and the skill he’s got. It’s vital we try and keep him out there more.
"We need to get more games in him and more minutes in those games.” Mirallas was replaced by England U-21 midfielder Ross Barkley, who despite being booked provided a bright cameo, something which satisfied Osman. “I was pleased for Ross,” said the 31-year-old who was on the bench for Roy Hodgson’s senior Three Lions side in Montenegro last week. “It shows the manager’s belief in him that he threw him on in a tight game. “He didn’t disappoint. I’ve spoken to him about earning the manager’s trust; to keep the ball ticking over in certain areas and then when he has a chance to show what he’s capable of, and I thought he showed a bit more maturity than he had done in the past.”

David Prentice: Kevin Mirallas' stunner worthy of winning any game, let alone this one!
Liverpool Echo
Apr 1 2013
EVERTON have enjoyed entertaining football matches against creative and captivating Stoke City sides. But not since Alan Hudson, Jimmy Greenhoff and Mike Pejic were thrilling the Potteries.
And certainly not on Saturday. Hudson is now a critically acclaimed author rather than the mesmerising midfielder who once bossed Stoke’s midfield, Jimmy Greenhoff is a retired pensioner rather than a buccaneering forward who tormented defences with craft and style, while Mike Pejic was looking on from the press benches at Goodison Park rather than marauding down the left with pace and panache. He was the unlucky ex-Potter. Saturday was a stinker of a match.
Matches against Stoke City these days are simply there to be won rather than occasions to be savoured. And Everton did just what they had to against an effective, a functional but a very frustrating team to play against. Fittingly they did it with a flash of individual footballing brilliance.
Players like Kevin Mirallas are the reason behind David Moyes’ apparent desire for proof of funding this summer before committing himself to a new contract. He was able to capture a player who top scored in Greece last season only because Jack Rodwell was sold to Manchester City. But bringing in players like Mirallas makes a difference. On Saturday he was the game changer. The quality of the goal which ultimately separated the teams at the final whistle can be gauged by the fact that the assist went to Tim Howard. The goalkeeper was forced to punch clear under pressure shortly before the half-hour, a not uncommon occurrence against this Stoke set-up, and the ball fell for Mirallas deep in his own half. He got a lucky break off Steven N’Zonzi’s legs, but that was the only good fortune in a thrilling individual goal. Many players would have looked to hold the ball up and wait for reinforcements to arrive. But Mirallas has the pace, the individual dribbling skills and, most importantly, the single-minded focus to head straight for goal. With red and white shirts trailing in his slipstream he was a dashing Blue cavalier. Geoff Cameron’s challenge was evaded easily, Asmir Begovic advanced confidently off his line but the Belgian simply slipped the ball under his guard and three points were Everton’s. David Moyes later described Mirallas as a “wide striker” – a phrase not regularly heard from an Everton manager since Joe Royle was praising the impact of Andrei Kanchelskis. There are similarities in style, but Mirallas has still to find the season long consistency that saw the Russian wide striker fire 16 Premier League goals in 1995/96. There were signs that it is coming, though. Mirallas has now scored three goals in his last five games – and but for an errant official’s flag against Manchester City would have had another. Moyes wants to try and attract more players of that style to his squad. He admitted afterwards that players like Mirallas are difficult to find. Without any kind of transfer pot that search is well nigh impossible. But the transfer fee paid by Moyes for Mirallas, in the current climate, was not prohibitive. And the Blues boss wants the opportunity to try and add a few more. He knows it’s not an exact science. But the occasional Per Kroldrups and Segundo Castillos are well outweighed in his transfer debit and credit account by Steven Pienaars, Nikica Jelavics, Mikel Artetas and Kevin Mirallases’. In the opposite dug-out on Saturday, Tony Pulis has also done an outstanding job – taking Stoke City into the Premier League, keeping them there – then adding Wembley and European appearances into the mix too.
But Stoke supporters appear to be tiring of the over-reliance on physicality as much as other fans do at hosting Stoke City. Ryan Shawcross showed that the exposure Marouane Fellaini’s ill-advised headbutt gave to the grappling, grasping and smothering tactics employed by him and his defensive team-mates hasn’t made an ounce of difference. On this occasion a succession of free-kicks on the edge of the penalty area came to nothing. And but for the width of the crossbar, a long throw-in from Ryan Shotton followed by a header from Robert Huth and a prodded volley by Jon Walters, Everton might have been chasing the game. They survived that scare – and went on to win it.
Football won the day. It wasn’t a match to live long in the memory, but Kevin Mirallas’ goal certainly was.

Everton 1 Stoke City 0: Kevin Mirallas' moment of magic secures vital win for Blues
Apr 1 2013
TO ACHIEVE great things in the Premier League you need a game-changer; someone who can rise above the mundane and transform the ordinary. Great things to most clubs outside of Manchester translates as Champions League qualification, and to wit Spurs have Gareth Bale, Arsenal have Santi Carzola and Chelsea have Juan Mata. For Everton, Kevin Mirallas can be that man. He just needs to stick around. A moment of brilliance from the Belgian enlivened this hard-fought, terse contest between two sides battling at opposite end of the table, but maddeningly he was unable to go the distance. Mirallas’ body may well still be adapting to the physical rigours of English top-flight football, and particularly the attrition of a tussle with a team built like rugby league stars with the height of the Harlem Globetrotters. But Everton desperately need Mirallas, who was forced off with a groin injury ten minutes from time on Saturday, to tough it out. Shorn of two of their big-game men in Steven Pieannar and Marouane Fellaini they were fortunate to have the former Olympiacos form back in the sort of form he was exhibiting before Autumn. It was a timely reminder of the exhilarating individual flair which lit up those early wins over sides like Aston Villa and Swansea.
Plenty of water has passed under the bridge since then, but despite the woes and set-backs Everton are still in with a shout of the top four. All credit for that to the indomitable spirit in the Goodison dressing room then, because they truly are a hardy bunch. Tim Howard was back ahead of schedule here after the not insignificant matter of two broken bones in his back, and Phil Jagielka played through the pain barrier of the still-healing gash in his ankle. Both were superb – both instrumental in the triumph. If their mental and physical strength rubs off on Mirallas it will be a blessing.
The Blues were deployed with three at the back, as Jagielka’s return was accommodated alongside Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga, while Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman played further up the field as wing-backs. It was an interesting tweak, although whether it was the absence of Steven Pienaar or the unusual set-up, the Blues’ left-sided menace lacked its usual potency to begin with.
Everton had an early fright when Howard could only parry Robert Huth’s towering goal-bound header, and Jon Walters nodded the rebound onto the cross bar. If that was a let off, Stoke too enjoyed a little fortune when the ball struck Marc Wilson’s arm in the penalty area and the home crowd howled for a penalty. Referee Mike Jones wasn’t convinced but replays suggested those appeals were well founded. Everton couldn’t claim to have deserved much more than the stalemate in the early stages, with their general play lacking zip. But they began to brighten as the interval approached when Baines started to find his rhythm, and crossed for Nikica Jelavic to aim a dangerous header at goal which Asmir Begovic was well-placed to handle. The same combination almost saw Everton go ahead moments later when Baines’ low delivery was met by the Croatian, who saw his diving effort deflected behind for a corner. Seamus Coleman is ever improving was finding little pockets of space down the right flank but alas when cutting inside he is presented with the option of shooting on his left foot and one particularly errant effort underlined why he is so reluctant to try it. Still, at least the chances were starting to come and eventually the hosts capitalised. Howard’s clearing punch found Mirallas on the edge of the area and he surged forward with the ball. Sensing opportunity Goodison roared him on, and when the Belgian realised that his team-mates were not going to catch up he decided instead to go for goal. He had some luck on the way when the ball broke back to him off Steven N’Zonzi but Mirallas still had a lot to do though, and he did it expertly – skinning the hapless Geoff Cameron before scoring with a shot which Begovic got a hand to but could not prevent going in. Moments later he almost doubled his side’s lead, this time being teed-up by Jelavic but the forward could only drag his shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Stoke thought they had equalised when Ryan Shawcross beat Howard, but the off-side flag spoiled his celebrations, and then Bluenose Jon Walters cut in off the left flank to test the USA international with a venomous drive. It was a brief flurry for the visitors who were soon back defending, as Mirallas again caused trouble cutting inside and winning a corner with a deflected strike. After the break the Potters began to show their customary belligerence, and managed to get more deliveries into the Everton area. One Glenn Whelan free kick was met by Huth who went very close to equalising with a header which was inches wide. Then Ryan Shottom appeared set to head home at the far post when Sylvain Distin could only divert Cameron’s cross into his path. Fortunately for the Blues, the Stoke midfielder wasted the opportunity. Everton’s threat began to dwindle, although Jelavic should have done far better with his close range header from Darron Gibson’s deep cross. Then the Croatian did much better curling a free kick fractionally wide from just outside the area. But generally Tony Pulis’ side were dominating, and went probing again when Cameron Jerome blazed his shit wide after smart inter-play from Shotton and Whelan. There was a time in this season that Everton might have thrown three points away by conceding a soft late goal.
Fortunately they’re built of sterner stuff lately, and weathered the storm. It’s a mettle they’re going to need as the calibre of opposition rises dramatically in the run-in. And Everton are going to need Mirallas to show it too.

Everton 1-0 Stoke: Moment of Mirallas magic edges Toffees closer to the Champions League
April 1 2013 The Daily Mirror
Moyes' men within four points of fourth while visitors stay in the relegation argument after failing to score for Prem-worst 14th time this season
A SUPERB superb solo strike from Kevin Mirallas gave Everton a glimmer of hope in their pursuit of a
top-four finish. This was a mostly forgettable encounter on a cold Liverpool evening – but Everton fans were at least briefly warmed up by Mirallas’ magnificent winner. Indeed, the Belgian’s long run and fantastic finish might have brought back memories for Michael Owen on the Stoke bench.
Keeper Tim Howard punched clear a harmless Marc Wilson cross from the left and it was picked up by Mirallas a few yards back from the centre circle. The midfielder then set off on a sensational run, reminiscent of Owen’s classic strike for England against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
He skilfully evaded Steven N’Zonzi’s challenge before effortlessly skipping past Geoff Cameron. As Asmir Begovic rushed out of his goal, the midfielder fired a superb left-foot shot into the net to claim his sixth goal of the season. Mirallas moved to Goodison Park from Olympiakos last summer and the forward has been in impressive form in recent weeks after ¬overcoming the hamstring problem that hampered him earlier in the season. This 1-0 win keeps David Moyes’ men on the heels of Arsenal, Chelsea and ¬Tottenham. Yesterday evening’s late kick-off was expected to be a tough, physical encounter. The 1-1 draw between the two clubs before Christmas was marred by ugly scenes when Marouane Fellaini ¬responded to provocation by Stoke defender Ryan ¬Shawcross by headbutting his opponent.

EVERTON 1 - STOKE 0: TASTY BELGIAN A TREAT FOR DAVID MOYES
1st April 2013
By Timothy Abraham
The Daily Star
DAVID MOYES was forced into another Belgian waffle after a game against Stoke – except this time it was a lot more palatable. The Everton boss was left with a bitter taste after the sides met at the Britannia in December when he had to condemn a disgraceful head-butt by Marouane Fellaini on Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross. However, with the big-haired Toffees’ midfielder suspended for this clash, his fellow Belgian Kevin Mirallas stepped up and kept Everton’s Champions League dreams alive.
The winger’s display allowed Moyes the opportunity to rave about the player’s potential after a brilliant individual goal lit up a dull encounter. “Kevin is a match-winner, and that’s the reason we brought him in. He was top goalscorer in Greece, and possesses that threat we need,” Moyes said.
“We needed to add more goals, and we always looked to him to provide an alternative threat alongside (Nikica) Jelavic. “With his injury though, and with not quite as many from Jela, then we’ve been a bit short in that area. “I was definitely pleased with the strength he showed in winning the ball, and then the skill he showed in finishing was fantastic. “If he can find a little bit more form, or show the form he had at the start of the season, then we’ll be happy. “There are glimpses of it coming back into his play.” Mirallas provided the pivotal moment in an awful game when he sidestepped Steven N’Zonzi to lead a counter attack and ran 70 yards before fi ring the ball past Asmir Begovic in the Stoke goal. The 28th-minute strike capped a fine performance from Mirallas who has only shown the odd snapshot of his quality since he made a £6m switch from Olympiakos last summer. Moyes, however, conceded it was bound to take time for his man from the Low Countries to scale the heights required in the Premier League. “We can’t expect everybody who comes to settle in immediately. I wasn’t sure if he has struggled because of injury, or because he’s taking a bit more time to settle in than we realised,” said Moyes. “But generally, there are glimpses from him of that real quality we are looking for. He’s quick, and he’s really a wide striker in the modern sense. “I wouldn’t call him a winger, I wouldn’t say he plays down the middle, so he’s a little bit different, and we are getting used to him as well in adapting our system slightly.” Moyes, whose contract runs out in the summer, believes Everton need to sign more players of the calibre of Mirallas if they are to remain among those clubs challenging for the European places. “He’s got the sort of quality you need to take the team forward, but it is not easy to find that player, the international player who can come in and make an immediate impact,” Moyes added. “That’s the problem we contend with over the years, to keep trying to find that level of player who can give us a chance of competing at the top level. “We need to add those players. I’ve said I want to take the team forward, and what we want to see is if Everton can be in Europe, and if we can be in Europe how we can take it even further than that.” Stoke threatened only rarely, and predictably their best opportunities came from set-pieces with Robert Huth and Jonathan Walters both going close early on while Ryan Shotton headed over from close range. The result heaped more misery on to Stoke boss Tony Pulis, who has come under fire from a section of supporters with the Potters only four points above the relegation trapdoor. Pulis recognised that it will be tough for his squad, so used to the comforts of mid-table security in recent seasons, to handle being dragged into a dog-fight at the bottom. “Of course, I think if you are fighting in it all the time and you are used to fighting like we did the first year – when we were in it from start to the finish – you become accustomed to it,” Pulis said. “But I don’t think you can fault the players; I thought their application was great and they played with a lot of confidence and freedom against Everton. We just need a break, that’s what we didn’t get.” With so many teams battling to beat the drop Pulis claimed it will be more exciting than what unfolds at the top of the table. The Potters boss said: “I’ve been involved in lots and you need to keep your head more than anything else. “You need to keep everyone believing that you have the quality, the ability and the character. “There’s so many teams involved so it will be interesting – more interesting down the bottom than it as the top.”

Everton 1 Stoke City 0
April 1 2013 The Sun
By Phil Thomas
DAVID MOYES may be waiting to discover which route Everton are taking before signing a new deal.
But last night it was very much the direct one as Kevin Mirallas produced a winner straight out of the Stoke handbook to keep them in the European hunt. Stoke gaffer and long-ball devotee Tony Pulis might not have appreciated the irony — but at this stage Moyes will take any win, however scrappy.
With clashes against Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea still to come in their quest for a Europa League slot, Mirallas’ strike could yet prove one of Everton’s more decisive this term. And his 28th-minute winner could not have gone to a more deserving cause, the Belgian having run himself into the ground to get his side the points. For the Potters, though, they are still searching for their second away win this season and their campaign is in serious danger of hitting the relegation rocks.
Mind you, it could have been a different story at Goodison if they had not blown the simplest of chances inside three minutes. Ryan Shotton’s long ball was met by a towering Robert Huth header and, although the fit-again Tim Howard pulled off a superb reaction stop, Jonathan Walters should have done far better than stab the rebound against the bar. But Everton were swiftly on the front foot and they had serious claims for a penalty when Leon Osman fired in a long-range strike. The ball pinballed around the box and struck Marc Wilson on the arm. Accidental or otherwise, it stopped Mirallas having a clear sight of goal, although referee Mike Jones was having none of it.
Then Leighton Baines picked out Nikica Jelavic in a crowded box but the Croat planted his header straight at Asmir Begovic. But, ironically, when the breakthrough did arrive, it was on the back of a Stoke free-kick deep into the Blues box. Howard met Wilson’s delivery with a firm fist away and Mirallas cutely turned Steven Nzonzi 10 yards inside his own half. If that was impressive, it was nothing compared to the way he turned last defender Geoff Cameron inside out and prodded a left-footed finish under Begovic. It was a goal which had Pulis throwing his arms up in despair at the way his side had been carved open so easily. Five minutes later it could have been two, with Stoke rooted to the spot as they appealed in vain for a foul by Victor Anichebe on Nzonzi.
They appeared to have a good case but Everton were not hanging around to argue the point. And when Jelavic fed Mirallas on the right, his low shot across Begovic was a yard away from giving him a double. Stoke centre-back Ryan Shawcross was so rattled he was picking arguments with just about every man in a Blue shirt. Quite whether he would have done the same if Marouane Fellaini — who earned a ban for chinning him off the ball earlier in the season — had not been suspended is open to debate.
Stoke did force Howard into another full-stretch save when Walters curled one in from the left. They went even closer when Huth met Glenn Whelan’s freekick but nodded wide when he really should have buried it. Everton’s best chance of killing it off always looked like coming from the lively Mirallas and he had Begovic plunging to his left with another 20-yard drive. Another opening went begging when Jelavic headed straight at Begovic when Darron Gibson swung one over from the right. Fellaini was missing ¬yesterday due to suspension – and the Everton attack was further weakened by the ¬absence of Steven Pienaar. The hope was that Nikica Jelavic, who broke his duck to seal a great win against ¬Manchester City in the ¬Toffees’ last league outing, was about to rediscover his form from last season. A fully fit and on-form Jelavic is essential for ¬Everton’s push for the top four – but the Croatian squandered two great chances yesterday. First Leighton Baines, ¬operating as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 line-up, expertly pulled the ball back for him from the by-line – but he headed straight at Stoke keeper ¬Begovic. Then he did exactly the same thing when Seamus Coleman put in a superb cross from the left flank. Without Fellaini and Pienaar, Mirallas played a more integral role going forward. He set up ¬Victor Anichebe for a good chance and was a constant thorn in the Stoke rearguard, linking up well with Baines on the left flank. No wonder he received a standing ovation when he went off injured with 17 minutes remaining. As for Stoke, their woeful form continues. Tony Pulis’ side have now won only once in their last 12 outings. Moyes decided to play three centre-halves – Phil Jagielka, John Heitinga and Sylvain Distin – who dealt well with Stoke’s long balls, although the visitors managed to carve out ¬several ¬chances, mostly headed ones.
They should have opened the scoring in the first few minutes when, ¬typically, a long throw was pumped into the ¬goalmouth and Howard made a superb point-blank save from Robert Huth’s header. Jon Walters, who scored a brace for Ireland in midweek, then contrived to hit the bar from the follow-up with the goal wide open. Just before the ¬interval, Walters cut in from the left flank and forced Howard into a flying save with a powerful drive from 25 yards. Huth’s glancing header just after the restart had Howard ¬beaten – but went wide of the post – and then Ryan Shotton nodded Cameron’s cross over from only a few yards out. They could have done with it as Stoke sensed they could snatch something. And if Shotton had not come up with one of THE misses of the season, they would have done, too. Sylvain Distin misjudged Cameron’s cross and skewed his header backwards. And even though it was travelling at pace as it reached Shotton, he should really have hit the target from bang in front of the goal. Jelavic so nearly did with a curled free-kick after Shotton bundled into the back of Osman, shaving a post. It would have been an ideal two fingers to Shawcross as well, who denied the Croat a clear shooting chance with a tug around the waist to send him tumbling. So now all roads lead to Spurs next Sunday in Everton’s next step towards Europe. At least they will come back from that one with fewer bruises on the shins — whatever the result.
STAR MAN — KEVIN MIRALLAS (Everton)
EVERTON: Howard 7, Jagielka 8, Heitinga 6, Distin 7, Baines 8, Coleman 6, Gibson 8, Osman 7, Mirallas 8 (Barkley 6), Jelavic 7, Anichebe 6. Subs not used: Mucha, Oviedo, Naismith, Hitzlsperger, Stones, Duffy. Booked: Barkley.
STOKE: Begovic 6, Cameron 6 (Adam 6), Shawcross 6, Huth 7, Wilson 6, Shotton 5, Whelan 5, Nzonzi 4, Walters 5, Crouch 7 (Jones 6), Jerome 6. Subs not used: Sorensen, Owen, Whitehead, Kightly, Wilkinson. Booked: Whelan, Shawcross, Shotton.
REF: M Jones 6

Stoke City: Tony Pulis hails Stoke players as he chews over Toffees defeat
Monday, April 01, 2013
Staffordshire
TONY Pulis says no supporter can justifiably have a go at his players for their efforts at Goodison Park. Away-day defeats appear inevitable these days after losing six out of six on the road in 2013, but the Stoke City manager, pictured right, believes his players showed enough courage, confidence and attacking intent to have halted that miserable sequence. "We created some fantastic opportunities and got into great positions," he pointed out, "but the final ball has not been there.
"I thought the application of the players was fantastic. You worry about their confidence, but they didn't show that. "I don't think I've been in a position before where we have played so well and not got a result. "To not get a point from either of our last two away games against Newcastle and Everton is very disappointing, and unfair to the players. "We need a break – or to play badly and get a result. We have to bag a goal from somewhere." Stoke did hit the back of the net on Saturday, but only after the linesman had already raised an offside flag before Ryan Shawcross nonchalantly swept the ball home. "I've looked at it," added Pulis, "and it's a very contentious one. I think the linesman has put his flag up for the first shot and I don't think Peter Crouch was offside." The game was decided by a breakaway goal from a Stoke free-kick. Tim Howard punched clear and Kevin Mirallas then smuggled the ball clear off Steven Nzonzi near half-way before skating around Geoff Cameron before netting past a helpless Asmir Begovic. "Steven initially tackles him and then it bounces off him," his manager lamented. "Then Geoff shouldn't have committed himself and should have stayed on his feet. "But we should have been better set up for our free-kick from which their goal came. It was a great ball into their box, but we didn't get anyone on the end of it. "Things aren't going for us and that's been the story." Pulis acknowledged he left it late to introduce Charlie Adam and Kenwyne Jones on 79 minutes, but reasoned: "We were playing well." Everton had not beaten Stoke since October 2010, leaving manager David Moyes to declare: "I am nearly as pleased with that win as I was with the one against Manchester City two weeks ago. "We have not got a great record against Stoke so it was great to get over the line. "It was a great individual goal by Mirallas, but sometimes against Stoke that is what you need."

Match report: Everton 1 Stoke City 0
April 1 2013
The Shaffordshire
Pilloried for attacking too little in recent times, Stoke were caught on the break in the first half as Belgian international Kevin Mirallas sprinted clear to bag the evening's only goal. Stoke enjoyed enough ball, pressure and chances to have grabbed the point they deserved and needed.
But Jon Walters hit the bar in the opening flurries and Ryan Shotton headed over an open goal on the stretch as Stoke once again returned empty handed from their travels. Defeat leaves Stoke looked ever anxiously over their shoulder after victories earlier in the day for Wigan and Southampton leaves the table really bunched above dead beats QPR and Reading. And it's all eyes now on next week's home clash with fellow strugglers Aaston Villa. Stoke, with Matthew Etherington missing through injury and Robert Huth returning from suspension, could hardly have started more positively after twice coming perilously close to scoring from a third minute corner.
Robert Huth's initial header was clawed out by Tim Howard and then Jon Walters, admittedly stretching, could only lift the rebound against the cross bar from close range before Everton scrambled clear. Stoke's bright and confident start was certainly keeping the home crowd quiet until Leon Osman's deflected shot struck Marc Wilson on the hand to prompt unsuccessful calls for a penalty. Everton's poor passing was encouraging the visitors and they couldn't be accused of failing to attack in numbers when the opportunity arose. And it wasn't until the 22nd minute that Asmir Begovic was tested with a header straight at him after Nikica Jelavic met a Leighton Baines chip from the left. That inspired the home side's first spell of real pressure as Huth twice reminded everyone of his return from suspension. The action then switched as Ryan Shotton's first cross of the evening narrowly eluded Cameron Jerome's forehead in promising range of the Everton goal.
But disaster struck from a Stoke attack when Howard punched clear to leave Mirallas jostling with Steven Nzonzi for the loose ball around half-way. And when MIRALLAS scurried clear of his man he advanced goalwards and rounded the back-tracking Geoff Cameron before scoring via Begovic's diving body. The Belgian then threatened to double his account barely a minute later when drilling low across Begovic and past his far post from Everton's next assault on the visiting goal.
Ryan Shawcross did stroke home for Stoke from a mini goalmouth melee, but he'd already seen the offside flag when he nonchalantly found the back of the net. The home fans were far more concerned shortly after when Jon Walters cut in from the left and let fly with a dipping effort towards the far post that Howard was happy to palm clear.
Half-time: Everton 1, Stoke 0.
It was a question of belief for Stoke at the restart, in many ways, and they had certainly played with enough conviction first half to give them hope of retrieving the game. Neither outfit looked particularly menacing in the first 10 minutes since the restart, but City did raise hopes among a solid away following with a couple of corners and a free-kick in quick succession. And Glenn Whelan's free-kick so nearly inspired an equaliser as Huth rose highest and headed narrowly wide of the far post with Howard in dire straits. Mirallas, still Everton's most dangerous player, then fired goalwards to send Begovic sprawling to his left to save and prevent the second goal that would surely finish off City. But Stoke were head in hands on 61 minutes when Wilson's left-wing cross flicked off Sylvain Distin en route to the far post where Shotton stretched every sinew in heading over an open goal. At least Stoke were an attacking force as they shaped up to chase the game earlier than normal. Jelavic remained a latent danger and fortunately headed straight at Begovic once more after escaping his man to meet a steepling ball from the Everton right.
A Shawcross foul on Jelavic 20 yards from his own goal earned him a yellow and left Baines thundering the resulting dead ball into a sturdy Stoke wall. A Shotton foul on Leon Osman left Everton standing over another free-kick on virtually the same spot - and this time Jelavic bent a beauty only inches wide of the diving Begovic and his left-hand post. It was Stoke's turn to take aim after Distin's foul on Crouch down the right channel, but Huth failed to control a far-post header from Whelan's deep free-kick. Shotton's inventiveness on the ball launched an attack and then teed up Jerome for a scything shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post. A double substitution came on 79 when Charlie Adam and Kenwyne Jones were introduced for Cameron and Crouch to try and turn attacking promise into tangible reward. City remained full of welcome intent, but too little end product, as the clocked ticked into the final five. Adam was gradually seeing more of the ball as Stoke threw bodies into the mix in game pursuit of that elusive equaliser. And the Scot himself rifled an angled free-kick goalwards for Howard to beat clear with the last play of yet another frustrating 90 minutes.
TEAMS
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Baines, Heitinga ,Jagielka, Distin, Gibson, Osman, Anichebe, Mirallas, Jelavic. Subs: Barkley(for Mirallas,80). Not used: Mucha, Oviedo, Naismith, Hitzlsperger, Stones, Duffy.
Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Wilson, Shawcross, Huth, Shotton, Whelan, Nzonzi, Walters, Crouch, Jerome. Subs: Adam (for Cameron,79), Jones (for Crouch,79). Not used: Sorensen, Owen, Whitehead, Kightly, Wilkinson.
Referee: M Jones (Chester).
Att: 33,977.
Cards: Everton – Anichebe, (foul,88) . Stoke – Whelan (foul,45), Shawcross (foul,70), Shotton (dissent,90).

Going nowhere: Why David Moyes should just admit he's staying at Everton
April 1 2013 The Daily Mirror
David Anderson thinks it's time Moyes nailed his colours to the mast
Moyes: time to come clean?
He's currently playing this guessing game with everyone over whether he will sign a new contract.
His position is that he wants to get to the end of the season, see where Everton have finished and chat to the board about how much money he's got to spend. But reading between the lines of his post-match quotes after Everton's win over Stoke, he clearly wants to stay at Goodison Park.
He talked about his ambitions at Everton, about how he wants to see the Blues in Europe and how the club must not stagnate. "What we want to see is if Everton can be in Europe, and if we can be in Europe, how can we take it even further," he said. "We can't stagnate. I want to win, to be really successful. I've been really fortunate with these players and the club has given me this opportunity. I want to keep it going. I don't want it to stop." Essentially his message to Bill Kenwright and his board is - I'll stay if you match my ambition. Looking at it from Kenwright's perspective, he has given Moyes every penny he can squeeze out of the banks. It is said he was even prepared to bankroll Leroy Fer's signing in January, despite the problems with the Dutch midfielder's medical, and it was Moyes who urged caution. I think Moyes must know that Kenwright will continue to give him every backing he can. The players, too, are showing a passion and commitment to finish as high up the table as possible, which demonstrates that they are behind the Scot. I know you'll aways hear the odd malcontent coming out with such nonsense as they did after the Wigan defeat that Moyes has taken the club as far as he can, but the majority of fans are solidly behind him. So, given that the board, the players and the supporters all back him, why can't Moyes come out and say he is staying?
He knows the financial situation at the club intimately and that he will have the Fer money, plus the extra income from the new TV deal, to spend this summer. He could use the announcement that he is staying to give their run-in one final push if he made it over the next week or two. That would be smart management. But I would not understand his thinking if he left the issue hanging in the air, causing nothing but uncertainty at Goodison, until the summer.

Everton FC defender Phil Jagielka vows to play through pain barrier
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 2 2013
PHIL JAGIELKA insists he is ready to play through the pain barrier as he bids to help Everton FC gatecrash the top four. The England defender returned to the side in time for Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Stoke, but needed a pain-killing injection into his ankle in order to take part.
Jagielka, 30, had been sidelined by a late lunge from Reading’s Adam Le Fondre during last month’s win over Reading, a challenge which left a deep gash in his ankle which is yet to fully heal.
Player Stats — Phil Jagielka
Games Played 29
Minutes Played 2,525
Starts 29
Interceptions 62
Substitution On 0
Substitution Off 1
Duels Won 69.1%
Aerial duels won 63.4%
However the central defender was desperate to be involved for David Moyes’s men again at the weekend, and is now planning on pushing himself through the discomfort to play his part in Everton’s run in. He said: “I’ve been able to do most things other than kick a ball. It’s not quite healed up yet but it will get there and I can play without any problems. “I’ve got to have an injection to take a bit of the pain away because there’s still a bit of scar tissue but it’s part and parcel of being a footballer. “I’ve been desperate to get back training and playing with the lads. It’s a boring time being on your own, especially being injured. “I’ve been there before and so it’s been nice to get back amongst it this week, even more so to play.” Jagielka returned to form part of a freshly re-jigged defensive formation, as Moyes deployed three central defenders and used Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman as wing-backs. It was an experiment that worked nicely for Jagielka. “The manager has had a big decision to make with the players who are fit and are available,” said the former Sheffield United man. “We’ve talked about doing it for many months with me, Johnny (Heitinga) and Sylvain (Distin) being fit for the majority of the season. “The manager decided to do it today and I think it worked quite well, mainly because of the two wing-backs who played left and right. They have such great energy, as shown in the last few minutes when Seamus ran the ball out of play. “As much as we enjoyed it as a back three, you have got to take your hat off to the two boys on the wing for doing all the donkey work. “You find yourself going into different areas, especially with Sylvain and Johnny playing on the outside. I thought they both did really well and as a team we are delighted.” Jagielka also revealed that victories for Arsenal and Spurs, coupled with Chelsea’s defeat at Southampton, had acted as extra motivation to overcome Stoke. “With it being a late kick-off, we knew how the other results had gone,” he said. “To keep in touch with them we needed a win. “It was a fantastic 10 seconds – the time it took Kev (Mirallas) to control it and sprint down half the pitch. “That’s what he can do for us. It was a fantastic goal and as soon as he had got to one-versus-one, I was always putting my money on him to at least test the goalkeeper and score. Thankfully it went in.”

Tottenham game is not make-or-break for Everton FC’s season, insists defender Leighton Baines
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 2 2013
LEIGHTON BAINES has dismissed suggestions Everton FC’s White Hart Lane mission will be make or break for their top four dream. The Blues travel to White Hart Lane on Sunday charged with clawing back points on the third-placed Londoners who are one of their main rivals in the hunt for Champions League football next term. But England defender Baines does not believe everything hinges on the forthcoming fixture, even if he is convinced Everton’s fighting spirit will ensure they give every last bit of effort in the battle to secure qualification for Europe’s top club competition.
Player Stats — Leighton Baines
Games Played 30
Minutes Played 2,700
Starts 30
Interceptions 43
Substitution On 0
Substitution Off 0
Duels Won 58.2%
Aerial duels won 39.1%
He said: “It’s a big game but there are plenty more after that and it won’t be decided by next weekend. “We are the ones who are trailing and that probably means we are the least favourite of the teams but we are fighters. “We won’t stop believing and we will give everything we have got, as we did last week (against Manchester City) and today. “If we can win a few more games and get close to the end of the season, that’s where we want to be. “It’s a very big game now (Spurs next week) and an opportunity for us to catch them or for them to get a bit of distance.” Baines knows the Toffees will have to add more silk to the steel they displayed in a hard-fought triumph over Stoke on Saturday, although he was just happy with the points against Tony Pulis’s scrappers. “It was a battle and we knew we had to do that at different parts of the game,” said Baines. “It was tough and the quality wasn’t what we wanted it to be but we got the three points and we go home happy.”

Ian Snodin: Signs that David Moyes is starting to trust Ross Barkley
Liverpool Echo
Apr 2 2013
I WAS thrilled to see Ross Barkley given some game time against Stoke. It’s been an up and down season for the lad and he’s found opportunities limited. So it was a sign of Ross’s maturity that his manager brought him on with 10 minutes to go in a game still hanging in the balance. I thought Ross acquitted himself very well. The decision to book him for a legitimate tackle was very harsh, and he shouldn’t lose any sleep about it. Instead he should take encouragement from a disciplined display when he didn’t trip himself up trying to be over-eager and impress. That’s the temptation when you’re a young player desperate for opportunit- ies, but Ross just needs to carry on biding his time. He will have been thrilled to get more Premier League experience under his belt. It’s all about playing games when you’re that age. Look at John Lundstram, who is currently learning his trade on loan at Doncaster Rovers. They’re top of League One, and the experience John is getting will really help his chances of developing a career with Everton at the highest level. The pitch at Donny isn’t great at the moment, but more importantly he’s playing in a winning side where points matter which is always going to be better than reserve football.

Ian Snodin: Winning ugly doesn’t matter for Everton FC – as long as you win
Liverpool Echo
Apr 2 2013
LET’S face it – we all know what to expect by now when we play Stoke. It’s not going to be pretty, it’s not going to be free-flowing football, and it’s not going to have many goals to brighten a cold afternoon. And that’s exactly what it was like when the Potters came to Goodison on Saturday, when the only thing really worth shouting about in the end was a satisfactory result. I said beforehand when I was doing my radio show that I’d be happy with a scrappy 1-0 win, and I doubt whether many Evertonians would have disagreed. We knew what was required, with Arsenal and Spurs both winning before we kicked off, so it was all about grinding out the three points to keep in touch. The talk is still about the top four and a crack at the Champions League, and while Everton keep winning it can stay on the agenda even if it is a bit unrealistic. David Moyes is being very positive and saying it’s in his sights and that’s exactly what the fans, and his players, want to hear. We’ve got some very difficult fixtures on the horizon, including two trips to North London to face two of our competitors for the top four, so we’re going to need every bit of luck that comes our way. To that end I think we did get the rub of the green when the referee Mike Jones gave Ryan Shawcross’s second-half goal as offside, because for me it was borderline. There was so much going on at that moment it was difficult to assess it properly, and fortunately we got the benefit of the doubt. There was no disputing the quality of our goal. Kevin Mirallas is a quality player and as soon as he broke up the field you were thinking he had a chance. Credit to him for keeping his cool when he got into the penalty area and scoring. It’s the hallmark of a really top player. I thought Moyes’s decision to play a wing-back system with three central defenders worked well, especially given the opposition. Sometimes you do have to make specific tactical plans for certain teams, and I think Stoke are one of those teams. Everton have got the players to adapt, and with John Heitinga looking more like his old self and Phil Jagielka being passed fit again I saw no reason why they both couldn’t figure alongside the ever-impressive Sylvain Distin. You only had to look at Stoke’s front two to realise they’d have their work cut out. Fortunately we had the tireless running of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman to keep our attacking momentum going down the flanks, and all things onsidering we did well to mask the absence of two important play-makers when it comes to the opposition’s final third; with both Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini missing out. We will miss those two badly against Spurs when the opposition will have plenty more attacking options so we’re going to need that organisational flexibility and work-rate all the more.

Phil Jagielka: I'll play through pain barrier for Everton
By Ian Doyle
Apr 2 2013
PHIL JAGIELKA has joined the growing praise for in-form Kevin Mirallas and revealed he is ready to play through the pain barrier to bolster Everton’s Champions League dreams. Mirallas scored his third goal in five games to give David Moyes’s side a narrow 1-0 home victory over Stoke City at the weekend. It moved the Goodison outfit to within four points of the top four ahead of their pivotal visit to third-placed Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday. And Jagielka believes Mirallas’ winner underlined how the Belgian is coming to terms with life in English football after a season hampered by a niggling hamstring problem. “That’s what Kevin can do for us,” said the centre-back. “It was a fantastic goal, and as soon as he got one versus one, I’d always put money on him to test the goalkeeper if not score. “You forget it’s his first season in the Premier League. It is a lot quicker and a lot tougher than most leagues around the world. “He’s also had a couple of injuries, so he is just finding his feet now. Not only is he a fantastic footballer, he is a lively lad around the dressing room.“Hopefully that goal will breed confidence for him for the rest of the season.” Jagielka returned to at the weekend having missed the previous four weeks with a badly gashed ankle.The defender required an injection before helping the Goodison outfit keep only their sixth Premier League clean sheet of the season, and is prepared to have the same again ahead to be available for Sunday’s White Hart Lane encounter. “It’s been a frustrating time,” said Jagielka. “I’ve been able to do most things other than kick a ball. It’s not quite healed up yet but it will get there and I can play without any problems. “I’ve got to have an injection to take a bit of the pain away because there’s still a bit of scar tissue but it’s part and parcel of being a footballer. “I’ve been desperate to get back training and playing with the lads. It’s a boring time being on your own, especially being injured. “I’ve been there before and so it’s been nice to get back among it.” Jagielka was employed in a three-man central defence against Stoke alongside Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga, with Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines operating as wing-backs. And the England international revealed it was a formation manager Moyes has been pondering for some time. “We’ve talked about doing it for many months with me, Johnny and Sylvain being fit for the majority of the season. “I think it worked quite well, mainly because of the two wing-backs. They have such great energy. As much as we enjoyed it as a back three, you have got to take your hat off to the two boys on the wing for doing all the donkey work.”

Tim Howard says Everton FC players will thrive off the pressure of Champions League chase
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo
Apr 3 2013
TIM HOWARD insists Everton’s players will thrive off the pressure of chasing a Champions League place as they prepare for what promises to be a thrilling climax to their season. The Blues remain firmly in the hunt for a top four finish this season. Their weekend win over Stoke City, coupled with Chelsea’s surprise loss at Southampton, slashed the gap between themselves and the Champions League spots to just four points, with eight league games remaining. Those eight games, for Everton, include trips to all four of the sides around them. They visit third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, and face Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea away from home before the season is out. A fifth-placed finish will be enough to guarantee Europa League football next season and, despite the presence of strong, expensively-assembled teams around them, Howard believes the Toffees’ have the quality to take points off their rivals in the coming weeks. “We’re keeping pace,” said the American ‘keeper. “I think we need a bit of luck but as long as we keep putting in the performances, and cross our fingers that some of the teams in front of us will drop points. “If we can start taking points off around those around us, maybe we can make our own luck and make them drop points.
“Big players perform well under pressure, they thrive off it, that’s why we’re at this level and that’s why we’re not languishing in the middle or at the bottom. It is all to play for. “I think that spurs us on and makes training a bit more competitive and tougher and hopefully that will give us the strength to push on down the stretch. “It will be tough at Tottenham on Sunday. They are fantastic and playing really well and it’s a tough place to go, but we’ve had some success down the years so we’ll draw from that.” Howard made a welcome return to action for Everton in their win over Stoke on Saturday, having missed the previous three games with a back problem. “I didn’t take a knock on it which would’ve set me back so I’m happy,” he said. “Stoke are always a rough and tumble team.
“I wanted to make sure that for this game I was as fit as I could possibly be to give myself every chance.”

Comedian Simon Brodkin escapes prosecution for duping security at Everton v Man City Premier League game
Lorna Hughes
Apr 3 2013
A COMEDIAN who duped security at a Premier League match between Everton and Manchester City and warmed up alongside star players escaped prosecution today. Simon Brodkin, 35, was given a conditional caution at North Liverpool Community Justice Centre following the stunt ahead of the game at Goodison Park on March 16. He spoke to the waiting press afterwards still in character. The video below contains material that some people may find offensive Brodkin, from north London, had dressed as one of his characters, footballer Jason Bent to blend in with players ahead of kick-off
The qualified doctor, who has his own sketch show on BBC Three, was later charged with going on to the playing area, contrary to the Football Offences Act. But at his court appearance today, Julian Peers, for the prosecution, invited District Judge Ian Lomax to take an “alternative course to prosecution”. The judge agreed to the charge being withdrawn and Brodkin was issued with a six-month conditional caution. Raymond Shaw, defending, told the court that Brodkin wanted to apologise and regretted his actions. He said: “It was intended to be a humorous act and intended to be funny. “It is clear from the television footage that some of the players were amused but he didn’t know it was a criminal offence. “He expressed his remorse immediately when he was spoken to by the club and the police and he does so again now.” The Jason Bent character is Brodkin’s take on the bling lifestyle enjoyed by professional footballers. Mr Shaw said Brodkin was a Manchester City fan and had "no wish to see a football game disrupted". He said: "He made sure he came on to the pitch long before the game." The character of Jason Bent appears in BBC Three’s Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show, which Brodkin hosts and stars in. The BBC said he was not filming for the broadcaster on the day of the Goodison Park stunt. Brodkin left court in his Jason Bent persona, complete with diamond earring and accompanied by a glamorous Wag-style “girlfriend” called Crystal.
He read a series of jokes in a Liverpool accent before revealing he was wearing a t-shirt under his shirt with the message "Why always Bent". He said: "I’ve got a lot of people I want to thank. Firstly Carlos Tevez for giving me a lift into court this morning. “Crystal, who’s been there for me every step of the way ever since we met in the hotel last night. “Thanks also to the judge, who was sat on the bench but unfortunately didn’t get a game.” Asked if he was mocking the judicial system, he made no reply and climbed into a waiting taxi.

Spurs suffer injury blow as striker ruled out of Basel and Everton tests
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tottenham Journal
Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe will miss their next three games with a muscle injury, manager Andre Villas-Boas today confirmed. The injury means the striker is likely sit out both legs of Spurs’ Europa League quarter-final against Basel as well as Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton.
Spurs are hopeful, however, that he will be fit to face Manchester City later this month.
“Jermain has a muscle injury which is probably going to take him out of the next two games definitely and maybe Basel away,” Villas-Boas said. “If he can’t make Basel away he should be fit for Man City. “It’s a big blow. It’s on the same muscle that he had a small tear last month.
“It’s on the other side now and it’s a big miss as he represents a lot for us and he will be a big miss.”

Everton keep check on Marco van Ginkel
EVERTON are weighing up whether to make a move for Vitesse midfielder Marco van Ginkel.
By: Charles Perrin
Wed, April 3, 2013 Daily Express
Marco van Ginkel has been scouted by Everton
The Dutchman has aroused interest from the Toffees with David Moyes attending Vitesse's game against Zwolle to check out the youngster in action. Moyes is poised to do some business in the transfer window, and Everton are considering whether to bring back Joleon Lescott back to the club.
But Everton will have to tussle with Benfica, who are also monitoring van Ginkel. Portuguese paper A Bola mention that Vitesse will only accept offers of £8m plus for him. Portuguese paper A Bola mention that Vitesse will only accept offers of £8m plus for him Van Ginkel has shown his goalscoring prowess, chipping in with seven goals in the Eredivisie this season. Everton still have an outside chance of finishing in the top four as they trail fourth-placed Chelsea by four points.

Everton star explains how Toffees plan to stop Bale
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
London 24
Everton’s Darron Gibson believes it will require a team effort to stop Tottenham danger man Gareth Bale when the two teams go head to head at White Hart Lane this Sunday. Bale has been in sensational form this season and midfielder Gibson believes the Welshman is among Europe’s best players. “I think he has been unbelievable,” Gibson told evertontv. “He’s won games for Spurs on his own. “It’s good for English football and it’s good for Spurs but hopefully he is not good on Sunday against us. “I think he is up there with the best in Europe at the minute.” Everton full-back Seamus Coleman has helped prevent Bale from scoring against Everton in the past but Gibson thinks it will take a collective effort to keep him quiet. He said: “Seamus has dealt with him quite well the last two times he has played against him. “[Bale’s] a great player and I don’t think there is one particular way of stopping him. “We’re good as a team defensively and we work hard for each other, so hopefully we will be alright.”

Big News for Everton game!
Feature by Hog
3rd April 2013

For those that are not aware our bogey team (in my opinion) will be massively under strengthened.
Felliani and Pienaar will both be missing for our home game this Sunday. It does not take a lot to remember how we lost against Everton at Goodison, 2 injury time goals saw us lose 2-1 and one of the goal scorers was in fact Pienaar! Both Pienaar and Felliani have been instrumental for Everton this season and it important that we remember that we will be facing a team without their 2 most important players. Everton may be on a run of 3 wins, but those have been at home. The last game to be played away was to Norwich and this was lost 2-1. In fact Everton have lost their past 2 away games and even struggled against Oldham (away in the cup). The only notable win against a "top 4" team came against Man City and that was with both Pienaar and Felliani. I can't seen anything other than a win for us on Sunday and I expect to see a 2-0 win or more. Everton may have a good defence, but without the likes of Felliani and Pienaar in midfield there will be a big gap for our midfield to boss the game.

Wenger compares Arsenal star to Chelsea and Everton duo
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
10:09 AM
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has described Kieran Gibbs as one of the “top three left-backs in the country”. The 23-year-old made his 100th Arsenal appearance in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Reading at the Emirates and has been an assured presence in the Gunners’ defence in recent weeks.
Chelsea’s Ashley Cole and Everton’s Leighton Baines are ahead in the England pecking order but Wenger believes Gibbs, who has two Three Lions caps, is not far behind. “I think this season has been, despite the fact that he was in doubt for a while, a step up season for him,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official website. “He has improved a lot, has put his personality into the games, which was sometimes a bit of a problem for him. “He has authority, he is decisive going forward, and in games where we were struggling a bit like Swansea in the cup he turned up and was the one who brought the pressure on the opponent. “Even at Munich when he had been out for six weeks he came straight back in and had a very decent game. For me he has moved into the top three left backs in the country.” Nacho Monreal arrived at Arsenal from Malaga in January but Wenger insists Gibbs is ready to battle the Spaniard to keep hold of the left-back spot. “He is ready for the fight,” he said. “I did it because I believe you never know with only one left back. “You need two. And as well because both can play one in front of the other, so there’s an opportunity to use them both in some games.”

Shane Duffy considering Goodison exit?
Derry Journal
April 3 2013
SHANE DUFFY admits he will evaluate his Everton Football Club future over the summer as the Galliagh lad hopes for more first-team football next season. The 21 year-old Republic of Ireland Under-21s skipper has made just three substitute appearances for David Moyes’ side so far this season, although he remains part of his manager’s long-term plans. However Duffy, who has previously had loan spells at Burnley and Scunthorpe United, suspects he will have to review his chances when the current season concludes. “I’ve still got three years left on my Everton contract, but I need to be playing games. We’ll see in the summer,” said Duffy Duffy was speaking following the Republic of Ireland U21’s 1-2 defeat by Portugal in Dundalk. Although Moyes insists that the player remains in his long term plans, it seems that Duffy isn’t content with his cameo role. And give that his manager’s own future on Merseyside is also in doubt - Moyes so far refusing to renew his contract with Everton - it further puts in doubt Duffy’s long-term Everton career. Duffy caused controversy earlier this month when he posted a message on Twitter apparently supporting the IRA. He later apologised and claimed that his phone had been stolen and that he did not post the tweet himself. The club insisted that they would investigate the incident but it is not known whether this has had anything to do with his exile from the starting XI. The former Foyle Harps defender also gave his opinion on Everton teammate and fellow Derry man, Darron Gibson’s international exile.
The Hazelbank man has refused call-ups by Republic boss, Giovanni Trapattoni since being left on the bench during last summer’s European Championship finals. “It’s Darron’s decision, but we all want him back, don’t we?” said Duffy. “He’s talked to the manager (Trapattoni) recently. I don’t know what was said, but, obviously, he doesn’t want to be involved at the minute. I’m not going to try to get him back. I need to get myself involved first.

Irish Toffees set for Legends showdown!
April 3 2013 Derry Journal
Legends at the Brandywell on Saturday at 1.30pm are, back from left, massive Everton fans William Allen, Londonderry Sentinel editor, writer Dominic Kearney and James Doherty, with City board member Martin Mullan and then another Evertonian Jamie Kearney, and, at front, Tiarnan and Caoimhin Doherty. The call has gone out to Everton fans in the North West, and Derry City fans, to come along for a special charity match at the Brandywell on Saturday afternoon.
Evertonians from all over the island will be arriving in the city for the big game between the Irish Toffees - the Everton Supporters’ Club based in Dublin - and the Derry City Legends.
The money raised is going to the Foyle Hospice and the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Kick-off is at 1.30pm. The City Legends have a select panel to choose from, including the likes of Felix Healy, Liam Coyle, Stuart Gauld, Jack Keay, Gary Heaney and many more. Local Everton fan James Doherty, who’s helping to organise the game, said it has caught the imagination of Everton fans and their families. “We’re expected well over a hundred in from around the island to support the Irish Toffees, and hopefully there’ll be a good local turnout as well to help make it a great occasion. “The Irish Toffees are really making a big effort, with players coming in from Tipperary, Meath, Kildare and Dublin, and others from Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. “It promises to be a game to remember!” It is hoped that the Toffees side will be able to run onto the pitch to the sounds of ‘Z Cars’.

Blue Watch: Spurs’ Europa League exertions can give Everton hope
by Our Correspondent, The Liverpool Post
Apr 4 2013
SATURDAY’S hard fought win over Stoke was predictably an unspectacular and at times hard to watch war of attrition. Moyes sprung a surprise in his selection, opting to counter act Stoke’s aerial bombardment with three centre backs. The key benefit of the back three is that it gave us a man advantage against Stoke’s two centre forwards and this coverage through the middle led to our figures in terms of aerials and second balls won improving based on recent games against the Potters. Saving an extra man in the middle did however mean we faced a numerical disadvantage on the flanks, however this deficit wasn’t exploited as Stoke’s full backs focused in on tucking in and defending and rarely crossed the half way line to engineer such attacking advantages. Going forward it was less fruitful, with Baines struggling without the decoy run of Pienaar. The Mirallas wonder goal apart we struggled to create a clear opening, firing in just 20 crosses compared to the 44 in the same fixture last season. Spurs and their talisman Gareth Bale will, of course, provide a completely different proposition. There is a theory that if you stop Bale you stop Spurs; after all the Welshman has plundered 32% of their goals this season. Moyes is sure to have some kind of plan in store to negate his threat; previously he has deployed Coleman in midfield to track Bale’s runs, however with Bale now being used centrally an alternative strategy will be required. One option is to pick the same side as last week but revert to a back four and use Heitinga in a midfield marking capacity on Bale. The role would not be anything new to the Dutchman who delivered a similar role admirably against his compatriot Rafael Van der Vaart on the same ground a few years ago.
The Blues can take solace in the fact that Spurs and Bale are a lot more potent on the road than on home soil where there is less opportunity to play counter attack. At home when visiting sides will sit deep and leave little space to exploit they have struggled and have picked up more points on their travels with Bale’s goal output statistically less than half as potent at White Hart Lane.
Defensively they are suspect down their left side, conceding 33% more chances than their right side so I’d be surprised if Mirallas didn’t start on the right wing. Spurs have an Achilles heel aerially too, with Caulker particularly suspect, whilst Gallas will always give you opportunities.
We definitely stand a good chance then, after all Spurs have dropped 19 points from leading positions in the league this season. With our extra rest it wouldn’t be a surprise if Spurs Europa league fatigue led them to falter in the final stages just as they did at Goodison earlier this season.

Everton will need more than 60 points to qualify for Europe, says David Moyes
by Ian Doyle, The Liverpool Post
Apr 4 2013
DAVID MOYES admits Everton will have to smash the 60-point barrier if they are to secure a return to Europe this season – as the Goodison Park outfit ponder joining the NextGen Series.
Everton face a severe test of their Champions League aspirations when they visit third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon. Everton stand four points adrift of the top four, having only once previously bettered their currently tally of 51 points after 30 games in the Premier League era. Five of their remaining matches are away with Moyes’s men also visiting near rivals Arsenal and Chelsea along with neighbours Liverpool. And the likelihood is Everton will have to better their best finish under the Scot of 65 points when finishing fifth in 2008 to at least secure fifth place and Europa League qualification. “We have a tough run-in and with the league table still being tight I am hoping that we can do what we have done in the past and finish strongly,” said Moyes.
“With eight games to go last season we had 40 points, this time around we have 51 and if we want to have any chance of getting close to Europe I feel we will certainly have to get above the 60 points mark.” Everton will have to do without their traditional short break that has previously re-energised their batteries for the run-in. “In recent seasons I would have looked to have taken the team away to have a few days training in the sunshine, but the way the fixtures have worked I have not found it possible this year,” added Moyes. “At this time of the season we try to keep the training short and sharp as much as we can. It’s a pattern we’ve followed in previous years and it has tended to work for us.” Moyes, meanwhile, has revealed Everton are considering becoming the latest team to join the burgeoning NextGen Series, a Champions League-style competition for under-19 teams across Europe. The Goodison outfit had to turn down an invitation to the inaugural competition last year, which was won by Inter Milan with Aston Villa defeating Chelsea in this season’s final in Como on Monday. And Moyes said: “Both (head of Academy) Alan Irvine and I are very keen to keep developing our Academy and we are considering joining the NextGen Series, which we were invited into when it first started. “We didn’t feel we had the numbers to be able to cope with more games but it’s something that I would be keen for us to get involved with in the future.
“The experience of European games would be helpful in the development of the young players.”
Everton finally play their much-delayed FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Norwich City on Friday evening at Goodison, with coach Kevin Sheedy wary of the challenge facing his youngsters.
“It seems a long time ago that we beat Arsenal in the previous round,” said Sheedy. “We have had a real difficult route to get here, so it will be nice for the players to step out at Goodison and hopefully we can make the most of it. “It will be a close game. Norwich have some good players. We’ve beaten them twice this season, although they had some players missing and had some trialists playing on the day.”

Darron Gibson believes Everton team-work will be key to stopping “unbelievable” Gareth Bale.
by Greg O'Keeffe, DPW West
Apr 4 2013
DARRON Gibson believes team-work will be the key to stopping “unbelievable” Gareth Bale.
The Blues are charged with limiting the Welsh wonder when they face one of their main rivals for a top-four berth in the televised clash at White Hart Lane on Sunday. And the Republic of Ireland midfielder said: “I think (Bale) has been unbelievable. “He’s won games for Spurs on his own.
“It’s good for English football and it’s good for Spurs but hopefully he is not good on Sunday against us. I think he is up there with the best in Europe at the minute. “Seamus (Coleman) has dealt with him quite well the last two times he has played against him. “He’s a great player and I don’t think there is one particular way of stopping him. “We’re good as a team defensively and we work hard for each other, so hopefully we will be all right.” Tottenham’s impressive domestic and European efforts have been led by footballer of the year contender Bale, who has netted 27 goals for club and country this season. The 23-year-old has never scored against Everton – a statistic Gibson credits largely to the performances of Coleman in recent meetings. But whatever impact Bale has on the game, Gibson was keen to stress that Andre Villas-Boas’ third-placed side are far from being a one-man team. “They’ve got great players in the squad and players coming off the bench as well, so I don’t think we are going to go into the game just focusing on Gareth Bale,” he added.
“It took them a while to get going but they are in great form at the minute. But if we play the way we have been and the way we did against Manchester City, I think we will do well.”

Blue Boys: Sheedy hopes Goodison lure will help players raise game
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
KEVIN Sheedy insists he will use the lure of Goodison to urge his players to overcome Norwich tomorrow. Some of his U-18s side will be playing a competitive fixture at Everton’s ground for the first time, and Sheedy admits it will be a defining moment for them. “If they win there is another opportunity to play there again in the semi-final,” he said. “We’re all looking forward to the game. Our previous victories over Norwich this season count for nothing on Friday. It will be a big test.”

Blue Boys: Everton U-18s prepare to hit ground running against Canaries
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
EVERTON U-18s have been busy preparing for their FA Youth Cup quarter final clash with Norwich tomorrow evening. Coach Kevin Sheedy has been putting his young charges through their paces as they prepare for the crunch tie at Goodison. Barring a couple of long-term injury casualties, Sheedy has a full-strength squad to select from including players such as Matthew Kennedy, who has also played for Alan Stubbs’ U-21s as well as appearing on the bench for David Moyes’s first team this season. He said: “Touch wood we’ve got everyone bar one or two fit and raring to go.
“There’s a lot of healthy competition for places which is just how you want it for such a big game which could play a pivotal part in our season.
“Hopefully whatever team we select will have the right attitude and we’ll have a strong bench too, no doubt about that.” Sheedy admitted he has done his homework on The Canaries, alongside fellow academy coach Duncan Ferguson. “Me and Duncan went to watch Norwich in the last round when they beat Birmingham in extra time. “We’d also watched a video of their previous game against Milwall so as to prepare thoroughly. “We’ll show the boys some clips highlighting Norwich’s strengths and weaknesses before the game but the most important thing on the night is going to be what we do when we have the ball. “We won't underestimate the opposition – that’s for sure.
“They’re a good side with two wingers who can cause any team problems so we’ll have to watch them and be careful. But we’ve got our own good players and we will let them worry about us and be positive about it from the outset because we’re a good side.”

Teamwork the key to stopping ‘unbelievable’ Gareth Bale says Everton’s Darron Gibson
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
DARRON GIBSON believes team-work will be the key to stopping “unbelievable” Gareth Bale.
The Blues are charged with limiting the Welsh wonder when they face one of their main rivals for a top four berth at White Hart Lane on Sunday. And Gibson insists that no individual will be specifically tasked with stopping Tottenham’s footballer of the year contender in the televised clash.
“I think he has been unbelievable,” said the Republic of Ireland midfielder. “He’s won games for Spurs on his own. “It’s good for English football and it’s good for Spurs but hopefully he is not good on Sunday against us. I think he is up there with the best in Europe at the minute. “Seamus has dealt with him quite well the last two times he has played against him. “He’s a great player and I don’t think there is one particular way of stopping him. We’re good as a team defensively and we work hard for each other, so hopefully we will be alright.” Tottenham’s impressive domestic and European efforts have been led by Bale, who has netted 27 goals for club and country this season.
The 23-year-old has never scored against Everton – a statistic Gibson credits largely to the performances of Coleman in recent meetings. But whatever impact Bale has on the game, Gibson was keen to stress that Andre Villas-Boas’s third-placed side are far from being a one-man team.
“They’ve got great players in the squad and players coming off the bench as well, so I don’t think we are going to go into the game just focusing on Gareth Bale,” he added. “It took them a while to get going but they are in great form at the minute. But if we play the way we have been and the way we did against Manchester City, I think we will do well.”

Blue Boys: Everton U-18S win warm-up game against USA academy
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
EVERTON warmed-up for their FA Youth Cup tie tomorrow evening with a testing friendly against US Academy side Monteverde. The Florida-based private boarding school run one of the most highly-respected football programmes in North America, and recruit youngsters from across the globe.
And they agreed to face the Blues last Friday in a rearranged fixture, which saw them go into the break with a surprise 2-0 lead. Everton responded convincingly, however, with a Connor Grant hat-trick and goals from Courtney Duffus, Matthew Kennedy and Chris Long to win 6-2. Sheedy said: “It was a useful game against a good side who gave us a very solid-work out. “They scored two quick goals which caught us on the hop a bit and we had to respond the right way in the second half which fortunately the lads did. They had a mix of players from Ireland and Brazil as well as just America.”

Are Everton FC the entertainers – or Spurs in Sunday’s big showdown
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
AT ONE stage last summer David Moyes was the bookies favourite to be the man in charge when Everton travel to White Hart Lane on Sunday. In charge of Spurs. Back then, as now, the Scot’s future on Merseyside was the subject of speculation. And those odds were no reflection of any belief the Blues manager was certain to sign a contract extension at Goodison 12 months early.
In fact, the rumour mill was throbbing with suggestions that Moyes would be sat in the home dug-out, with the famous cockerel of the North London club on his club jacket instead of Rupert’s Tower.
Moyes kept his counsel, and never attempted to court Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s reported interest, even if he was bound to have been intrigued by the prospect. Speaking in the wake of Harry Redknapp’s departure from the role last June, Moyes said: “I hope to meet all my ambitions at Everton, but you never know in this game. “I came back from holiday and found out about Harry and I feel sad for him because I feel he has done a good job.” Moyes was pressed again on the Tottenham job while appearing as a pundit during the BBC’s Euro 2012 television coverage, but still he insisted his focus was on achieving his ambitions at Everton. That loyalty was laudable, but ultimately the former Preston North End boss was never thrust fully onto the horns of a dilemma, because his phone never rang. A call from Levy never arrived, and duly former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas was appointed. Previously one national newspaper had run an online poll about whether Moyes was the man for Tottenham, which the majority of voters decided he wasn’t.
A ‘bigger name’ was required, according to those who responded. The capital-based opinion makers on the broadsheets had been divided on the matter. Some influential writers believed Moyes was the perfect choice to replicate his relative success at the Toffees onto a bigger stage – certainly in terms of his budget – in London. Others argued his brand of football was too functional and pragmatic for a club with a history of aesthetically-pleasing artistry. It is a theory which does not hold much weight almost 12 months later. Whether or not prompted by an evaluation of outside perceptions of his style as a coach, Moyes’s Everton have certainly played some fine-flowing football this term. Performances against Aston Villa, Swansea, Fulham and Newcastle to name a few have produced football fit for any stadium. With the addition of Kevin Mirallas’s flair (when the Belgian has been fit) and the ever-evolving spark of Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar, Moyes has been able to match any side purporting to play the beautiful game in the Premier League, while exploding a few misconceptions about his approach. It is Everton’s fortune that he is still in the right dug-out when they arrive in North London on Sunday. Let’s hope he can yet be convinced it’s worth hanging around. There are likely to be more than one potential new employer linked with him this summer.

Everton FC will have to break 60-point barrier to secure European qualification, insists manager David Moyes
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
EVERTON will have to smash the 60-point barrier if they are to secure a return to Europe this season, insists David Moyes. The Blues currently have 51 points, and sit four points adrift of the top four, with their credentials to break into that elite group facing a stern test against Spurs at White Hart Lane on Sunday. After that five of their remaining matches are away with Moyes’s men also visiting near rivals Arsenal and Chelsea along with neighbours Liverpool. And the chances are Everton will have to improve on their best finish under the Scot of 65 points when finishing fifth in 2008, to at least secure fifth place and Europa League qualification this time around. Moyes said: “We have a tough run-in and with the league table still being tight I am hoping that we can do what we have done in the past and finish strongly. “With eight games to go last season we had 40 points, this time around we have 51 and if we want to have any chance of getting close to Europe I feel we will certainly have to get above the 60 points mark.” Everton will have to do without their traditional short break that has previously re-energised their batteries for the run-in. “In recent seasons I would have looked to have taken the team away to have a few days training in the sunshine, but the way the fixtures have worked I have not found it possible this year,” added Moyes. “At this time of the season we try to keep the training short and sharp as much as we can. It’s a pattern we’ve followed in previous years and it has tended to work for us.” Moyes, meanwhile, has revealed Everton are considering becoming the latest team to join the NextGen Series, a Champions League-style competition for under-19 teams across Europe. The Goodison outfit had to turn down an invitation to join the inaugural competition last year, which was won by Inter Milan with Aston Villa defeating Chelsea in this season’s final in Como on Monday. And Moyes said: “Both (head of Academy) Alan Irvine and I are very keen to keep developing our Academy and we are considering joining the NextGen Series, which we were invited into when it first started. “We didn’t feel we had the numbers to be able to cope with more games but it’s something that I would be keen for us to get involved with in the future. “The experience of European games would be helpful in the development of the young players.”

Mark Lawrenson: Everton’s season has moved into win or bust territory
The Liverpool Post
Apr 4 2013
EVERY game is important at the business end of the season. But there’s no doubt Sunday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur is the biggest match of Everton’s Premier League campaign. David Moyes’s side are now facing a real test of whether they are going to seriously challenge for Champions League qualification. Everton have to go to Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea during their last eight games, starting with the White Hart Lane clash. Put simply, Moyes’s men cannot afford to be beaten. They have to show Tottenham they are as good if not better than them. If the FA Cup defeat to Wigan was a watershed moment in the long-term future of the club, then Sunday’s match could have a similar impact on the short term. If Everton are beaten comfortably, they will be seven points adrift of the Londoners which could be too big a gap to overhaul. With Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar still suspended, Everton are short of attacking players and that might impact on Moyes’s team selection as it did in the win against Stoke City. The three centre-backs he employed at the weekend may have been a one-off. But one thing Moyes may take into account is the form of Gareth Bale. He has shown in the past, by putting Phil Neville and Seamus Coleman together down the right flank, that he is willing to change Everton’s system to stop Bale. One problem is the Welshman now plays in a much freer role these days and has been in irresistible form this season.
Everton may instead look to suffocate the midfield. They will have to be compact, yet it will be so difficult to know how to pitch it. If they sit back to deep, then they will simply be inviting Tottenham to come on to them. Everton will have to be brave, get people in and around Bale and push higher up the pitch. After all, apart from Aaron Lennon, Tottenham don’t have many other options to break opponents down. Kevin Mirallas will be the danger man for the visitors. He will be fresher than most having missed parts of the season through injury, and he is a player that needs to be 100% fit.
A fit and firing Mirallas could make the difference in the closing weeks for Everton, who will need as many goalscorers as possible. I think Moyes will look to make it a scrappy and bitty game this Sunday. If you deny Tottenham the ball for only five minutes, then there is a section of the crowd that will get on the home team’s back. Everton can go there and be dour and difficult to beat. There’s nothing wrong with that, and they’ve done it in the past with success often enough to know it can work.

Everton FC jury: Blues fans on the Stoke win and Kevin Mirallas' wondergoal
Apr 4 2013
CHRIS DOUGLAS, Old Swan
THE game will not live long in the memory but the goal that won it certainly deserves to.
Kevin Mirallas scored the goal he has been threatening to all season. It was the one bright moment of a game ruined by a side that make the old Wimbledon look like a classy side.
Results are all that matters at this stage of the season though and despite at times having Everton on the back foot, Stoke’s lack of killer instinct was always going to be there downfallSeamus Coleman was again excellent and his energy levels at the moment are astounding. He is coming on leaps and bounds. The return of Phil Jagielka also helped massively. He is the rock Everton is built on.
The run of fixtures left for Everton make even the Europa League unlikely, but if a positive result against Spurs can be found then who knows? Stranger things have happened. We seem to play to a higher level against the better teams and if Bale is kept quiet then Spurs can be stopped. Keep on keeping on.
MATTHEW JONES, Prenton
THERE has been little said about Everton’s positive league form in recent weeks. The Toffees have won three games in a row in the Premier League, but you get the impression that nobody at the club is getting ahead of themselves. The players and manager owe the supporters a strong finish to the season. Once again the club have bounced back following an FA Cup disappointment, much in the same vein as last campaign. Last season Everton were too far down the table to get into one of the European places, but there are still slim hopes of a obtaining a spot this season.
A win on Sunday would thrust Everton back into the top-four mix. They take on a Tottenham side who have been stuttering as of late. Spurs also have a Europa League quarter-final tie to negotiate on Thursday, so with The Blues fresh and in form, Spurs might well be there for the taking.
Shutting down Bale will obviously be key to Everton’s chances. The Welshman has struggled to make an impact in past games against The Toffees and the Everton defenders must be sharp in preventing his bursts forward and close off the space for him to operate in. If they can do that, they have an excellent chance of picking up all three points, reigniting the charge towards those European spots. Lose, and it might just be the end of Everton’s season.
MARTIN SHAUGHNESSY, Prenton
STOKE – you know what type of game to expect but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch.
Other than the goal and the fact we got three points, there wasn’t much else to talk about so we’ll leave it at that. Onto Spurs – again Peanuts and Felli will be a big miss but hopefully Spurs are now suffering their annual end of season slump and could well be distracted by their Europa League exploits. The build-up focus will all be on Bale, who is having a fantastic season.
That performance of Neville against him has been seen as the benchmark in how to nullify Bale’s threat, however I don’t expect Neville to be recalled for this game. Spurs should also be aware of our own threat of pace in Coleman and Mirallas. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the attacking stakes.
DAVID TAYLOR, St Helens
IT wasn’t pretty and our position as last on Match of the Day was probably justified this time, but the win against Stoke was very important. It’s no good beating City like we did if we couldn’t find a way to beat Stoke – something we don’t do often enough. With those three points in the bag we now head to a six-pointer and the chance put ourselves back in the top four mix. Without Fellaini and Pienaar it won’t be easy but another scrappy win will do nicely. It will be interesting to see if Baines and Coleman are given the licence to play further up the pitch again, it probably depends on Jagielka’s fitness and Moyes’ mindset. With Pienaar missing and Mirallas having centre forward tendencies then the natural qualities of the wing-backs would give us the attacking threat we need, whilst the defensive talents of the back five could protect our goal and help us towards three massive points.

Everton FC letters: Kevin Mirallas reminds me of George Best
Liverpool Echo
Apr 4 2013
WHAT an excellent goal by Kevin Mirallas to win the match against Stoke. We all knew he would score once the ball broke for him. His movement reminds me of the great George Best.
If he can emulate some of that, and I'm sure he will, then we have it all to look forward to.
I would like to see some of the passes played to big Vic played to feet inside the box, I think that's what would work well for us. Man of the match has to go to Mirallas, I thought Phil Jagielka was a very close second.
GOFRIT
EVERTON have an outside chance of getting fourth, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
We have some really tough fixtures ahead of us – and even if we did manage to achieve that goal, I don’t think we are equipped to compete at that level given the lack of investment from the board on and off the pitch. Sorry, just cold hard facts as I see it.
Woofy
WE have scored some really good goals this season. Kevin Mirallas’ goal last weekend will be voted our Goal of the Season. But for me, the goal Leighton Baines scored in the 2-2 game against Newcastle United is my favourite.
Nikica
SATURDAY wasn’t a game that will live long in the memory, that’s for sure. We were poor I thought, and Stoke were worse. They never threatened after hitting bar early on. Top goal from Kev though. I’ve often bemoaned that David Moyes’ sides never score goals on the break. That’s two in two games now!
Massive game on Sunday.
A win at White Hart Lane and we could still have a chance of a top four place. And the bonus for us Blues is that Spurs have a Europa League fixture tonight.
Excellent!
Scouse BlueNose
ALWAYS glad to get a game against Stoke over with. We rode our luck at times, but that is bound to happen when all they do is pump long balls forward. They are an awful alehouse team and I don’t think anybody would miss them if they went down. Mirallas’ goal was class and I hope it was just a bit of cramp towards the end. We needed the win to keep pace with Spurs and Arsenal.
Our season boils down to being able to go to those places and beat them. I just hope we go into those games positively. The biggest concern right now is getting goals, as the chances on Saturday were few and far between. Hopefully a more open free-flowing game against Spurs will help us.
BlueDanEFC

Everton FC should not be daunted by task of over-hauling three London rivals for Champions League place, insists Graham Stuart
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
EVERTON should not be daunted by the task of over-hauling their trio of London rivals in the race for a Champions League place, insists Graham Stuart. The Blues must attempt to surge past fifth-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Chelsea if they are to achieve their top four dream, and that challenging task begins with a visit to third-placed Spurs on Sunday. However former Blues FA Cup hero Stuart believes Andre Villas-Boas’ men may be stalked by the psychological trauma of their implosion last season, when they ultimately missed out on Champions League qualification despite finishing fourth.
Then under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, who was clashing behind the scenes with chairman Daniel Levy over his future, their impressive form for most of the season buckled after February only to see them over-taken in the Premier League table by rivals Arsenal. And Stuart says Everton should take hope from the unpredictability of the closing months of the Premier League, and do everything they can to ensure the current order is shaken-up once again. “I think realistically you have to start by looking after what you have to do, and make sure your performances produce the points you need,” says the former Chelsea and Charlton Athletic midfielder. “But then you’ve got to hope Spurs and Arsenal slip up in some capacity and I think one of them will. “We have to go to White Hart Lane and we have to go to the Emirates, so it’s in our hands in some respects. Even aside from those games I think one of them will slip up in some capacity. “There will be twists and turns. Tottenham have had a rich vein of form and we all know Gareth Bale has been outstanding for them.
“But they’ll have in the back of their minds what happened last season when they fell away quite spectacularly. That will be there in their collective psyche. “Arsenal have probably got the easiest run-in out of the lot but they are so inconsistent. One minute they look like world beaters, the next they’re getting rolled over by a bottom three side. It’s going to come down to who can be the most consistent over the remaining weeks.” Stuart acknowledges that Everton’s hopes of the top four are distant, but maintains that qualification for the Europa League would be considerable consolation if their primary aim proves to be beyond them. “It’s a good opportunity to put ourselves back up there on Sunday,” says Stuart. “There’s still half a chance of that top four. “If we’re realistic about it, it’s an outside chance but it’s still a prospect. Certainly fifth or sixth is not out of our reach at all and hopefully that would bring European football and that represents a really good season.
“Obviously it will be tinged with the manner in which we went out of the FA Cup, which was an unbelievable opportunity, but credit to the boys and the coaching staff, they bounced back.
“Such was the manner of that Wigan defeat it was hard to take for everyone I’m sure; the players and everyone connected to the club. But there’s a spirit in the camp and there has been while David Moyes has been here certainly. “They’re not guys to sulk – they pick themselves up and dust themselves down. There’s a lot to be said for that. What do you do? Crumble or dig in and pull yourself together? They did the latter and showed their pride. Hopefully it was the start of a good run-in now.” Stuart, who scored 22 times for the Toffees between 1993 and 1997, believes it is important Everton’s big players step-up as the season approaches its climax. “It’s great to see Jelavic score again against City. Hopefully that goal will have relieved him of that monkey on his back and he can just get going now. We need people scoring goals,” he says. “If your strikers are firing you’ve got every chance. The realism is that everyone has to play well, but your big guns really have to start firing. You need your Fellainis, Jelavices, Pienaars to come good and lead from the front in the coming weeks.”

David Moyes might think it’s the right time for a new challenge, says Graham Stuart
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
GRAHAM Stuart believes David Moyes will leave Everton for a fresh challenge this summer.
The former Toffee admits it is with a heavy heart that he predicts an end to the Scots’ 11-year Goodison reign, but suspects a change of scenery will prove too tempting for him to resist.
He said: “My head says that this summer he might think the time is right to take on another challenge. My heart says we want him to stay because he’s been a huge part of a successful period of time in terms of Premier League finishes for the club. “We just haven’t quite managed to turn it into a trophy which is the one aspect of disappointment I’m sure David shares with everyone connected to the club. “The fact that the contract hasn’t been signed, and he’s been here such an amazing amount of time does make me wonder whether he wants a new challenge.”
Stuart believes Moyes will be fresh and raring to go after a brief holiday during the recent international break. “That rest could do him the world of good,” he said. “We all like a bit of sun on our back and you need to take the opportunity to rest up. I’m sure he will have had his finger on the pulse, just from a warmer environment for a few days. “There’s a lot of pressure on him at the moment, in terms of the club and a personal perspective with his contract situation. He seems to have come back fresh and ready to face the rest of the season.” Stuart, who lifted the FA Cup in 1995 under Joe Royle, wishes he had the opportunity to play under Moyes. “I think I would have been a David Moyes type of player,” he says. “He seems to like players who are prepared to work hard and knuckle down. I would have enjoyed that and playing for his team. “He has a good work ethic for his squad, and the work ethic Joe Royle imbued in us was phenomenal. We had a great time. We used to chase teams down and close them before it was fashionable. “I know it’s chalk and cheese but look at the way Barcelona play; as soon as the full backs get the ball Barcelona are closing the opposition down high up the pitch. We did that and everyone called us the Dogs of War.
“We could play as well though. Hard work is the minimal requirement really and it can only take you so far. “I take nothing away from the players who have always done that. The current team has hard workers with ability too; like Baines, Pienaar, Fellaini and Leon Osman who has had a terrific season.
They’re all good on the ball and can create opportunities.”

David Moyes might think it’s the right time for a new challenge, says Graham Stuart
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
GRAHAM Stuart believes David Moyes will leave Everton for a fresh challenge this summer.
The former Toffee admits it is with a heavy heart that he predicts an end to the Scots’ 11-year Goodison reign, but suspects a change of scenery will prove too tempting for him to resist.
He said: “My head says that this summer he might think the time is right to take on another challenge. My heart says we want him to stay because he’s been a huge part of a successful period of time in terms of Premier League finishes for the club. “We just haven’t quite managed to turn it into a trophy which is the one aspect of disappointment I’m sure David shares with everyone connected to the club. “The fact that the contract hasn’t been signed, and he’s been here such an amazing amount of time does make me wonder whether he wants a new challenge.”
Stuart believes Moyes will be fresh and raring to go after a brief holiday during the recent international break. “That rest could do him the world of good,” he said. “We all like a bit of sun on our back and you need to take the opportunity to rest up. I’m sure he will have had his finger on the pulse, just from a warmer environment for a few days. “There’s a lot of pressure on him at the moment, in terms of the club and a personal perspective with his contract situation. He seems to have come back fresh and ready to face the rest of the season.” Stuart, who lifted the FA Cup in 1995 under Joe Royle, wishes he had the opportunity to play under Moyes. “I think I would have been a David Moyes type of player,” he says. “He seems to like players who are prepared to work hard and knuckle down. I would have enjoyed that and playing for his team. “He has a good work ethic for his squad, and the work ethic Joe Royle imbued in us was phenomenal. We had a great time. We used to chase teams down and close them before it was fashionable. “I know it’s chalk and cheese but look at the way Barcelona play; as soon as the full backs get the ball Barcelona are closing the opposition down high up the pitch. We did that and everyone called us the Dogs of War.
“We could play as well though. Hard work is the minimal requirement really and it can only take you so far. “I take nothing away from the players who have always done that. The current team has hard workers with ability too; like Baines, Pienaar, Fellaini and Leon Osman who has had a terrific season.
They’re all good on the ball and can create opportunities.”

Kevin Mirallas facing fight to be fit for Everton’s trip to Spurs
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
KEVIN MIRALLAS is facing a fight to be fit for Everton’s bid to make up ground on top four rivals Spurs on Sunday. The Belgian (left) scored the only goal of a hard-fought victory over Stoke City last weekend, before being forced off with a groin injury 10 minutes from time. Mirallas, 25, has been unable to train at all this week because of the problem, leaving David Moyes sweating on his availability for the forthcoming visit to White Hart Lane. Moyes will give the former Olympiacos winger every opportunity to prove he is fit to be included in the starting line-up, after admitting he was crucial to his side’s ambitions in the wake of that winning solo goal against Stoke – which moved Everton to within four points of fourth-placed Arsenal. Mirallas has managed only 19 Premier League appearances for the Toffees since his summer switch from Greece, with a persistent hamstring problem previously ruling him out for a large chunk of the campaign before January.
“Kevin’s injury (earlier in the season) meant that we were a little short at times this season,” said the Scot last Saturday. “But if he can get back to form and show a little of the form he had at the start of the season we’ll be happy. “There are just glimpses of it coming back.”

Howard Kendall: Everton can’t afford to try and map out rest of campaign
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
THERE’S no hiding from the fact that Everton probably have the hardest run-in of all the clubs competing to finish in the European qualifying spots. Liverpool are closing in behind us and we have to go and play three of the current top five as well as a Merseyside derby at Anfield.
But it’s very dangerous to look at fixtures and try to plot where you will pick up or possibly drop points. Everton have actually responded well against the division’s top sides this season while perhaps dropping points against clubs they should have beaten – so there’s no point trying to adapt logic to it. The way to approach the remaining eight games is bursting with positivity.
Everton need to be looking at each game and tell themselves they can win it. Of course they’re going to need to produce some special performances to get wins at grounds they haven’t previously; such as the Emirates and White Hart Lane, but I believe they can do it. You only have to focus on the levels the Blues reached against Manchester City, coming after a really rough afternoon the week before, to have faith.

Howard Kendall: Kevin Mirallas delivers extra quality to Everton FC - and this is a good time to face Spurs
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
Picture by Gareth JonesEverton vs Oldham Ath FA Cup 5th round replay...Kevin Mirallas celebrates his opening goal in style... YOU NEED that little spark of extra quality to beat teams like Stoke – and when it mattered Kevin Mirallas delivered. What impressed me most about the Belgian’s match-winning contribution last weekend was his decisiveness. When you go clear through on goal like that it can be easy to be gripped by indecision. All of a sudden it’s easy to think, ‘Shall I chip the keeper, or try and go past him or blast it?’. Lesser players can let it put them off.
But Kevin was single-minded and scored convincingly, thus ensuring three much-needed points.
He is the type of player any side with ambition needs – he actively wants the ball all the time and tries to go past defenders. The difference between the two sides was Everton had a Mirallas and Stoke didn’t. He is a refreshing player in my eyes. Not many clubs have someone like that – maybe only the other Champions League contenders. That’s not to disregard what the Potters did have, which was enough of a threat to hit the bar and have a disallowed goal in the second half.
Also in Steven N’Zonzi they had a very impressive athlete who looked comfortable on the ball and never gave it away. In terms of his physique and skill he reminded me of Marouane Fellaini.
If Everton’s other influential Belgian ever left Goodison for pastures new, as we often read will be the case in the not too distant future, you can’t say there are no like for like replacements out there, because N’Zonzi has very similar attributes. I’m sure he would fill the gap left even by a player of Fellani’s considerable talents.
I BELIEVE Everton face Tottenham at an advantageous time on Sunday. Spurs will be coming into the fixture at White Hart Lane on the back of a testing Europa League quarter final first leg with Basel.
To compound the weary legs the Londoners will have after that crunch tie they also have one of their most potent goalscorers missing in Jermaine Defoe. In my book Defoe would get in the front two of most sides so I can never understand why he is left on the bench anyway, and it will be a relief he is not facing the Toffees on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately Gareth Bale IS likely to be in opposition, but David Moyes has proved in the past that he can put out a side which can deal with him.

David Prentice: Coming month could see David Moyes' doubters silenced
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Apr 5 2013
APPARENTLY you don’t need to win trophies any more to be considered a success in modern football. As long as a manager can guide a team into the cash dispenser that is the Champions League every season, he’s a success. It’s a philosophy which has served Arsene Wenger well for the last seven years. And it’s a philosophy which could give David Moyes some solace as he heads into a season defining fixture at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Moyes, infamously, is still seeking his first trophy as a manager. And his critics never miss an opportunity to point out that his sides have come up short in ‘almost’ every truly big clash they have faced. A Cup Final with an early lead, a derby-day semi-final - with a half-time advantage, a Carling Cup semi against 10-men, a winner takes all last day clash with Manchester United, Europe the prize at stake for Everton, the league title for United. Then most recently, an FA Cup quarter-final with the softest of semi-final draws to come.
As an avowed Moyes fan – I prefer to point out that the Blues boss has been consistently good enough to lead Everton into these big matches, in difficult circumstances. The criticism, nevertheless, is still valid. But the next month will hand David Moyes the opportunity to challenge the nay-sayers, silence the doubters and prove his team can win matches that matter. Because in their next eight fixtures Everton have four matches which really do matter. With that glittering prize-without-a-trophy at the end of it, a Champions League place. If Everton can somehow come through trips to Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool, then finally Chelsea, with a Champions League place still in their sights, David Moyes will have truly earned the respect of those who doubt him.
It’s a fearsome run-in. And the first match has to be negotiated without two of his most influential players. But he has done it before. As Everton closed in on an unlikely fourth place finish in 2005, they sold the enormously influential Thomas Gravesen – and lost a mid-March Anfield derby which looked decisive in the battle for fourth. Then, as now, Liverpool looked at Everton’s fixture list and smirked. Boss Benitez in particular had earmarked one fixture which he was confident the Blues wouldn’t win.
But they did.
They upset Manchester United on the night of Big Dunc’s Last Hurrah and the psychological blow that dealt Liverpool was immense. The Reds’ win that night at Portsmouth was rendered meaningless – and while Everton salvaged a point at home to Birmingham three days later, the Reds collapsed at Crystal Palace and the chase was up. David Moyes has to engineer that kind of unexpected victory again – four times in fact. But if he does, no-one can accuse him of being a manager who doesn’t win big matches.

Everton FC's David Moyes wins manager of the month for perfect league run
By Philip Kirkbride
Apr 5 2013
DAVID MOYES has been named manager of the month for March after a perfect run of league results. The Everton boss helped guide his side to three wins from three matches, including the 2-0 defeat of champions Manchester City. As well as beating City, Everton also picked up maximum points against Stoke City and Reading. Moyes has now scooped the honour 10 times but says the accolade is rewards for the efforts of the players. "It’s an award for all the players and how well they have done in March," Moyes said. "The results they have had over the last month have been excellent, especially the games against Manchester City and Stoke City. "It has kept us going and it is important you come into form at this time of year. "Our form has never been too far away and let’s hope we can keep that standard up right to the end of the season now."

Champions League race is in Everton’s hands, says Tim Howard
The Liverpool Post
Apr 5 2013
AS Evertonians have discovered only too well in recent seasons, it’s the hope that kills you.
Now David Moyes’s side must once again grapple with the weight of expectation from the Goodison faithful as they turn the corner for the home stretch of a still potentially glorious Premier League season. Such pressure to succeed has not always sat well on the shoulders of Everton’s players.
Moyes himself has readily admitted in the past when hopes have been high, particularly at the start of a campaign, his players have too often failed to respond, their slow starts ensuring a sense of what might have been come May. This season, though, has been different. Having enjoyed a strong opening few months, Everton have, with the exception of one or two wobbles, managed to maintain their form throughout the campaign to leave themselves only four points adrift of the top four.
With trips to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea – their three main rivals for the two Champions League qualification places realistically up for grabs – and the small matter of an Anfield derby to come over the last eight games, it won’t be an easy task. But Everton know their fate is in their own hands, starting at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon. “Big players thrive under pressure and I don’t think some of the best players could perform without that pressure,” says goalkeeper Tim Howard. “I think that’s what boosts the Premier League to the highest level.
“It is daunting but rather than sitting at home wondering if they will drop points we can be the ones who do it. It also ensures that the season is not going to fizzle out. “Training is going to be competitive, intense and there isn’t going to be a lull. It is in our hands to affect things
“The expectation we have created plays a part, but there is no more honest team than this. It is not as if we go out and chuck it in. “We are in a really good position in the league, in the thick of it and for a team that plays 50 games a season punching above its weight week in, week out, there is going to be the odd game where it doesn’t work out.” That odd game, of course, turned out to be the FA Cup quarter-final at home to Wigan Athletic, a dire performance and defeat that prompted much criticism and, in the wake of one inflammatory radio phone-in, threatened to destabilise the fanbase. Moyes and his players, though, responded in thrilling fashion by beating champions Manchester City 2-0, and then returned from the international break last week by chiselling out a 1-0 triumph over a typically obdurate Stoke City to record three successive league wins for the first time since January 2010. “The Wigan loss hurt and you don’t need to look further down the line than media or fans criticism,” admits Howard. “It stunned us as professionals and so that always hurt. The fans have a right to be disappointed and from a media standpoint if you don’t play well in big games then the criticism is coming. “But I don’t think it’s more than the odd game. In those moments we have to have a bit a perspective.” Howard adds: “Manchester City was a brilliant result, but for different reasons the Stoke win was great result as well. “Manchester City was always going to be a game where they would have the ball and we would put them under pressure as much as we could. “Stoke was about standing up to the fight, really being strong and taking our chances when we got them and we did that. We haven’t taken many points off Stoke recently so that’s good.”
Howard will be available for the final weeks of the season having made a timely return to the starting line-up against the Potters last Saturday. The United States international, who had been sidelined for a month by two broken bones in his back, could even claim an assist with a solid punch from which Kevin Mirallas raced 70 yards downfield to score the only goal. And of his injury, Howard says: “After the Oldham game, I had more scans than I could tell you about. Injuries hurt but the edge starts to come off a bit and you get incrementally better and it didn’t seem to do that on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday through the weekend. “We got all the scans and everything and eventually it came back with the two fractures. As much as you don’t want to hear that news at least you know what the problem is. “I am not often injured and you hear the initial part about the fractures and you hold your breath for a second. I was just glad it wasn’t months out.”
Having been frustrated by a succession of draws earlier in the campaign, only three of Everton’s last 13 Premier League games have ended in a stalemate. And while Moyes has admitted victories are required at the business end of the season, avoiding defeat at White Hart Lane would represent a good result given Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar remain suspended. Sunday could also be another pivotal moment in Moyes’s own career. Heavily linked with the Tottenham job last summer after Harry Redknapp departed, the Lilywhites instead turned to the less experienced but more decorated Andre Villas-Boas. Given the Portuguese has guided the team to the Europa League quarter-finals and a lofty top-flight position, Tottenham will believe they made the right choice.
Everton, though, have won three of the last five meetings between the sides including the dramatic 2-1 triumph at Goodison back in December. “We are going to their patch which is going to be tough and we are going there without Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini which makes the job harder,” says Moyes. “But for us still to be in there, with the likes of Spurs and Arsenal, we have given ourselves a chance. We are going to work towards it, albeit we are big underdogs, but why not?”

TV incentive for Norwich City in crunch tie at Everton
David Cuffley Friday, April 5, 2013
Norwich 24
City Under-18s coach Neil Adams pits his wits against one of his former Everton team-mates in tonight’s FA Youth Cup quarter-final at Goodison Park (7pm).
The Toffees’ academy side is coached by former Republic of Ireland international Kevin Sheedy, with whom fellow winger Adams spent three years on Merseyside. “We were team-mates during some very good times at Everton in that championship-winning side of 1987,” he recalled.
“He is a good friend of mine. He was diagnosed with cancer last year but is now hopefully in remission. We’ve kept in touch, I’ve seen him through coaching this season and he’s a good lad – but we’ll be looking to put one over each other.” Everton have a head start, having already registered 4-2 and 3-0 wins over the Canaries in the FA Premier Academy League this season. They knocked out Arsenal to reach the last eight. “Everton are a good side. We’ve played them twice this year and they were better than us on both occasions,” said Adams. “They are strong from one to 11 but we have done our homework on them and we are a good side too and they know that when we play well, they will have cause to worry about us. “It will be two good sides who like to play football.
“We have been in very good form since the turn of the year and had a brilliant win at Newcastle on Saturday.” There is an added bonus for tonight’s winners, who will visit Nottingham Forest in the semi-final first leg next Wednesday, in that ITV4 will have live coverage of both legs of the semis.
“It’s fantastic that these games will get a national audience and good that the TV companies are showing an interest,” said Adams. “That’s another incentive for these lads – they can all be TV stars.
“We regard the FA Youth Cup as our biggest games of the season. We know from playing at Carrow Road, even if there are not many in the ground, it’s a big occasion and there will be nerves and apprehension. Some nerves are a good thing, a bit of a flutter in the belly, but the key is not to let it affect our performance. “They’re really looking forward to it. It will be the biggest game most of them have ever played but we’ve prepared well and they’re looking sharp and lively.
“We have a full squad to pick from. Harry Barker has played two or three games now and has recovered from his broken foot.” Much of the attention has been on City’s 18-year-old Murphy twins, Josh and Jacob, who have played for England Under-18s and Under-19s this season and been awarded professional contracts to 2015. “They deserve all the plaudits that have come their way, and their contracts, and the rest of the team are pleased for them. There is no animosity or jealousy,” said Adams.

Everton FC coach Kevin Sheedy proud of youngsters’ fighting spirit despite defeat to Norwich after going down to 10 men in the FA Youth Cup
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
KEVIN SHEEDY said he was proud of the spirit his Everton Under-18s showed after being reduced to 10 men in their FA Youth Cup quarter-final defeat by Norwich. The Young Blues had left-back Ibou Touray dismissed for a mistimed tackle in the second half, but kept going to reduce their deficit to a solitary goal before they were undone by a late counter-attack to ultimately lose 4-2. Sheedy said: “I’ve got a dressing room full of really disappointed lads there, and it’s a case of dusting them down and getting them to carry on going in the league. “There’s a bit more pressure on them at Goodison in front of their family and friends, and maybe that took the edge slightly off what we have been doing. But they really wanted it. I can’t fault them – they’re big-hearted lads who gave their all. “We were really looking forward to the game and the lads were looking sharp in training. We had a bit of a delay waiting for the fixture which didn’t help our continuity. The last round when we beat Arsenal was over a month ago and we’ve only had one competitive game since then. That’s not an excuse but it stopped our flow a bit. On the night we didn’t quite reach the levels that we have done and you’ve got to give credit to them because they’re a good side. I’m really proud of the way the lads performed at 10 men. They dug deep and got it back to 4-2 only to get undone on the counter attack by the fourth goal which killed us off. We’re a passing side and they tried to upset our balance. They sat back and they had the ammunition of those wide players which they used well. We weren’t as good as we could have been.” Sheedy said he had been quick to console Touray, who he believed was harshly red-carded. “He’s not that type of player,” he said. “He’s a fully committed lad who had gone through two tackles and the ball broke as a 50/50 so he automatically went for it. He slightly mistimed it in front of their bench and they reacted which made the referee’s mind up. I’ve said to him not to blame himself.”

Everton Youth 2 Norwich City Youth 4: Blues youngsters crash out of FA Youth Cup against counter-attacking Canaries
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
EVERTON Under-18s saw their hopes of FA Youth Cup glory extinguished when they were undone too often on the counter-attack during a 4-2 quarter-final defeat by Norwich City. Kevin Sheedy’s young charges had reached the last eight stage the hard way by defeating Port Vale, Southampton and Arsenal on the road – but their usual attacking flair was restricted on a disappointing evening at Goodison yesterday. Despite a positive start when they dominated possession and played the more constructive football Everton fell behind to a rare break from the visitors. Norwich went raiding down the left and Carlton Morris was on hand to get in front of his man and convert Joshua Murphy’s near-post cross. In response Chris Long unleashed a rasping low shot from outside the area which Canaries keeper William Britt did well to smother. Then a slick move saw Matthew Kennedy cross and centre-back Jonjoe Kenny lost his marker to head narrowly over the bar.
Everton were the better side only to fall for another sucker-punch. The same combination that gave Norwich the lead conspired again to double their advantage in similar fashion. A swift response was called for and thankfully Long was on hand to provide it. The striker forced the ball home from a narrow angle to give the hosts hope, and Harry Charlsey almost levelled moments after with a superb piece of skill to control under pressure and flash a shot just beyond the post.
The young Blues are used to fighting back from losing positions this term, but instead of rallying straight after the break they made the challenge harder for themselves. This time Mason Springthorpe, who has been on the bench for David Moyes’s first team in Tim Howard’s recent absence, spilled Murphy’s long-range effort and Morris reacted quickest in a goalmouth scramble to convert the loose ball. Everton kept plugging away; with George Waring heading just over and Kennedy dragging a low drive wide after a characteristically mazy run. But Norwich were still a threat, as Cameron King was only inches from increasing his side’s strangle hold on the game at the far post only to side-foot badly wide. The Blues were already facing an uphill task when left-back Ibou Touray was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Norwich’s Cameron Williams just after the hour-mark. And Morris again went close from a corner with a flicked header which Springthorpe flicked onto the bar. Sheedy kept faith in his side’s attacking flair, and left three at the back to enable Long and Connor Grant to keep probing, and his conviction was rewarded when Long smashed home his second goal of the evening from close range with 18 minutes left.
Neil Adams’ men were not to be denied though, and the impressive Joshua Murphy kept his cool after being played in with a long-range through ball to bear down on goal and slip it past Springthorpe’s despairing dive. The Blues goalkeeper came forward with the clock ticking down as Everton battled gamely for a way back but it was in vain. A cup run which had yielded such impressive wins over sides like Arsenal was over – maddeningly against a team they had already beaten twice in the league.
EVERTON: Springthorpe, Pennington, Kenny, Langton, Toure, Molyneux (Capt), Charsley (Jones, 77) Kennedy (Johns, 84) Waring (Duffus, 77) Long, Grant. Subs not used: Griffiths, Johns, Ledson.
SENT OFF: Touray.
Goals: Long 38, 72
NORWICH CITY: Britt, Norman, Wyatt (Barker, 92), McGeehan (Capt), McFadden, Tofollo, Murphy, Hall-Johnson (Young, 86), Morris, King (Randall,77) Murphy. Subs not used: Lokko, Swatman, Randall.
Goals: Morris 14, 37, 52, Murphy 81
Referee Steve Rushton. Attendance: 1,093.
Star man: Chris Long.

Everton FC and England star Leighton Baines helps lift grieving widower with visit
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
LEIGHTON BAINES was the latest Everton player to turn up unannounced at the home of a supporter as part of the club’s ‘Make Their Day’ initiative. Baines’ visit was to Gordon McKee, from Southport, who received a 2013/14 Season Ticket as part of the England man’s visit. Gordon was nominated by his son Andrew for the unstinting support he has shown for his wife, who recently lost her battle with a brain tumour. Andrew said: “My dad is a massive Everton fan but mainly I have nominated him because my mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour five years ago and ever since then my dad has taken care of her, more and more, culminating recently with 24 hour round the clock care.
“He would do anything for anyone, and he’d do it with a smile, and my mum was the same.”
Family friend John Lees added: “Gordon is a star of a bloke, he has been looking after his wife 24/7, always with a smile on his face, never asking for anything.” When Baines knocked on Gordon’s door on Friday afternoon he was understandably shocked. “I had no idea what to expect,” he said. “I had been out shopping and my family said ‘get back home quick’, but I didn’t expect that, it’s the biggest shock of my life. And Baines was pleased his visit had offered a boost at a difficult time. He added: “We knew what a tough week it’s been for Gordon but I am pleased to cheer him up a little bit, as much as you can at a time like this. I am looking forward to seeing him at Goodison next year.”
There’s still time for Evertonians to make their friend’s or a loved one’s day with another two surprises due to take place in the next couple of weeks. To nominate a supporter, simply visit evertonfc.com/maketheirday to complete the nomination form. For more information about 2013/14 Everton Season Tickets and the Club’s Early Bird discount offers, visit evertonfc.com/seasontickets.

Blues urged to sign Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in memory of Gary Ablett
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
EVERTONIANS are being urged to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in memory of former teammate, Gary Ablett. The Club is working with blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan to host a recruitment event in the People’s Club at Goodison Park next Monday, April 8 between 3pm-7pm.
Anyone aged 16-30 is encouraged to sign up to the bone marrow register. For someone with blood cancer, a bone marrow transplant can be their last chance of survival.

Blues urged to sign Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in memory of Gary Ablett
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
EVERTONIANS are being urged to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register in memory of former teammate, Gary Ablett. The Club is working with blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan to host a recruitment event in the People’s Club at Goodison Park next Monday, April 8 between 3pm-7pm.
Anyone aged 16-30 is encouraged to sign up to the bone marrow register. For someone with blood cancer, a bone marrow transplant can be their last chance of survival.

Barry Horne: Gareth Bale’s absence is a major boost for Everton at Tottenham
Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
But speaking entirely as an Evertonian, and hoping that he gets back to full fitness very quickly, I am relieved that Gareth Bale will not be involved in tomorrow’s match at White Hart Lane.
I’ve been an avowed admirer of Bale ever since I first clapped eyes on him as a raw, but clearly immensely talented teenager. And he has been the difference for Spurs in so many matches this season. Everton, of course, have to overcome the loss of their own key personnel tomorrow – but not having to cope with the pace, the powerful running, precise shooting and dangerous crossing of Bale can only help their cause.

David Moyes deserving winner for manager of the month despite Wigan low point
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
SHORTLY after 2.30pm on Saturday March 9, any Evertonian proffering the suggestion that David Moyes would subsequently have been named manager of that month would have been marched out of Goodison in a straight-jacket. It was of course the dismal aftermath of that 3-0 FA Cup quarter final humiliation by Wigan Athletic, which remains a day that sometimes you have to pinch yourself to remember it actually happened. They nearly undermined their whole season in an afternoon.
That they didn’t, is why Everton’s manager was photographed smiling with the Barclays manager of the month gong at Finch Farm yesterday. It was fitting testament to his ability to pick himself up from an afternoon which would have shattered some managers, and quickly reinvigorate his deflated players too.

Everton players aid dementia initiative
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
STEVEN NAISMITH joined a host of former Everton players at Goodison Park recently to help raise awareness of the Blues’ new dementia initiative. The Scotland international was united with players from as far back as the 1950s to support a programme known as ‘Pass on the Memories’, which supports patients with memory loss and also their carers. Former players Tony McNamara from the 1950s, Derek Temple from the 1960s, Cliff Marshall from the 1970s, Graeme Sharp from the 1980s, Ian Snodin from the 1990s and current first-team player Naismith, took part in a special workshop designed to help participants share memories and create new ones. A significant moment from each players’ career was played to the patients and their carers, the players then recalled their memories from that moment and took questions from the floor. Everton in the Community Ambassador Sharp said: “It’s fantastic to see Everton using its history to help people in the present. “It’s important that the football club, and people in general, realise what dementia’s all about. “If we can help in any way then that’s what we want to do. “Everton Football Club holds a lot of memories for people, if we can bring people along here and help them in any way we can, then we’re more than happy to do that.”

Barry Horne: Manager of the Month award is confirmation of David Moyes’ managerial quality
Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
IT may seem a little incongruous that David Moyes should be named Manager of a Month which saw one of Everton’s most disappointing performances of the season. But that Wigan reverse, of course, came in the FA Cup, and the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award, as its name suggests, only uses league football as its criteria. And in the month of March Everton enjoyed a perfect run of league results. Moyes helped guide his side to three wins from three matches, including the enormously impressive 2-0 defeat of champions Manchester City. Moyes has now scooped the honour 10 times , which is an impressive statistic. As always, he deflected praise for the award onto his players and his staff. That is appropriate – but it shouldn’t deflect from the fact that in David Moyes Everton have a very, very good manager.

Everton FC John Heitinga’s slump in form might have broken some players but now he’s back, says David Moyes
Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
DAVID Moyes admits that most players would have been broken by the run of disastrous form which gripped John Heitinga earlier this season. The Netherlands international defender has been responsible for costing Everton more than his fair share of goals, and at one point his post-match Twitter apologies to fans almost became standard. But the 29-year-old maintained his self-belief in the face of intense scrutiny and has responded with two top-drawer performances as the Blues kept consecutive clean sheets for the first time in this unusually defensively fragile season.
“If it was anyone else it would have broken them,” admits Moyes as he prepares his men for Sunday’s crunch visit to White Hart Lane. . “John has that Dutch mentality, that’s got him through it. He’s been at the top level at different clubs, and so he always had the self confidence that he would be back and put it right. “John is mentally very strong. Also really experienced which sometimes goes unnoticed. “He’s played World Cup finals against all the top players and takes it all in stride, whatever level he is asked to play. “That mental single mindedness about himself has brought him through because he was in bad periods at different times in the season.”
Moyes revealed how a painful knee condition combined with a difficulty to accept being out of the team on occasions caused Heitinga’s form to unravel. “He always wants to play but when he wasn’t doing so well he recognised he didn’t have a great case to say he should be in. “After coming back in a way he had to do it again, prove himself again and he did well against City and again last week. He’s back on an even keel again. “He has to keep himself in a level of condition working with his knee and doing the right training. “He’s worked in a way which has helped more than maybe in that period. He just has to make sure the way he plays he maximises his talent to best of his ability.”
Moyes accepts he has been disappointed with his side’s inability to maintain their usually high defensive standards this term, with only six cleans sheets recorded in the league so far - the same amount as QPR, and less than Norwich and Sunderland. “We’ve not done as well in that department as in the past so it was important to get a couple on the bounce,” says the Scot.
“We had Jags out a while, Seamus Coleman too, so we’ve been having to juggle things. Plus Tim Howard’s injury. Fortunately Leighton Baines and Sylvain Distin have been consistent in the main.”
Crowned manager of the month for March after three straight wins at Goodison Park, Moyes’ team must maintain their winning form if they are to retain any chance of sneaking into a Champions League berth. With trips to Arsenal and Chelsea still to come, Moyes knows it is not going to be easy. However, a win at Spurs would reduce the gap on their hosts to just three points, with their task made significantly easier by the almost certain absence of Gareth Bale, who was carried off with an ankle injury towards the end of last night’s Europa League encounter with FC Basle.
“We are moving to Plan B,” says Moyes. “It is unfortunate. We don’t want good players to be out because they are what makes the Premier League so special. “But when you are the opposing manager against arguably the best player in the league at this moment in time, it is not a bad thing to have him out.” Bale’s injury is a reminder of the increased demands European football can bring.
It is where Moyes wants to manage though. And a plan is already formulating in his mind about how to deal with it. “You hear me keep talking about how much I want to be back in Europe all the time,” he said. “Europe does take its toll in league fixtures. “But it can galvanise your club as well.
“Tottenham have had some unbelievable results in Europe and some great nights. Think about their games against Inter Milan. “Unfortunately Tottenham have lost a couple of players to injury. But that can happen to anyone.”

David Moyes insists Everton FC will need to beef-up squad for European challenge
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
DAVID MOYES insists he will need to be prolific in the transfer market to beef-up his squad if Everton FC achieve their European dream. The Toffees travel to White Hart Lane to face Spurs tomorrow with the chance to boost their top four hopes by victory in North London. But competing in either of the two European competitions would be beyond Everton’s current threadbare squad at the moment, admits Moyes – who points to the injury dilemma afflicting Andre Villas-Boas’ men.
Tottenham will be without star man Gareth Bale along with Aaron Lennon and William Gallas, who were all injured during a bruising Europa League draw with Basle on Thursday. And Moyes believes that type of predicament would be a key factor in his thinking over summer transfers if his side seal a top five finish. He said: “Being in Europe helps keep better players and to attract new ones. But if we played Thursday and Sunday at the moment we’d be wiped out. “If we make it we will have to add more numbers. Clubs with bigger squads, going away on these long trips can still play a part in their season. So how we would cope – and I hope we’re going to have to – is making sure we have to have more players in. "Or we might almost end up with a European squad because of it. I’d love to say if we got to the later stages in Europe, the quarter-final stages, that we would gladly play that team week in, week out, if I could but undoubtedly it would detrimentally affect how you do in the Premier league. "It can have a problem with fatigue. But it can galvanise your club as well. Tottenham have had some unbelievable results in Europe and some great nights. Think about their games against Inter Milan. Unfortunately they have lost a couple of players to injury. But that can happen to anyone.You’ll hear me keep talking about how much I want to be back in Europe all the time.” Moyes, who is hoping Kevin Mirallas can recover from a groin problem to feature tomorrow, insists he will ensure his men are not lulled into a false sense of security because of Bale’s absence.
He added: “Their squad is capable and they have played other games without him. I’ll be telling them whatever Tottenham team you’re playing it’s going to be tough, it’s certainly not just Gareth Bale.”

Royal Blue: Gareth Bale’s ankle misfortune presents Everton FC with clear opportunity
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 6 2013
WITH one roll of his nimble ankle, Gareth Bale induced decidedly mixed feelings in onlooking Everton FC fans on Thursday evening. Blues glued to Tottenham’s absorbing Europa League clash with Basle ahead of tomorrow’s trip to White Hart Lane may have felt conflicted at that moment.
The Welsh wonder’s misfortune was clearly painful and it was a shame to consider that one of the Premier League’s leading performers may not play much of a part in the campaign’s climax; however in the short-term it also delivered something of a reprieve for the Toffees. Combined with injuries to Aaron Lennon and experienced defensive linchpin William Gallas, Bale’s withdrawal on a stretcher had the distinct whiff of opportunity for David Moyes. There’s no doubting the significance of tomorrow’s game. It will be the first of several severely testing away fixtures as Everton chase their dwindling prospects of a top four finish. It was always going to be difficult against a side brimming with attacking threat, but on one dramatic evening in North London 48 hours ago it became that little bit less severe. Nobody in the Finch Farm camp will be allowed to become complacent. But the absence of Spurs’ influential trio can only be a good thing. It means that while previously Moyes’s attacking full-backs, Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman, may have been restricted in their ability to cause the Londoners problems, now they will have freer reign. Certainly without two of his own key men in Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, Moyes will have more options to hurt the opposition than he had previously been able to consider. Everton have rarely left White Hart Lane with three points over the years; now fortune has handed them something almost resembling a mandate. They will still need to produce a vibrant performance, and deal with the considerable threat elsewhere in white shirts as Gylfi Sigurdsson approaches top form and Moussa Dembele is always a handful. It would have been interesting to see how Moyes had planned to deal with Bale’s threat – but nobody of a Blue persuasion will be too concerned at missing that opportunity.

Tottenham Hotspur FC 2 Everton FC 2. Final Whistle Report.
by Greg O'Keffe, Liverpool Echo
Apr 7 2013
EVERTON FC narrowly failed to land a decisive blow in the race for the top four after they succumbed to a late Gylfi Sigurdsson equaliser for Tottenham. The Blues were leading courtesy of a marvellous Kevin Mirallas solo goal on 53 minutes, but were increasingly under pressure as the hosts poured forward at White Hart Lane. And when Emanual Adebayor, who had given Spurs the lead in the first minute of the game hit the post, the Icelandic international was on hand to convert the rebound, and leave David Moyes pondering what might have been. The Scot’s side looked to have grabbed a crucial three points in their Champions League mission, after recovering from their early set-back to level via a Phil Jagielka header. With Victor Anichebe in fine fettle, providing a master class in hold-up play as the lone striker, Moyes’s men thought they had done enough.
But the Londoners grew into the second half of an absorbing contest in which both sides knew the importance of what was at stake, and committed men forward continually. The Blues might have taken advantage of that on the counter, when Anichebe forced a terrific reflex save from Hugo Lloris, and then substitute Nikica Jelavic – who had replaced 19-year-old Ross Barkley – might have done better when played through. Andre Villas-Boas' side asked too many questions of a tiring Blues back line though, and the spoils had to be shared. It means the Merseysiders remain sixth in the table, and when the regret has subsided over missing out on a wonderful chance to really push into the top four mix, it could yet prove a canny point.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: (4-2-3-1) Lloris, Walker, Dawson (Capt), Vertonghen, Caulker, Holtby, Sigurdsson, Parker, Dembele (Huddlestone,76) Dempsey, Adebayor.
Subs not used: Friedel, Naughton, Livermore, Assou-Ekotto, Ceballo, Carroll.
Bookings: Dempsey
Goals: Adebayor (1) Sigurdsson (87)
EVERTON: (4-2-3-1) Howard, Coleman, Jagielka (Capt), Distin, Heitinga, Coleman, Mirallas, Osman, Gibson, Barkley (Jelavic, 52), Anichebe.
Subs not used: Mucha, Oviedo
Bookings: Mirallas
Goals: Jagielka (15) Mirallas (53)
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Attendance: 36,192