August 2008

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Andrew Johnson's Fulham move still on - Everton
Aug 1 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
ANDREW JOHNSON was expected to finally become a Fulham player today after the final details of his move from Goodison Park were thrashed out. Everton gave the former England international permission to speak to Fulham last weekend after negotiating a deal that could net them as much as £12m. But the transfer has been held up by a number of minor issues - one was regarding the medical he underwent on Monday - and the two clubs had to enter into further dialogue. However, the end is now in sight and the money Everton receive from Johnson’s sale will go straight into the kitty that David Moyes already has for new signings. Replacing Johnson immediately is imperative, particularly as James Vaughan is likely to be suspended for the opening of the season after being sent off during Wednesday night’s 2-0 defeat against Chicago Fire. Everton are waiting to hear back from the FA once they have received the report from the official at Toyota Park but are bracing themselves for bad news. That said, given the nature of the foul for which Vaughan was dismissed, there can be few complaints. Heading the list of candidates are Diego Milito and Darren Bent, whose future with Tottenham continues to be shrouded in uncertainty as their manager, Juande Ramos, pursues a deal for Russian international Roman Pavyluchenko. The Blues, meanwhile, were gearing up for their first training sessions at altitude today after touching down in Denver last night and will be looking for a better performance than the one against Chicago Fire when they face Colorado Rapids on Sunday. One man who should figure from the start is Leon Osman, who shook off the effects of a niggling foot injury to get 45 minutes under his belt in the 2-0 defeat at Toyota Park and he was delighted to get up and running again. “I’m a bit stiff, it was my first 45 minutes of the season,” said Osman. “But I felt quite sharp and I felt I was up to the pace of the game..” With temperatures in the high 90s here, conditions are going to be difficult again for Everton this weekend but while they wilted in Chicago, Osman is confident his team-mates will make a better fist of things against Colorado.
“We’re not going to be able to do it for 90 minutes over here in this heat, especially with them being half-way through their season,” he said. “But we’re finding our feet and there were passages of play that were really good.”

Leighton Baines looking to hit high notes for Everton
Aug 1 2008 Dominic King
WHILE some cast an eye over a documentary about David Beckham and others took the chance to catch up on sleep, Leighton Baines had his own ideas about how to pass the time it took to fly 888 miles from Chicago to Denver yesterday. Clutching hold of his iPod and with a pair of oversized headphones stuck to his ears, Everton’s left-back could be seen at regular intervals singing to himself, going over the words to his record of choice. No wonder. The date every Everton player ‘new’ to a tour of America dreads – karaoke night – looms on the horizon and though in Baines’ head he may sound like John Lennon, Noel Gallagher or Richard Ashcroft, the reality is somewhat different out loud. "Before you ask, yes, I’ve got my song sorted and, no, I won’t be telling anyone what it is," said Baines, mindful of the experience that befell Phil Jagielka in Los Angeles 12 months ago when his attempt to sing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ was hijacked by Phil Neville. The rules of the evening dictate that nobody is allowed to replicate any of the songs that have been sung before, but despite the secrecy, Baines still fears delivering a performance in front of his team-mates that would not look out of place in ‘X-Factor’ out-takes. "Jags told me how he got stitched up last year," he said. "I know the words, so I haven’t been practicing in front of the mirror like some of the lads. But, mind you, no amount of practice is going to make me any good, so I’ll just have to get up and do it." Perhaps, though, an evening to let their hair down is exactly what Everton’s squad need After a punishing training regime, they are still smarting after a lacklustre show against Chicago Fire on Wednesday – and the mood needs lifting. Something else that would also undoubtedly help, however, is an influx of new faces into the group. With just over two weeks to go before the big kick-off, it is not a secret that Everton’s efforts in the transfer market need to go into overdrive. Aside from providing much needed competition and – as David Moyes suggested after the 2-0 defeat in Chicago – dragging some out of their comfort zone, it gives those that are already at Goodison Park something different to talk about. Yet, that said, Baines feels that Moyes is in a Catch 22 situation. A recruitment drive is essential, but what is the point of paying over-inflated prices in a false market for someone who won’t improve Everton’s quality? "Any new player coming in is obviously going to provide competition for someone. So, straight away, that person knows they have got to raise their game," Baines pointed out. "Not only that, I think it raises everyone’s game. "It lifts everyone when you see a new face on the training ground. You want to see what they are like, what they can bring to the team and so on. It’s not easy these days signing players. Transfers tend to drag on for ridiculous lengths of time. "I know that the Gaffer and everyone else at the club is working hard to make things happen for us and I think the important thing is we don’t just sign somebody for the sake of it. "The Gaffer knows who he wants to bring in and he has proven over the years that he’s been top quality with the decisions that he has made in the transfer market. We know he’s going to do it again." It may be too late for any new signings to join up with the squad here in Colorado – they return home on Monday – but the experience of being in the United States has again been positive and particularly struck a chord with Baines. "It’s been great being out here; Chicago was a great place," said a man who became the most expensive defender in Everton’s history when he joined from Wigan 12 months ago. "We’ve had good training facilities, we’ve been able to get good work done in heat, which adds to the intensity of sessions. "The lads have been doing it for a few years now and though it might sound a bit of a cliché because everyone says it, it really does help foster the team spirit. The only down side is that we haven’t been able to get the new signings in to experience this." As disappointing as Wednesday evening was, there are some plus points for Moyes to take, not least Baines getting his first 90 minutes of pre-season following ankle surgery, and he should get another opportunity to build on that against Colorado Rapids on Sunday. He might not yet be able to show the lighting bursts down the left flank which have made him one of the top Englishman in his position, but that will be rectified in the final friendlies and leave him spot on for August 16. "It was unexpected to start the other night," said Baines. "I got 25 minutes against Forest and the plan was to just have 45 against Chicago, but Nuno took a knock in training and wasn’t available for the game. so it was a case of going out and seeing how I felt. "I felt good and that’s a big positive for me. I just hope that I can build on it now in the last few games we have got against Colorado and PSV."

Ex-Everton chief Keith Wyness 'is not for Mallorca'
Aug 1 2008
THE Cheshire entrepreneur who has agreed to buy shares in Real Mallorca has dismissed rumours that he has asked the former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness to join the club. Paul Davidson, 53, said that although he was friendly with Wyness, he had only asked him for "advice and assistance" about football clubs before agreeing to buy the 93.7% share in the Spanish La Liga team earlier this month.
Davidson said: "Keith’s a great friend of mine but when buying tiles you talk to the people who know about tiles. "I do wish him well. It is a great loss to the club. It is a great loss to Everton." Davidson said he had spoken to Wyness about football clubs because he had been a "success" and he believed it would not be long before he had another job. He said: "Keith Wyness has been advising me about this (Real Mallorca) all the way. The deal would not have happened at Real Mallorca without him. He has given advice and assistance. "He has not been asked to join the club." Wyness had been the driving force behind Everton’s plans to relocate to a new 50,000-capacity stadium in Kirkby, but quit his job at Everton earlier this week. When asked about the amount of money he spent in the Spanish deal, Davidson said: "It’s nothing like that (£50m). It’s a lot more. There’s a huge amount of property involved. "I had a bit of spare cash and was looking for a vehicle which I could use to promote my other businesses." Davidson also revealed that he would not have bought the club if chairman Vincente Grande had left. He said: "There was only one deal breaker. If he was not going to stay I was not going to buy," said Davidson."I don’t know much about football but I will use the club to promote my other business interests.
"I do not intend to sit on the board, and I intend to leave all decisions about football to the current management. "What I do intend to do is to make Mallorca my home and sit on the terraces of every game that the team play." Davidson was born in Edgware, north London, and moved to Macclesfield in Cheshire when he was aged 14.

Chicago Fire 2, Everton 0
Aug 1 2008 by Ian Doyle, Daily Post
THE air of resignation that has lingered around Goodison during the past week is now in danger of threatening the first team. From the shock departure of chief executive Keith Wyness, the proposed sale of want-away striker Andrew Johnson and the continued lack of summer squad reinforcements, matters haven’t exactly gone to plan for Everton this summer. And on the field, David Moyes is finding that, with barely two weeks to go before the start of the Premier League campaign, his preparations are prompting similar concerns. A third defeat in five pre-season games against Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire exposed the barely-disguised issues that the Goodison manager has been desperate to address during the transfer window.
Quite simply, Everton don’t have enough senior players. And with circumstances dictating that those available are at wildly varying points in building up to peak fitness, Moyes is acutely aware his team are currently well short of the desired level.
The evidence was there at Toyota Park. Tim Howard, Steven Pienaar, Leighton Baines and Yakubu were making their first starts of pre-season while substitutes Leon Osman and Joseph Yobo have only resumed full training in the past week.
Osman, having recovered from a niggling foot injury, was the one bright spot with a lively second-half display. But that alone couldn’t prevent Fire claiming a deserved victory, with goals in either half from Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski prompting Moyes to deliver a damning verdict of his team’s efforts. “Leon Osman’s performance was about the only positive we can take from the game,” said the Goodison manager. “We’re a long way away from being where we think we’re going to be. That’s due to several circumstances. “But some of the players aren’t playing well. Some of them need to start looking at themselves and getting their performances sorted, but because we haven’t got any competition for places it’s a little bit easy for them.
“It’s a big concern that the season is only two weeks away because we don’t have enough players to cope with what we have got right now.” There aren’t many options left available to Moyes. Nuno Valente missed the game in Chicago after a knock in training and Tim Cahill, while with the party that flew to Denver yesterday for the second leg of their United States tour, is still weeks from realistically contending for a first-team place. Tony Hibbert is recovering from a knee operation, Victor Anichebe is on Olympics duty and Andy van der Meyde is again injured. That, though, is about as far as reinforcements go. Certainly, something needs to happen quickly in the transfer market. Young trio Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling and Jose Baxter have shown plentiful promise and will surely become regular fixtures in the Everton first team for years to come. But there’s only so much these players can be expected to deliver at this formative stage of their careers, and there were signs at Toyota Park, in particular a petulant foul that earned Baxter an unnecessary caution, of their collective inexperience. Although having only just left his teens, James Vaughan should have known better than launch into a dreadful tackle on Chicago Fire’s Daniel Woolard in the final minute that earned the striker an immediate dismissal. Vaughan , on his first appearance of pre-season as a second-half substitute, had been lively until his reckless challenge. The striker must now wait to discover if there are any further ramifications. These games, of course, are often no great indicator for the season ahead. Everton lost 2-0 to Real Salt Lake on their US tour 12 months ago and went on to enjoy their most successful campaign in years. But the portents are not good. Necessity has meant Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott and Phil Neville have appeared in almost every minute of pre-season thus far, and there is a real danger they could ultimately feel the effects of their unusually game-intensive summer. Chiacgo Fire are third in the Eastern Conference and went into the game celebrating the signing of former Everton striker and United States football icon Brian McBride. And the MLS side, no doubt keen to pitch themselves against Premier League opposition, were the livelier during an increasingly feisty first half. Their intention was clear from the opening minute, when a dangerous cross from left-back Gonzalo Segares was headed on to his own post by Phil Jagielka after just 54 seconds. It was no surprise, then, when the Fire went ahead on the 42nd minute with a well-worked strike, Segares and Justin Mapp exchanging possession down the left flank and the former crossing low to the near post where Patrick Nyarko, cousin of former Everton misfit Alex, intelligently dummied for the incoming Rolfe to strike home. The goal came only moments after Yakubu had claims for a penalty after a tangle with Wilman Conde, Everton’s only attacking moment of note in the first 45 minutes. There were at least signs of improvement from Moyes’s men after the break, a good run into the area from Vaughan taking the striker past two defenders and the ball eventually falling for Yakubu to fire a snapshot that was turned behind by Fire goalkeeper Nick Noble. But Everton fell further behind on 70 minutes. After defending a corner, a break from Fire’s Andy Herron ending with Peter Lowry firing a cross-shot that Howard couldn’t hold, allowing Frankowski to tap in the rebound. Yobo emerged for the last six minutes in which Diego Gutierrez was within a whisker of making it 3-0 with a curling free-kick. Vaughan’s injury-time sending-off, which left Woolard requiring lengthy treatment before being helped off, merely added salt to the gaping wound of this Everton performance. With barely a fortnight before Blackburn Rovers visit for the big kick-off, Moyes knows matters must improve. And quickly.

Nigeria's Joseph Yobo back in business for Everton after nightmare of brother kidnap
Aug 2 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
IF ANYONE still really believes the ridiculous notion that football is the most important thing in life, a conversation with Joseph Yobo should hastily change that outlook. Having played a key role in helping Everton secure another crack at the UEFA Cup last season and followed that by leading Nigeria’s push for World Cup qualification in June, Yobo should have enjoyed a long and deserved rest after kicking his final ball. What ensued, though, was a chain of events that left Yobo crippled by fear and ultimately wondering whether he would ever see his older brother Nornu alive again after his kidnapping in Port Harcourt. After 12 days in captivity, there was, thankfully, a happy ending to a story which could have had catastrophic consequences and on July 17, Nornu was released and reunited with his family in Lagos. Three men were subsequently arrested over the abduction. As there are still a number of sensitive issues, Yobo is understandably reluctant to go into depth about the reasons why Nornu was bundled away after a night out partying and it is quite evident that the ordeal has left an enormous mark. No wonder, then, it came as a relief to link up with Everton’s squad again in the United States this week, as Yobo can start to try and get some normality back into his life. It will take more, though, than a few games of football for the nightmare to be eased. “It’s nice to be back,” said Yobo, settling into a plush chair in the foyer of Everton’s hotel in Denver. “It’s been a difficult time. But I’m glad now it’s all over, I can put it all behind me and move forward. “I guess it wasn’t as bad as I first thought. But, at the end of the day, I was never going to gamble with my brother’s life. I have to thank everyone that’s shown me and my family love and concern. “At first, we didn’t really know what exactly had happened because he was picked up in the middle of the night. We didn’t know if he’d run into robbers or whatever. “We were hoping that he hadn’t been shot or wasn’t dead. Then a few hours later my phone rang and I spoke to him. It was a big relief to know he was still alive. It was pretty difficult but I spoke to him a few times during it. “It was a strange situation, something to do with the street. It’s sad, because that’s where I come from. I’ve been away from the area now for seven or eight years and I was very disappointed that such a thing could happen.” ‘The street’ in Port Harcourt is somewhere Yobo could have found himself had he not been blessed with an ability to play football and, cliché though it may sound, his journey to the top is a true rags-to-riches tale.
Despite the lifestyle Yobo now enjoys, he is not the kind of person who would eschew the area from where he came and in 2007 he set up the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation, to help under-privileged children in Nigeria.
He has subsequently handed out more than 300 scholarship awards ranging from primary to university level. Yobo has also started a football academy in the Ogoni region of Nigeria and helps run football camps in Lagos.
Plans are also afoot to set up a similar project in Port Harcourt – home to fellow Nigerian superstars Finidi George and Taribo West – and despite the anger he feels over what happened to Nornu, nothing will stop Yobo pressing ahead with the scheme.
“My brother is fine and that’s the most important thing,” said Yobo. “But he was between life and death. It was very emotional and psychologically it affected him when he was released. The people who captured him knew he was my brother.
“I haven’t done anything wrong to people there. Even now, I’m trying to help younger people by trying to set up things with the government to help people on the street become somebody. I use myself as an example. “I came from the street and if it hadn’t been for football maybe it would have been a different story for me. I was actually back there a few days before (Nornu) was captured, meeting the government and companies to see what I could do to help the people there. “I was trying to set up my own academy to help raise the kids that are on the street, because once they’ve finished college often they don’t know what to do next and end up on the street and could become whatever. “Despite what’s happened, I’ll still go back and do what I have to do to help the people. What happened has made me look at life a bit differently. But home is home and that’s why I’ll always go back to show them my support and my love.” Support and love is something he has received in vast quantities from those who know him on Merseyside and given everything that has happened, the 27-year-old is anxious to give something back. He, after all, is now one of the senior members of David Moyes’ squad – Yobo, who will figure in tomorrow night’s friendly against Colorado Rapids, is about to start his seventh full season at Goodison – and is determined to lead by an example. “It’s a different set of challenges now,” said Yobo. “We’ve done well in the last few years and other teams will be looking to knock us down off our spot. “We have to step up and improve and bring in a couple of quality players to the squad because all the other teams are improving and we have to make sure we can do everything to retain our (top five) spot.” That challenge will, inevitably, bring about pressure but compared to the pressure Yobo has just been under, it will be trivial in comparison. Let nobody again say that football is more important than life or death.

Yakubu’s the man for a top bet
Aug 2 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL may have spent a ridiculous amount of money on Robbie Keane this week but he still won’t out score Ayegbeni Yakubu. Who says? Stan James’ head of PR Charlie McCann. For those of you who don’t know, Charlie is a huge Blue and he has priced up a special market for the new season about who will get most goals between the Yak or Keane, and if you fancy an interest bet, Yak is evens to finish with more in the Premier League than 8/11 Keane. Having seen the Nigerian in training this week, evens could well be a huge price.
Alarm bells ringing on Hill Street Blues shift
GIVEN it has so many weird and wonderful settings, Chicago has provided the backdrop for numerous television shows and movies, the most recent being the latest Batman instalment ‘The Dark Knight’. Back in the 1980s, though, the biggest series to come out of these parts was the smash hit Hill Street Blues and those who were devotees will remember the opening credits having police cars rolling out of the station en route to another job. Well, that same station was literally just behind where Everton were training at the University of Illinois earlier this week and it once again proved to be a smash hit - but this time for very different reasons. As is the norm, training on Tuesday finished with shooting practice and while some of the squad showed themselves to be in tip-top condition, others - who shall remain nameless - were less accurate and sent a series of efforts high and wide. In normal circumstances, that would not be a problem but with a cavalcade of police cars over the fence from where the Blues were having target practice, things became difficult - especially when one stray ball cracked a windscreen. An enraged police officer marched out and told a member of Chicago Fire’s media team: “Tell those guys to move it on - right now.” It brings a whole a new meaning to the oft-said phrase on Hill Street Blues “Let’s be careful out there.”

Everton manager David Moyes: I’m here to see the job through
Aug 2 2008 EXCLUSIVE by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES today laughed off rumours that he is about to quit Goodison Park and declared: “I’m here to see the job through.” Speculation swept Merseyside yesterday that the Blues boss was ready to walk away after six years in charge, and bookmakers at one point even suspended betting on him being the first Premier League boss to leave his post. However, nothing could be further from the truth, and Moyes confirmed to the ECHO that he hopes to put his name on a new long term contract before the start of the season. “I’m not going anywhere,” Moyes emphatically stated. “I intend to see the job through. “We have great expectations here and I hope that I am able to fulfil them. “I hope that maybe we (Moyes and Bill Kenwright) can get together in the next week or two and sort something out (with regard to the contract). All my energies are focused on bringing in new players. “We have got a certain amount of money to improve what we have got here already. I will not be bringing in players just for the sake of it. We need three or four who are going to cost big money, and my standards are that high that I am not going to bring them down.”
Moyes’ comments followed closely after a statement issued from Everton chairman Kenwright, who urged Evertonians to be patient as he strives to deliver big money signings. The Goodison supremo allayed fears that the club would not be making any transfers this summer. Kenwright insists that the club have the budget to bring new faces into Moyes’ squad and that cash collected from any recent sales will be going into the transfer kitty. The statement read: “I can fully understand the sense of frustration being felt by our supporters in the wake of what some perceive to be a moratorium with regard to the signing of new players. “Our attempts to complete the signings of players we believe will improve the quality of our first team squad continues on an hourly basis. “We have had a budget for incoming transfers since the start of the summer – and that budget is in no way reliant or dependent upon either the proposed relocation of the club to Kirkby or the sale of current players. “Indeed, any proceeds from outgoing transfers will be added to the existing budget to strengthen our manager’s hand as he enters the transfer market. “David and myself have been trying throughout the closed season to sign those players whom he believes will help to improve the squad. “ I am desperately keen to see the arrival at Goodison of those players our manager would like to see in a blue shirt next season. “We do expect to make signings before the new Premier League season.” Meanwhile, James Vaughan’s fate over whether he is banned for his dismissal in midweek depends on a USSF report.

Merchants of doom have had a field day over Everton boss David Moyes
Aug 2 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
HOW has it come to this? How can the Premier League’s fifth best team from last season find itself embroiled in the middle of pantomime two weeks before the new campaign? This should have been a time when all that was needed was a tweak here and there before Everton set about trying to bustle up the top four, but events since Tuesday have left many supporters feeling that their beloved club is about to implode.
The sudden departure of Keith Wyness, coupled with comments of David Moyes made after a bitterly disappointing performance against Chicago Fire, has allowed conspiracy theorists and most fearsome critics of the club to have free rein.
As we live in a democratic society that allows everyone to have an opinion, there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever, but for those who simply believe Bill Kenwright is the man to blame for everything wrong at Goodison Park, it is best you stop reading now. Royal Blue is not going to try and paint a picture that everything in the Goodison Park garden is rosy because - quite clearly - it isn’t. Wyness’ decision to quit opened the curtains to the fact that there is trouble at t’mill. The anti-Kenwright camp are of the opinion that Wyness had to do the honourable thing and fall on his sword.
This column would never dream of telling people what to think, so we will simply highlight a couple of things that have emerged since his resignation was accepted and ask you to draw your own conclusions on the day-to-day running of the club under Wyness. Firstly, if you are not aware, a story emerged a couple of weeks ago about Liverpool doing a deal to hire the Goodison Marquee on match days when Everton were away from home to entertain corporate supporters. Had it been published on April Fool’s Day, we all may have had a snigger because surely neither side would entertain such a preposterous idea but, much to everyone’s utter amazement, it was true. How out of touch can all those who were involved in talks from both sides of Stanley Park be? Wyness was heavily involved in those talks. Do you think, then, this shows him to be in touch with the feelings of Evertonians? Secondly, let us look at what has happened with him being linked to taking a similar role at Real Mallorca. “No chance,” said British entrepreneur, and close friend of Wyness, Paul Davidson, the man who has just bought that Spanish side. Further comments from Mr Davidson, however, are slightly more revealing. He went on: “Keith’s a great friend of mine but when buying tiles you talk to the people who know about tiles. Keith Wyness has been advising me about this (Real Mallorca) all the way. “The deal would not have happened at Real Mallorca without him. He has given advice and assistance. He has not been asked to join the club.” Granted, Wyness has had some annual leave in recent months but do multi-million pound deals to buy football clubs just happen overnight? Of course not. They take months of planning and talking. And that begs the question: Was the advice he offered done so when he should have been concentrating on matters close to home, namely finding a suitable location for a new ground with the doubts hovering over the Destination Kirkby Project? Wyness had little input into footballing matters. The men who matter most in that field are - as has always been the case - Moyes and Kenwright. Moyes’ comments post-Chicago Fire may have caused alarm and unnecessary panic - how else do you explain the fact his odds to be the first manager to quit tumbled throughout Thursday? - but anyone still worrying should take this on board. Moyes told a packed pub full of Evertonians in Chicago on Tuesday that he was close to signing his contract. Yes, Moyes must make quick decisions about which new players he is going to bring in, and it is easy to see why assumptions are being made that everything is about to come crashing down around their ears. Everyone has known that this was going to be one of the most pivotal summers in the club’s recent history an it beggars belief that a new signing has not yet been brought in; someone, somewhere needs to have a look at themselves.
Things might not be perfect behind the scenes at Goodison - the same could be said about every club - but it is nowhere near as chaotic as a few would have you believe.
Who knows? The last week may even turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Everton boss David Moyes vows to step up bid for new faces
Aug 4 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES today promised to intensify his recruitment drive - even though he accepts any new signings will not be familiar with the 'Everton Way' by August 16.
Everton have not yet moved in the transfer market this summer, but Moyes, whose side beat Colorado Rapids 2-1 in the early hours of this morning, is ready to adopt an aggressive approach to beef up a squad that has been stretched. The manager has a number of irons in the fire – notably Sporting Lisbon’s Joao Moutinho – and is hopeful that his leads will come to fruition in time for the opening Premier League fixture against Blackburn Rovers. His regret is that whoever he signs will have missed another productive tour of the United States. But Moyes will be working in tandem with chairman Bill Kenwright to ensure there is an influx of arrivals. “It’s been a good tour but the one disappointment is that I don’t have some more people here with me,” said Moyes. “I was hoping to have added to the squad by now to give the players a lift.
“It’s not just a new face we need - it’s new faces. My big concern is that anybody we bring in now probably won’t be ready to start the Premier League season. “ I’m not going to say I am totally confident because you never know what happens. But I am hoping we will get a few in.”Goals from Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman handed Everton their second win of pre-season and went some way to banishing a poor effort against Chicago Fire last Wednesday, as well as lifting the squad’s spirits before they fly home. “We were better than we were in Chicago,” said Moyes. “I thought the performance was an improvement and we needed it. In the opening 15 minutes, we played really well but the longer it went, Colorado got into it. “It was nice to see Mikel and Ossie score – he should have had one before he got the winner – and we are going to need goals from the middle of the park as always.” Meanwhile, Andrew Johnson is still set to become a Fulham player even though his prospective new employees have dragged their feet over a deal to sign him, exasperating the Blues in the process. But Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said: “Negotiations are still going on. We hope to sign the player. It will be a very good signing for the club if we can do it. I would expect the deal to be done this week.”

Colorado Rapids 1, Everton 2 (D,Post)
August 4 2008
By Ian Doyle in Denvar
LEON OSMAN struck a late winner to give Everton a winning end to their tour of the United States. The midfielder netted with just three minutes remaining to earn David Moyes’s men a morale-boosting 2-1 triumph over MLS side Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mikel Arteta gave the visitors an early lead, but a mistake from Joseph Yobo allowed Conor Casey to equalise four minutes in the second half. Tim Howard was forced to make a clutch of fine saves as Colorado pressed for a winner during the second half before Osman’s late intervention.
This, though, was a much improved Everton performance on the one that saw them lose 2-0 to Chicago Fire last week. The windy, overcast weather helped take the edge of the baking heat in Denver the previous few days, and made conditions more bearable for the visitors. With options limited, Moyes made just one change from the team beaten four days earlier. Osman continued his return to fitness with a first pre-season start at the expense of Jose Baxter, prompting a tweak in formation with Jack Rodwell assuming a defensive midfield role and Yakubu the sole striker.
Everton’s players, undoubtedly still smarting from the rocket they received from Moyes in the wake of their embarrassment in Chicago, were much livelier from the first whistle.

Colorado Rapids 1 Everton 2
Aug 4 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
SPOT the symmetry. After being blown away in the Windy City, how fitting that Everton concluded their US tour on a high in a stadium one mile above sea level.
Though it was not a vintage performance by any means, that the patched up Blues knuckled down to pilfer a win against Colorado Rapids in the early hours will have given David Moyes, his staff and players a huge lift. This has not been an easy pre-season for the manager, with injuries, international commitments and frustration in the transfer market delaying his preparations for the big-kick off on August 16.
Yet one thing that Everton can never be faulted on is their attitude and, when it mattered, they knuckled down in familiar fashion to dig out a victory that will ensure the long flight home from Denver this evening is infinitely more bearable than it might have been. Goals from Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman saw Everton make amends for their failure in Chicago last Wednesday. But, before anyone starts to get carried away, it must be stressed there is plenty to do before Blackburn Rovers arrive at Goodison Park. The intensity of training since that defeat at Toyota Park, particularly Friday morning’s session at the wonderfully named Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, had shown how exasperated Moyes had been with his charges. But he clearly pushed the right buttons. Having been sluggish in the opening stages against Nottingham Forest and Chicago Fire, Everton were a totally different proposition. It was encouraging to see them come flying out of the traps – for the first 15 minutes there was only one team in this contest. Arteta, for one, moved as if he had a point to prove, demanding the ball whenever possible and he got his rewards early on, cracking a sweet right-footed drive past keeper Preston Burpo from 20 yards, after Colorado’s defence fatally backed off. One hopes we see more of that from Arteta this season. For some reason, he is not always inclined to shoot from distance, yet just think back to those fabulous goals against Bolton Wanderers and Fiorentina.
Clearly, there is dynamite in those electric blue boots of his and if the little Spaniard chooses to be a bit more selfish from now, he more than anyone is capable of providing the pyrotechnics Everton’s supporters want to see. While that goal clearly provided an injection of confidence, Everton did not have things all their own way and Tim Howard provided a timely reminder of his talents to maintain the advantage.
Former Manchester United winger Terry Cooke bought himself a yard of space on the right and clipped in a cross for Conor Casey. But, just as the striker was about to wheel away and celebrate, Howard flung himself to his left to paw the ball around the post. It proved, however, to be just a brief scare and the Toffees soon had their hosts at arm’s length, keeping things tight at the back while attempting to get a zip to their passing on a pitch Moyes had described before hand as being “perfect” for football.
Unfortunately, Everton’s start to the second half was anything but perfect, and the home side secured parity within four minutes of the re-start when the lively Cooke was given too much time to cross and he picked out Casey, who made no mistake from 10 yards. A glance down at the bench saw Moyes and a number of his backroom staff shaking their heads in bewilderment that they had squandered their lead in such a soft manner. One thing they were looking for here, after all, was a clean sheet.
While it is best to get mistakes out of the system before the real business begins, it was still alarming to see Colorado’s attack presented with more and more chances, and Howard needed to be at his best on 59 minutes to thwart substitute Herculez Gomez. It seemed like he had an eternity to line up a shot from 30 yards but Howard did superbly to tip his nonchalant effort over the bar – after Osman had fluffed a super chance to fire Everton back in front after good work by Steven Pienaar.
With altitude and a team crammed full of players at different levels of fitness, Everton threatened to be submerged by the Rapids and the home side went close on a few occasions. Facundo Erpen headed a corner from Cooke just wide, Casey nearly pounced on a loose ball and Cooke was only denied the goal that would have put the gloss on a fine display by Howard’s finger tips. Credit, then, must go to Everton for summoning one last effort to win at the death. Osman surged forward to pick out substitute Jose Baxter, who in turn showed great maturity for one so young to repay the compliment and give Osman a tap in. Understandably, the Evertonians who had come all this way to see their heroes headed home happy but, just like Moyes, they recognise there is still plenty to be done to make improvements.
The really hard work, you sense, is just about to begin.
COLORADO RAPIDS (3-5-2): Burpo (Coundoul 46); Erpen, Ihemelu, Burciaga; Cooke, Mastroeni (Dalby 87), C Gomez, Ballouchy (LaBrocca 46), Clark; Cummings (H Gomez 46), Casey.
EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard; Neville, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines (Valente 46); Pienaar, Gosling (Jutkiewicz 64), Rodwell (Yobo 46), Arteta (Baxter 77); Yakubu, Osman.
Referee: Jeremy Dehar
Attendance: 10,278

Now let's move up a gear - Everton star Mikel Arteta
Aug 4 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
MIKEL ARTETA believes the time has come for Everton to take their performances up a gear and ensure they are in tip-top shape for the start of Premier League hostilities. The Blues’ influential Spanish midfielder looked much more like his old self at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and scored the opener as Everton beat Colorado Rapids 2-1 . However, pleasing as the result was, Arteta knows it is still short of what is required in the Premier League and hopes Everton can make further improvement when they face PSV Eindhoven on Saturday. “We wanted to get a result,” said Arteta. “It wasn’t easy because of the conditions and some other things but at least this will make us feel a little bit more confident. “We can now look forward to the next game and hopefully when we get back, we will feel the benefit of all the hard work we have done here in the heat and the altitude. “We are not the best in pre-season. We have never been the best in pre-season to be perfectly honest! “But obviously the time has come when we need to start playing better. “So it was good that we were a bit better than we had been against Chicago but we all know that we have got to improve a lot. There are also going to be players coming in who will improve the team.”
Arteta, like so many of his team-mates, is still feeling his way back to form after injury but he thinks things will drop into place for manager David Moyes on the opening day of the new campaign. “You are never going to be 100 per cent in the first league game,” said Arteta. “So that is why it is important to prepare properly now and I still think we are going to start well against Blackburn.”

Everton FC for sale: Bill Kenwright ready to sell to the right bidder
Aug 4 2008 EXCLUSIVE by Andrew Edwards
EVERTON owner Bill Kenwright is ready to sell the club to the right bidder.
The theatre impresario believes he has taken the Blues as far as he can in terms of investment. He wants a multi-million pound injection that will help the club crack the top four. But he will sell only if the new owners guarantee stability for the future and put up the cash to help Everton break into top four super power status.
Over the weekend there was speculation foreign investors were lining up takeover bids for Everton if the new stadium deal goes ahead. The £400m, 50,000-seater modern ground would instantly make the club more valuable and therefore more attractive to would-be buyers. Many fans believe Kenwright is reluctant to let go of the club he has owned for the past eight years. But today the ECHO can reveal Kenwright has been in talks for years with Russian, American and Dutch investors who registered an interest in the club. Kenwright is desperate to get more cash into Everton to buy the best players, even if it means he has to move aside. Deals have not been done either because investors’ interest cooled or because Kenwright feared they would not have the best interests of the club's long-term future at heart. But Kenwright will sell and hand over control to the bidder with the right money and the right philosophy. He will not allow the club to be saddled with the sort of debt that could threaten its future survival. He will not sell to people who do not understand the difference between football clubs and other "normal" businesses. But he admits he has gone as far as he can in terms of "working miracles" with such limited investment.
He knows it will take new cash to break the stranglehold of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. One Sunday newspaper yesterday suggested Indian, Russian and American financiers were already lining up with bids should the Tesco store and stadium development plan at Kirkby get the go- ahead. A decision on whether the government calls the scheme in for greater scrutiny, or allows it to go ahead straight away, is expected within days. Speaking on behalf of Bill Kenwright Everton spokesman Ian Ross told the ECHO: "To suggest that Everton Football Club will suddenly and dramatically open its arms to any would-be investor or buyer should the Destination Kirkby project be given a governmental green light is totally mischievous and wholly misleading – simply because our chairman Bill Kenwright has made it clear at each and every AGM going back five years that he will continue to sit down and discuss the club’s future with any individual or group which boasts integrity and financial clout. "Bill has often said that Premier League football has become a game not for multi-millionaires but for billionaires, and that pertinent analysis still holds true. "Bill has never attempted to hide the fact that he, personally, does not have the funds to move his club forward to where he and the supporters want it to be and to where they believe it should be – at the forefront of the English game.
"Self-evidently any club which can boast a stadium which is modern, fit for purpose and capable of expansion does represent a more attractive proposition to potential investors. "Logic therefore dictates that if we do find a new home EFC would, as a club which has finished inside the top six on three occasions in recent years, be a more attractive proposition to investors. "However, to suggest that there is some sort of link between confirmation of a move to Kirkby and the prospect of serious negotiations with would-be suitors is totally wrong." Speculation is mounting that former chief executive Keith Wyness is going to end up in a similar role at Spanish side Real Mallorca after walking out on the Blues last week. Many at the club, including Kenwright, feel betrayed by his departure at such a critical time, a fortnight before the start of the season and with the Kirkby ground issue still far from resolved.
It is understood Wyness is close to the man trying to buy Real Mallorca, city financier Paul Davidson. If Davidson lands the club Wyness is expected to land the job.

Help fire Yakubu attack - Joseph Yobo
Aug 5 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
JOSEPH YOBO today called on his team-mates to give Ayegbeni Yakubu the ammunition that will help him plunder another impressive haul. Graeme Sharp was the last Everton striker to enjoy back-to-back campaigns which yielded more than 20 goals – he scored 30 in 1984/85 and followed up with 23 the following year – and hopes are high that Yakubu can emulate the great Scot. The Nigerian ended his first year on Merseyside with a return of 21, which helped the Blues secure a place in the UEFA Cup once again, yet Yobo feels his compatriot is more than capable of beating that total now he is fully attuned to life at Goodison Park. But while Yobo has every faith in Yakubu’s talents, he knows Everton’s club record signing cannot do it all on his own and hopes the 25-year-old is given the service that will make him the scourge of Premier League defences. “Yak is a natural finisher,” said Yobo. “He came here last season and has done very well, so hopefully he can score the goals again this time.
“But we have to create the chances for him. He doesn’t miss that many, so with Yak you know that if he gets his chance, he’ll score one out of every two. “When he first came here, he struggled a little bit because the Everton team work really hard and it’s a big part of our game. I told him that from the beginning. “He’s improved a lot since then, and is adapting to everything which is showing in his game. I guess he wasn’t running as much before as he does now. “He’s now used to the team and the way we play, so hopefully that can help him this season.” Though Yakubu has not yet scored in three appearances in pre-season, David Moyes and his backroom staff have been pleased with the condition he returned to training in and expect him to feel the benefit of the work he has done here in the United States. Yobo is another member of Everton’s squad who is playing catch up – he has only been back just over a week – but having made substitute appearances against Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids, he expects to be ready for the Premier League opener on August 16. “I didn’t really have a proper rest but I feel I’ll be ready for the new season,” said Yobo, who has been doing extra sessions with Everton’s fitness team. “I played five internationals for my country and then I was running up and down trying to get my brother released. I didn’t put on much weight. “I’m back training now, I got 10 minutes on Wednesday, which was good and another 45 minutes on Sunday. “After the PSV game (on Saturday), I should be very close to my fitness level. But I’m not too worried as there’s still 10 days to go and I am sure I can be ready.”

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright: We need a billionaire
Aug 6 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON chairman Bill Kenwright declared today he is hunting a billionaire who can catapult the Blues into the Premier League's top four. Kenwright has been trying to attract investors into Goodison ever since he took over the club, but he admits that mere millionaires no longer have the financial clout to succeed in the modern Premier League. “I do look at the clubs that have the Champions League status that brings in millions and have the multi, multi, multi millionaires and the billionaires in them and think that’s probably what it takes now to get a hugely successful club,” he said.
“There’s a part of me that hopes that’s not true, but if you look at that top four and the consistency of the top four there’s a lot of money floating around it and we at Everton do not have that money. “The situation hasn’t changed really from day one, certainly not for the last five years. I’ve been saying at every agm, every time I’ve done interviews that we’re looking for investment. We always have done, we always will be and that continues.” Kenwright reiterated that moving was vital to Everton’s financial progress. “A ground move is certainly crucial to the economic future of Everton,” he added. “I’ve said it a million times ‘I love Goodison Park’ but we have to move. “We have to get more income into the football club to begin to compete with those clubs we’ve been discussing. “That’s the reason we’ve been contemplating a move and the truth is we’ve had enormous support from Knowsley, enormous support from Tesco and we haven’t from Liverpool.” Kenwright confirmed that he has up to six players on his transfer radar – even without any immediate investment – with Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho one of the major targets. “That is one of the ones you can believe in the papers. He is one of the major targets, but there are others who have not made the papers yet, thankfully,” he added. “I just want to pull one off. If I can just get one of the ones we’ve been after that will be a start.
“There are four or five, or even six, out there at the moment that we are daily if nor hourly trying to catch. “David said last week in America, ‘I am only going to bring in players who will take the club forward’, and that is how he is. He is relentless in that. I have never known David say ‘he’ll do’ or ‘that’ll do’. He takes his time, pinpoints and focuses. “And when I actually see the player he has focused on I say ‘I get it’.”
The protracted deal to offload Andrew Johnson to Fulham looks like being completed today with Everton still set to receive £11m, but over a longer period of time after a medical revealed an old ankle injury. Fulham will pay £8m, with the remaining £3m dependent on Johnson playing a certain number of games.

Everton FC Kirkby stadium plan called in for public inquiry
Aug 6 2008 Kevin Core
EVERTON’S plans to move to Kirkby were today called in for a public inquiry.
The government decided the controversial £400m scheme needed further investigation after weeks of deliberation. Council bosses in Knowsley immediately hit out at the decision which will at the very least delay the project by about a year.
They even suggested the government’s verdict placed the entire plan, which includes a £50,000 stadium for the Blues a Tesco superstore and other high street shops, in jeopardy. But the move to a public inquiry will delight opponents of the scheme who do not believe Kirkby is the right place for the new ground. The application, brought by Tesco, is to create a new 50,000-seater stadium for the club, which backers say would create more than 2,300 jobs. The proposal was referred to the Government Office North West in June this year after Knowsley’s planning committee recommended it for approval. The Leader of Knowsley Council, councillor Ron Round, said: “We are extremely disappointed as a public inquiry will delay the development – indeed this delay, in the current economic climate, places the entire project in jeopardy. “From all of the consultation we have carried out, we believe that the majority of local residents are in favour of transforming Kirkby. “The local elections in May this year gave the Council a clear mandate to continue with the scheme. “We have searched long and hard for years to attract the right investor to Kirkby and this scheme cannot be equalled. “At this point in time, there is no plan B for Kirkby and no plan B for Everton Football Club. “We will do all we can to keep the scheme alive and make sure the future of Kirkby is not put at risk.”
The inquiry is expected to be held within the next 12 months. Tesco originally submitted its planning application in January this year and the application has resulted in the borough’s largest-ever consultation exercise. Cllr Round added: “It was disappointing that some neighbouring authorities continued to object despite the improvements they requested having been made to the scheme. “Their continued objections, therefore, could only have been for political reasons. “It is particularly regrettable that some community leaders in Merseyside seemed unable to do the right thing for the Merseyside sub-region, which was to put aside their personal views in relation to Everton Football Club. “This will only serve to damage the reputation of the region and undermine investment in Merseyside in the future.”
Official Everton statement
We are disappointed by the decision.
Having spent more than two years working diligently on a project which would not only provide Everton Football Club with a new home but also regenerate Kirkby, we had hoped to avoid a Government call-in. Indeed, it was only in June that Knowsley Borough Council’s Planning Committee voted by a majority of 20-1 to grant planning permission. We shall now engage in detailed discussions with our development partners, KBC and Tesco, to assess what options are open to us. It is important to stress that this decision does not spell the end of the Destination Kirkby project – but it will, self-evidently, precipitate a period of reflection, assessment and re-evaluation.

Double transfer target blow for Everton
Aug 6 2008
EVERTON have suffered a twin-transfer blow with midfield targets Joao Moutinho and Stephane M’Bia both ruled out of a move to Goodison. Blues’ chairman Bill Kenwright confirmed last night that Portuguese 21-year-old Moutinho was one of manager David Moyes’ "major targets." But Sporting president Filipe Soares Franco declared today: "I’m quite optimistic and I’m convinced he is going to carry on with us. "He is a Sporting player and that’s it. There’s been plenty of rumours this summer and an offer was made, but we rejected it because it wasn’t interesting for the club.
"With Moutinho in our team we have a great squad with many chances to win the league. "I believe our team is better than last year and we mustn’t weaken it." Everton have made one bid for Moutinho, which was rejected out of hand by Sporting.
The promising Moutinho is rated at £22 million, and it appears Everton will have to make an improved offer if they want to achieve one of the most sensational transfers of the summer. Stephane M’Bia, meanwhile, is planning to sign a new contract with Rennes to stay at the club for one more season. The Cameroon midfielder has been linked with a £6million move to Everton, with Spanish side Sevilla also interested.
But Rennes are determined to hang onto the player. "Listen, all the world knows that Everton and Sevilla are after me," M’Bia said. "But I have a contract with Rennes and I do understand that Rennes want to keep me. "My contract with the club expires in June 2010, however, I am staying this year because I have a good relationship with Rennes. "Next year maybe I will want to further my career, but I need to respect Rennes. They gave me the platform to be who I am."

Everton coach Chris Woods' true Blue glove affair
Aug 6 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
THE days of football's 'one club men' may seem a thing of the past - but such tradition counts for much with a certain valued member of Everton's backroom staff.
It may have passed by without any fuss or fanfare, but Chris Woods recently reached his 10th anniversary as a Goodison Park employee and, with that in mind, few are better placed to offer an insight on how things have changed. He may have had a nomadic playing career– Woods appeared for 10 clubs, including Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Glasgow Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday, but his life as a coach has been far more settled. Woods, of course, was brought by Walter Smith during the rancorous summer of 1998 to be Everton’s goalkeeping coach and he does not need to delve too deeply to remember the instability and uncertainty that followed avoiding relegation by a whisker. Fast forward to the present day, however, and the situation is a complete contrast Some, of course, will see a lack of investment in the playing staff, coupled with a high profile exit from the boardroom, as a sign that the Blues are headed for choppy waters. Yet Woods, who may be 48 but still gives the appearance that he could stand between the posts on a Saturday afternoon, sees no reason why the momentum that has carried Everton to three top six finishes in the past four years can’t be maintained. “It doesn’t feel like 10 years at all,” Woods reflected. “It’s flown by, really. I’d been to Burnley with Chris Waddle to help him out and played the last 16 games of the 1998 season. But this was the first full time coaching job I’d had.
“I obviously knew Walter from our time together at Rangers, so it was good to come in to a club where you actually knew somebody. But the big thing for me was coming to work for a really well known club like Everton. “When I first came here, we were scrapping away at the wrong end of the table, so the strides that have been made since have been immense. We’ve had a Champions League finishing position, plus top five and top six finishes. It’s moved on considerably. “But I know that the manager wants to keep it moving along. I remember when the new training ground was first being talked about, and thinking that I probably wouldn’t be here to see it. You can never take anything for granted. “I really liked training at Bellefield. There was a great atmosphere and it was a great place, but Finch Farm is up another level again. The facilities that we have got are top class and the place has a different feel. It’s much more professional now. “Anyone who walks through the gates can only think ‘wow,’ as it is so spectacular. It stands comparison to any training facility in the country.
“But a good training ground doesn’t mean you will have a good team. It’s about good players and hard work.” If Woods is well positioned to pass judgement on Everton’s progress, as the possessor of 43 England caps and a European Cup winners’ medal, he also has impeccable credentials to assess Tim Howard’s contribution since he arrived at Goodison two summers ago. The United States international was outstanding in the win over Colorado Rapids on Sunday – Woods, incidentally, had a memorable 23-game spell with that MLS team in 1996 – just as he has been in the majority of his 84 appearances for the Blues. So it significant, then, that Woods believes Howard’s best is yet to come, and he expects the 29-year-old to blossom further, even though that is likely to mean frustration for young keepers Iain Turner and John Ruddy. “Touch wood and keep your fingers crossed but Tim hasn’t really put a glove out of place,” said Woods. “Everyone saw Nigel Martyn as a great goalkeeper, reliable and probably the best since Neville Southall had been here. He set his seal on the position.
“When he retired, we knew it was going to be difficult to fill his shoes, but Tim has come in and the fact that people haven’t spoken about him speaks volumes. I don’t want to tempt fate but he really is the ultimate professional. “He wants to get better all the time, he works hard and I believe the harder you work, the more luck you get in games. He has got all the attributes to go right to the top. He is always striving to improve, whether it is in his handling, punching or distribution. “Tim has played a large number of games now and he should really be getting better again in the next few years. It’s hard for the younger keepers, as he is so good, but it was the same for me when I was behind Peter Shilton. They’ve got to pick up what they can.”
Which, fittingly, brings us to Everton’s prospects for the new campaign. Some will feel ‘picking up what they can’ is a metaphor for the club’s impending transfer business, but Woods says it would be folly for anyone to start pushing panic buttons just yet. “I think things are ticking along well,” he said. “We’ve had people playing through the summer and that’s meant they’ve come back at different times. But we are training really hard and everything is geared up for getting the results that matter on Saturday week.”

Everton make new bid for Joao Moutinho as Alan Smith deals edges closer
Aug 7 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON today upped the ante in their pursuit of Joao Moutinho - as Alan Smith edged ever closer to a move to Goodison Park. Though the Blues have already had one offer for Sporting Lisbon’s captain rebuffed, it is understood they have been in contact with the Portuguese side and made an offer that will smash the club record £11.25m they paid for Ayegbeni Yakubu 12 months ago. There is still some way to go before a deal can be brokered but talks are ongoing with Sporting’s board and Everton are prepared to be patient to land their top summer target Moutinho, who has told Portuguese media that he has his heart set on a move to Merseyside. They are sentiments which also apply to Newcastle United midfielder Smith and sources in the North East have indicated it is a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ he joins the Blues in a deal that is likely to cost around £2m. Smith was pulled out of Newcastle’s squad for their friendly last night against PSV Eindhoven – Toon boss Kevin Keegan insisted that that was due to an ankle injury – and he is now expected to talk terms with the Blues. Everton boss David Moyes has long been an admirer of the England international – he attempted to sign him when Smith left Leeds for Manchester United in 2004 and again 12 months ago when he moved from Old Trafford to St James’ Park – and his versatility will be a huge plus. Capped 19 times by his country, Smith may only be 27 but has vast experience of the Premier League and playing in Europe, racking up 358 appearances during his career, which began with a debut goal against Liverpool at Anfield.

Andrew Johnson seals move from Everton to Fulham
Aug 7 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON finally banked £10.5m from the sale of Andrew Johnson to Fulham today, with the eventual fee set to rise to £13m depending upon appearances. The England international striker had been set to sign for the Cottagers late last month, only for his medical to temporarily scupper the deal. Fulham officials were concerned by an old ankle injury and looked to renegotiate the terms of the transfer with Everton.
Rather than paying out a fee in the region of £12m, Roy Hodgson's side will now only pay £10.5million up front. Both clubs had been keen to push a deal through, with Everton manager David Moyes – despite his limited options up front – reluctant to let Johnson back into the fold after he revealed his desire to leave. The 27-year-old will return to London two years after he became Everton’s record signing with an £8.6m move from Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Moyes is ready to raid the loan market once more to bolster his Everton squad. The Goodison Park manager remains determined to bring in the “three or four” big money players he believes his team requires to help them maintain the momentum of last season. But Moyes is acutely aware that strength in depth remains a concern and is unwilling to place undue pressure on the promising clutch of youngsters that have impressed during pre-season. “During last season we let James McFadden and Alan Stubbs go and brought in Manuel Fernandes, Thomas Gravesen and Anthony Gardner on loan,” said Moyes. “Since then all of those have gone back to their clubs and Lee Carsley and Stefan Wessels have also left, so it’s easy to see where the gaping whole in the squad has come from. “If we need to go into the loan market again for some players, then we will do so. We are going to need players for the squad. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not still looking to bring in the three or four players for big money that can make us better.”

Government explains decision to call Everton's Kirkby stadium plan
Aug 7 2008 David Bartlett
THE GOVERNMENT called a public inquiry into Everton FC’s proposed move to Kirkby because the scheme could have “significant effects” beyond its immediate locality, a letter has this morning revealed. The letter to Knowsley Council sent on behalf of Secretary State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears stated she felt she ought to decide herself the outcome of the £400m scheme.
The letter states that “in general... this step [is only taken] if planning issues of more than local importance are involved”. “Having regard to this policy the Secretary of State is of the opinion that the application is one that she ought to decide herself because she considers that the proposals may conflict with national policies on important matters, could have significant effects beyond their immediate locality, and give rise to substantial regional controversy.” The council will be written to again within the next few days to let the authority know the name of the planning inspector that will handle the case. Everton FC, Tesco, and Knowsley Council will have to prepare a statement of “common ground” for the inquiry, for which a date is yet to be set. The public inquiry will cover the following matters: * Whether the proposed development accords with the development plan for the area * The extent to which the proposed development is consistent with Government policies in Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres, particularly with regard to:
Whether there is a qualitative and quantitative need for a retail development
If the scale of the proposed development has been demonstrated as appropriate
Whether there are any more central sites capable of accommodating the proposed development The impact of the proposed development on the vitality and viability of nearby centres Whether the application is in accordance with the retail hierarchy of the sub-region whether the development should be promoted through the development plan process, rather than through a planning application The accessibility of the site by all means of transport and the promotion of linked shopping trips between the development to the south of Cherryfield Drive and the existing town centre;
* Whether the application would deliver a sustainable form of development
* Whether the application promotes sustainable transport choices and reduces the need to travel by private transport as identified * Whether the application has fully taken into consideration the requirements of PPG17: Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation, with particular regard to the loss of open space and playing fields

Olympics 2008 football tournament: One world, one dream
Aug 7 2008 by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo
THE Olympic football tournament got under way in Beijing today after a build up dogged by bitter club v country rows.
Managers across Europe have been loathe to release their stars for a tournament which puts extra strain on players already suffering from an over crowded fixture schedule.
FIFA last week ruled that clubs must release players aged 23 or under, but yesterday Barcelona won their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to prevent Lionel Messi from playing for Argentina. The Catalans successfully argued that the Olympics was not part of the international football calendar. Werder Bremen and Schalke also won the right to stop Brazilian duo Diego and Rafinha from taking part.
FIFA president Sepp Blater responded by issuing a plea to clubs not to withdraw their players ahead of today’s opening matches. “FIFA is surprised and disappointed by this decision, but we respect it,” Blatter said. “Nevertheless, I appeal to the clubs: Let your players take part in the Olympic Games. “It would be an act of solidarity in perfect harmony with the Olympic spirit. It would be wonderful for the players, for the fans and for the game itself.” While that selection saga has raged on, four Merseyside-based players have been putting the finishing touches to their preparations in Beijing.
Liverpool have been hit especially hard by the departure of Argentinian Javier Mascherano, Brazil’s Lucas and Dutchman Ryan Babel. It has left Rafa Benitez desperately short of midfield cover for the start of the season as the trio will miss the Reds’ opening league games away at Sunderland and at home to Middlesbrough, as well as the Champions League third qualifying round tie against Standard Liege.
Everton striker Victor Anichebe is in the Nigerian squad and he will be away for the Blues’ Premier League matches at home to Blackburn on August 16 and the trip to West Brom a week later. David Moyes and Benitez could have opted for the hardline stance taken by some of their continental rivals, but instead decided to go along with their players’ wishes. And both clubs have no intention of forcing their players to return from Beijing in the light of the CAS ruling. The loss of £18million Mascherano is undoubtedly the biggest blow for the Reds. He was selected as one of Argentina’s three permitted over-age players in what is essentially an under-23 competition.
Benitez was hoping Mascherano would turn down the offer but the 24-year-old, who tasted Olympic glory in Athens in 2004, is desperate to become the first Argentinian to win back-to-back gold medals. “It’s important for any athlete to defend the gold medal,” he said. “I might be the only person from my country ever to do it and I’ll go down in history. I want to go to Beijing because nothing counts for me more than helping my nation.” Argentina are the bookies’ favourites to retain their title, but they are weakened by the fact that Inter Milan would not release Nicolas Burdisso and Real Madrid held on to Gabriel Heinze. As a result, their other two over-age players are Anderlecht’s Nicolas Pareja and Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme.
Brazil may have won the World Cup five times but they have never won Olympic gold and Lucas is on a mission to change that. The 21-year-old Reds midfielder lines up alongside AC Milan’s Ronaldinho, Manchester United’s Anderson and Manchester City striker Jo. However, Milan refused to release Kaka and Real Madrid stopped Robinho from taking part. “Missing some games for Liverpool is not good, but when you talk about your country you always want to play for them,” Lucas said.
“And for Brazil the Olympics is like the World Cup because Brazil has never won the gold medal. “It is also important for my future as an international player because the World Cup qualifiers are coming up and obviously I would like to be in the squad for those.”Historically, the Olympics was the planet’s premier football competition until the introduction of the World Cup in 1930. For decades nations were only allowed to use amateur players and the game was dominated by state-sponsored eastern European teams such as Hungary and the Soviet Union. But by the 1980s the International Olympic Committee (IOC) felt that the gap in quality between the World Cup and their own tournament had widened to such a degree that they needed to bring interest back and decided to admit professional players. The only rule was that if you had played in a World Cup you weren’t eligible, but regulations were changed again prior to 1992 when the IOC opted to limit it to under-23 teams, with three overage players allowed per squad. Brazil are so desperate to win it this time that senior national team coach Dunga is at the helm. And the World Cup winner is under pressure to deliver, with some critics suggesting he needs to triumph in China in order to hold on to his job after Brazil’s poor start to their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign.
Holland’s decision to call up Babel angered Benitez as the 21-year-old winger had only recently returned to training after missing Euro 2008 due to ankle ligament damage. The Reds’ reward for carefully managing his recuperation and getting him back to fitness ahead of schedule was to lose him for a month. However, coach Foppe de Haan was unrepentant after Babel inspired Holland to victory in their pre-Olympic tournament in Hong Kong. “Babel is a good guy, he is very grown up and he knows what he wants,” he said. “Liverpool were pressing him not to go but he made up his own mind and when a young man does that, you should shake his hand.
“It is good for all concerned because if he plays well in the Olympics then he will go back to Liverpool a better player.” Holland are bidding to become the first European winners since hosts Spain in 1992. Blues striker Anichebe is part of the Nigerian squad bidding to repeat the nation’s gold medal winning heroics of 1996.
The 20-year-old has a minor knee injury which made him doubtful for today’s opening game against Babel’s Dutch, but he is relishing the Olympic experience.
“The stadium is beautiful and there is a great quote ‘one world, one dream,’ which is what the Olympics is all about,” he said. “We trained at the stadium on Tuesday. I was just looking up at the flags of all the countries that are participating and I remembered watching the Olympics when I was young. It’s been a dream of mine to be here.
“Holland are a strong team, along with Brazil and Argentina, and they have quality players but on the day of a game big names do not matter – it’s teamwork.”

ECHO comment: Everton at the crossroads
Aug 7 2008 Liverpool Echo
EVERTON Football Club says it is now entering “a period of reflection, assessment and re-evaluation”. That is exactly what is required for all parties now that the stadium scheme with Tesco has been called in by the government. The Destination Kirkby project is vast and will have many repercussions for many people.
If such a huge redevelopment scheme is to go ahead, it has to be the right scheme – there would be no second chances to put things right, for either the people of Kirkby or Everton FC and its supporters. As for Everton, there are understandable fears that this enforced wait, together with possibly millions in extra costs, will mean the club is unable to press ahead with its re-location. This is a decision that the board has to take after this important period of re-evaluation. But one thing is clear – it would be tragic if Everton returning to the drawing board signalled the end for the entire Kirkby scheme. Opportunities for mass urban regeneration on this scale are few and far between and it is to be hoped, should Everton feel forced to pull the plug, that Knowsley council and Tesco can move forward together with a new, stadium-free, plan. Meanwhile, Everton FC’s crucial period of reflection must be all-encompassing. While deciding whether Kirkby remains at all viable, the club owes it to itself and its supporters to consider any other suggested ways forward. A football club and an entire town are standing at the crossroads today – it’s time for cool heads and clear thinking.

Fulham signing Andrew Johnson aiming to be success
Aug 8 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
ANDREW JOHNSON is determined to prove himself a star summer signing for manager Roy Hodgson after becoming Fulham's first £10million-plus buy since Steve Marlet. The England international completed his long-awaited transfer from Everton and will spearhead the Fulham attack as they attempt to put last season’s close shave with relegation firmly behind them. Fulham’s ambition for the new campaign has been such that Johnson arrived as their 11th signing of the close season, and he could partner fellow new boy Bobby Zamora in the season ahead. Marlet was an £11.5million recruit from Lyon in 2001, but proved an expensive failure for Fulham. Johnson, though, has a proven track record. His move was held up as Fulham sought assurances about an old ankle injury, and Johnson was quick to thank Hodgson for showing persistence after a deal was struck which will see the London club pay around £10million initially, with more to come depending on performance.
“I am glad that the agreement is now finalised and that I can concentrate on playing football for Fulham,” Johnson said. “Roy has been great over the last week or so of ongoing discussions and his support in getting me here has only strengthened my ambition to give 100 per cent for him and the team every game. “Fulham is a club with a lot of history and ambition and I'm pleased that I can be part of that. I’m looking forward to getting into the dressing room with the lads and to start training with them.” The 27-year-old has signed a four-year contract and Johnson returns to London two years after leaving Crystal Palace to join Everton in an £8.6m deal.

Kick-off for the soccerbus
Aug 8 2008 by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo
THE Soccerbus service for Everton and Liverpool fans will run again this season, starting with two friendly fixtures this weekend. The special service will ferry Reds fans from Sandhills station to Anfield for tonight’s match with Italian side Lazio, and will be available for Blues fans heading for their 5.15pm kick-off with Dutch team PSV Eindhoven at Goodison Park tomorrow. The buses will run throughout the rest of the Premier League season for league and cup fixtures. Last year the service ran from Bank Hall and Kirkdale stations due to the closure of Sandhills. Soccerbus runs for two hours before each match up to 15 minutes before kick-off, and for 50 minutes after the final whistle.

Everton move for Alan Smith on despite Newcastle unrest
Aug 8 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
ALAN SMITH today remained on course to become an Everton player despite being caught up in the middle of a civil war at Newcastle. The England international is understood to have his heart set on a move to Goodison and Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is also keen for the move to go through, but his stance has left him at loggerheads with manager Kevin Keegan. With Keegan short of strikers at St James’ Park, he does not want to part company with Smith, but his attempts to keep the 27-year-old appear increasingly futile and it looks inevitable that a £2m deal will eventually be struck with the Blues. Smith’s impending arrival is likely to be the start of a flurry of transfer activity at Goodison as David Moyes looks to bring in the handful of players he needs to bolster his squad. The club record pursuit of Portugal’s Joao Moutinho remains on track, while Diego Milito has given the broadest hint yet that he will be the man who replaces Andrew Johnson in Everton’s attack.
Echo Sport first revealed on July 8 that the Argentine international was on Moyes’ wanted list and now Milito has opened the door on a move to Goodison by indicating he expects to leave Real Zaragoza, who were relegated last season. Everton have been working hard to bring Milito, who averaged a goal every other game last season and second top scorer in La Liga in 2006/07, and he is aware there is a keen interest in him. “When (Zaragoza) receive an offer that interests both sides, we will explore the possibility of a move,” said Milito. “It has been agreed that if an offer arrives for the good of both sides, we will study and evaluate the possibility of moving.”
Meanwhile, another Goodison target - Cameroon international Stephane M’Bia - has also indicated his willingness to join the Blues and has informed his club Rennes of his decision. M’Bia is currently at the Olympics but in an interview with a French newspaper, he said: “I love (manager) Pierre Dréossi, but at the end of last season, he promised that he would accept any beautiful offers to let me go. “This offer is available. Everton want to buy me for more than eight million euros. “I want the management of the two clubs to reach an agreement.”

David Prentice: Who Everton think they are kidding?
Aug 8 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT’S been a Dad’s Army kind of summer at Everton. We’ve had the white haired fella shouting ‘Don’t Panic, Don’t panic,’ the grim faced foot soldiers moaning ‘We’re doomed,’ while the man leading the troops has been chasing a crestfallen James Vaughan to cry “You stupid boy.” The big difference, however, is no-one’s laughing.
Now I’m definitely a glass half-full kind of guy. I was chastised last summer for refusing to panic when Phil Jagielka was the only new signing by July 19.
The next day Steven Pienaar arrived, swiftly followed by Leighton Baines, Stefan Wessels, Yakubu and Tommy Gravesen. But now I’m definitely nervous.
Everton stage their final pre-season friendly of the summer tomorrow, the game when the last little tactical nuances are usually tried out by the manager’s first choice starting XI. Except David Moyes can’t even name a starting XI for next Saturday when the real business begins. Blackburn are reported to be a club in crisis this summer, senior stars struggling to come to terms with the demands of a new, young manager. But Paul Ince must really fancy his chances of getting off to a flier at Goodison. With Johnson sold, Vaughan probably suspended, Cahill injured and Anichebe chasing the Olympic dream, the Blues have one senior striker to choose from next Saturday. Happily he’s the best one. But Everton’s striking options are bountiful compared to their mauled midfield. Can you name a midfield unit to kick off the season? Because I can’t. Pienaar, Arteta and Osman, fine – injuries permitting. But who’s the fourth? Phil Neville? Not if you need him to cover at right-back for the injured Tony Hibbert. Leighton Baines? Well he did play there once last season at home to Spurs. Joseph Yobo? Phil Jagielka? They may be international class centre-backs, but they’re both Championship class central midfielders. Moyes is being asked to fit square pegs into round holes before a ball has even been kicked – and this is the time of the season when your squad is supposed to be at its strongest.
So how has it come to this? Two months ago, Everton looked the best equipped side to challenge the closed shop of the ‘Big Four’. Now they are more likely to be challenged by the posse of clubs bunching up behind them. Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Tottenham, Blackburn and Newcastle have all signed new players this summer. Only Everton and Manchester United haven’t. No prizes for guessing which squad needs reinforcements most. There have clearly been cash flow problems at Goodison this summer. Moyes did not utter a public word throughout the month of June and the first half of July – even when he appointed a new first team coach.
Was this because he was busy saving his breath for potential transfer discussions? Or because he couldn’t trust himself to answer leading questions about club finances?
I suspect the latter. The straight-talking Glaswegian currently stands alongside Joe Royle in a very exclusive Evertonian club – one of only two Blues managers NEVER to have told me a deliberate porkie. And I suspect he didn’t want to knock that club down to an elite group of one. He’s talking again now, because money now appears to be available. Whether it’s too little, too late only time will tell. The lack of transfer spending has already clearly affected team morale. Phil Neville, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines and Leon Osman have all spoken at some time or another this summer of their excitement at welcoming in new signings. That excitement must now be akin to waking up on Christmas morning and finding that Raffles, the cat burglar, rather than Father Christmas has been visiting. Just how did a team that qualified for the Champions League in 2005 and has finished fifth and sixth in the last two seasons, get into a situation where it now seems they must fill a far-off new stadium before being able to fill their team sheet? The answer, as always, is financial.
When Bill Kenwright said Everton didn’t need a millionaire this week, they need a billionaire, he wasn’t kidding. Permission to panic, sir?

Goodison gloom lifted by new Everton starlets
Aug 8 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DURING a summer that Evertonians would diplomatically describe as 'testing' there has at least been one huge ray of light piercing through the doom. While events such as the chief executive resigning, a former club record signing leaving and the Destination Kirkby Project being called in have, understandably, dominated the headlines, the progress of David Moyes’ latest Boy Blues should not be overlooked.
Having been pressed into action owing to a combination of injuries and a lack of new arrivals, Dan Gosling, Jose Baxter and Lukas Jutkiewicz have all acquitted themselves with great credit to suggest they can play a part in Everton’s future. Then there is Jack Rodwell. This young man’s progress has been keenly followed by those Evertonians who regularly follow Academy matches and, on a wider scale, since he made an entry into the history books last December. A brief substitute appearance against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup saw Rodwell become the youngest Everton player (at 16 years and 284 days) to feature in a European game and he followed that up with further cameos in the Premier League against Sunderland and Newcastle United.
This year, however, you can expect to see a lot more of Rodwell in a Blue shirt. Tall, strong, athletic and energetic, he has consistently caught the eye during pre-season and started all six friendlies and should make it seven when PSV Eindhoven arrive at Goodison Park tomorrow. Being involved in the first team at such a tender age might encourage some individuals to get carried away with themselves, but there is little chance of that happening with the articulate Rodwell, who makes it quite clear after five minutes in his company that he knows his position. “It’s just been a great 12 months,” said Rodwell, who was born in Birkdale and idolised the great Marcel Desailly during his formative years. “There were a lot of highs, but I know that I have got to keep working hard. I’ve just been made up to be involved and I’m learning all the time. “The Gaffer has shown that he isn’t afraid to put youngsters in and that’s good to know. He gives me advice, he helps me out and tells me when I’m going wrong. I’ve just been taking each game as it comes, so we’ll just have to see what happens next against PSV. “The main target this year is just to make sure I keep in the manager’s thoughts. If that’s the case, maybe I’ll get a game or two.” He certainly hasn’t done his chances any harm these past few weeks, growing in stature and gaining in confidence. The 10-day tour of the United States – coming so soon after an initial training camp in the Alps – has helped banish any nerves Rodwell may have had. “They were both great trips. Switzerland was more fitness-based with lots of running but it was much different in America and we all got valuable match fitness,” he said. “I enjoyed America a bit more as it was the first time I’d ever been over there and it was a tremendous experience. “I didn’t know what to expect, but the people were so friendly. To come away with the first team was a tremendous experience. The squad has been a bit short on numbers but that’s helped me get a few more games. Now I just have to keep working hard. “I’ve played in every game during pre-season, which if I’m honest I didn’t really expect to. I feel like I’ve made a bit of progress, but that comes with playing more games and feeling fitter. I’m still getting to know the position, as I’ve always played as a defender. “But things are going well. I suppose at first it was a case of not knowing what to expect, when you come up against experienced professionals. It takes time getting used to the pace they play at but the more you play, the more comfortable you are.” Another thing that has made the transition easy is the role Phil Neville has played. Never slow to offer a word of advice or throw a protective arm around the 17-year-old, the skipper has done everything to make the young guns feel at home. “Phil is a great lad and has helped me out considerably,” said Rodwell, who signed his first pro contract in May. “He’s told me what to expect and has looked after me when it’s been needed. To have a player of his calibre around has made things much easier. I feel part of the squad now.” So much so that he, Gosling, Jutkiewicz and Baxter were comfortable enough to take centre stage during the annual karaoke evening. “I wouldn’t like to give my opinion,” he said modestly, before breaking into a giveaway smile. “But if you ask the lads I’m sure they’ll give the same opinion – that I was the best.”

Everton issue challenge to city leader Warren Bradley over new stadium site
Aug 8 2008 by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON FC are ready to challenge city leader Warren Bradley to find the club a viable site for a new home. They believe Liverpool council is largely to blame for the decision to call in the Tesco-led stadium scheme at Kirkby. They now want Cllr Bradley to show them a viable alternative. At present they feel there is nothing on offer to beat the £400m Destination Kirkby project which would bring the club a brand new stadium for £78m. But there is no guarantee they will get the go-ahead for the ground at the end of a costly public inquiry which could last up to two years.
The club has yet to decide whether to ditch the Knowsley scheme or fight for it side by side with Tesco. Everton have already dismissed as unworkable three sites proposed by the city. A series of “sensitive” discussions have taken place over the past 48 hours between the Blues, the supermarket giant and Knowsley council.
But today well-placed sources revealed Everton are ready to take a second look at potential stadium sites in Liverpool. Cllr Bradley, who has waged a long campaign to keep his boyhood club in the city, said he would meet Blues owner Bill Kenwright next week. He told the ECHO: “This should finally release the shackles on the opportunity to have a dialogue which has been hampered by the exclusivity deal.
“I have had an informal discussion with Bill Kenwright and we will meet next week to talk about the club’s next steps. “We should be trying to keep one of our oldest commercial businesses in the city. This is not blue-sky thinking. “I’ve put locations on the table which are hard options. We need to sit round the table and see what we can deliver.” As the ECHO revealed yesterday the decision to call in the Kirkby scheme could cost Everton £36m due to rising building and material costs and lost revenues.
The Blues are understood to be unable to cover that shortfall and Tesco today refused to say if they would meet those rising costs. Corporate affairs manager Michael Kissman said: “It is too early in the process to accurately predict the full costs. We are at an early stage. Reacting to the call-in news a Tesco spokesman said: “We are obviously very disappointed with the decision to call in the proposals for Kirkby.
“This project would regenerate the town centre, create over 2,000 new jobs in the region and deliver world-class facilities for Everton. “In times of growing economic uncertainty, the case for this regeneration project has never been so clear, and it is viable only because it is a single comprehensive development combining the stadium, retail and leisure. “We are pressing the government to fix a date for a public inquiry at the earliest possible time.” Everton FC’s hastily-called emergency board meeting will be held early next week to discuss the Blues’ next move. The date for the public enquiry is yet to be fixed but is likely to be scheduled before Christmas.
A Knowsley council spokeswoman said today: “The council remains fully committed to securing this regeneration in Kirkby, and is confident in presenting this argument to the public inquiry which it is hoped will be listed shortly. “Kirkby is a prime location for development with excellent infrastructure. “Knowsley is committed to redeveloping the town, and we still want this once in a lifetime development to be delivered because we feel it gives Kirkby the very best opportunities for the future.”
Kirkby Residents Action Group (KRAG) are due to hold a meeting in the next few days to plan its strategy for the public inquiry. Spokesman Ian Morris added: “We raised 35 major points that we were concerned about like traffic, litter and the impact on schools and the environment. “We are fully supportive of the regeneration of Kirkby town centre and we would welcome Tesco, but not a football stadium.”
Colin Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Keep Everton In Our City (KEIOC), said their key objection was transport. “The stadium would be nine miles from the city centre and leave fans with 45-minute walks to the ground, being put in holding pens at Kirkby station and queue at the park and rides.” * WHAT now for Everton – and Liverpool? Former Anfield club secretary Peter Robinson tells Paddy Shennan why his controversial ground share idea still makes sense . . . Despite Everton and Liverpool having kicked the always-controversial idea into touch at various times since the 1960s, it continues to be brought back into the public domain. Mr Robinson said: “People are entitled to their opinions, but I do think the majority of fans, if a shared stadium ever came about, would quickly accept it.” Just over two months ago the shared stadium idea was given yet another airing, this time by sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe and culture secretary Andy Burnham. Mr Burnham, a Blues season-ticket holder, said he believed the idea was “highly attractive”. Mr Sutcliffe said: “It is important all options are carefully considered. “Nothing is ruled in and nothing is ruled out. It is a matter for the two clubs.” Five years ago, a high-profile Merseyside businessman and football fan said: “If there are one or two solid ingredients in place, a ground share could be a valid option.” He added: “Although it is not ideal in terms of timing for the clubs because they are at different stages of development (this was in 2003) one thing I have learned in business is that if a good opportunity comes along you just have to take it.” The businessman in question? Sir Terry Leahy, special adviser to Everton and chief executive of Tesco. Is opportunity still knocking?
Split reaction over stadium inquiry decision
KIRKBY residents are divided over the decision to call in the stadium plan.
Dot Reid, 58, lives in Spicer Grove, one of the roads that may be cleared to make way for the development. She is a member of the Kirkby Residents Action Group which opposes the development, and is delighted there will be a public inquiry.
She said: “This is what we’ve been fighting for. They’ve got to listen to the Kirkby people now before a final decision is made.” Sharon Murphy, 37, who lives on Rowan Drive near Kirkby station, said: “I just worry that there will be more trouble with rowdy football fans at the station, so I’m glad it might not happen.”Jean Keen, owner of Trevor’s Card Shop on St Chads Parade, said: “If anybody has any sense, they will stop the plans. We won’t survive if a Tesco comes here.” But others think the development would be positive for the town and are concerned about the inquiry.
Among them is Laura Newman, 21, from Northwood. She said: “ I wanted the stadium. “We need regeneration in the town centre and it’ll bring more people to Kirkby.”

Everton boss David Moyes so impressed by Jack Rodwell
Aug 9 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES has urged Jack Rodwell to learn from his pre-season experience so that he is ready for action when the real business starts next week. A combination of a lengthy injury list and no new signings thus far has meant 17-year-old Rodwell starting each of Everton’s six friendlies and he should make that seven against PSV Eindhoven at Goodison Park this evening (5.15pm). Just like Dan Gosling, Jose Baxter and Lukas Jutkiewicz, Rodwell has got the hang of things the longer he has been on the pitch but Moyes has been quick to point out to the youngsters that things will be completely different in the Premier League. That said, he has always held Rodwell in the highest esteem so the manager is not surprised that he has made the step up from the youth ranks to senior action so smoothly. “As the season goes on, we are going to have to use these boys as we don’t really have big numbers,” said Moyes. “There are bits of his game that he needs to improve on but that is more to do with age and experience. “What you can’t fault him on is his passing. He is comfortable in possession, he’s got a style about him and the way he does things. What he needs is the experience of getting roughed up a little bit. “That will happen when the ‘big ball’ comes out. He has always been in my thoughts and is doing well. But there will be times when it will help his development to go back down into the reserves and come through the way most young players do.” With the Blues still working on bringing in new additions, Moyes is unlikely to tinker with the XI that started against Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids too much, which means Steven Pienaar will have another chance to improve his match fitness. Having spent a large part of his career in Amsterdam with Ajax, Pienaar is no stranger to tussles with PSV and hopes to get a confidence boosting win against his old foes to set things up for next week’s Premier League opener against Blackburn Rovers. “I’ve played against PSV a few times before,” said Pienaar. “It didn’t go so well with Ajax so I hope this time it will.
“They’ve got a good team with quality players, and they’re a passing team that likes to keep the ball for fun. It’s going to be a good test for us. “The Dutch league is still strong and getting stronger. I’ve been away from Holland for two years now and PSV are still setting the standard. It shows because they’ve won the league four times in a row.” There are still tickets available for today’s game and supporters can either pay on the gate or obtain tickets from the Park End box office.

Everton star Mikel Arteta: Injury felt like someone was sticking a knife in me
Aug 9 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
AS descriptions go, the one Mikel Arteta offers to convey the misery he endured during his time injured last season could not be more vivid. “When it was so bad, I could see the ball in front of me but I just couldn’t run towards it,” Arteta explains. “It felt like someone was sticking a knife in me. It was agony every time I wanted to kick the ball.” Having been such an influential figure in Everton’s bid to bring European football back to Goodison Park, Arteta experienced his first serious dip in fortunes on Merseyside last year due to an abdominal injury that frequently left him doubled up in excruciating pain. Though he tried to soldier on, the impact of not training through the week and then attempting to play 90 minutes of high intensity football on a Saturday or Sunday inevitably took its toll. The last many Evertonians saw of the best little Spaniard they know came during an uneventful 1-0 win over Derby County on April 6, but that game ended with him angrily gesticulating to the Park End after he ballooned a cross over the bar. Clearly, it was the point when his frustrations boiled over, the anger of not being able to do the things he saw as normal became too much to bear and confirmed that surgery would be the only way to rectify matters.
Happily, the procedure he underwent in Barcelona in May was a complete success and now the smile that many associated with Arteta is back, as is the hunger to inspire Everton to new heights. “I’ve had pain in my knee before and also had problems with my ankle but this was like nothing I have ever experienced before,” he said. “I kept thinking I was better then suddenly the pain would strike again. “I would be fine one day in training, the next it was so bad I couldn’t even walk up the stairs. It wasn’t a very common injury so that is why it was so difficult to treat. It was awful, a really horrible time.” A time, however, that looks to be in the past. Having returned to full training four weeks ago, Arteta has figured in all of Everton’s friendlies since a brief cameo at Cambridge United on July 19, and turned in his best performance yet in Denver last Sunday. His efforts against Colorado Rapids were crowned with a thumping right-footed drive and helped the Blues secure a 2-1 win and it appears all systems are now go for the new campaign, particularly if he gets through tonight’s tussle with PSV Eindhoven unscathed. “The last proper game I played was nearly four months ago,” said Arteta. “I had an absolute nightmare last season and I have to be careful that I don’t do too much too soon. That’s why I played 60 minutes last week and I hope to get 90 this week. “The good thing is that I haven’t been feeling any pain. I’m still a little bit limited because the tissue hasn’t properly healed yet. I’m two weeks ahead of schedule, so we have just got to be careful. “I wasn’t training during the week. I was going to Spain, then coming back here and it was a hard injury to really analyse. We tried to compare it with other players who had had the injury around Europe but we couldn’t compare it with anything.“Now things are starting to get much better and that’s why I have to thank the medical team, the manager and the players. They did everything they could to help me, even when they knew I couldn’t play at 100 per cent.” All being well, Arteta will soon be operating at full throttle and the influence he can exert on Everton’s ambitions should not be underestimated. After all, he is the one player in David Moyes’ squad who, when at his peak, can play fantasy football. With the ambition of representing his country still burning brightly and a new national manager in Vincente Del Bosque to impress, the signs are that Arteta is geared up to produce something special. “We need to get prepared really well for the first game at home against Blackburn and I think we are going to do that,” said Arteta. “We have got so many things to analyse at the minute and we also have so many players injured. There is still much to happen. “This year is massive for me and I am very motivated. I have worked hard through the summer and once I get to 100 per cent, I hope to play to my best. That’s why I’m looking forward to playing against a good team like PSV. “They will play nice football and it will be different to any of the games that we have played so far during pre-season. Everyone will be really motivated and want to show they are ready to play against Blackburn. “We want to improve. We want the club to go forward. It would have been great if we could have had new signings in for the tour of America. We are going to buy foreign players and they need to settle. But if they are top players, they will settle straight away.”

Finance so key to delivering alternative stadium site for Everton
Aug 9 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
IF Warren Bradley really is serious about keeping Everton within the city boundaries, the time has come for him to deliver his trump card. With the Destination Kirkby project being called in, much to everyone’s frustration at Goodison Park, Cllr Bradley has the opportunity to provide a site for the Blues’ new home that can be a viable alternative to the one in Knowsley that has caused such a furore. From Royal Blue’s point of view, two immediately spring to mind; one – as this column suggested a while back – is Walton Hall Park, the other is at the opposite end of Stanley Park from where Liverpool’s new stadium is to be built. Of course, there will be arguments about green space in L4 being eaten up by two developments in the one area but is there not scope for two substantial parks to be built when both grounds are eventually razed? There would also be no worries about car parking, as surely the designers could get together and produce a facility in the middle of Stanley Park which could be used by both sets of supporters. After all, there is more than enough space.
To many, that would tick the right boxes but the one issue that Cllr Bradley is going to have work wonders on is the matter of finance; like it or loathe it, the economics of Destination Kirkby made enormous sense for Everton and, as they say, money talks.
Another alternative – but one that would get minimal support, even if it made economic sense – would be having a shared stadium but utopia, for the majority, would be to stay at Goodison Park. If romance and tradition were still the dominant factors in modern football, moving away from the Blues’ spiritual home would not even be on the agenda but, sadly, this grand old lady is starting to show her age.
There are only so many times a lick of paint can be applied to different sections of the ground or new blue gravel can be laid at the side of the pitch; maybe a new, bigger stand could be built at the Park End but what about the other three sides?
Unfortunately, if Everton are going to progress, the only way they are going to be able to do it is by moving home and that impression was only emphasised during the tour of the United States last week. Now this is not to suggest that Everton should build stadiums like Toyota Park in Chicago or Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver – for starters, each was located in the middle of nowhere and accessible only by car.
What’s more, they weren’t conducive to producing great atmospheres given that they were completely open, allowing noise to escape before it had a chance to build, but each was built with the supporter’s comfort in mind. Just like the Emirates Stadium, new Wembley, Old Trafford, Manchester City’s Eastlands home or the Reebok Stadium, for that matter, it was easy to walk around, get a drink or food and the seats were comfortable. The next time you are standing at the back of the Gwladys Street or ducking down to see the action from the back of the Lower Bullens Road, having missed the start of the second half because you queued for 15 minutes to get a flat pint, make a comparison. Tradition will always have a place in football but, in the 21st century it can’t get in the way of progress. Cllr Bradley, it’s over to you.

Under orders for Alan Ball fun run
Aug 9 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
CAROL BALL will fire the starting pistol on the Alan Ball Fun Run 5k tomorrow – the charity event staged in memory of her brother. The race will start at 11am in Walton Hall Park, with proceeds going to The Everton Collection Charitable Trust, The Marina Dalglish Appeal & H.E.A.R.T. People can enter on the day if they arrive early enough. As an added incentive for Evertonian fun-runners, Jimmy Ball (Alan’s Son) has agreed to donate two tickets for the Everton v Portsmouth game at Goodison Park on August 30, on behalf of Alan Ball Soccer Ltd. Any Evertonian who runs, enters the official Alan Ball website and registers (free of charge), will be automatically put into a raffle for the tickets which also allow access to The Joe Mercer Suite to enjoy a pre-match drink before watching the match from the premium vantage point of the Directors’ Box. Participants must inform race organisers of the number they will be running in to be entered into the raffle. The draw will take place in the Joe Mercer Suite at half-time of the Everton v Blackburn game by an ex-Everton player. To enter the fun run visit www.runliverpool.org.uk/Event_List_08/Big_Heart_5K.htm or log onto www.alanballsoccer.com.

Special night to salute the Golden Vision Alex Young
Aug 9 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
POPULAR website Blue Kipper have set up a new event, to be held annually, which will recognise Everton icons – and the first recipient will be the great Alex Young.
Evertonians will get the opportunity to recognise the contribution made by The Golden Vision at The New Kensington suite in the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, on Friday, September 12. As well as Alex, other Everton legends who have confirmed they will be there that night are Joe Royle, Derek Temple, Alex Parker, Colin Harvey and Gordon West, among others. Entertainment will come from “The football impressionist” Mark Langley, while there will also be an Alex Young tribute by poet Paul Cookson. For further details, log on to www.bluekipper.com/Icon/alexyoung.
Johnson is well off target
SO the Andrew Johnson transfer saga is finally over and the only question remaining is how and when David Moyes will spend the money he received from Fulham. Or is it? There will, of course, still be some supporters who insist that Johnson was forced out of Goodison Park, but that most definitely was not the case. Despite reports to the contrary, it has been well known all summer that Johnson wanted to find pastures new – Wigan was his original choice - and now he has got his wish. But does he really believe, as he said after completing his deal on Thursday that Fulham is a club with “a lot of history and ambition”?Let’s just make a quick comparison: Everton have won, among other things, nine league titles, five FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Fulham have won League Division One and the Intertoto Cup. Draw your own conclusions.

Tom Cannon: ‘Everton will suffer over Kirkby stadium setback’
Aug 9 2008 by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo
THE government call-in of Everton’s Kirkby project could see the club lose its talented manager, according to professor Tom Cannon. The former head of Manchester Business School, chief executive of Liverpool-based Ideaopolis International and Everton fan said the loss of revenues from a proposed 55,000-seat stadium in Kirkby will seriously hamper David Moyes’ efforts to take his side forward. Kirkby-born Prof Cannon said: “Everton’s revenue stream will be down by £10m a year just in gate revenues by staying at Goodison. “Then there are all the other bits of income from a new stadium like conferences to pop concerts which is probably another £5m and means that transfer income until we get a new stadium, wherever that is, is down by up to £15m a year.” He said over the past couple of years Moyes has had up to £15m to spend on summer transfers. “I think in a new stadium you could expect that to be £30m to £35m,“ he added. “But the club has to go back to square one for finances in the next few years and if we are in Goodison for another three to five years how patient is David Moyes going to be? “There has been an upward trajectory at the club over the past five years – for example, the Finch Farm training ground and academy.“If the manager was to get disheartened because he doesn’t see that upward trajectory continuing, will he stay, particularly if he doesn’t see the kind of freedom in the transfer market when he looks at clubs like Liverpool or Manchester City?”

08.08.08 baby is little boy blue
Aug 9 2008 Claire Ellicott
LITTLE boy blue Duncan Kirby was born on a day to remember – 08/08/08.
The newborn, named after Everton icon Duncan Ferguson, arrived shortly before 8am on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008. His proud father Andy Kirby immediately dressed him in a Blues kit with a matching hat saying "Everton Baby".
The 36-year-old, of East Lancashire Road, Norris Green, said: "He is the smallest Evertonian in the country. It was the tiniest shirt we could find. "He was a Blue before he was born. We are going to get him a season ticket now for when he is older."
Duncan’s mother Charlene Harrison, 20, who was in labour for three-and-a-half hours, said: "I am a Red, so he is going to take after his dad with the footy.
"I would be taking him to Liverpool games if I could."

Everton target Joao Moutinho worth every penny - Nuno Valente
Aug 11 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
NUNO VALENTE today revealed why Everton’s record-breaking pursuit of Joao Moutinho would be worth every penny – as the Blues closed in on Vagner Love.
After a summer of frustration, Everton are poised for a flurry of transfer activity before the new Premier League campaign begins on Saturday and first expected through the door is the Brazilian international striker Love. He will move to Goodison Park from CSKA Moscow initially on a 12-month loan, with the view to a permanent deal, and Love will be followed swiftly by Newcastle United’s Alan Smith, whose move from St James’ Park now appears a formality. But it is the pursuit of Moutinho that has been most intriguing and though Sporting Lisbon are playing hardball after Everton’s latest bid of £13m, Valente hopes his compatriot will soon be joining him on Merseyside. “The manager is speaking with the chairman all the time. I think the squad is short and it is important that we get some new players in but the important thing is that the players we sign are good and will strengthen us. “We need players with quality. Everton is a team already that has quality and we need to add to that. Moutinho, of course, is a good player and he is someone that I know. He was a star at Euro 2008 for Portugal. “He is sharp, he plays good football and he drives his team forward. He is also a leader – if he wasn’t, there would be no way that he would be the captain of a big club like Sporting at the age of 22. He has a strong personality.
“If we spend so much money on a player like him, he would pay it back in the next few years. I would like to see him here because he is Portuguese! But the reason I would want to see him here most is because he is a good player and will improve us.”
Valente is about to start his fourth season as an Everton player but since his arrival from FC Porto in August 2005, he has been restricted to just 58 appearances owing to a catalogue of injuries. However, the 33-year-old has enjoyed a solid pre-season and Saturday’s cameo as a substitute against PSV Eindhoven means that Valente has played in all bar one of Everton’s seven friendlies. Now he has sights on Blackburn Rovers. “I’m feeling good,” said Valente, who signed a one-year contract extension in May. “Pre-season is hard for everyone but we have prepared well. It was a good workout on Saturday because PSV are a Champions League team and they tested us.
“It is not easy to play against teams of that quality. But we feel our preparations have gone well and we are now looking forward to the next game, which is the important one. We will be ready for that test.”

Everton 1, PSV 1: Time for talking, but empty seats a concern
Aug 11 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
THE conclusive evidence of an eventful summer for Everton was finally there to see in bright royal blue at Goodison Park on Saturday. But rather than being in the form of a home shirt fitting snugly on the frame of a major new summer signing, it was instead the large swathes of empty seats in the stands that illustrated what has transpired over the past three months. Everton’s final pre-season friendly against PSV Eindhoven was supposed to offer supporters a first glimpse of the anticipated batch of arrivals. Instead, the only new additions on offer inside Goodison were some snazzy electronic advertising boards and a set of black goal nets. Had Everton been able to parade even just one big-money capture, then the club could have anticipated a healthy crowd for their now traditional season curtain-raiser, organised in association with the Former Players’ Foundation. As it was, only 10,816 were tempted to turn up for perhaps the most low-key of all the seven warm-up games played by David Moyes’s side. The atmosphere was muted throughout – the lack of any signs of protest from the stands suggesting a mixture of resignation and understanding at the club’s current predicament – lifting only when Mikel Arteta’s 85th-minute penalty spared an unhelpful home defeat. So why are Everton now left racing around once again to bolster squad numbers having had all summer to do so? Moyes has every right to refuse to lower his standards when recruiting, but it has meant the manager’s options have grown limited with each missed transfer target. Questions, too, must be asked of the board, and in particular Bill Kenwright. If the funds have already been there, surely there is no sense in leaving everything until the last minute. You’d have thought Everton would have learned from previous last-minute scrambles.
Factor in the sudden exit of chief executive Keith Wyness, the ongoing saga with the proposed move to Kirkby and the failure of manager Moyes to as yet put pen to paper on a new contract, then it’s easy to see why supporters have began pressing the panic button. Patience, though, was the watchword from Kenwright in his statement to the club’s followers 10 days ago, and now at least it appears the wheels are now finally whirring in motion, the light appearing at the end of the tunnel. After all, the sight of Robert Earl sat alongside the chairman in the directors’ box indicates something is imminent. There is a growing confidence that CSKA Moscow’s Brazilian striker Vagner Love, Cameroon midfielder Stephane M’bia and Newcastle United’s Alan Smith will all be signed by the weekend. However, Moyes has already intimated no newcomers could realistically be considered ready to start the opening game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. And with Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert and Victor Anichebe unavailable and James Vaughan possibly suspended, the manager must initially make do with the players who were at his disposal at the weekend.
The team that started the second half against PSV, with Phil Jagielka partnering Jack Rodwell in central midfield, is likely to be that which takes to the field for the Premier League opener. The last time PSV visited Goodison for a friendly nine years ago, the home side prevailed by the odd goal in seven. There was to be no such excitement this time. The Dutch champions for the last four years started slowly but gradually warmed to their task and went ahead with a splendid strike on 33 minutes, an advancing Nordin Amrabat shrugging off the attentions of Leon Osman before striking a left-footed beauty into the top corner beyond Tim Howard from just inside the area. The 27 away fans that had made the journey from Holland were delighted.
It meant Everton managed to keep only one clean sheet during their seven-game warm-up programme. With the back four having generally been at full strength, it perhaps underlines the value of the sadly departed Lee Carsley’s sterling work in front of the defence. Rodwell has assumed that role – and Carsley’s squad number – with great aplomb during pre-season with a series of mature, composed displays that belied his tender years. But although the 17-year-old showed flashes of his talent, particularly when forcing a save from PSV’s former Manchester City goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson from a Mikel Arteta corner, he found the going tougher against a higher standard opposition. Nevertheless, there should be no concerns if Rodwell starts on Saturday. Dan Gosling, another teenager to have been handed a chance this summer by the threadbare squad, struggled to make an impact and was replaced at half-time, and can expect to begin the season on the bench. The major positive for Moyes was the form of Arteta. The Spaniard, having admitted to still carrying psychological scars from his battle against the groin and abdominal problems that hampered his previous campaign, was Everton’s best player, lasting the 90 minutes and growing in confidence as the game progressed. It was when pushed out wide following the introduction of exuberant 16-year-old Jose Baxter that Arteta began pulling the strings and Everton finally threatened an equaliser. Yakubu shot wide and Jagielka thrashed off target before, of all people, defender Joseph Yobo cleverly found space inside the box before being upended by Stijn Wuytens, and Arteta beat Isaksson from the spot to follow his strike against Colorado Rapids. The otherwise unemployed Howard was required to turn over a late free-kick from PSV substitute Balasz Dzsudzsak, but the draw was a fair result. Matters might have been different had Yakubu converted a clear second-minute chance, denied by the outstretched leg of Isaksson after the ball had fallen to him following Steven Pienaar’s forceful run into the area. That miss aside, the Nigerian appeared livelier and has gained some of the sharpness that was lacking during the games in the United States.
The same could be said for a number of other Everton players. But the time for talking is over. Actions, both on and off the field, will now determine the success or otherwise of the coming season.

Everton 1 PSV Eindhoven 1
Aug 11 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
NEW bins outside the ground, different nets in the Gwladys Street and Park End goals and the odd lick of paint – but what else has changed at Goodison since your last visit? The easy answer would be to say ‘not much’, particularly when you looked out on to the pitch on Saturday afternoon; after all – just as had been the case when Newcastle United visited in May – Everton ended a home game with the award of another late penalty. Even the sight of Jack Rodwell in a Blue shirt was not unique, as David Moyes had given the 17-year-old a brief run-out in the final Premier League game of last season, with the intention of getting him ready for bigger challenges to come. For some supporters, familiarity obviously breeds contempt and there will be a feeling among them that a hitherto lack of investment in the playing staff since the transfer window opened is a sign that Everton have peaked and are now poised to plummet. That, of course, is their prerogative. But before anyone starts reading the last rites on the campaign before the first ball has even been kicked in anger, it might be wise to hang fire until the end of this week at least. Having waited and waited – critics will say they dithered – Everton are poised to end their stalemate in the market by bringing in two, possibly three, new faces in time for the big kick-off against Blackburn. More will follow before the window closes on August 31.
Provided there are no unexpected hitches, CSKA Moscow’s Brazilian international Vagner Love and Alan Smith from Newcastle United will become possessors of Royal Blue shirts come next Saturday and the presence of those faces will give everyone a lift. But while Love will provide pace, power and precision finishing and the feisty Smith will give Everton’s midfield some much-needed bite, the best signing that can be made before 3pm next Saturday is of the man who inhabits the technical area. If David Moyes finally dots the i’s and crosses the t’s on his new contract – and there is no suggestion that he won’t – the boost it would give to everyone around the club could not be put into words and banish the apathy that hung in the air against PSV Eindhoven. Of course, a number of factors – such as a ridiculous kick-off time and live television coverage – contributed to a gate just shy of 11,000 but it was still disappointing to see this famous old ground operating at a quarter of its capacity.
Mind you, there were occasions in the first 45 minutes when those who turned up would have wondered why they bothered as, aside from an Ayegbeni Yakubu shot that Andreas Isaksson turned aside after good work by Steven Pienaar, Everton were second best. They looked a shadow of the side that had finished fifth in Europe’s most competitive league and for all the youthful enthusiasm of Rodwell and Dan Gosling, the need for a midfield enforcer was glaringly obvious. Just look at the goal from which PSV took the lead. Yes, Nordin Amranat beat Tim Howard with a majestic strike, one that a goal housing three keepers would not have prevented, but he had little trouble shrugging off two flimsy challenges to shoot.
At that point, PSV looked every inch a team that regularly competes in the Champions League, passing and moving with pace, keeping Everton at arms’ length and threatening to create enough chances to put the contest beyond the home side’s reach.
After the break, however, the Blues were a different proposition, thanks to Phil Jagielka, who played every minute of Everton’s seven friendlies, being pushed in a holding central midfield role and Joleon Lescott coming off the bench to stiffen the defence. Another seasoned campaigner – Nuno Valente – also made a difference when he entered the fray and the longer the game progressed, the more Everton looked like they might pinch a share of the spoils. So it proved when Joseph Yobo crumpled under Stijn Wuytens’ ill-advised challenge and Mikel Arteta confidently dispatched the ensuing spot-kick to register his second goal in as many games. This was another step up on the Spaniard’s efforts in the United States and the fact he saw out the 90 minutes without trouble will have been one of the major positives that Moyes took from the afternoon that ended with two 16-year-olds on the pitch. More, no doubt, will be heard from Jose Baxter and James Wallace in the future but to say that Everton’s hopes for 2008/09 revolve entirely around those scholars – and novices such as Rodwell, Gosling and Lukas Jutkiewicz - would be well wide of the mark.
There are still a handful of first team regulars, most notably Tim Cahill, who will return to bolster the ranks, while it is inconceivable that the new faces Moyes and Kenwright have been working towards will not arrive. It has not, been an easy summer at Goodison Park but the picture is nowhere near as bleak as some would wish to paint it; when Moyes has his first choice XI available and experience on the bench, that is the time to really start judging. Once that happens, Everton will win far more matches than they lose. Good sides do not become bad ones overnight.
EVERTON (4-5-1): Howard; Neville (Wallace 83), Yobo, Jagielka, Baines (Valente 64); Arteta, Gosling (Lescott 46), Rodwell (Jutkiewicz 64), Osman, Pienaar (Baxter 67); Yakubu.
PSV EINDHOVEN (4-4-2): Isaksson; Salcido, Rodriguez, Brechet, Zonneveld; Cullina (Manco 67), van der Legette (Wuytens 63), Simons, Amranat; Lazovic, Vayrynen.
Referee: Chris Foy
Attendance: 10,816

Steve Round’s faith in a top six Everton finish
Aug 11 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
STEVE ROUND believes Everton are well equipped to cement their place in the Premier League’s top six and he will be even more confident once new faces are added. The Blues’ assistant manager was satisfied with his side’s performance as they finished their pre-season campaign with a 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven.
Mikel Arteta’s late penalty put the gloss on his own display and Round is confident that once players are found to complement the Spaniard, Everton will move up a few gears. “I’m sure with a couple of additions that we’ll be back up there,” said Round. “The players that we have got - with the energy and the quality that we have - coupled with the emergence of the youngsters will stand us in good stead. “Mikel finished the game really strongly and was the defining player in the last 20 minutes. If something was going to happen, it was going to be because of him. He has such creativity and imagination, we need him on song to make a difference.” Aside from Arteta, other plusses arrived in the form of Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling, while 16-year-olds Jose Baxter and James Wallace came on as substitutes, and Round has been taken by the way the young players in the squad have developed. “They are starting to knock on the door,” he said. “That has been the most pleasing thing in the last four weeks. I can’t be surprised with them because I wasn’t here last year, so I don’t know what to compare them to. “But what I can say is that I have been pleased with how they have progressed since we came back to training. I think it is very important young players get an opportunity. The manager was brave enough to give one or two the opportunity to play against PSV. “That sends a great message out to the people at the Academy. There are a couple of lads who are younger than this lot who are exceptional as well and there is a way forward and a motivation for them to play in Everton’s first team.”

Steven Pienaar injury blow leaves Everton squad TEN players down
Aug 12 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON'S threadbare squad has suffered another crushing injury blow with the Blues today confirming Steven Pienaar has broken a toe. Peinaar sustained the injury during Saturday’s friendly victory over PSV and will now be sidelined for the opening six weeks of the season. The news comes just four days before the Premier League opener against Blackburn. And with Tony Hibbert and Tim Cahill injured, Victor Anichebe at the Olympic Games and James Vaughan likely to be suspended, the Blues are now TEN players down on the squad which ended last season in fifth place.
Lee Carsley, Andrew Johnson, Thomas Gravesen, Manuel Fernandes and Stefan Wessels have all left the club during the summer, with the Blues still struggling to bring in any new faces. Alan Smith and Wagner Love remain firm targets, but there is now a real fear the Blues will not be able to sign anybody before Blackburn open the season at Goodison Park on Saturday. Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is trying to cling on to Smith to solve his own injury problems, while CSKA Moscow director general Roman Babaev has denied Everton are close to agreement over a loan for Love.
“It isn’t true that we have loaned Vagner Love to Everton,” Babaev said. “There are no negotiations about that.” Rennes holding midfielder Stephane M’Bia has at least confirmed that he wants to join Everton, but he is representing Cameroon at the Olympic Games and would not be able to feature against Blackburn on Saturday even if he signed before then. Speaking from China, M’Bia said: “The offer from Everton is too good to refuse. But I cannot leave on bad terms, despite the lure of the Premier League – I am caught in the middle.” Asked why he has not handed in a transfer request, he added: “It is not easy when everyone has been so kind to you.”
The transfer impasse leaves David Moyes struggling to name a recognisable team for the weekend, with the news on Pienaar a devastating blow. No Everton player supplied more assists than the little South African – 14 in his debut season in the Premier League – and his absence heaps even more creative responsibility on the shoulders of Mikel Arteta, himself only just back in action after injury. Pienaar was X-rayed this morning and physio, Mick Rathbone said: “We can confirm that Steven Pienaar has broken the big toe in his right foot.” Ironically the Premier League is allowing seven substitutes to be named for the first time this season, but the Blues bench will be filled with untried youngsters on Saturday. Manuel Fernandes, who has enjoyed two successful loan spells at Everton in recent seasons, has declared his desire to finally make a success of his career in Spain. “I want to succeed in Spain,” Fernandes told Spanish media. “But I need more confidence from the coach.”
New Valencia boss Unai Emery is understood to want to keep the 22-year-old at the Mestalla.

Mikel Arteta: 'Get back to your goalscoring best'
Aug 12 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES today challenged Mikel Arteta to recapture the form that made him Everton's talisman and provide the spark to light up the new campaign.
Having been tormented by injury last season, the Blues’ influential midfielder has made steady progress during his side’s friendly fixtures in the past four weeks and saved his best performance for last in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven.
Arteta followed up his goal in the 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids by slotting the penalty which secured parity against the Dutch champions but the most significant factor from Moyes’ point of view was the Spaniard lasting 90 minutes. There were concerns during Everton’s tour of the United States that Arteta might not be fit enough to do himself justice for the opening Premier League fixture against Blackburn Rovers but now it is all systems go – and Moyes is expecting big things.
“Mikel has got goals in him and we know we are going to need that from the middle of the park this year,” said Moyes. “He needs to try and score more often than he did last season (Arteta only managed to find the net on four occasions). He got nine two seasons ago and though some of them were penalties, he has the ability to score good goals. “He still has a bit of work to do to get back up to the level we want and it was a worry because he has been back in for six weeks nearly. He is not feeling the injury, he has just needed match practice. “He has done a lot of training to get back to where we wanted him. He has worked harder than anybody and tried to get himself into good shape. But we need to keep pushing him because he is an important player for us.”
Now free of the pain in his abdomen that he described as feeling like “someone sticking a knife in him”, Arteta is itching for the big kick-off this weekend and believes Everton are capable of flourishing once again. Though there is still plenty of fine tuning for Moyes to do before Blackburn arrive at Goodison, Arteta has promised the players are in no mood to let anyone down and he took encouragement from the way Everton finished against PSV. “We needed a result to keep our form going and to give something to the fans - they’ve been waiting for something,” he said.
“The team is trying to work hard and we’re doing the best we can. We need to be ready now for Saturday which is going to be a massive game for us. We want to start as we did the last few years - winning. “PSV are a Champions League team and a passing team. If we can get results against them I’m sure we’re going to be fine.”

Caring Carsley signs back in at Goodison!
Aug 12 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
LEE CARSLEY has made a generous cheque-out at Goodison Park.
The Irish international ended his six year association with Everton in June.
But while the international midfielder was making a winning start to his new Birmingham career at St Andrews, he arranged for a £5,000 cheque to be handed over to the Everton Former Players’ Foundation. Rev Harry Ross received the donation before Everton’s friendly match against PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, flanked by former Blues Alan Whittle, Dave Hickson, Alan Ainscow and Wayne Clarke.
The weekend friendly was the bi-annual Foundation fixture, with the organisation receiving a donation from profits from the game.

Stop feeling sorry for yourselves - Everton star Mikel Arteta
Aug 13 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
MIKEL ARTETA has ordered Everton to stop feeling sorry for themselves and focus on Saturday's "massive game" against Blackburn. A number of Everton players have spoken out this summer of the need to boost their depleted squad numbers, but with the big kick-off just three days away, the prospect of new faces seems remote.
But Arteta is unconcerned and has urged his team-mates to pull together and secure an opening day victory at Goodison Park on Saturday. “I think we need to stop talking about the new signings,” said Arteta. “The manager, the chairman, whatever it is they have to do they are going to do it for the best of the club. “They know what they’re doing. The manager is very keen to bring in top players and he’s been waiting. He doesn’t want to bring us two names, he wants to bring three of four class players.
“We’ve got three weeks now left (of the transfer window) so hopefully we will do it.”
Blackburn, under new boss Paul Ince, are reported to have had their own problems this summer and Arteta added: “We need a result to keep our form going and to give something to the fans – they’ve been waiting for something. “The team is trying to work hard and we’re doing the best we can. We need to be ready now for Saturday, which is going to be a massive game for us. We want to start as we did the last few years – winning.” Arteta scored his second goal in successive pre-season games to secure a late draw against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven last Saturday and he added: “PSV are a Champions League team and a passing team. If we can get results against them I’m sure we're going to be fine.” The Blues’ threadbare resources could be boosted by one before the weekend, with Victor Anichebe’s Olympic Games hinging on the outcome of Nigeria’s final group game with Team USA, led by Brian McBride, later today. If Nigeria draw or lose, that could let in third-placed Holland, who face group whipping boys Japan. Anichebe would then be free to return to England, although he clearly would not be ready to go straight into the starting line-up after the long trip from China. A number of Everton websites, meanwhile, have launched a light-hearted campaign asking fans to bring their boots along to the match on Saturday. The idea has been suggested as a light-hearted joke, suggesting that some fans might actually be picked to play due to the size of the Blues squad, but will also underline that fans are not happy with the current situation. “Several Evertonians have said over the past few weeks that they may as well bring their boots to Goodison Park for the opening day clash with Blackburn on the off chance that they’ll get a game - and why not?” said website NSNO (Nil Satis Nisi Optimum). “A number of blues posting on message boards across the net have decided to actually take their boots, and invite you to do the same in a tongue in cheek protest against the lack of signings at Everton this summer. “Traditional forms of protest have often been discounted by Everton fans in fear of disrupting the team on the pitch, and fear of being viewed as ‘Kopites,’ but a tongue in cheek approach appears to be widely supported by those asked - with many Blues already pledging to bring their boots to the match.
“Imagine the selection headache Mr Moyes would have if 30,000 stocky centre halves turned up!”

Everton target ex-Chelsea star Tiago
Aug 14 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON have made a last ditch bid to hijack Newcastle's move for former Chelsea midfielder Tiago, after their hopes of landing Vagner Love were dashed.
The Portugal playmaker, 27, who made 52 appearances for Chelsea in 2004/05, has been made available by Juventus and looked to be heading for Newcastle until the deal hit a hitch yesterday. Sources in Turin claim the final decision is down to the player, but Atletico Madrid and Fenerbahce have now also been alerted and Tiago is believed to prefer a move to Spain. Newcastle thought they had landed the midfielder yesterday in a loan move that could become permanent next summer for an £8million fee. But while negotiations began on how much each club should contribute to the player’s wages, Everton made their move. Juventus defender turned agent Manuel Dimas is working on the deal and thought he had all but secured a move for his client to Newcastle, but the presence of Portugal team-mate Nuno Valente at Goodison, the Blues’ ongoing interest in Joao Moutinho and their involvement in Europe this season has given him second thoughts. Even if Everton can persuade Tiago to rejoin the Premier League, however, a deal is unlikely to be completed in time for the opening game on Saturday when David Moyes will be left with just 10 senior players to select from and a clutch of youngsters. The Blues’ interest in Brazilian striker Love ended when it was revealed they had been misled by one of the agents involved.
CSKA Moscow were never prepared to let the striker leave on loan, as the Blues believed, and Everton have now switched their attentions elsewhere.
Yakubu will be the only senior striker available to Moyes for the visit of Blackburn.
Nigeria defeated USA 2-1 at the Olympics yesterday, which means Victor Anichebe will stay in Beijing until Saturday at least when the Super Eagles play their quarter-final. James Vaughan is also struggling with a foot injury, after escaping suspension for his pre-season red card in the USA. Such is the lack of numbers that Jose Baxter may be withdrawn from the England under-17 squad for a tournament later this month.

David Price's Olympic win to lucky Everton shirt!
Aug 14 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
DAVID PRICE was celebrating one of the greatest performances in the history of British Olympic boxing today – thanks to his coach’s lucky Everton shirt!
Super-heavyweight Price demolished world bronze medallist Islam Timurziev in two rounds in Beijing and now has Lithuanian Jaroslav Jaksto standing between him and a medal. The Salisbury ABC star is a big Liverpool fan, but Solly coach Alan Lynch is a Blue and he told the Echo today: “I wore an Everton shirt in Australia when David won the gold medal, just out of devilment really because David’s such a big Red.
“But I had it on again yesterday under my shirt and David’s told me now I’ve got to wear it on Monday when he boxes in the quarters. “It’s just a bit of superstition but we hope it works. “The Lithuanian beat David a couple of years ago but this is a different David Price. He is stamping his authority on every fight now and to stop the Russian the way he did was an outstanding performance.” Price is one win away from emulating the best boxing performance at an Olympic Games by a Scouser.
Jim Lloyd returned home to a hero’s welcome in 1960 after claiming bronze in Rome, that feat was matched by Tony Willis and George Turpin in Moscow in 1972 and then Runcorn’s Robin Reid struck bronze in Barcelona in 1992. But if Price is to match Audley Harrison’s Sydney achievement of a gold medal he will have to do it the hard way. If he can overcome Jaksto he is likely to face gold medal favourite Roberto Cammarelle in the semis.

Bluetooth ‘world first’ in Goodison
Aug 15 2008 by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON will kick off this season’s Premiership tomorrow with a world first.
Bluetooth wireless technology has been installed at their Goodison Park home, making it the biggest concentration in the world of Bluetooth nodes in one location.
EvertonBluetooth, in association with More Mobile Relations and Match Day Media, will allow fans to access the official Everton Java Application and the EvertonMobile channel and enjoy player interviews and specific mobile content. The Bluetooth application will transmit the latest Everton news, from ticket information to matchday offers, direct to mobile phones for free. It has the potential to reach more than 40,000 people at every home game this season when supporters turn on the Bluetooth functionality of their mobile phones. This is the latest development of EvertonMobile following the recent deal with Total Sports Asia who will distribute official Everton Mobile content throughout Asia. Everton head of media and communications Mark Rowan said: “We at Everton like to be at the cutting edge of mobile phone technology and the launch of EvertonBluetooth is proof of such. “We are excited to bring fans a better experience on match day by keeping them up to date with the latest offers and news.”

Joao Moutinho's heaven-sent ambition
Aug 15 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT’S been a rocky old summer at Goodison Park, as evidenced by the number of times those concerned have turned to God. Joao Moutinho was reported to be David Moyes’ number one target. His reaction? “Right now I am at Sporting and will continue to give everything for Sporting, but the future belongs to God, as I have said in all the years that I am here.” Diego Milito was then targeted as Andy Johnson’s replacement, and responded: “Last year I had some important offers too, but I am very grateful to this club and the fans who have given me a lot and if I have to remain here, no problem. God will decide the future.” But perhaps the most resonant reference to our maker came from the Evertonian after hearing of Steven Pienaar’s untimely injury.
“God help us,” he muttered. With the man bearing that nickname likely to be sitting on the Blackburn substitutes’ bench tomorrow, even that may not be enough.
Hutchison shows his true value
IT’S almost a decade since Don Hutchison was accused of being greedy during contract negotiations with Everton. Dropped, stripped of his captaincy and subsequently sold, his ‘crime’ had been to brand a £725 increase on his £9,000 a week wage as “a disgrace.” A lively and likeable individual, there was always a suspicion we were only being offered one half of the contract dispute story. Which is why the following tale is worthy of repeat. Hutchison was released by cash-strapped Luton last season . . . and his reaction was pointed. He refused his final pay-packet – and asked to sponsor two of the club’s youth players instead. “This is a truly amazing gesture by Don,” said managing director Gary Sweet. “For a player to turn around and refuse his final pay packet and instead ask to sponsor a youth player is unheard of. “This shows the type of man that Don is, and what football means to him.” Don, take a bow.

Howard Kendall: Chance for young stars to glitter
Aug 15 2008 by Howard Kendall, Liverpool Echo
TO say it’s been a difficult pre-season for Everton is an understatement.
But there has been one positive at Goodison this summer, and that is the encouraging progress of a new crop of young players at the club. Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling and Jose Baxter have all been given some exposure this pre-season and haven’t looked out of place. The Everton fans always appreciate youngsters being given their chance. And that looks likely to happen again in the next week or two. When the decision was taken to let Lee Carsley go at the end of last season, David Moyes must have looked inside his squad, as well as outside the club, for potential replacements.
Jack Rodwell has been given a chance to show he can do that job in the friendly matches, and he may get another chance tomorrow. But regardless of how well the youngsters have done, fans and players alike always like to see a few new faces to freshen things up – and for whatever reason that hasn't happened this summer.
Fans have understandably been frustrated at the lack of transfer activity, but I think that frustration has been increased by the unfamiliarity of the names the club has been linked with. David Moyes will have gone through a thorough scouting system and decided that the players he has targeted can improve his first team squad. But they are not names that the fans can relate to or get excited about. The only one they would probably recognise was Alan Smith, and there were issues – possibly sky-high wages – which mean that hasn’t happened. The frustration was highlighted by the poor gate for the friendly match against PSV Eindhoven last weekend. The 5.15pm kick-off might have contributed, but largely I think it was the fact there was nobody new on show. Tomorrow, however, the real business kicks off - and I think the atmosphere will depend entirely on how Everton start. If the players who go out there can make a bright start and get the fans behind them, the problems of the last few weeks will be quickly forgotten . . . for now.
Don’t worry about Reds
THIS is the time of year for pundits to predict their likely title winners - and the odds on Liverpool dropped when they signed Robbie Keane. But I think Keane’s arrival causes as many problems as it solves at Anfield. Steven Gerrard forged an outstanding partnership with Fernando Torres last season, a link which looks like being broken up by Keane’s arrival. A Liverpool title win would make life very uncomfortable for Evertonians, but I don’t think they need to worry about it this season.
Cup run so important
IT’S going to be a big challenge for Everton to match last season’s achievements.
But while finishing fifth again will be tough, I think what all Evertonians would love to see is an exciting cup run and a day out at Wembley either in March or May.
Cup runs maintain the interest of fans, players and coaches alike. The longer you go in cup competitions the greater the confidence which is bred. Once again Everton’s late entry into the Carling Cup gives them an excellent chance of progress, while everyone will be eagerly awaiting the first round draw for the UEFA Cup. The league programme may be the bread and butter, but the cups provide the excitement which can rub off onto the Premier League.
Names from the past
TO those Everton fans who were far from enamoured by the prospect of Alan Smith’s arrival at Everton, can I just mention two names from the past. Paul Power and Wayne Clarke. There wasn’t much of a buzz when I signed those two players, but each gave magnificent short-term service to the club and ended up with a League Championship medal apiece.

Tim Howard: Everton need a siege spirit
Aug 15 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON goalkeeper Tim Howard has called for a return to the siege mentality which characterised Everton's unlikely charge to fourth three years ago.
The Blues have been rocked by a series of off-field crises this summer.
New stadium plans have been cast into doubt, the chief executive has quit and departing players have not been replaced. But Howard insists the fans and players can pull together at Goodison Park tomorrow and give the club some vital breathing space by beating Blackburn. “Pulling together is part of the club mentality here,” he rapped. “It’s my third season and it seems as if that’s always been the mentality. It’s almost better when our backs are against the wall. We kind of invite that. “For me the situation with the stadium and chief executive is a non-issue really. We don’t bother about stadiums and chief execs. We’re Everton players and we don’t like to hear any of the negative things. “That’s one side of it, and on the other side we’re not really in a position to do anything about it. So we don’t bother ourselves. “We don’t feel flat. The guys here have worked so hard pre-season – as a body of players we feel fit and we feel ready. And when a new signing does come in, and it will, that will be a big boost for everyone. “But we don’t have time to think about the negatives. We’re training so hard, and we’re focused on Blackburn.” Howard has been working all summer without a number two goalkeeper, following the departure of Stefan Wessels. But he insists that the lack of transfer activity has not deflated pre-season optimism in the dressing room. “I think players always want to see player movement – unless it’s in your position of course!” he added. “I think that’s natural at any club. In terms of the mood . . . I think we all know that the bodies in here have to do a job this weekend. “I don’t think we have the luxury as players to overly concern ourselves with the comings and goings. If we don’t get the result on Saturday people aren't going to say we can start again. We have to be bang on it from the first game.”
Howard believes that the fans can play a big part in lifting the sombre mood which has enveloped the club over the past month. “Last year, particularly on the European nights, you could just feel them pushing us forward and willing us on. Against Fiorentina it was an awesome atmosphere and it must have been frightening for Fiorentina. “That’s one of the things we have in abundance at this club. The supporters and the players have a workmanlike mentality that won’t stop until the job is done. Hopefully it will be like that on Saturday. “We know the supporters will be up for it, and the players will certainly be up for it so it should be right for a good mix. The biggest thing in the Premier League is coming out on top with three points, no matter how it has happened.”

Opening day win can ease Everton fears
Aug 15 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Everton prepare to welcome Blackburn Rovers to Goodison tomorrow. And after a close season of inactivity in the transfer market which sees David Moyes depending on his established stars to get them off to a winning start, Chief Sports writer Dave Prentice addresses the hopes and fears of all Blues fans. IT’S an old pub pastime on the eve of a new season. Name your best Everton XI. Except Evertonians have been indulging in a variation on the theme this week. Name an Everton XI for tomorrow. Any XI. Go on, have a go. It’s not as difficult as you’d think . . . because Everton only have ten senior players to choose from. That’s Howard in goal; Jagielka, Yobo, Lescott and Valente at the back; Arteta, Neville, Rodwell and Baines forming a highly makeshift midfield unit, and Leon Osman playing off Yakubu up front.
Of course you can swop Jagielka and Neville around, or mix and match maybe Jose Baxter for Jack Rodwell, but the fact remains there are no other senior players to select from. In an age when football is supposed to be more of a squad game than ever, Everton’s has been decimated. But if that starting line-up sends a shiver of apprehension down your spine at a time of the season when you’re supposed to be gripped by optimism, try and name a substitutes’ bench. The Premier League, in its infinite wisdom, has allowed clubs to select seven substitutes this season.
Everton will have to fill their bench with kids. After the goalkeeping substitute of either Turner or Ruddy, there’s Gosling, Molyneux, Kissock, Baxter, Jutkiewicz and Irving. The goalkeepers apart, there’s not a single first team start among them.
So has the club been spectacularly mismanaged this summer? Or is there a grander masterplan at work? There is a train of thought that claims such a threadbare resource seems, ironically, to have been borne from a desire to improve the club. Yes, really.
Don’t laugh just yet, but examine the players who have exited Everton this summer.
Thomas Gravesen and Stefan Wessels hardly figured last season, Manuel Fernandes was peripheral, Lee Carsley was nearing the end of a distinguished Goodison career, while there was a rapidly growing view that Everton had outgrown Andy Johnson and needed to recruit a better all-round striker if they were to push on from fifth.
Now look at the players linked with a move to Goodison this summer; Jo, Arshavin, Diego Milito, Joao Moutinho, Vagner Love, Tiago. Few would argue that all would represent an improvement on the players they’re replacing. Except Everton haven’t landed any of them. To improve on a fifth place finish, Everton must operate in a more exclusive transfer market where players are harder to come by and more expensive to recruit. Alan Smith appears to have been considered, but then discarded as no better than the player he would be replacing. Which is an admirable, if high risk policy. If this is, indeed, David Moyes’ philosophy for the club, it would be reassuring to hear it articulated. But sometimes short-term fits can prove spectacularly successful. Evertonians were enormously underwhelmed when Paul Power and Wayne Clarke were signed as covering squad players in 1986 and 1987. Both were integral to a title-winning team. The signing of players like Alan Smith might not improve Everton long-term, but they would certainly offer some breathing space until Tim Cahill, Steven Pienaar, Victor Anichebe and co are available. The most reassuring breathing space the Blues could be given, however, is a first-day win tomorrow. A flying start has been historically significant for the Blues under David Moyes. Last season’s fifth place finish was built on a platform of three wins from the first five games. The season before, three wins and two draws from five were a springboard for sixth. Back in 2004/05 the Blues recovered from a first day mauling by Arsenal to rattle off five wins and an Old Trafford draw in their next six games. The reward was a season which saw them break up the established top four order.
The stark contrast came in 2005 when the crushing disappointment of a Champions League dream dying was reflected in an appalling run which yielded one win from the opening 13 league games and an eventual recovery to finish 11th. So an opening day victory is crucial – and with the fixture list having been relatively kind, the Blues can build on that. Some supporters have suggested bringing their boots along to Goodison Park tomorrow as a tongue-in-cheek protest. While that would raise a smile, it’s more important that Evertonians try and raise the roof. In recent years the Blues have been at their best with their backs to the wall. A siege mentality has sparked productive performances. Remember the summer of 2004, when the Blues licked their wounds from the worst season in living memory, sold their best player too late to recruit any replacement – and snarled ‘sod you’ at the rest of the Premier League to finish fourth?
Remember when Everton took a 2-0 deficit into last season’s UEFA Cup clash with Fiorentina, and Goodison became a riotous, bouncing bearpit which saw the Italians overwhelmed in everything but a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out? Remember when Blackburn came to Goodison in February 2006 and stand-in keeper Iain Turner was sent off for his first meaningful touch? Goodison responded, so did the players and an unlikely win was secured by James Beattie’s glorious header. A win tomorrow could be more important than ever. Everton’s squad is pitifully short – even when Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert and Steven Pienaar return. But they still have time to add to it.
And have their nearest rivals really kicked on? Portsmouth look in good shape to build on last season’s FA Cup success. But Aston Villa have signed Steve Sidwell and a decent right-back from Rangers, but lost a goalkeeper, their best centre-half and have a skipper desperate to leave. Spurs have speculated wildly, but still look like losing last season’s first choice strike force, while you wouldn’t wish Manchester City’s situation on your worst enemy. Everton can still build on last season’s progressive campaign . . . but if they do it will be in spite of this pre-season build-up, rather than because of it.

So, that was the season that will be ...
Aug 15 2008 by Paddy Shennan, Liverpool Echo
ON the eve of the new football season, chief feature writer Paddy Shennan takes a less-than-serious look at what the 2008/2009 campaign may bring.
Saturday Aug 16
THE natives are restless . . . and, despite the predictable hype and hysteria, a bit bored.
Hours after the new Premier League season kicks off, a new group is launched called We Want Our Football Back. Made up of thousands of fed-up fans, it will campaign for lower ticket prices, more kicks offs at 3pm on a Saturday and a series of measures aimed at reducing the strangehold of the Premier League’s top four clubs.
They will also call for an investigation into the ownership of football clubs and Sky’s influence on the game – and for the microphones of many media pundits, including BBC Five Live’s Alan Green, to be switched off.
Midnight August 31:
The transfer window closes and, following the club’s capture of Kaka, the world’s best player, for £98million, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon says: "You ain’t see nothin’ yet! "When the transfer window re-opens in January, we expect to tie up long-term deals for Eusebio, Pele and Johann Cruyff. Yes, they may be 66, 67 and 61 respectively, but they are bound to win us loads of headlines - then we can really showboat our way to second place."
Monday September 15:
The Football League hits back at criticism of its policy to deduct loads of points from clubs who break its rules - for example, Leeds (15 points), Bournemouth and Rotherham (both 17 points) and Luton (a whopping 30 points). A spokesman says: "To suggest we’ve lost our grip is ridiculous. In fact, we believe previous sanctions have been a bit weedy. This is why we’ve decided that the next club to upset us will be deducted 134 points - while their owners, players and fans will be given a damn good thrashing!"
Sunday October 26:
The Football Association is left reeling after a Sunday newspaper publishes transcripts of a secretly-recorded tape featuring, it is claimed, England manager Fabio Capello.
"I’m being paid millions to do the easiest job in the world!" says the voice on the tape.
"For much of the season, all I’ve got to do is watch a couple of Premier League matches a week - normally in London - and I don’t even have to stay until the end. Even so, a toadying commentator will always be on hand to say ‘There’s Fabio again, what a workaholic!’ "Yes, I am. Sitting on my backside and watching football for free in the comfy seats isn’t as easy as it looks! Ha ha!" The interview is later exposed as a fake. Obviously.
Monday November 24:
Some Evertonians are unhappy when Bill Kenwright and Co. sell out to a faceless conglomerate which is based in India. Meanwhile, the latest Liverpool fans’ protest group - Round Up The Sons of Souness and Daughters of Dicks - marches against the continued reign of Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett. One paper devotes a two page article to the latest Anfield/Goodison unrest, headlined: This Isn’t Football - This Is Cowboys And Indians.
Sunday January 18, 2009:
The Liverpool-Everton derby game has been moved back a day, mostly to enable Sky co-commentator Andy Gray to wet his pants with excitement. Apologists for the "friendly derby" once again struggle in the build-up to the game as signs saying "No spitting", "No offensive chanting" and "No vein-bulging displays of infantile anger and aggression" are posted around Anfield, just as they were posted around Goodison Park for the derby in September. Thankfully, the two clubs issue a joint statement revealing that an Everton-Liverpool summit is to be held before the next derby. It will look at ways of improving the atmosphere surrounding the fixture and the general relationship between Blues and Reds.
Monday February 9:
TV regulator Ofcom announces that it has ordered Sky Sports News to "turn it down" - for fear that some "over-excitable" presenters are in danger of bursting the eardrums of viewers. The channel’s top shouter, Jim White, is defiant and refuses to heed the common sense call, although viewers have the last laugh when, just days later, the sheer volume of his barking causes his head to explode.
Sunday March 14, 2009:
The Man Utd-Liverpool game has been moved back a day - mostly to enable Sky co-commentator Andy Gray to wet his pants with excitement. Following their verbals during the corresponding fixture last season, when Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano was sent off for repeatedly moaning to the ref, self-styled players’ friend Andy Gray offers to fight Jamie Redknapp and the unfeasibly hairy Richard Keys - shouting "Outside! In the car park! Now!" On this occasion, the pair had upset the volatile "Listen to ME!" Scot by suggesting that the referee was within his rights to blow his whistle to signify the start of the game. "So, that’s the way football is going, is it?" spat Gray, cranking up the sarcasm to 11. "A referee should be allowed to play to the crowd by blowing his whistle at the start of a game? Get real!"
Wednesday April 1:
With the season limping towards its close and the vast majority of teams occupying their predicted places, the Premier League is suspended . . . due to lack of interest.

Barry Horne: Everton have no room for manoeuvre
Aug 16 2008 by Barry Horne, Liverpool Echo
AFTER two fantastically enjoyable seasons at Goodison, this has been a difficult summer for everyone at Everton Football Club. It has to be said that most of the difficulties are inextricably linked to the supposed stadium move. There has been the loss of a chief executive, the apparent collapse of Project Kirkby and the severe and unexplained difficulties in attracting new players to the club. The culmination of this is that David Moyes is going into a run of five games which could conceivably have seen us at the top of the table going into the first Merseyside derby of the season, with a team which virtually picks itself. The only question about team selection is where Phil Neville plays, but the rest of the team is predictable because of a lack of numbers.
I was at the PSV game and in an attempt to view things positively thought that if David Moyes could get his best starting XI out on the pitch the Blues would be okay this season. But the reality is that such a situation is unlikely to happen, and with five senior players unavailable for selection – a situation which could conceivably happen regularly throughout the season – David Moyes has practically no room for manoeuvre. Blackburn themselves have not had the best pre-season and looked less than impressive against NAC Breda last weekend, and the hope is that Everton can make it through the three fixtures before the transfer window closes and bring in the players we need. The problem is that agents and clubs know how desperate Everton are and the danger is we could end up paying too much for too little. It is a concern, but the situation was surely apparent six months ago? Fans will undoubtedly be wondering why we find ourselves having to scramble around in the situation we are in. Battle for Europe tougher than ever
AFTER the summer they have endured, it would be unrealistic to expect Everton to repeat their feats of last season. With the situation at Goodison as it is, coupled with the astute management and spending power of Martin O’Neill and Harry Redknapp, and the out and out spending power at White Hart Lane, the fight for Europe will be keener than ever. Fulham may surprise one or two people, as may West Ham who played much of last season with a virtual reserve team because of injuries.
Blackburn have lost not only their driving force in Mark Hughes, but their two best players in Bentley and Friedel, while Middlesbrough seem to have lost their way.
Two of the promoted teams could be vying for Derby’s all time low points tally.
I would be happy to see Everton competing with the aforementioned European contenders, and also making inroads into two of the three cup competitions again, especially the UEFA Cup.
Young duo fast tracked
EVERTON’S subs bench will be populated by untested youngsters this afternoon. Once in a while, throwing a young lad in at the deep end can be the making of him.
But having to rely on four or five inexperienced teenagers at the same time is not acceptable, either for the team or their own personal development. David Moyes has a good record of protecting young players and bringing them through at their own pace, but it looks like Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling particularly are on a fast track at the moment. Rodwell clearly has a future in the game, although I don’t think it will be in midfield. Gosling looked sharp, quick-footed, athletic and displayed good vision, although again his ultimate position may not be in midfield.

Forty years on - the Golden Vision Alex Young is back
Aug 16 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT’S Alex Young week at Everton. For those fans who haven’t yet seen it, Neville Smith and Ken Loach’s seminal docu-drama, The Golden Vision gets another airing on BBC4 on Monday at 8.50pm. And 40 years after its first screening, that indefatigable Evertonian, Dr David France, intends to make modern fans aware of his football hero’s genius. Dr France has produced a limited edition biography of Young, written in conjunction with the player himself, and called, quite simply: Alex Young - The Golden Vision. The book will be launched next month with a series of functions, all of which will benefit the Everton Former Players Foundation. After devoting a large portion of his life to collecting and collating artefacts, items and memorabilia belonging to Everton idols from all eras of the club’s history, David France was keen to pay homage to his own boyhood hero. He explained: “The Golden Vision is a biography with a difference. I have sought to describe his career by simply reporting the facts. “There was no need to weave mythical tales about Alex Young, the truth would suffice. “For the most part it is drawn from a series of interviews conducted over a period of six years. More than anything, I trust that this book accurately portrays him as an unassuming gentleman whose fame is underpinned by true accomplishment and captures his importance to the Everton family. “Because he played in the pre-Match of the Day era, there is little video evidence of his exquisite performances. Therefore I relied on the 400 contributions from supporters across the football world who took delight in reporting their personal sightings, interactions, anecdotes, family tales, special memories as well as sharing extracts from family scrapbooks and photo albums. “I hope that these contributions reflect Merseyside’s enduring respect for his genius. Also I trust that those who did not see him wear the number nine shirt will gain some appreciation why those who did remain in awe of Alex Young.” There is no doubt that Young touched all who came into contact with him – and Dr France’s description of notes taken from his interactions with another Goodison legend, Alan Ball, were typical. “Bally called Alex ‘breathtaking, mercurial, unique, incandescent brilliance, unselfish, smooth, skilful, magical, mature, sensational, balance, elusive, wizard, style, elegant, poise, great, natural, flair, arrogance-free class, God-given skills . . . and Alex the Great,’ ” purred Dr France.
The book has already sold the majority of its limited edition print-run, but remaining copies will be available in the Radio Merseyside foyer on Friday September 12 (1pm-2pm), in the Alex Young suite at Goodison Park the following day (1pm-2pm), and at a Blue Kipper Icon Dinner in the New Kensington Suite of the Adelphi Hotel (tickets from BlueKipper.com website) on Friday, September 12.

Tim Howard: Everton will pull together like a band of brothers
Aug 16 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
TIM HOWARD wants to summon up the spirit of seasons past at Goodison Park this afternoon. The dreadful summer of 2004, when Everton were left licking self-inflicted wounds after their lowest goals and points tally of modern times, then sold their best player too late to bring in a replacement, was the catalyst for a remarkable campaign which ended with a shot at the Champions League. The summer Everton have just endured makes that 2004 close season look like a stroll in the park. But Howard is adamant the current campaign can have a similar outcome. Everton kick-off against Blackburn this afternoon and Howard declared: “I would only say, three seasons ago Everton did crack it, so certainly it’s not beyond the realms of possibility again.
“Therefore we do believe. “If it hadn’t happened for a while then you might think it was impossible. But it has – out of nowhere. The band of brothers came together and did it, and we’ve been close since. “Sixth place two seasons ago, fifth last season with a small squad and injuries down the stretch when we were poor, if you put all the things together, if we stay healthy we can kick on towards the end of the season and it’s possible. “To be a top four side you have to win consistently. United are going to lose, say, four games. Chelsea may lose four times. That’s not a lot of games, the biggest thing about staying in the top four is keeping pace every week. Not just up until February, but in April and May, too.” The lack of new faces at Everton this summer has been an enduring theme, but Everton’s American international goalkeeper believes it is the familiar faces who can help the Blues get off to a solid start.
The defence is the one department of the Blues squad which doesn’t need obvious reinforcement and Howard believes the onus is on them to offer a platform for the forthcoming season. “If you look at our defence, we have Joe Yobo, who is an international captain, there are Jags and Joleon who are just starting to enjoy some call-ups into the England squad, Phil Neville who has been round the block and Hibbo who is blue through and through. That’s without even mentioning the left-backs. These are guys who don’t have egos and don’t feel that there’s a lot of room for error.
“When you talk about all hands on deck, blocking shots, making tackles, scrapping, you just know that no-one’s going to take liberties with those guys. “There’s no-one in that backline who will say ‘it wasn’t my man’. Everyone tries to do their own job and it’s one of the things we talk about. “Do your job and try and help someone else do theirs. And if we all get that mentality that we’ll cover each other and there won't be any slack.” Howard admits that the current shortage of strikers and midfield players at the club places extra pressure on the back four to keep a clean sheet, but he also says that the players relish that kind of added responsibility. “There might be a little extra pressure to keep a clean sheet, but I don’t think it will be very different. We always go out there and try and do our best. Try and keep the team in the game at critical moments,” he added. “There might be more of an onus on it. But Yak is full of goals, our defenders pop up at key times at set pieces, so it’s not as if it’s all doom and gloom.” Howard has proved himself to be a formidable last line of defence since his move to Goodison two years ago, in the tradition of the club’s very best goalkeepers.
He admits that since he made the switch from Old Trafford the club has got under his skin. “I want to be considered an Evertonian,” he declared. “I love the club. I don’t mean that in a light way. I do love the club, I love the people. “Joe-Max Moore and I have had a few conversations about the club. It’s in his blood and I didn’t quite understand it at the time although I took things on board. “But now I understand what he was talking about. “It’s a place where I want to be. We know football’s a business, and it’s a cruel business on both sides, but if all things were equal this is the best place I want to be. “I want to play my heart out every weekend. I enjoy it, my family enjoys life at Everton and I don’t have any complaints. The club’s got to me.
“I also had the privilege of playing with Davey Weir and most importantly Alan Stubbs. I played alongside him for two seasons and I consider him a good friend. Anyone who knows Alan knows what it means to play for Everton.
“He helped me grow into the Everton way. I knew a little bit about the club’s goalkeeping tradition. Maybe not so much about Gordon West but of course I knew about Neville Southall and Nigel Martyn came in and did such a good job for the club.
“Those are big shoes to fill and if I’m honest I’m not really trying to fill them, I’m just trying to play to the best of my ability and hope that propels the club in the right direction. “It’s nice to be a small part of that tradition. “I see those as lofty goals and something I want to continue.” Howard has come desperately close to overhauling Southall’s club record for clean sheets in each of his two seasons in the Goodison goal. A clean sheet against Blackburn today would go some way to ensuring Everton make a solid start to the season, but the USA international admits there is a part of him which is pleased he hasn’t yet beaten Big Nev’s landmark. “I don’t really go after the personal accolades,” he added. “Defenders and goalkeepers just want to keep as many clean sheets as they can. It’s nice when people talk about it, but I kind of find I’m not so bothered I didn’t break it because it gives me something to aim at again. I can use it as motivation. “You don’t really go into a season looking to do that, but there’s a big tradition around here and it was the same when I was at United with Peter Schmeichel. It was fun in terms of being a part of those legacies. Obviously I am my own goalkeeper and I try and do things I know I’m good at.”

Victor Anichebe is on verge of Olympics medal glory
Aug 16 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
VICTOR ANICHEBE is one match away from bringing home a medal from the Olympic Games. But Everton’s Nigerian international wants to go better than bronze or silver and emulate Daniel Amokachi – the Goodison favourite who struck gold at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. Nigeria face Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals of the Olympic competition today and Anichebe told Nigeria’s Daily Sun: “I have been a great admirer of the likes of Kanu, Daniel Amokachi and Celestine Babayaro after their exploits at the Atlanta ‘96 Games and I am preparing myself to join their league.
“My greatest ambition is to win the gold for my country. Every team at the Games prepared for the best, but I am happy we are gradually achieving our dreams and aspirations. “Brazil and Argentina have quality big-name players, but on the day of our games, big names will not matter, rather it will be teamwork and anything can happen.” Anichebe added that he had been worried by an injury problem earlier in the competition, but that he was now feeling much better. “Before our first match it was like hell for me,” he explained. “When I tried to sprint, I felt a sharp pain in my kneecap. “But I have been getting quality treatment to give myself the best chance at the Games. It’s a lot better than when I first did it and I can jog now. So hopefully I will not feel it again.”
Revealed - the true value of being a loyal blue
IT wasn’t just fifth in the League that Everton finished last season.
The Blues are also well up in the table for “best value football team for fans.”
The survey, carried out by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), asked fans if they were getting the best value from their season ticket.
Each was given points based on the value of the team’s players, divided by the cost of the mid-range season ticket from the team.
The table read: 1 - Wigan 21.1pts, 2 - Blackburn 20.5, 3 - Aston Villa 17.6, 4 - Bolton 12.9, 5 - Everton 12.8, 6 - Hull 12.3, 7 - Sunderland 12.2, 8 - Manchester City 12.1, 9 - West Bromwich 12, 10 - Stoke 12, 11 - Middlesbrough 11.9, 12 - Liverpool 11.8, 13 - Chelsea 11.5, 14 - Manchester United 11.3, 15- Fulham 10.6, 16 - Newcastle 10.2, 17 - Portsmouth 9, 18 - West Ham 7.9, 19 - Tottenham Hotspur 7.1, 20 - Arsenal 6.4.
Pete Doherty couldn’t sing for Toffees!
INDIE rocker Pete Doherty scored a spectacular own goal at trendy backstreet bar The Studio recently. A lifelong Kopite, the Babyshambles front man thought it would be a good idea to air an impromptu version of ‘”You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Sadly for Pete, the air turned blue as most of the audience were Toffees. Most booed, but some hurled drinks at the stage The abuse didn’t seem to bother Pete, though, who carried on mixing Libertines and Babyshambles songs before throwing in a few Johnny Cash numbers. He wisely avoided Ring of Fire, though.

Keep up to date with Everton v Blackburn online
Aug 16 2008 Liverpool Echo
YOU can follow all the fan reaction and comment from Everton’s match this afternoon on our Live Blog. The blog, which will run from 2.45pm until shortly after the final whistle, is your chance to join in the live discussion about tactics, team selection or any other talking points. We'll also keep you updated with news of goals, bookings or substitutions. If you have any pictures of the build-up, your journey to the match or shots of the crowd, send them to us and you could see them appear on the Live Blog. Use picture messaging on your mobile to send them to 0787 268 454 with the keyword "efc" (normal network charges apply).
BLUES have a chance to vote on their man of the match from today's games - just go to www.evertonbanter.co.uk and follow the "Man of the Match" link.

Everton 2 - 3 Blackburn Rovers
Asug 16 2008 By David Prentice at Goodison Park
EVERTON suffered a devastating opening day defeat at Goodison Park - Blackburn defender Andre Ooijer smashing a 93rd minute winner, just as the Blues patched up side looked like they had salvaged a point. The fertile feet and inventive imagination of Mikel Arteta had actually put the Blues ahead early in the second half.
The little Spaniard equalised David Dunn’s 22nd minute opener with a cunningly disguised free-kick which flashed past Paul Robinson, then flighted a left-footed cross for Yakubu to open his goals account for the season. But Everton were ahead for barely 60 seconds before Santa Cruz equalised. Then, in time added on, Yakubu was penalised for a foul, Nelsen rose to head the ball against the inside of Howard's post and Ooijer reacted quickest. It was a crushing disappointment, on a day when David Moyes named the most inexperienced substitutes bench in the club’s history, goalkeeper Iain Turner the only one of the seven youngsters selected who could boast a first team start. And with 15 minutes remaining Jose Baxter became the youngest player in the club’s history – eclipsing James Vaughan’s mantle when he replaced Valente aged just 16-years 196 days. The youngster even had an opportunity to bring the house down in the last minute when Jagielka flighted a cross which had Robinson scrambling. The youngster rose above him but couldn’t keep his header under the Gwladys Street crossbar. The miss looked like being merely a footnote to a lively first day clash, instead it was a turning point as Rovers swept down the other end to win the match. Everton’s combination of square pegs in round holes allowed Blackburn to dictate the early tempo and the visitors regularly looked the more threatening side.
Rodwell passed straight into Pedersen’s path and his shot was deflected wide, Santa Cruz directed an unmarked header past the post then David Dunn cut right through the heart of the Everton defence and was denied by a fine Howard save.
But Everton’s inability to keep possession in midfield cost them a goal which had been coming. Jagielka and Rodwell swapped misplaced passes and Blackburn broke away. The ball arrived at Dunn’s feet and he checked cleverly past Jagielka before curling an outstanding shot, left-footed, beyond Howard. Everton were at sixes and sevens, the only likelihood of a goal coming from a set-piece. Four minutes before the interval Arteta fired a range-finder onto the roof of the Stanley Park net, then a minute before the break Yakubu was fouled on the corner of the penalty area.
It was a prohibitive angle, with defenders and forwards alike anticipating a cross into the six yard box. So, too, was Paul Robinson – but Arteta’s inventive mind conjured up a stunning free-kick, whipping the ball into the near post and producing an unlikely equaliser. The mood had threatened to turn ugly just seconds before, but the Blues went in at the break with a massive injection of confidence. They started the second half much brighter and in the 63rd minute Arteta helped conjure up a second goal.
Yakubu held the ball up well and sprayed a pass wide to the left for Arteta to race onto. The little Spaniard carried the ball to the byline and clipped back an inviting cross which Yakubu raced onto and planted a firm header beyond the helpless Robinson. Goodison erupted, but barely 60 seconds later the celebrations were silenced by a sloppy Blackburn equaliser. There appeared minimal danger when a long ball was launched into the Everton penalty area, but Joleon Lescott was caught napping and Santa Cruz darted ahead of him, drew Howard and clinically slipped the ball under the American keeper.
EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard; Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Valente (Baxter 75mins); Arteta, Jagielka, Rodwell, Baines; Osman, Yakubu. Unused substitutes: Turner, Jutkiewicz, Gosling, Agard, Kissock, Wallace.
BLACKBURN ROVERS (4-4-2): Robinson; Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock; Dunn (Tugay 89 mins), Mokoena, Reid, Pedersen (Treacy 75mins); Santa Cruz, Roberts (McCarthy 83 mins). Unused substitutes: Villanueva, Simpson, Derbyshire, Brown.
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Bookings: Warnock (foul) 44mins, Ooijer (foul) 58mins; Yobo (foul) 74mins, Yakubu (foul) 92 mins.

Forget about building on last season, now it’s only about damage limitation
Aug 18 2008 by Ian Doyle, Daily Post
THE campaign for supporters to start bringing their boots to Goodison might want to revise the terms of their crusade. After all, hard hats would be the more appropriate attire for anyone associated with Everton right now. A pre-season of inaction in the transfer market, indifferent performances on the field and continued uncertainty off it led to a tangible sense of trepidation heading into the new campaign. Even before a ball was kicked, David Moyes was expressing concerns over a missed opportunity to build on last season’s success and fretting over the size of his threadbare squad.
Early evidence suggests such fears have not been misplaced. The manner of Saturday’s opening-day defeat against Blackburn Rovers served only to strengthen the sense of despair and, more worryingly, resignation that has seeped through the Everton fanbase during the past three months. Debate continues to rage as to how Everton, buoyed by last season’s fifth-placed finish and lengthy runs in the Carling and Uefa Cups, have managed to let that momentum grind to a shuddering halt.
It really didn’t need a galling injury-time home loss to underline the fact.
But it has. And with two weeks remaining for Moyes and the Goodison board to negotiate squad strengthening, what should have been a matter of continuing the progress of the past two years has instead become more a case of damage limitation.
Be assured that new arrivals will be snaffled before the transfer window slams shut. But whether they will be of the standard Moyes requires to maintain his team’s upward curve is highly debatable. The core of the squad remains intact, and is more than capable of securing another top-10 finish. That, though, could ultimately be the limit of Everton’s ambition this season, and that just isn’t good enough.
With many fans’ fingers pointing at the board for taking too long to release the necessary funds, Moyes has sought, if not wholly convincingly, to shoulder much of the blame for the lack of incomings. But having admitted to letting down his players with the failure to strengthen, the roles were reversed for the Goodison manager on Saturday, too many of his trusted lieutenants falling short of the standards they have set themselves. There has to be at least some mitigation for this. Players are human beings, and it is inconceivable they have not been affected by Everton’s summer of discontent. The problem for Moyes is that these are the only men he can turn to. With Saturday’s bench comprising six players without a senior career first-team start between them, competition for places is simply non-existent at present.
Indeed, it was a case of simply filling the gaps in the starting XI, a policy fraught with obvious danger. The midfield was makeshift in the extreme; Nuno Valente and Leighton Baines taking turns to patrol the left wing, and Phil Jagielka, a centre-back by trade, at its heart alongside Jack Rodwell, a 17-year-old making his full debut.
Much is rightly expected of Rodwell, but this was not the environment in which he could immediately prosper. Nevertheless, the teenager slowly grew into the game and did not hide once during the 90 minutes, always available for a pass and willing to back up that enthusiasm with sheer graft. The one other shaft of light amid the Goodison gloom came in the form of the magical, mesmerising talents of the talismanic Mikel Arteta. Arteta admits to having a point to prove after his previous campaign was ruined by the groin and abdominal problems that hampered him from November onwards. And the Spanish schemer has wasted no time, scoring one outrageous goal before cleverly creating another to give Everton hope of an unlikely and, it must be said, undeserved victory. After Blackburn’s Steven Reid was penalised for a handball on the left-hand side of the penalty area, few players would have demonstrated the technique and presence of mind to curl home direct from the subsequent free-kick as Arteta did on the stroke of half-time, catching Paul Robinson unawares on his Rovers debut. And the Spaniard conjured a second Everton goal on 64 minutes, accepting a Yakubu pass down the left channel and making his way to the byline before spotting the Nigerian’s run to the far post and delivering an inch-perfect cross for the striker to head home. Arteta’s equaliser spared Everton a chorus of half-time jeers having been completely outplayed by a vibrant Blackburn side making light of rumours of dressing-room unrest over the arrival of new manager Paul Ince.
They had already threatened through Morten Gamst Pedersen, Roque Santa Cruz and David Dunn before all three combined for the opener midway through the first half.
Everton fumbled the ball in midfield and, after being fed towards a marauding Santa Cruz, possession was passed through Pedersen to Dunn, who evaded Phil Jagielka’s sliding challenge before brilliantly curling a left-footed shot beyond Tim Howard from 20 yards. Everton’s defence has been a cause for concern throughout pre-season, in which only one clean sheet was kept in seven games. And, two minutes after wresting the initiative with Yakubu’s goal, an uncharacteristic mistake by Joleon Lescott handed it straight back to Blackburn, the centre-back dozing momentarily to allow Santa Cruz to meet Stephen Warnock’s long ball and slot past Howard.
Not the way for Lescott to celebrate his 26th birthday; the ideal manner for Santa Cruz to mark his 27th. There was almost a fairytale debut for Jose Baxter in the 89th minute. After coming on 11 minutes earlier to become the youngest player in Everton’s history, Baxter then almost made the most of Robinson’s flapping by meeting Jagielka’s cross but heading over the bar. And the visitors made the most of that escape deep into injury time when, after Yakubu threatened to ruin a good day’s work by needlessly fouling Reid, Warnock’s deep free-kick was nodded on to the post by Ryan Nelsen and Andre Ooijer thrashed in the rebound. Replays subsequently showing Nelsen was offside rubbed further salt into the wound. Of course, there is nothing to be gained from any premature panic. But another week without new signings and an indifferent performance at West Brom on Saturday, and the hard hats will be needed more than ever.

Skeleton squad in need of bodies
Aug 18 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
THE campaign for supporters to start bringing their boots to Goodison might want to revise the terms of their crusade. After all, hard hats would be the more appropriate attire for anyone associated with Everton right now. A pre-season of inaction in the transfer market, indifferent performances on the field and continued uncertainty off it led to a tangible sense of trepidation heading into the new campaign.
Even before a ball was kicked, David Moyes was expressing concerns over a missed opportunity to build on last season’s success and fretting over the size of his threadbare squad. Early evidence suggests such fears have not been misplaced.
The manner of Saturday’s opening-day defeat against Blackburn Rovers served only to strengthen the sense of despair and, more worryingly, resignation that has seeped through the Everton fanbase during the past three months. Debate continues to rage as to how Everton, buoyed by last season’s fifth-placed finish and lengthy runs in the Carling and UEFA Cups, have managed to let that momentum grind to a shuddering halt. It really didn’t need a galling injury-time home loss to underline the fact.
But it has. And with two weeks remaining for Moyes and the Goodison board to negotiate squad strengthening, what should have been a matter of continuing the progress of the past two years has instead become more a case of damage limitation.
Be assured that new arrivals will be snaffled before the transfer window slams shut. But whether they will be of the standard Moyes requires to maintaining his team’s upward curve is highly debatable. The core of the squad remains intact, and is more than capable of securing another top-10 finish. That, though, could ultimately be the limit of Everton’s ambition this season, and that just isn’t good enough.
With many fans’ fingers pointing at the board for taking too long to release the necessary funds, Moyes has sought, if not wholly convincingly, to shoulder much of the blame for the lack of incomings. But having admitted to letting down his players with the failure to strengthen, the roles were reversed for the Goodison manager on Saturday, too many of his trusted lieutenants falling short of the standards they have set themselves. There has to be at least some mitigation for this. Players are human beings, and it is inconceivable they have not been affected by Everton’s summer of discontent. The problem for Moyes is that these are the only men he can turn to. With Saturday’s bench comprising six players without a senior career first-team start between them, competition for places is simply non-existent at present.
Indeed, it was a case of simply filling the gaps in the starting XI, a policy fraught with obvious danger. The midfield was makeshift in the extreme; Nuno Valente and Leighton Baines taking turns to patrol the left wing, and Phil Jagielka, a centre-back by trade, at its rear alongside Jack Rodwell, a 17-year-old making his full debut.
Much is rightly expected of Rodwell, but this was not the environment in which he could immediately prosper. Nevertheless, the teenager slowly grew into the game and did not hide once during the 90 minutes, always available for a pass and willing to back up that enthusiasm with sheer graft. The one other shaft of light amid the Goodison gloom came in the form of the magical, mesmerising talents of the talismanic Mikel Arteta. Arteta admits to having a point to prove after his previous campaign was ruined by the groin and abdominal problems that hampered him from November onwards. And the Spaniard has wasted no time, scoring one outrageous goal before cleverly creating another to give Everton hope of an unlikely and, it must be said, undeserved victory. After Blackburn’s Steven Reid was penalised for a handball on the left-hand side of the penalty area, few players would have demonstrated the technique and presence of mind to curl home direct from the subsequent free-kick as Arteta did on the stroke of half-time, catching Paul Robinson unawares on his Rovers debut. And he conjured a second Everton goal on 64 minutes, accepting a Yakubu pass down the left channel and making his way to the byline before spotting the Nigerian’s run to the far post and delivering an inch-perfect cross for the striker to head home. Arteta’s equaliser spared Everton a chorus of half-time jeers having been completely outplayed by a vibrant Blackburn side making light of rumours of dressing-room unrest over the arrival of new manager Paul Ince.
They had already threatened through Morten Gamst Pedersen, Roque Santa Cruz and David Dunn before all three combined for the opener midway through the first half.
Everton fumbled the ball in midfield and, after being fed towards a marauding Santa Cruz, possession was passed through Pedersen to Dunn, who evaded Phil Jagielka’s sliding challenge before brilliantly curling a left-footed shot beyond Tim Howard from 20 yards. Everton’s defence has been a cause for concern throughout pre-season, in which only one clean sheet was kept in seven games. And, two minutes after wresting the initiative with Yakubu’s goal, an uncharacteristic mistake by Joleon Lescott handed it straight back to Blackburn, the centre-back dozing momentarily to allow Santa Cruz to meet Stephen Warnock’s long ball and slot expertly past Howard.
Not the way for Lescott to celebrate his 26th birthday; the ideal manner for Santa Cruz to mark his 27th. There was almost a fairytale debut for Jose Baxter in the 89th minute. After coming on 11 minutes early to become the youngest player in Everton’s history, Baxter then almost made the most of Robinson’s flapping by meeting Jagielka’s deep cross but heading agonisingly over the bar. And the visitors made the most of that escape deep into injury time when, after Yakubu threatened to ruin a good day’s work by needlessly fouling Reid, Warnock’s deep free-kick was nodded on to the post by Ryan Nelsen and Andre Ooijer thrashed in the rebound from two yards out. That television replays subsequently showedNelsen was offside rubbed further salt into Everton’s gaping wound. Of course, with nine months of the season remaining, there is nothing to be gained from any premature panic.
But another week without new signings and an indifferent performance at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, and the hard hats will be needed more than ever

Everton 2 Blackburn 3
Aug 18 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
SQUARE pegs, round holes, catastrophic consequences: the manner of defeat may have been heartbreaking, but many more will follow if action is not taken - immediately. Goodison Park has just experienced its most exasperating, perplexing and turbulent summer in years and the questions which have left Evertonians tearing their hair out, wondering what has happened to their great club, are still no closer to being answered. Temporary respite was supposed to come on the opening day of the new campaign but, as many feared - and a few expected - Blackburn Rovers arrived on Merseyside sensing an opportunity and duly took full advantage of Everton’s alarming vulnerability. Forget the fact that Andre Ooijer popped up in the dying seconds to pilfer the points - this first reverse may have been cruel, but it is impossible to put forward an argument to suggest that Everton were hard done to.
To suggest that, quite simply, would be hogwash. Fortunate that they were still in the game at half-time, Everton deserved credit for hauling themselves back into the contest, then poking their noses in front but they have only themselves to blame for letting things slip. Indeed, letting things slip is an apt metaphor for the past three months. After signing off the last campaign with a rousing 3-1 win over Newcastle United, Everton need only look in the mirror for the ills they have experienced since.
Forget any dreams of bustling up the top four again as, at this stage, that looks impossible. Banish thoughts of breaking last year’s record points haul. Everton are woefully short of depth, and unless new faces are brought in, trouble looms.
Yes, some important players need to return from injury but, even when Steven Pienaar, Tim Cahill and James Vaughan are fit, Everton lack the options, experience and reliable cover that are needed for a team that intends to be fighting for glory on four fronts. Why, though, is that the case? When the final whistle sounded at the end of that game against Newcastle 14 weeks ago, everyone - players, management, directors, supporters, the media - knew the positions which the Blues needed to strengthen. A central midfielder to protect the defence and replace Lee Carsley was top priority, followed by a striker, then someone to operate the left flank. The shopping was to be completed by bringing in cover for the central defenders and goalkeeper. On that list had to be two players at least of genuine star quality who would compliment the talent David Moyes had already assembled, but nobody would have quibbled if good, honest professionals were brought in to swell numbers first.
Instead, we have seen a whole host of names linked with moves but nothing happen, which led to the near farcical situation of Moyes naming a seven-man bench on Saturday that boasted the grand total of 225 minutes worth of Premier League experience. Clearly, someone, somewhere needs to shoulder the blame. Are the board guilty? Is it the manager? Are promises being made that can be delivered? Draw your own conclusions, but it is impossible to escape the feeling that there are real problems behind the scenes. Things need rectifying quickly as it would be criminal if Everton allowed all the excellent work that has been put in over the past two years to fade away. But, if players are not brought in during the next two weeks, they will see their rivals overtake them. While Moyes’ post-match stance was admirable that he is “only going to bring quality in” surely he recognises that quantity is just as important, otherwise - without sounding too pessimistic - this season will be over before it has had chance to get started. Just look at the evidence that was provided on Saturday.
Aside from all the injuries, a central defender and a promising novice were asked to win the midfield battle, while a left back had to provide the service normally expected from a left winger. When you throw into the equation that a few individuals by whom you can normally set your clock failed to perform - and schoolboy mistakes were made - is it any wonder that a chorus of irritated boos followed the players down the tunnel at the final whistle? “Our defending at times was rubbish,” Moyes lamented. “We had experienced players - internationals - who were not at the races. We gave away a daft free-kick for their winner, and… on the balance, Blackburn probably deserved the win.” Too true. Roque Santa Cruz - what would you give to see him in an Everton shirt? - set the tone for Blackburn, bullying Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott from the start and he was ably assisted by the equally powerful Jason Roberts.
Despite Phil Jagielka and Jack Rodwell’s efforts, David Dunn - scorer of the opening goal - ran the midfield, while Morten Gamst Pedersen, Aaron Mokoena and Steven Reid provided a balance that Everton never had. In truth, the game should have been over as a contest after 45 minutes and only Mikel Arteta’s terrific free-kick spared Everton from being booed off at the interval. The natives had already voiced their feelings following one Phil Neville back pass. So it is all the more puzzling that the Toffees never capitalised on that unexpected fillip, especially when Ayegbeni Yakubu put his side in front with the kind of header Everton centre forwards should score, burying Arteta’s perfect cross past Paul Robinson. Yet, fatally, Blackburn were allowed back into the game immediately when Santa Cruz took advantage of some naivety on Lescott’s behalf, which gave them the impetus to stage a last-gasp bid for victory. Though Everton had a chance of their own when substitute Jose Baxter, the youngest player in the club’s history at 16 years and 196 days, nearly converted Jagielka’s cross, it was inevitable Blackburn would also get an opportunity.
Yakubu will be the scapegoat for stupidly giving away a free-kick and people can complain about Ryan Nelson being in an offside position, but both could have been negated by competent defending. Instead, chaos gave Ooijer a chance he could not miss. It is too early to say that Everton have a mountain to climb, but the warning signs are there. Fail to act now and it could turn out to be a long, hard, tortuous trek to May 24, 2009. Only the powers that be can prevent that happening.

I won’t be rushed into panic signings – David Moyes
Aug 18 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES has vowed not to abandon his principles even though he accepts that the need to bring an influx of new faces into Everton’s team is critical. The Blues opened up the new Premier League season with the most inexperienced bench in the club’s history - goalkeeper Iain Turner the only member of the septet to have played in the top flight - and a cobbled together starting line-up. It has led many supporters to fear the worst and a 3-2 defeat against Blackburn Rovers has hardly helped their mood, particularly as Everton do not look any closer to breaking their transfer duck.
Moyes, however, is adamant that he will only bring in players who will increase the quality in his squad and stressed he has no intentions of making signings just for the sake of it before the window closes on August 31. “I’m not changing,” he insisted. “I’m only going to bring quality in. We haven’t got the money to go out and buy six £15m players. “We don’t have that, so of course we are going to bring players in who are down at the lower end of the market. But - as I’ve always said - I’m looking to get the main (quality) players in first. Then we will look at what we do after that.”
Everton are still pursuing Sporting Lisbon’s Joao Moutinho, but, given that Moyes had to pair Jack Rodwell and Phil Jagielka in the centre of midfield against Blackburn, it is clear he needs to replace Lee Carsley. The situation, he accepts, is far from ideal. “We have known that from May,” said Moyes. “We knew what the situation would be. We knew about the injuries. But I’m the manager and I take the responsibility. I said in the summer that I needed to get five players. It could now be up to six or seven. “I’ve thought every week might be a big week, especially leading up to the start of the Premier League season. Is next week going to be any bigger than last week? I don’t know. (Making signings) was of a priority at the end of last season. That hasn’t changed. “It’s not suddenly become a priority now. Is getting seven players in possible? I don’t know.” If bringing in seven players proves too much in the next 13 days, it is inconceivable that Everton will not make any signings, but, the problem does not end there for Moyes, which he knows. New faces will take time to assimilate with those already at Goodison Park, while the players who are nursing injuries also need to be eased back in and that has left Moyes thinking it could be nearer to autumn before Everton start to show their best. “It might be quite a while before we are ready,” Moyes, who had no argument with the final score, admitted. “We have got injured players to come back, we had some players away in Africa who we knew were going to take a little bit longer to get ready. “Tim Cahill isn’t back yet, Leon Osman missed a good majority of the pre-season and he only passed a fitness test before the game. We have got young boys as well so if we picked up an injury or two, we might be in trouble. “Joseph Yobo also had extra time off because of his situation in the summer. We have got players at all different levels and all different periods of their preparation. We have really only had four or five players who have done all the work. “That’s Jagielka, Lescott, Neville and Valente. There were no excuses but some of them didn’t do their job. That was disappointing.”

Date set for inquiry into Everton FC Kirkby stadium plan
Aug 18 2008 Liverpool Echo
A PUBLIC inquiry date has been set for Everton FC and Tesco's joint bid to build a stadium and superstore in Kirkby. The bid was called in by Government office North West only two weeks ago but now Whitehall has offered the date of November 18 for the public inquiry. Cllr Ron Round, Leader of Knowsley Council, said: "The council has formally accepted the date and we’re pleased the inquiry will be heard so swiftly. The people of Kirkby deserve a final decision on the regeneration of their town and holding the inquiry before the end of the year will bring clarity on the future of this development. "We’ll now be talking to our partners about the next steps in this process.” Tesco and Everton have also agreed the date and Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman has said they are equally pleased with the date. The stadium and Tesco store are part of a planned £400m redevelopment of Kirkby Town Centre.

It's up to us to lift Goodison gloom - Mikel Arteta
Aug 18 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
MIKEL ARTETA today defiantly promised that Everton’s players will do everything to lift the gloom surrounding Goodison Park. Blues supporters are already fearing the worst after Saturday’s 3-2 opening defeat to Blackburn and given there has still been no investment in the playing staff this summer. Arteta has called for the strong characters in Everton’s dressing room to lead the recovery this week and believes reinforcements will arrive before Saturday’s trip to West Brom. “The only people who can give things a lift at the minute are the players who are here,” said Arteta. “The fans have been terrific and tried to stay behind the team. We have just got to get on with things because nobody is going to feel sorry for us. “Blackburn? They didn’t feel sorry for us, did they? All we can do now is maximise everything that we have got here, get the best from every single player. “I’m sure some signings will happen this week. When it happens, it’s going to be big.” Arteta’s performance was arguably the main plus point for manager David Moyes, as he scored a terrific free-kick in first half injury time and then provided the cross for Ayegbeni Yakubu to put Everton 2-1 ahead. However, the Blues threw their advantage away almost immediately when Roque Santa Cruz took advantage of Joleon Lescott’s uncharacteristic naivety. They ended up paying the ultimate price in the dying seconds after Andre Ooijer profited from more defensive chaos. “We knew this would be a different start to the season than we have experienced in recent years because of the situation but, even still, we started badly and you just can’t do that,” said Arteta. “We were struggling but we managed to get back in the game. When we scored the second goal, we should have been comfortable but we then gave a goal away and that was down to a lack of concentration. You can’t make silly mistakes like that at home. If you concede three goals at home, it makes it so difficult. We’ve got to make sure we get back to basics next week.” Yakubu was many people’s scapegoat after he needlessly fouled Steven Reid in the lead to Ooijer’s goal but Arteta insisted: “When he does track back and tries to stop a player going forward, we can’t just blame him. After all, the free kick was nearly 40 yards from goal.”

Tiago talks still alive as Jimmy Bullard bid denied
Aug 19 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON confirmed today that negotiations were still ongoing with Portuguese midfielder Tiago. But the Blues have ruled out a deal for Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard. Reports today claimed that Juventus midfielder Tiago had snubbed a move to Goodison, and that Bullard was on the verge of arriving for £4m. But both stories have been rubbished. The Blues are still locked in talks with Tiago’s representatives and are hopeful of completing a 12-month loan deal with a view to a permanent move.
But there is no interest in bringing Bullard north again. A club spokesman has confirmed, meanwhile, that Sir Philip Carter is back on the board of directors.
Carter left the board of directors but was elevated to Life President during the last boardroom reshuffle that saw Robert Earl appointed. But while the Everton website lists Sir Philip under the current board of directors with the explanation “returned to board August 2008,” a club spokesman said today: “Sir Philip came back on board five months ago. He is not a direct replacement for Keith Wyness.” Carter has returned with the probably turbulent EGM looming next month. Friday’s UEFA Cup draw, meanwhile, could see Everton handed a tricky return trip to Metalist Kharkiv, the Ukrainian team the Blues scraped past in last season’s first round. Eighty teams will be divided into eight groups of 10 teams for the draw in Nyon. Each group consists of five seeded and five unseeded teams. The exact method of the distribution of teams over the groups is unknown, but unseeded teams likely to progress include Kharkiv, St Etienne, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. Based on the method used to distribute teams based on previous draws, however, the Blues could face Brondby, Maritimo Funchal, FC Timisoara, Kharkiv or Manchester City’s potential conquerors FC Midtjylland.

Fast-track for Everton FC's Kirkby stadium inquiry
Aug 19 2008 by Nick Coligan, Liverpool Echo
THE public inquiry into Everton FC and Tesco’s joint bid to build a stadium and superstore in Kirkby will start within three months . The plan was called in by Government office North West only two weeks ago, but now Whitehall has offered the date of November 18 for the public inquiry. There have been warnings that prolonged delays could kill off the project because of the financial implications.
The announcement of an early date was welcomed today. Tesco spokesman Michael Kissman said: “We asked them to come through quickly and we are pleased they have.” The stadium and Tesco store are part of a planned £400m redevelopment of Kirkby town centre. Cllr Ron Round, leader of Knowsley council, said: “The council has formerly accepted the date and we’re pleased the inquiry will be heard so swiftly.
“The people of Kirkby deserve a final decision on the regeneration of their town and holding the inquiry before the end of the year will bring clarity on the future of this development. “We’ll now be talking to Everton FC shareholders will be discussing the matter at an extraordinary general meeting on September 3 at Goodison Park.
In the meantime, club spokesman Ian Ross would only say:” At the moment we are concentrating on signing footballers.” Opponents of the scheme are also pleased with the November date. Dave Kelly, of Keep Everton In Our City, said: “We have said all along that speed needs to be the order of the day. “The longer the club is left in limbo then the more frustrating it becomes. “We are pleased that it seems to be happening so quickly and know once it is seen by independent eyes all will see there is no place for a stadium in Kirkby.” Kirkby residents action group spokesperson Ian Morris added: “This is what we have been asking for, the chance to put forward our opinion on the suitability of a football stadium coming to Kirkby. “The council wouldn’t listen to us but now we have a date when we know we will be heard.”
carolineinnes@liverpoolecho.co.uk0151 472 2469

Blues running out of time to sign players
Aug 19 2008 by Nigel Martyn, Liverpool Echo
YOU don’t have to be a member of Everton’s squad or work within Goodison Park to have been affected by this summer of frustration. With no new faces having yet come in and a lengthy injury list, it is not hard to imagine that David Moyes has been pulling his hair out and he now faces a hectic fortnight before the transfer window closes to bring in suitable reinforcements. There is no room for standing still in football, though, and at the minute, Everton are giving everyone the perception that is exactly what they have done. Surely pre-season was the time to be making signings so that they could have bedded in by now? In fairness to the manager, he is someone who sticks to his principles and wants to take his time over the players that he buys; apart from getting as much knowledge as he can about the footballing ability of his targets, he wants character references too. That’s something I know only too well.
When I was in the process of moving here from Leeds, I know that Jimmy Lumsden had spoken with Eddie Gray about me, while Chris Woods had been in contact with Steve Sutton, who was Leeds’ goalkeeping coach. The actual deal could have been done two or three weeks earlier than it took to complete and when things went quiet after the initial contact, I did wonder whether something had gone wrong, but it was only the fact that the manager was meticulously looking at the fine details.
He is determined to explore every avenue and wants to ensure he does everything to prevent a transfer from going wrong, but it absolutely imperative that David does good business before the window closes. If that doesn’t happen, pretty soon the dark clouds that have been gathering will start affecting the players and impact on results - that shouldn’t be the case but past experience tells me that shenanigans off the field creep across the white line. Look at what happened to Leeds. There is nothing you can do to affect events in the boardroom or wherever and every day you go into training aiming to do you best. But can you vouch for the rest of your team-mates?
After all, you don’t know what they are thinking all the time. I am not for one minute suggesting that Everton are on the brink of an Elland Road crisis, as there are too many good people in charge, but everyone can see the squad is short of bodies and needs beefing up. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

Everton FC wait for Tiago after agreeing loan deal
Aug 21 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON were today waiting for a decision from Tiago after they agreed a 12-month loan deal with Juventus for the Portugal international. Tiago has failed to sparkle at the Stadio Delli’ Alpi and Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri is eager to move him on but the former Chelsea midfielder is deliberating over whether he wants to play in the Premier League again. The Blues have thrashed out an arrangement with their Italian counterparts which gives them the opportunity to turn the loan into a permanent transfer next year but, with the ball now firmly in Tiago’s court, there is nothing more they can do but wait for his answer. Since helping Chelsea win the title in 2004-05, Tiago has had something of a nomadic existence, having played in France with Lyon before moving to Juventus, but he could have returned to England 12 months ago when Tottenham pursued him. They were in a similar position to what Everton are now and were ultimately left frustrated as the 27-year-old turned his back on them at the last minute. Having endured a drought in the transfer market this summer, David Moyes will be hoping lightening does not strike twice. One man who does have his heart set on moving to Goodison, however, is Rennes midfielder Stephane M’Bia and he has issued yet another “come and get me” plea to the Blues.
“I have been told Arsenal are interested but my position is clear - I want to start the season with Everton,” said M’Bia. “What Rennes are currently offering me is far behind my demands. Both clubs have to find an agreement to help me leave.
“I’m aware that my directors have declared I won’t leave, but it’s just a means to make my price higher. I understand their position and I would do the same. It’s politics. “From my part, I don’t want to play for Rennes anymore. Personally I don’t worry because English clubs have the resources to sign me. When they really want a player they are ready to spend whatever amount. I’m hopeful it will be done by next week. “That kind of opportunity only happens once. It’s an ideal springboard for my career.” This week’s international fixtures have not had too much of an impact on Moyes’ preparations for Saturday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, as only Nuno Valente and Tim Howard - who starred in the USA’s 1-0 win over Guatemala - have been away.

Tiago adds to Blues transfer woes
Aug 22 2008 Dominic Rigby, Liverpool Echo
TIAGO has added to Everton's summer of transfer frustration by turning downing a move to Goodison Park. The Blues had agreed a deal with Juventus that would have seen the Portugal international and former Chelea midfielder join David Moyes' side on a 12-month loan. But even though his chances of playing regularly in Italy are limited - he has fallen out with boss Claudio Ranieri - Tiago has opted to stay put.
"I will not be going to Everton," the former Chelsea midfielder insisted.

Tim Cahill eyes Everton FC return
Aug 22 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
TIM CAHILL today set his sights on a return to Premier League action within a month – as he confirmed his rehabilitation is going according to plan.
The influential Australian has not played for the first team since breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot for the third time during a 1-1 draw against West Ham in March and Everton have sorely missed his goals and drive from midfield.
Cahill was successfully operated on by leading Australian specialist Kim Slater earlier this summer and stepped up his fitness programme when he joined Everton’s squad for the start of the pre-season tour to the United States. He has been done plenty of running since but, even though the 28-year-old knows it won’t be long before he is back in contention, Cahill is not taking any unnecessary risks to shave a couple of weeks off his return date. “I’m taking it steady and leaving nothing to chance,” said Cahill. “But I’m getting closer every day. When I get the go ahead, I guarantee I’ll be back in great shape and hopefully in a position to make an immediate impact for both Everton and Australia. “The longer you are out, the more you appreciate what it means to play at the top level and there’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be back bigger and better than ever. The operation went well but the rehabilitation has taken a little longer than I’d have liked. “I’d planned to be back for the start of the Premier League season but it wasn’t to be. There’s no way I’ll be rushing back before I’m ready - that would be no good for myself, Everton or Australia.” When Cahill returned from a similar problem last October, his impact could not have been any greater as he scored 10 times in 28 appearances - during that spell, Everton were only beaten on four occasions. Not surprisingly, this latest lay-off has been difficult to take but Cahill has tried to stay positive and sought the best advice - he will wear new insoles in his shoes for one - to ensure the problems that have blighted the past 18 months do not surface again. “It’s been hard missing out on a lot of football but I am thankful for what I’ve already achieved in my career and I have a very supportive family and a great medical team behind me,” he said. “I don’t particularly enjoy watching football and when you’re injured you don’t really feel a part of things. But I’ve always been a positive person. “When I was a youngster in Australia people didn’t really rate me but I never took ‘no’ for an answer and I’ve always liked to prove people wrong.”
Everton, meanwhile, hope their summer-long transfer drought will soon come to an end, as they continue to work on deals for Tiago and Stephane M’Bia, which club officials hope will reach a successful conclusion by the end of the week.

Blues open talks with Serbian striker Nikola Zigic
Aug 22 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON are poised to open transfer talks with giant Serbian star Nikola Zigic today – as James Vaughan prepared to make his return to first team action.
David Moyes is desperate to bolster his paper thin squad but has so far failed to make any new additions even though he has pursued several leads. Signing a striker has long been a priority – especially since Andrew Johnson was sold to Fulham – and Valencia’s Zigic, 27, who turned down a move to Stoke City earlier this summer, may fill the void. The Spaniards are prepared to let the three-time Serbian Player of the Year leave for 9m euros – despite paying 15m euros when they signed him from Racing Santander last summer – but the Blues would prefer a loan move with a view to a permanent signing. Zigic, a towering 6ft 8ins, is a traditional target-man capped 28 times by his country, scoring 12 times. He made his name at Red Star Belgrade, scoring 71 goals in 110 games. Though Moyes will not have any new faces in for tomorrow’s trip to West Brom, he will at least be able to add Vaughan to the squad.
Vaughan has recovered from the foot problem that ruled him out against Blackburn and is likely to take his place on the bench at the Hawthorns. One man who will be crucial to victory tomorrow is Mikel Arteta. He was Everton’s star man against Blackburn, scoring one and setting upYakubu’s header, and hopes he can help inspire a better team performance. “We started badly and, as a result, we struggled against Blackburn,” said Arteta. “We will get back to the basics and hopefully that will help. We never got the ball on the floor early on last week and that’s not the game we play.
“We’ve just got to do our best at the minute. If Nuno has got to play on the left wing or Bainesy has got to play somewhere different, they will do it. If I could play in two positions at the same time I would do it. “The young lads have been terrific but the pressure is on us. That’s football. If everyone stays down, expecting something to happen it will be difficult for us. We have just got to forget about last week and concentrate on getting a win at West Brom.” Meanwhile, Tiago has added to the summer of transfer frustration by turning downing a move to Everton. The Blues had agreed a deal with Juventus to see the Portugal international and former Chelsea midfielder join on a 12-month loan. Though his chances of playing regularly in Italy are limited, Tiago has opted to stay put. "I will not be going to Everton," he said.

Gold star potential
Aug 22 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
WHILE one young Evertonian will be going for gold tomorrow, another crop of Boy Blues will be aiming to learn fast as they continue their footballing education.
Victor Anichebe will aim to fulfil a dream and win Olympic gold with Nigeria in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, but while the venue will not be so glamorous 5,186 miles away at the Hawthorns, the occasion will be of equal importance to another septet from Everton’s Academy. Brows may have been furrowed and heads shaken when David Moyes named his bench for last Saturday’s opening Premier League fixture against Blackburn, yet try telling the young men who got a sample of the big time that things had come too soon. Of course, there will have been nerves, but few would dispute that Jack Rodwell belied his 17 years to acquit himself with great credit in the centre of midfield, while Jose Baxter, who became the youngest player in Everton’s history, also hinted at great promise. The chance to build upon that, however, arrives quickly as another week of transfer inactivity means Moyes will not be shuffling his pack in any shape or form as Everton prepare for their first away day of the new campaign in West Bromwich. Both those scholars will travel to the Hawthorns tomorrow, as will James Wallace, Kieran Agard, John Paul Kissock, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Dan Gosling, hoping to take full advantage if opportunity happens to knock. Rodwell, for one, seems certain to start. True, it is not an ideal situation by any means and that is something Moyes readily accepts. Yet, at the same time, he has never shied away from blooding youngsters in the past if he felt the time was right, and that is a policy to which he will continue to adhere. In some ways, this experience may well accelerate the learning curve Rodwell, Baxter and Co are on as you learn more in football when times are testing, compared to when things are going more smoothly. “In truth, I don’t know whether many of the kids are that ready,” said Moyes. “Were you ready when you got your first job (at 17)? But when you get in, you have to prove you are up to it. You have to learn. It’s the same in every walk of life - football is no different.
“Some of them learn very quickly, others need nurturing by someone more experienced and they also need good teaching. Those boys should be proud of being on the bench (last week). They were there because of what they have done at this club since they were 15. “They have been good enough to get to this level. I have to let these boys know that what they have done (being included in the squad for a Premier League game) is a great achievement.”
JACK RODWELL Age: 17 Position: Midfield
CAME through the ranks. Became the youngest player to represent Everton in Europe when, aged 16 years and 284 days, he made his debut as a substitute against AZ Alkmaar last December. Signed a professional contract in May and played in all the Blues’ pre-season friendlies. Been capped by England at Under-16 and Under-18 level and is also comfortable playing as a central defender.
JOSE BAXTER Age: 16 Position: Midfield/attack
MIGHT have only just left school but is built like a tank and is blessed with a rich talent. His appearance as a substitute in last Saturday’s defeat against Blackburn meant he replaced James Vaughan as the youngest player in Everton’s history - at 16 years 196 days. Went on both pre-season tours to the United States and Switzerland and scored his first goal for the Blues in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last month.
DAN GOSLING Age: 18 Position: Midfield
RELATIVELY new to life on Merseyside - he joined Everton in a £1.2m deal in January after making 24 appearances for Plymouth Argyle - but has already made an impression and would have made his Premier League debut at the end of last season, had he not suffered cartilage damage. Represented England at the Under-19 European Championships in July and is known at Finch Farm as ‘Goose’.
LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ Age: 19 Position: Forward
AGREED to join the Blues from Swindon Town in March 2007 and when he arrived later that summer, marked his first appearance with a goal against Bury at Gigg Lane. Has not played for the first team yet and spent a chunk of last season on loan at Plymouth but worked hard to stake a claim during pre-season and scored both Everton’s goals in a 4-2 defeat against Cambridge United.
KIERAN AGARD Age: 18 Position: Forward
MOVED to Everton’s Academy from Arsenal midway through the 2005/06 campaign, scoring plenty of goals for the Under-18s before he moved up to the reserves. Quick, energetic and direct, he made a couple of substitute appearances in pre-season.
JOHN PAUL KISSOCK Age: 18 Position: Midfield
ANOTHER Academy graduate and a player whose progress has been keenly charted by those Evertonians aware of his trickery and skill. Similar in looks and stature to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, he spent part of last season on loan at Gretna and will be eager to make a breakthrough with the Blues this year. A dance music buff who admits he would probably be a DJ if he did not play football.
JAMES WALLACE Age: 16 Position: Midfield
BORN in Fazakerley, he has been a member of the Blues’ Academy for the past three years and his progress was rewarded with a full-time contract in the summer. A goalscoring midfielder, he made his first appearance for the senior team when replacing Phil Neville late on in the 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven earlier this month.

David Moyes: 'Everton are close to crisis'
Aug 23 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES is facing the biggest challenge of his Everton career after admitting just one more injury will leave the Blues in chaos. The Everton manager has yet to make his first summer signing and, with the deadline on September 1, is aware time to act is running out. The need for him to move swiftly has been highlighted in the past 48 hours with Phil Neville (ankle) and Dan Gosling (thigh) picking up injuries which make them major doubts for today’s clash with West Brom. With Steven Pienaar, Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert also unlikely to return within the next month, Moyes could - even soon find himself struggling to name a starting line-up. But he has again vowed not to let his recruiting standards drop and suggested the Blues may not add to their squad before the window closes. “We only need one injury at this present time,” he said. “ We could have periods in the season where we will be struggling to field a team. If we don’t improve, we might end up having to take a backward step.
“There are very few people who have turned us down, in fact I don’t think anyone has.
“Tiago didn’t want to come back to England and I accept that. I guarantee nobody has specifically turned us down. “Everything was agreed with Tiago, but his choice was to go elsewhere. But that’s fair enough.. The shutters in the shop are half down right now. It’s not quite as open season as it was in the last six to eight weeks.
“It looks like the quality players I want to bring in here might not be the ones that I’m chasing. We need to get numbers in. It’s probably out of reach for us to bring in the six or seven we need now. And there’s a possibility we might end up bringing nobody in.” Moyes and chairman Bill Kenwright are now working overtime to recruit players; Alan Smith remains a target, as do Serbian striker Nikola Zigic and Rennes midfielder Stephane M’Bia. “We couldn’t get through to January with what we have right now,” he admitted. “We have to make sure that the season isn’t over before it has started, so we need to get on with things. There are no excuses, there won’t be any from me or the players.

Fear factor is the barrier to UEFA hopes
Aug 23 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
THE date has, in all likelihood, been marked in your diary ever since that unforgettable evening against Fiorentina and the wait is nearly over. Six days from now, the movers and shakers in European football will convene in Monaco to see how the draws for this season’s Champions League and UEFA Cup unfold and Evertonians will be hoping the balls come out in their favour. Fortune has not exactly smiled on the Blues since they have been back mixing it with the best on the continent, as pairings with Villarreal and Dinamo Bucharest proved in 2005, while last season threw up another far from straightforward duel with Metalist Kharkiv. Given that Everton will be seeded when the draw takes place, they will avoid assignments against high calibre sides such as an AC Milan or an Ajax but that does not mean they can expect to breeze through into the group stages. Far from it. Manchester City’s chastening experience against Danish minnows FC Midtyjlland should finally have proven that there are no such things as formalities in Europe any longer and, after a summer of transfer inactivity, a number of Toffees are sure to be anxious about what lies ahead. Quite simply, European football is crucial towards Everton’s development as a football club, so the consequences of falling at the first hurdle a la three years ago do not bear thinking about. Put simply, there cannot be a repeat. Blues fans should cast their minds back to that campaign and remember their feelings going into it. Much was promised, the riches of the Champions League were within distance but poor pre-season preparation - a trip to Thailand was not beneficial - ensured they started on the wrong foot. Following the crushing heartbreak of being robbed in Villarreal then walloped in Bucharest, the wheels threatened to come off spectacularly, and the fact Everton had won only one Premier League game by the start of November spoke volumes. Moyes and his players, understandably, found it difficult to get over the disappointment of seeing everything they had worked tirelessly towards the previous season slip away, and that ensured it was a long, difficult road to the following May. Contrast that to last year’s escapades. Though they only got past Kharkiv by the skin of their teeth, the extra demands of playing in Europe actually helped Everton. The squad thrived on the workload, Moyes relished the different tests and the spin-off was terrific league form. But what are the chances this time around? If the games were being staged next week, as opposed to the draw, hand on heart, you would have to say the Blues would struggle to get through, particularly if they came up against organised, hard-working opponents.
Blackburn ruthlessly exposed the current shortcomings in the squad last weekend and unless significant business is done before the transfer window closes, there is no escape from the fact that Everton are not equipped for the demands of the UEFA Cup.
It is enormously frustrating that we are faced with a situation now that sees Evertonians worrying about what fate awaits them in Monaco rather than bristling with confidence, not bothered about the test they will be handed. This, after all, was the campaign that promised so much. Quite simply, if Moyes and company want to go on another lengthy European tour, quick and decisive action must be taken to bring reinforcements in. If they don’t, there is a real fear that the trip which UEFA hand them next month may prove their last for quite some time.

Young’s appeal to solve blister pain
Aug 23 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
“HAS anyone a cure for blistered feet?”
As first column headlines go, Alex Young’s introduction to the Echo in August 1961 was an unusual one. Still to receive his Golden Vision nickname, Young had moved to Merseyside from Hearts the previous November, and was unveiled as an Echo columnist on the eve of the 1961/62 season. And his first offering was headlined with that unusual plea to fans. “Whenever the ground is firm, or anything other than holding, I find that the soles of my feet blister easily and that is what happened last Wednesday (at West Brom),” he wrote. “My feet had been very sore after the opening match against Aston Villa the previous Saturday, but within half an hour last Wednesday my feet started to cripple me and I could hardly put them to the ground without pain. Blisters formed on both feet and I could hardly run long before the game ended. “This has happened before in Scotland and although I bathe my feet twice a day in methylated spirit to try to harden them I don’t seem to be able to toughen them.
“I have tried all I know to prevent these blisters forming, but so far I have not been successful so if anyone reading this should know of any treatment I could try, please let me know and I’ll be eternally grateful.” Predictably Young wasn’t short of offers. “I certainly put my foot in it last week,” he quipped in his follow-up column.
“For days afterwards each mail at the Echo brought a score or more suggestions on how to get rid of my blisters and I have read so many that it was almost necessary for me to find an eye strain cure this week!” There was free advice from a foot consultant in Rodney Street, together with almost 100 different suggestions from well meaning readers. Ex-Servicemen who suffered during their marching days suggested “rubbing ordinary household soap inside football stockings to form a cushion of greasy substance”. Others favoured “paddling in salt water”. Steve Long of Ponsonby Street reminded Alex that Ted Burgin, the former Sheffield United goalkeeper, cured tender skin on his knuckles by ‘pickling’ them. He “bathed them for one to two hours a day in a bowl of brine and vinegar. After a week Ted’s knuckles were bone hard”.
Mr T Hunt advised only wearing leather soled shoes, another suggested soaking the feet in paraffin. How many Young tried is uncertain, but he continued to be plagued by blistered feet throughout his career.

David Moyes urges a wafer-thin Everton squad not to snap
Aug 23 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID Moyes will be urging his players find strength in adversity when they head into battle this afternoon. Following another fruitless week in the transfer market, frustrations at Finch Farm were exacerbated in the last 48 hours when both Dan Gosling and Phil Neville pulled up lame in training to make them unlikely starters at The Hawthorns. Given that Everton’s squad is not so much down to the bare bones but through to the marrow, the last thing Moyes needed going into this tussle with West Bromwich Albion is to lose his most experienced player and a youngster with infectious energy. Neville may yet well play through the pain barrier for his team in the Black Country - and Moyes hopes that resilient attitude will rub off on his colleagues, who are looking to get their season up and running. It would be easy for some to start wallowing in self pity in the dog-eat-dog world of Premier League football, such an attitude will guarantee only one thing - a resounding defeat.
And that is something Everton experienced on their last visit to this venue. Back in November 2005, they have been on the end of a poor refereeing decision in the first half but that did not contribute to West Brom blowing the Blues out of the water.
The final scoreline that miserable night was 4-0 but anyone who fears a similar outcome would do well to think again. Moyes might acknowledge that he is facing a huge challenge but he knows his players expect him to provide leadership.
“I’m not down,” said Moyes, who has been forced to rule James Vaughan out of the equation as the young striker is still not fit. “I’ve got to get a team that will compete, challenge and have a go against the top teams. “It was this time last year when most people were saying Everton could be the team that’s going to do it. I’m not hearing people saying that this year. So why is that? “Maybe I now have to look to bring in five or six players which would cost me no money. I will be responsible for bringing in those five or six. The team will always be my responsibility. I need to get a team that wins and a team that gets results. “I won’t compromise my ambition. I believe my style will hopefully continue to get results and wins, with whatever team I put out. I won’t compromise what I expect from whichever players I bring in. It’s up to them to respond to that.” In his mind, however, Moyes knows the next few weeks will go a long way to determining what Everton can hope to achieve this season and it could be that before they really click into gear, things will have passed them by. Even still, Moyes will not budge from his stance of wanting to bring the best possible players to Goodison Park and he still thinks progress can be made. “Everybody has known where I have wanted to take the club. Maybe my standards are high, but I want the best for Everton,” said Moyes. “I recognised when we finished fifth what standard of player we needed to get to the next level and the cost it would take to get them in.
“It’s taken me five or six years to get to this situation. We had stopped becoming a yo-yo club because in the end we had got roughly 14-15 players we think we could work with, and wanted to add another 4-5 to that number to make sure that we could think about challenging.” That, though, is for the future. Today the main priority is beating West Brom - young guns Jack Rodwell and Jose Baxter will have a chance to continue their footballing education - but victory will not be secured if the same mistakes are made as last week. “We want to play much better than we did last week,” said Moyes. “We didn’t play well enough and we need to make sure we get a result. I thought on the day Blackburn were much better than us and I couldn’t have any complaints. “But, saying that, I thought the young lads have done terrifically well.
“Jack Rodwell has been determined to take his opportunity. He has got a long way to go but in in two or three years’ time, you can see he is going to be an outstanding player.” Outstanding is a way to describe Mikel Arteta’s talent and after a pleasing performance against Blackburn, he intends to lead by example. “The young lads really responded well,” said Arteta. “We could have won last week had we been a bit more solid but that is football. We have got to keep going but if everyone stays down it is going to be more difficult. “If everyone waits for something to happen, it is not going to. We need to make it happen. Hopefully we can put up the kind of performance we know are capable of and get our first win.”

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 EVERTON 2
Aug 23 2008 By Dominic King
LEON OSMAN and Ayegbeni Yakubu lifted the gloom hanging over Goodison Park as their goals secured Everton’s first win of the new Premier League campaign today.
Having endured a testing week since the opening day defeat against Blackburn Rovers, Everton - sporting a garish aluminous yellow kit - showed wonderful battling qualities to see off West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. While they may be still be short of their best, let know ever doubt the character of this team and they deserved the three points for digging deep despite being down to the bare bones. The first half was an utterly wretched affair with Everton offering nothing in terms of an attacking threat, the only shots they managed in 45 minutes were a deflected effort from Baxter that Scott Carson easily held and a Mikel Arteta free-kick that struck the wall.
Indeed, had West Brom possessed a forward of quality - think Roque Santa Cruz of Blackburn Rovers seven days ago - the game could, perhaps should, have been over by the interval. Ishmael Miller fluffed the best of the home side’s opportunities, the former Manchester City man somehow misdirecting a header wide from five yards after he had been picked out in acres of space by Gianni Zuiverloon.
That, though, was not Everton’s only let off as Chris Brunt saw a thumping left-foot drive from 25 yards whistle inches over the bar, another effort from Robert Koren had Tim Howard scampering across his goal, while James Morrison also went close.
West Brom started the second period in a similarly energetic vein and the more they pressed for the breakthrough, the greater the noise levels inside this atmospheric stadium became, as the home supporters sensed blood. Their cheers, however, were soon stuck in their throats as Everton conjured up the perfect riposte; after Jack Rodwell had goal harshly disallowed by referee Rob Styles for pushing, Osman’s fancy foot work from Arteta’s pass created a chance he gobbled up. From then on, Everton looked a different side, full of confidence and belief, and that was thanks in part to the energy of substitute James Vaughan, making his first senior appearance since February 9. But it was left Vaughan’s strike partner to secure the victory, Ayegbeni Yakubu again confirming himself a poacher supreme as he hustled Abdoulaye Meite into a mistake and headed Tim Howard’s long clearance past Scott Carson. And in that instant, suddenly the world seemed a happy place for Evertonians once again - not even Roman Bednar’s late penalty - which he converted after a Phil Neville handball - could dampen spirits.
WEST BROM (4-5-1): Carson; Zuiverloon, Meite, Barnett, Robinson; Morrison, Kim (MacDonald 70), Greening, Koren (Bednar 70), Brunt; Miller (Beattie 80).
Goals - Bednar (88 pen)
Bookings - Meite (45), Zuiverloon (45)
EVERTON (4-5-1): Howard; Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Baines; Arteta, Jagielka, Rodwell, Osman; Baxter (Vaughan 58), Yakubu (Valente 87)
Goals - Osman (65), Yakubu (76)
Bookings - Osman (38)
Referee - Rob Styles

West Brom 1, Everton 2: Post Match Analysis
Aug 25 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post
HE only had half an hour’s worth of fitness to contribute to the desperate Everton cause on Saturday. But on his first game back in his native Midlands, that’s all it took James Vaughan to change the whole course of a campaign. Which isn’t overstating the case because this victory over West Bromwich Albion could be the key to resurrecting this fading summer. The nights are getting darker but suddenly – and not just because of the new fluorescent yellow third strip – thing are looking a whole lot brighter. Vaughan’s selfless shift finally gave David Moyes the chance to swell his attacking options and that was ultimately the key to his side’s first victory of the campaign. Less than 20 minutes after he had made his entrance the underworked home defence had been sufficiently shaken up by the extra presence in their third of the field to allow Leon Osman and Yakubu to make the decisive interventions.
But Vaughan’s willingness to put his body on the line was the most admirable aspect of that match-defining period, particularly for someone with an injury history that suggests he’s been auditioning for Jackass. He dragged Albion all over the place and his previously lacklustre team-mates up by their bootlaces on a day when he shouldn’t even have been on the bus let alone the pitch. But it wasn’t about Vaughan as an individual. He needs to get himself ready for 90-minute appearances, maintain his fitness and not allow his old-fashioned all-action style spill into stupidity the way it did in Chicago. It was what the 20-year-old epitomised that was significant on Saturday. It resurrected the Everton spirit, once the linchpin of all their recent charges into Europe, but one that has slowly been eroding away with each passing day of transfer window inactivity. It was in evidence all over the Hawthorns and stunned an Albion side who started looking like they fancied their chances but had no answer to Everton’s second-half resurgence. Mikel Arteta provided more magic to ease the breakthrough. Yakubu kept up a goal-a-game start to the campaign. Phil Neville shattered the pain barrier. The back four finally settled down and saw out those tense final few moments that Roman Bednar’s penalty produced. And there was more valuable first-team experience for Jose Baxter and Jack Rodwell, combined age 33. Their impact may have been limited but Baxter can only benefit from a nerveless first start and Rodwell was unfortunate to see what should have been his first senior goal ruled out for a push a minute before his side eventually took the lead. The long-term problems may be far from being resolved but it all added up to a performance that could have far-reaching significance in the closing days of August and well beyond.
Imagine you’re a player pondering a move to Goodison Park and you see your prospective new employers languishing at the foot of the table, no points after two defeats out of two. Why would you want to plunge into the pressure cooker of a team that can’t pick up a point against West Brom? That’s a relegation battle waiting to happen. Now there is a genuine belief you’d be joining a set of players committed to battling against insurmountable odds. People you can rely on in a crisis.
Of course, nobody will get too carried away with victory over Championship-standard opposition and certainly not after a first half in which the hangover from the previous week’s lapse to Blackburn was there for all to see. More composure – particularly form Ishmael Miller – from a series of excellent crosses from the right early on could have shaped a whole different game. But Everton simply had to win on Saturday. Unless Moyes can go on a trolley dash Dale Winton would enthuse about in the remaining shopping days, he will still have a small squad to choose from.
Which proved perilous in the agonising climax to last season when Everton crawled over the finishing line into that one UEFA Cup spot. The reason that late lapse didn’t cost them was because of the points collected in the early part of the season.
And the victories in the opening two league games of last season that left Everton top of the table were as vital to the final tally as any. So these first points on the board could not have been more precious in the circumstances. Moyes knows that too. After the opening day defeat to Blackburn, his high-risk strategy of holding out for players of a certain quality in favour of bolstering the numbers was questioned.
Letting another week go by without amending that situation was a massive risk and yet, he somehow managed to make it all work out again. Investment in the squad remains vital but for now, what sorts out the managers from the boys is how you work with the tools you’re given. Bad workmen blame them, good ones make the best of them. After all, the Everton team sheet has become as welcome a piece of paper as the first credit card bill after Christmas. And it brings home your woeful lack of resources to a similarly depressing extent. Therefore, having the courage to still gamble on an even more inexperienced line-up than the week before, preferring the 12 minutes first team experience of 16-year-old Baxter to the 33 Portugal caps of Nuno Valente, could have backfired spectacularly. And it looked like it might when WBA responded to the optimism and exuberance of a first home game since promotion by dominating possession. Which wasn’t difficult because when Everton managed to get any, they surrendered it at will. Aimless, pedestrian, panicky. A half-decent team would have capitalised. But the Baggies are no half-decent team. They might have made their visitors envious with a couple of new signings and a significantly more experienced bench – they even had Pele on it – but the quality wasn’t there as Everton rode their luck to survive the first half and the early part of the second. Then Vaughan provided the injection of energy and Rodwell the belief with his towering header that was ruled out. But it was always gong to take a moment of Arteta class to give Everton the edge.
Vaughan pressured Leon Barnett into a sloppy pass that the Spaniard pounced on like a hungry tiger, and he mauled the Albion defence with a perfectly weighted pass that Osman took in his stride to sweep past Scott Carson. That effectively finished the hosts off and Yakubu hammered home the initiative by chasing down Joleon Lescott’s hoof to shrug off Abdoulaye Meite to nod in the second and his 100th in English football.. Even the late penalty awarded for handball against Phil Neville couldn’t break that spirit and team ethic. The players gathered for a rather garish huddle before the game but they stuck together throughout. Much work still needs to be done on and off the pitch but the harshest judges will always be the fans. So are those who packed the away section the Hawthorns still worried about the lack of acquisitions?
“2-0 and we’ve signed no-one,” they sang at one point. Doesn’t look like it.

it’s a PIGMENT OF THE IMAGINATION
Aug 25 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
IF yellow is the colour synonymous with those faint of heart, the hue of Everton’s latest away kit could not be any less appropriate. As we are all well aware, the days when simplicity was the only thing needed to design a team strip have long gone but even in this era of the football shirt becoming a fashion garment, the garishness of the ensemble which Everton wore on Saturday defied belief. Luminous to the point that it clashed with the high-visibility vests worn by stewards at The Hawthorns, it’s the kind of garment to make you stand out in a crowd - in other words, it’s not something you would want on if circumstances became embarrassing. Fortunately, the only embarrassment that the Toffees suffered at the end of another testing week was sartorially and the defeat many envisaged at West Brom never materialised as David Moyes’ men again showed they have the stomach for a fight. While it has been apparent for quite some time this summer that all is not well behind the scenes at Goodison Park - why else has the manager not made a signing yet? - the players have diligently done all that has been asked of them to the best of their ability.
True, not even their biggest supporter would attempt to say they covered themselves in glory on the opening day against Blackburn and it would be foolish to claim that a 2-1 win over a poor West Brom side is proof that things are back to normal - they aren’t. But from the moment Phil Neville beckoned his team-mates into a huddle before kick-off, it was clear to see that 11 men whom Moyes had selected for duty in the Black Country were determined to send out a message to any of their detractors.
It’s no fault of theirs that Moyes has not so far dipped into his transfer kitty nor can any of them be blamed for the lengthy injury list that has wreaked havoc, yet they have been aware for much of the past month that many have been waiting to pounce on them. Had the squad not possessed strength and courage, we would inevitably have been talking about another defeat today as a West Brom side who were determined to play the game as it should be done made things uncomfortable in the opening 45 minutes. Perhaps it was Everton’s good fortune that they came up against opponents who didn’t want to rough them up, as the last thing a team with apparently fragile confidence needs is to get into an unseemly battle. As Moyes admitted, events have had an impact. “It has seeped through to the players,” he said. “They’re not daft. My job is to not let them down and at the moment I am letting them down because I’m not giving them good players to help them win more games.” With that in mind, any chinks in their armour would have been exposed and it’s quite possible that Everton may have gone under had Tony Mowbray’s men taken the lead, but, to their credit, they knuckled down and, in many ways, did it for themselves. Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu were the men who popped up to give Everton an advantage that was halved by Roman Bednar’s late penalty yet they would be the first to acknowledged the role played by some of the team’s artisans to lay the foundations.
Leading the way, typically, was the captain. Lesser souls would have used the injury he sustained in the build-up to wave the white flag but Neville refused to let the considerable discomfort he felt in his ankle hinder his performance. As soon as Neville led his team out on to the pitch, it was evident to see he would not accept anything other than a victory, barking encouragement to each of his colleagues and demanding that they did not let themselves down. Meanwhile, the ‘other’ Phil - Jagielka - made just as significant contribution in the centre of midfield alongside Jack Rodwell, covering miles, hurtling into tackles and doing his best to provide cover for Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott. Happily, those two left the nightmare afternoon they endured against Blackburn behind and with Leighton Baines sticking to his guns on the left flank, Everton never really looked like conceding, but, at the same time, they never looked like scoring either. That, though, changed the moment James Vaughan was introduced for the first time since February 9, as suddenly Yakubu looked a different player with someone alongside him, and the substitute started to create chaos with his infectious enthusiasm. Provided Moyes can keep Vaughan fit, how Everton will benefit as this young man has much to offer. A throw back to an old fashioned centre forward, his pace and strength unsettles defenders as West Brom’s Abdoulaye Meite and Leon Barnett will testify. “Vaughany completely turned the game,” Moyes noted. “I put him on with 35 minutes to go and could have taken him off with 10 minutes left as the boy has not played any football. In a way, he won us the game.” The only thing missing was a goal but a smart finish from Osman and Yakubu’s header ensured his good work never went unrewarded, as well as making up for Rob Styles’ awful decision to rule out Rodwell’s first goal in senior football.
For those who had paid an extortionate £40 for to sit in the away end, the world seemed a happier place when Styles blew the final whistle. But before anyone starts getting carried away, however, a word of warning. Moyes has got an enormous amount of work to do before September 1 to ensure that Everton do not take a backward step this season. Sure, it is a relief to get three points on the board, but remember what happened in 2005 - an identical start to the campaign was followed by a horrifying sequence of defeats and better sides than West Brom await in the not too distant future. Everton’s players have terrific courage, but they also need help – Moyes must now take drastic action to ensure he doesn’t let them down further.

VAUGHAN AGAIN
Aug 25 2008 by Nick Smith, Daily Post
JAMES VAUGHAN only had half an hour’s worth of fitness to contribute to the desperate Everton cause on Saturday. But on his return to his native Midlands, that’s all it took – 30 minutes to change the whole course of a campaign.
Which isn’t overstating the case because this victory over West Bromwich Albion could be the key to resurrecting this fading summer. The nights are getting darker but suddenly – and not just because of the new fluorescent yellow third strip – things are looking a whole lot brighter. Vaughan’s selfless shift finally gave David Moyes the chance to swell his attacking options and that was ultimately the key to his side’s first victory of the campaign. Less than 20 minutes after he had made his entrance, the underworked home defence had been sufficiently shaken up by the extra presence in their third of the field to allow Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu to make the decisive interventions. But Vaughan’s willingness to put his body on the line was the most admirable aspect of that match-defining period, particularly for someone with an injury history that suggests he’s been auditioning for Jackass. He dragged Albion all over the place and his previously lacklustre team-mates up by their bootlaces on a day when he shouldn’t even have been on the bus let alone the pitch. But it wasn’t about Vaughan as an individual. He needs to get himself ready for 90-minute appearances, maintain his fitness and not allow his old-fashioned all-action style spill into stupidity the way it did in Chicago. It was what the 20-year-old epitomised that was significant on Saturday. It clearly summed up the Everton spirit, once the linchpin of all their recent charges into Europe, but one that has slowly been eroding away with each passing day of transfer window inactivity. It was in evidence all over The Hawthorns and stunned an Albion side who started looking like they fancied their chances but had no answer to Everton’s second-half resurgence. Mikel Arteta providing more magic to ease the breakthrough. Yakubu keeping up a goal-a-game start to the campaign. Phil Neville shattering the pain barrier. The back four finally settling down and seeing out those tense final few moments that Roman Bednar’s penalty produced.
And there was more valuable first-team experience for Jose Baxter and Jack Rodwell, combined age 33. Their impact may have been limited but Baxter can only benefit from a nerveless first start and Rodwell was unfortunate to see what should have been his first senior goal ruled out for a push a minute before his side eventually took the lead. The long-term problems may be far from being resolved but it all added up to a performance that could have far-reaching significance in the closing days of August and well beyond. Imagine you’re a player pondering a move to Goodison Park and you see your prospective new employers languishing at the foot of the table, no points after two defeats out of two. Why would you want to plunge into the pressure cooker of a team that can’t pick up a point against West Brom? That’s a relegation battle waiting to happen. Now there is a genuine belief you’d be joining a set of players committed to battling against insurmountable odds. People you can rely on in a crisis.
Of course, nobody will get too carried away with victory over Championship-standard opposition and certainly not after a first half in which the hangover from the previous week’s lapse to Blackburn was there for all to see. More composure – particularly form Ishmael Miller – from a series of excellent crosses from the right early on could have shaped a whole different game. But Everton simply had to win on Saturday. Unless Moyes can go on a trolley dash Dale Winton would enthuse about in the remaining shopping days, he will still have a small squad to choose from.
Which proved perilous in the agonising climax to last season when Everton crawled over the finishing line into that one Uefa Cup spot. The reason that late lapse of form didn’t cost them was because of the points collected in the early part of the season.
And the victories in the opening two league games of last season that left Everton top of the table were as vital to the final tally as any. So these first points on the board could not have been more precious in the circumstances. Letting another week go by without amending that situation was a massive risk and yet, he somehow managed to make it all work out again. Investment in the squad remains vital but for now, what sorts out the managers from the boys is how you work with the tools you’re given. Bad workmen blame them, good ones make the best of them. After all, the Everton team sheet has become as welcome a piece of paper as the first credit card bill after Christmas. And it brings home your woeful lack of resources to a similarly depressing extent. But to have the courage to still gamble on an even more inexperienced line-up than the week before, preferring the 12 minutes first team experience of 16-year-old Baxter to the 33 Portugal caps of Nuno Valente, could have backfired spectacularly.
And it looked like it might when WBA responded to the optimism and exuberance of a first home game since promotion by dominating possession and Everton rode their luck to survive the first half and the early part of the second. Then Vaughan provided the injection of energy, Rodwell the belief with his towering header that was ruled out. But it was always gong to take a moment of Arteta class to give Everton the edge.
Vaughan pressured Leon Barnett into a sloppy pass that the Spaniard pounced on like a hungry tiger and he mauled the Albion defence with a perfectly weighted pass that Osman took in his stride to sweep past Scott Carson. That effectively finished the hosts off and Yakubu hammered home the initiative by chasing down Joleon Lescott’s hoof to shrug off Abdoulaye Meite to nod in the second and his 100th in English football. Even the late penalty awarded for handball against Phil Neville couldn’t break that spirit and team ethic. The players gathered for a rather garish huddle before the game but they stuck together throughout. Much work still needs to be done on and off the pitch but the harshest judges will always be the fans. So are those who packed the away section still worried? “2-0 and we’ve signed no-one,” they sang at one point.
Doesn’t look like it.

West Brom 1 Everton 2
Aug 25 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
IF yellow is the colour synonymous with those faint of heart, the hue of Everton’s latest away kit could not be any less appropriate. As we are all well aware, the days when simplicity was the only thing needed to design a team strip have long gone but even in this era of the football shirt becoming a fashion garment, the garishness of the ensemble which Everton wore on Saturday defied belief. Luminous to the point that it clashed with the high-visibility vests worn by stewards at The Hawthorns, it’s the kind of garment to make you stand out in a crowd - in other words, it’s not something you would want on if circumstances became embarrassing. Fortunately, the only embarrassment that the Toffees suffered at the end of another testing week was sartorially and the defeat many envisaged at West Brom never materialised as David Moyes’ men again showed they have the stomach for a fight. While it has been apparent for quite some time this summer that all is not well behind the scenes at Goodison Park - why else has the manager not made a signing yet? - the players have diligently done all that has been asked of them to the best of their ability. True, not even their biggest supporter would attempt to say they covered themselves in glory on the opening day against Blackburn and it would be foolish to claim that a 2-1 win over a poor West Brom side is proof that things are back to normal - they aren’t. But from the moment Phil Neville beckoned his team-mates into a huddle before kick-off, it was clear to see that 11 men whom Moyes had selected for duty in the Black Country were determined to send out a message to any of their detractors. It’s no fault of theirs that Moyes has not so far dipped into his transfer kitty nor can any of them be blamed for the lengthy injury list that has wreaked havoc, yet they have been aware for much of the past month that many have been waiting to pounce on them. Had the squad not possessed strength and courage, we would inevitably have been talking about another defeat today as a West Brom side who were determined to play the game as it should be done made things uncomfortable in the opening 45 minutes. Perhaps it was Everton’s good fortune that they came up against opponents who didn’t want to rough them up, as the last thing a team with apparently fragile confidence needs is to get into an unseemly battle. As Moyes admitted, events have had an impact. “It has seeped through to the players,” he said. “They’re not daft. My job is to not let them down and at the moment I am letting them down because I’m not giving them good players to help them win more games.” With that in mind, any chinks in their armour would have been exposed and it’s quite possible that Everton may have gone under had Tony Mowbray’s men taken the lead, but, to their credit, they knuckled down and, in many ways, did it for themselves. Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu were the men who popped up to give Everton an advantage that was halved by Roman Bednar’s late penalty yet they would be the first to acknowledged the role played by some of the team’s artisans to lay the foundations. Leading the way, typically, was the captain. Lesser souls would have used the injury he sustained in the build-up to wave the white flag but Neville refused to let the considerable discomfort he felt in his ankle hinder his performance. As soon as Neville led his team out on to the pitch, it was evident to see he would not accept anything other than a victory, barking encouragement to each of his colleagues and demanding that they did not let themselves down. Meanwhile, the ‘other’ Phil - Jagielka - made just as significant contribution in the centre of midfield alongside Jack Rodwell, covering miles, hurtling into tackles and doing his best to provide cover for Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott. Happily, those two left the nightmare afternoon they endured against Blackburn behind and with Leighton Baines sticking to his guns on the left flank, Everton never really looked like conceding, but, at the same time, they never looked like scoring either. That, though, changed the moment James Vaughan was introduced for the first time since February 9, as suddenly Yakubu looked a different player with someone alongside him, and the substitute started to create chaos with his infectious enthusiasm. Provided Moyes can keep Vaughan fit, how Everton will benefit as this young man has much to offer. A throw back to an old fashioned centre forward, his pace and strength unsettles defenders as West Brom’s Abdoulaye Meite and Leon Barnett will testify.
“Vaughany completely turned the game,” Moyes noted. “I put him on with 35 minutes to go and could have taken him off with 10 minutes left as the boy has not played any football. In a way, he won us the game.” The only thing missing was a goal but a smart finish from Osman and Yakubu’s header ensured his good work never went unrewarded, as well as making up for Rob Styles’ awful decision to rule out Rodwell’s first goal in senior football. For those who had paid an extortionate £40 for to sit in the away end, the world seemed a happier place when Styles blew the final whistle. But before anyone starts getting carried away, however, a word of warning. Moyes has got an enormous amount of work to do before September 1 to ensure that Everton do not take a backward step this season. Sure, it is a relief to get three points on the board, but remember what happened in 2005 - an identical start to the campaign was followed by a horrifying sequence of defeats and better sides than West Brom await in the not too distant future. Everton’s players have terrific courage, but they also need help – Moyes must now take drastic action to ensure he doesn’t let them down further.

David Moyes vows to step up hunt for fresh faces
Aug 25 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES has promised to work overtime this week to get the back up he believes his overstretched players deserve. Though many supporters feared that Everton would have no points after two games, goals from Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu secured a 2-1 win at West Brom and kept up the impressive record Moyes has in the first away fixture of a new campaign. In the seven seasons he has been in charge at Goodison, Moyes has seen Everton win five and draw one of their opening away day tests - the only loss in that time was at Arsenal - and they deserved another three points at The Hawthorns. However, the squad was again nearly at breaking point and the manager knows he owes it to those currently at Goodison Park to get reinforcements in or he runs the risk of seeing all their good work going askew.
“I’ve got a really good relationship with the players,” said Moyes. “They know how I work and I got Arteta, Cahill, Lescott, Jagielka, and Neville on the understanding I am going to progress Everton and make them better. “And at the moment I’m letting them down. They get annoyed when I’m shouting at them, but I feel I just have to get some more players to help them out. At the moment, at the start of the season, they are still regaining their fitness. “But we’ve got very few players we can take off. West Brom’s bench was easily stronger. I can’t even give them 60-65 minutes then give them a rest.” Fatigue, though, was never an issue once Osman had fired Everton in front and victory came as a pleasant surprise to Moyes who, given the circumstances, feared West Brom would prove to be difficult opponents. “You have to come and get something out of these games and I wasn’t sure we could do that with this team,” said Moyes. “We could have had all our best players and not got a result here. “They have come up with all the momentum as champions, first game at home in the Premier League. We’d have been delighted to get this result with all our best players. But we got better and we will get better again.” Moyes has pursued many transfer targets since the window opened but the reluctance of clubs to part company with their assets has contributed to problems and he is frustrated at the way things have gone.
“We’ve met the personal demands of nearly all the players we have met,” he explained. “That’s not the problem. The problem is not many clubs want to sell players. There are a lot less transfers this year compared to last year.
“There’s a tightening up. And you also need big money as well. I don’t feel I need to buy in mid- Premier League players. I need top players to challenge the top teams. And that means top money. “I’ve never had a more frustrating summer. We finished fifth last year and I think a lot of clubs are looking at Everton as the right way to do it. We’ve not spent massive cash to finish fifth and we’ve made progress every year.
“I’m interested in progress every year and this summer is the first year I feel I haven’t made progress. It’s been frustrating because my ambition is to challenge the top managers in the league and I want to show we can do it differently.”

Leon Osman salutes Everton's team spirit
Aug 25 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
LEON OSMAN today hailed the team spirit that enabled Everton to emerge from a testing week on a high on Saturday. The Blues - who have made an attempt to hijack Liverpool’s bid for Espanyol winger Albert Riera - got their season up and running with a 2-1 at West Brom, despite the squad again being down to its bare bones.
Having been frustrated in the transfer market, David Moyes was forced to name another young substitutes bench and played some square pegs in round holes, but the players he selected for duty had no intentions of getting anything other than three points. So even though the mood around Finch Farm was not as it should have been after the defeat against Blackburn, Osman says any thoughts players may had of feeling sorry for themselves were soon banished and hopes this win has given everyone a kick start “We were disappointed with the result last week and everyone was down for a day or two, but we picked ourselves up during the week,” said Osman, scorer of the first goal. “We knuckled down, worked really hard and never lost belief in ourselves. “We knew it was just one blip and we went to West Brom and got the win that we were after. “There are things happening that the players can’t affect and all we can do is concentrate on the things we affect. “We can influence things out on the pitch and though we have got a small squad at the minute, we still believe in ourselves. “We knew that if we played to the best of our ability, we’d get the win. We had a team huddle beforehand and that got us up for the game.” Once Osman had fired the Toffees in front, a confidence returned to their passing and it was no surprise when Ayegbeni Yakubu - who scored his 100th goal in England - doubled the lead.
With better fortune, they could even have scored a few more. It was not, however, one way traffic and the midfielder readily admits the opening 45 minutes was a test but in the end, he was thrilled that Everton’s perseverance was rewarded. “We like to play football and believe we can be successful doing that,” said Osman. “It was difficult at times during the first half and we knew West Brom would be trying to get off to a good start at home. “But we were patient and when the chances came along, we took them. “That was the difference. The goals gave everyone a lift and I was just delighted that I got the chance to score the first.” Everton, meanwhile, are continuing to pursue a number of transfer targets and hope to finally complete some deals shortly.
Riera may prove too difficult to obtain, but they have not given up hope on Joao Moutinho and Stephane M’Bia.

Lars Jacobsen to spark glut of signings
Aug 26 2008
By Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
DENMARK international Lars Jacobsen revealed he “couldn’t say no” to Everton after agreeing a free transfer to Goodison. The 28-year-old right-back is set to spark a glut of new arrivals by becoming David Moyes’s first signing of the summer.
Jacobsen has been at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground and will sign a one-year contract subject to completing a medical examination this morning.
The defender became a free agent after negotiating his release from Nuremberg following their relegation from the German Bundesliga, and has since been training with FC Copenhagen to maintain his fitness. Jacobsen turned down offers from Spain and France to realise his ambition of playing in the Premier League.
And he said: “I’m very happy and very relieved it ended up like this because this was the best solution. It was very good that we kept calm it’s been worth the wait.
“I met David Moyes and the players. Everton are a big club and it’s a fantastic opportunity for me which I couldn’t say no to. “I’m satisfied with the one-year deal and we have the possibility to look at another one. “It was the Premier League where I wanted to be. Everton know what they are getting they have seen me in a lot of matches it’s up to me now.” Jacobsen will provide cover for the injured Tony Hibbert, who is expected to be sidelined for at least another six weeks after summer knee surgery. Injury meant Jacobsen made only seven appearances during his one season at Nuremberg, and was absent from Everton’s 2-0 UEFA Cup win at the Frankenstadion last November. Jacobsen, who has been Denmark’s first-choice right-back since 2006 and played in their friendly defeat at home to Spain last week, started his career with Odense in 1996 before making his first move to the Bundesliga with Hamburg.
Before his short stay at Nuremberg, Jacobsen returned home for a three-year spell with FC Copenhagen, where he appeared in the Champions League and helped his team to three Danish Superliga titles. With Jacobsen’s arrival imminent, Moyes will step up his efforts to further bolster his squad during what promises to be a frantic last week of the transfer window. Everton remain interested in Rennes midfielder Stephane M’bia and have not given up hope of signing Sporting Lisbon playmaker Jose Moutinho. Valencia’s giant striker Nikola Zigic could arrive on loan, but reports from Spain have suggested Everton will face competition from Aston Villa and Sunderland as well as Stoke City. And efforts to sign Albert Riera are likely to flounder with the Espanyol left winger determined to complete a move to neighboursLiverpool. Everton’s players put the continued speculation to one side to bounce back from their opening-day home defeat against Blackburn Rovers by recording a 2-1 win at promoted West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. And Leon Osman, who set Moyes’s side on their way with the opener, reckons the victory underlines the belief and spirit among the squad. “We were disappointed with the result last week and everyone was down for a day or two, but we picked ourselves up during the week,” said Osman. “We knuckled down, worked really hard and never lost belief in ourselves. “We knew it was just one blip and we went to West Brom and got the win that we were after. There are things happening that the players can’t affect and all we can do is concentrate on the things we affect. “We can influence things out on the pitch and though we have got a small squad at the minute, we still believe in ourselves. “We knew that if we played to the best of our ability, we’d get the win. We had a team huddle beforehand and that got us up for the game.”

Everton move in for Shaun Wright-Phillips
Aug 26 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON are ready to go head-to-head with Manchester City to win the battle for Shaun Wright-Phillips. The England international is surplus to requirements at Chelsea and will move on before the transfer window closes with his destination set to be either Goodison Park or Eastlands. Blues officials have been in contact with Chelsea over the possibility of taking Wright-Phillips on loan, while City have made a firm offer for their former winger. Wright-Phillips has reluctantly accepted that he is not in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s plans and Chelsea have indicated they will leave the final decision where he moves to down to the 26-year-old. The move for Wright-Phillips comes swiftly after Everton made Lars Jacobsen their first summer signing and it is likely to be the start of a hectic week of transfer activity at Goodison. Boss David Moyes has made it clear that he wants to bring “six or seven” new faces in before the window closes to beef up a squad which has been ravaged by injuries. Rennes midfielder Stephane M’Bia - who is desperate to move to Merseyside - remains the top central midfield target, while Moyes also wants to bring in another striker and is exploring a number of avenues. “I think we will be looking at loans and we'll be trying all routes,” Moyes confirmed after Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Brom. “I hope to get maybe a couple but for the quality I feel I need to get for us to continue I don’t know if you can get that with just a few days to go.” Jacobsen’s arrival on Merseyside has not made much of a dent in the manager’s budget, as he had been without a club since negotiating his release from FC Nuremberg in the summer. The Denmark international only made seven appearances in Die Bundesliga last season because of injuries but he had previously had successful spell with FC Copenhagen.
Moyes had considered a move for Jacobsen - who has been capped 16 times by his country - 18 months ago and the player is delighted that he has finally ended up at Everton. “I’m very happy and very relieved it ended up like this because this was the best solution,” said Jacobsen, who met his new team-mates for the first time at Finch Farm yesterday. “It was very good that we kept calm. It’s been worth the wait.
“I met David Moyes and the players. Everton are a big club and it’s a fantastic opportunity for me which I could say no to. “I’m satisfied with the one-year deal and we have the possibility to look at another one. “It was the Premier League where I wanted to be. “Everton know what they are getting. They have seen me in a lot of matches and it’s up to me now.”

Perfect tonic to lift Everton spirits
Aug 26 2008 by Nigel Martyn, Liverpool Echo
WEST BROM are certainly not one of the Premier League’s leading lights but they served a useful purpose for Everton last Saturday. For much of David Moyes’ reign at Goodison Park, Everton have not had too much trouble dispatching newly promoted sides. If anything, we have been very adept at doing ‘jobs’ on them. My mind goes back to a game against Crystal Palace during the year we finished fourth.
After we had been blown away by a Cesc Fabregas inspired Arsenal on the opening day, many people expected us to come a cropper at Selhurst Park the following week.
However, that never looked like happening. For all Palace’s hustle, bustle and energy, we had too much experience and, in the end, ran out pretty convincing 3-1 winners.
We never looked back after that. I’m not suggesting that beating West Brom 2-1 means the Blues are going to end the campaign in a Champions League spot again as, quite clearly, the manager has still got a lot of thing that he needs to iron out.
But the manner in which Everton won at The Hawthorns showed that while the squad is down to the bare bones, there is more than enough talent and experience to get through potentially troublesome fixtures. It would be stretching things to say we were at our best against West Brom – quite evidently, we weren’t – yet it was pleasing to see the lads grind out a result with a thoroughly professional performance, where the home side never had a sniff. And it’s amazing what three points gained in that manner can do to the mood around the club. Finch Farm will be a much happier place to be this week and everyone will be back on an even keel. You don’t need an in depth knowledge of football to see that things are currently unsettled at Everton. But provided the manager can make a few additions before the transfer window closes that will change. We need to make signings and I’m sure David will be active right up until the last moment, as was the case in the year he signed me, Kevin Kilbane, James McFadden and Francis Jeffers on deadline day. Any new arrivals will keep the lads already at Goodison on their toes and lift the atmosphere up another level. But, as Saturday proved, there is no better way to lighten the mood than by winning matches.
Redknapp’s team offer a Euro threat to Blues
PORTSMOUTH are the visitors to Goodison Park this Saturday and they are guaranteed to provide Everton with a difficult test. They will be one of the teams challenging us for a European place come the end of the season but that should not come as a surprise, as Harry Redknapp has assembled a top class squad. He has bought well down the years, bringing in experienced players such as Sol Campbell, David James and Sylvain Distin, and he has continued that policy this year by pairing Jermain Defoe with Peter Crouch. Harry is a manager that players want to do well for and he knows the game inside out. It’s no wonder, then, that so many people were touting him for the England job after Steve McClaren’s departure. Had the FA wanted to go down the route of appointing an Englishman, they should not have looked any further than Harry (pictured right), but I just get the impression that maybe the media would have asked whether he could influence games tactically at the highest level.
His chance of managing England has probably gone now, but the national side is in good hands with Fabio Capello, who seems to have a fear about him that all the good managers have.
Cahill hope
IT was encouraging to hear Tim Cahill say that he is not going to push himself too far as he returns from injury. But the sooner he is back, the better. Any team that wants to be successful needs a player of Tim’s ilk fully fit. There is little doubt we have missed his will to win, the tigerish way he plays and, above all, the goals he contributes.
However, with a bit of luck, it won’t be long before he is back in a Blue shirt again.

Everton in race to sign Stephane Mbia
Aug 27 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON face a desperate battle to land their number one transfer target, Stephane Mbia, before next Monday’s transfer deadline. The player spoke to the Blues again last night and confirmed his eagerness to move to Goodison. But Rennes are digging their heels in and refuse to budge. The French club do not want to lose the Cameroon international and general manager Pierre Dreossi said: “We remain determined to retain Stephane Mbia. I repeat this decision is firm and final.” Blues chairman Bill Kenwright, however, will not take ‘no’ for an answer and is continuing to push the Championnat side. A midfielder of stature and presence is David Moyes’ priority before next Monday’s deadline, although the Blues are still waiting to learn whether their interest in Chelsea’s diminutive winger, Shaun Wright-Phillips, will be rewarded. The Blues want to take the winger on a season-long loan, while Manchester City have made a permanent £9m offer. Wright-Phillips is reluctant to leave Stamford Bridge, but accepts that he is not part of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s future plans and will consider his options before the weekend. As the deadline for completing transfers looms, the Blues have been linked with an increasingly wide and colourful array of signings. Guinean defender Kamil Zayatte, who plays for Young Boys of Berne, spent two days on trial with the Blues and impressed. But after landing Lars Jacobsen yesterday a right-back is no longer a priority. David Moyes is still considering a loan offer for giant Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, while links with Feyenoord’s Jonathan de Guzman and Sammy Kuffour, at Ajax, have been dismissed by the Blues.
So far, just one new face has been confirmed at Goodison. Jacobsen’s free transfer from Nuremburg was completed yesterday – and the Danish defender immediately set about endearing himself to Evertonians. Recalling the night at the easyCredit Stadion last season when Everton defeated Nuremburg 2-0 in the UEFA Cup, Jacobsen said: “I couldn’t play . . . but I was there in the stadium and Everton were way better than Nuremburg!” Jacobsen has signed a one-year deal and will wear the number 15 shirt at Goodison. He added: “I’m happy and relieved it ended up like this because this was the best solution. It was good that we kept calm. It’s been worth the wait.
“I met David Moyes and the players. Everton are a big club and it’s a fantastic opportunity for me which I couldn’t say no to.”

Phil Neville: Keep James Vaughan fit!
Aug 27 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
PHIL NEVILLE today made a wish for the season that he is desperate to see come true - that Everton’s man for the big occasion stays injury free. James Vaughan returned to senior action for the first time since February 9 in Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Brom and his 32 minute cameo was largely responsible for swinging the game in Everton’s favour. Much has been expected of Vaughan since he became the youngest goalscorer in club history in April 2005 but a succession of serious injuries have limited him to just eight starts and 24 substitute appearances since then.
But Neville believes the work Vaughan has put in to get fit again now deserves to be rewarded and hopes this campaign will finally see the 20-year-old fulfil his undoubted potential. “Vaughany may be a secret weapon for us this season,” said the skipper.
“At this moment in time, he and Yak are our main strikers but Vaughany is a lad who will relish that responsibility. He’s a man for the big occasion. “When he came on against West Brom, he transformed the game and changed Yak’s performance too, as he started to find more space. “Yak enjoyed that presence alongside him. The thing now, though, is that Vaughany must stay fit. “He needs a run of weeks and months where he trains every day. There is no question that the talent is there and the enthusiasm he has for the game is absolutely unbelievable. We just want to see it on a regular basis now. “The way he has battled back from those injuries has been inspirational. “Of course, he was desperately disappointed when they happened but he has never moaned, all he ever did was get on with things. We are desperate for him to succeed.” Vaughan, however, is still some way short of being fit enough to get through 90 minutes and one of the challenges David Moyes and his staff face is preventing the youngster doing too much too soon. Neville, though, feels that exuberance gives Vaughan the upper hand on defenders and if it can be channelled in the right direction, he says there is no limit as to how far the England Under-21 international can go. “The one thing you don’t want to take away from him is that energy,” said Neville. “We just have to try and help harness that. To be fair, though, I’ve noticed a maturity about him this summer and he is not as excitable as he has been. “He got sent-off in Chicago but there is nothing malicious in his play. He is just so desperate to play well for Everton. “He doesn’t just want to settle for a place in the squad - he wants to be the main man. “The bigger the central defender Vaughany comes up against, the better he likes it. “I remember a game against Arsenal a couple of years ago where he puffed his chest out and battered their back four. That’s what we want to see from him all the time.”

Everton close in on loan deal for Inter Milan winger Victor Obinna
Aug 28 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON’S hectic week in the transfer market continued today as they closed in on a deal for Nigerian winger Victor Obinna. Having signed Denmark international Lars Jacobsen on Monday, the Blues brought in Ecuadorian midfielder Segundo Castillo on a one-year loan from Red Star Belgrade last night. He was due to undergo a medical at Finch Farm this morning after Everton lodged an application with the Home Office to obtain a work permit for Castillo. Castillo is expected to be joined by the pacy Obinna, who will also join Everton on loan after they reached a deal with Inter Milan.
Obinna - who, along with new team-mate Victor Anichebe, was a member of the Nigeria squad which took silver at the Olympics - only signed for the Nerazurri on Monday but the Italians took the decision to loan him out immediately.
As is the case with Castillo, if the 21-year-old - who has spent the last three seasons with Chievo, where he scored 19 goals in 82 appearances - impresses on Merseyside, Everton can make the deal permanent. Castillo’s signing will be a particular relief for David Moyes, who has been desperate to add a player of stature to his midfield all summer and the powerful 26-year-old - capped 33 times by his country - will do just that. Business, however, is not expected to end there as another midfielder and striker are a priority and Everton officials are now determined to have another crack at securing the jewel in the crown - Joao Moutinho. Moyes has chased Sporting Lisbon’s captain all summer, only to see two bids for the 22-year-old rebuffed by the Portuguese club, but Everton are not going to take ‘no’ for an answer and are expected to attempt to prise Moutinho away before the window closes. Given that the signings of Jacobsen, Obinna and Castillo have not eaten up too much of Moyes’ kitty, Everton have the scope to make the stellar purchase their supporters have been craving since they booked their return to Europe last May. One man who won’t be moving to Merseyside, though, is Shaun Wright-Phillips as his wage demands meant it became impossible to do a deal. The England international is now expected to join Manchester City. Another player who seems destined to slip through Everton’s fingers is Stephane Mbia, as Rennes are refusing to budge from their stance of refusing to sell, regardless of the size of any offers they may receive. Meanwhile, Anichebe, who could return to the squad for Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth - has been reflecting on his time in Beijing and admitted that the experience has yet to sink in. “I am so proud,” he said. “We were within touching distance of the gold but it’s a huge achievement just getting a medal.” l Tickets are still available for the Portsmouth game and can be obtained via Everton’s website, from the Park End box office or by ringing 0870 442 1870.
Echo Sport has four pairs of VIP tickets to give away for the Portsmouth match. Visit www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/efc for details.

Back the Yak for a golden future
Aug 28 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
TERRACE chants about players are often over embellished, but Ayegbeni Yakubu is quickly proving that the song for him hits the mark. “Feed The Yak and he will score” has been the mantra for Evertonians ever since the Nigerian marked his £11.25m move with a debut goal against Bolton Wanderers last season, and the start he has made to the new campaign could not be more impressive. Two chances in two games have yielded two goals and there is a real belief now that Yakubu will become the first Everton striker to score more than 20 goals in consecutive seasons since Graeme Sharp achieved the feat 22 years ago. Looking at Yakubu’s performances, however, it is clear to see he has added new qualities to his game since he arrived on Merseyside and that has struck a chord with a certain member of Everton’s backroom staff.
Steve Round spent two years working with Yakubu at Middlesbrough but although they have only been reunited at Goodison for a short period, Everton’s assistant manager has no hesitation in declaring the 26-year-old a completely different proposition. “Yak is looking really sharp,” Round enthused. “He looks much better now than he did at Middlesbrough. From a physical perspective and in terms of his talent on the football field, he has certainly improved. “At Middlesbrough we had four centre-forwards with Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Massimo Maccarone alongside Yak. He was in and out of the team, or on the fringes, because of the others. He wasn’t the number one man. “But he’s number one here and deservedly so. His record is phenomenal. He’s improved in all areas, as far as I can see. He’s not the type of player who is going to chase down full-backs and run back and tackle. “He will play through the middle, chases those balls and score goals. He streamlines his energy for what he believes is his job. All the top strikers who believe they are the main man really come through and show their quality. Hopefully that’s what Yak will do.” He certainly confirmed himself to be a poacher supreme at The Hawthorns last Saturday when he hustled Abdoulaye Meite into a fatal mistake that allowed him to head the decisive second goal to secure three precious points.
The man who grabbed the first against West Brom, however, is quick to point out that there is more to his game than just goals. Leon Osman says Everton’s players have been given a lift by Yakubu’s endeavour and hopes he can continue in a similar vein.
“Yak is vital for us,” said Osman. “He’s scored two goals in two games but, more than that, you could see his work rate, particularly in the second half against West Brom. He gave us an extra lift when he was chasing lost causes. “He hunts and fights for the team and when he was working in tandem with Vaughany, they never gave West Brom’s defenders a moment’s peace. “We expect Yak to score in every game. He is a predator and long may that continue.”

Vote your footy legends into Hall of Fame
Aug 28 2008 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Echo
FOOTBALL fans were today invited to choose Liverpool and Everton’s best European performers to win a special accolade. The public vote will decide which Red and Blue legends will be inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame. Supporters can choose from a shortlist consisting of Liverpool stars Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and Steven Gerrard, and Everton’s Peter Reid, Andy Gray and Neville Southall. They were selected from the raft of Anfield and Goodison Park legends who have played in European competitions over the years. The winners will be announced at the organisation’s special European Hall of Fame awards, which will be held at the ECHO arena on October 8. The event, being held in Liverpool because of its Capital of Culture status and strong footballing heritage, will be attended by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson. Football museum manager David Pearson said: “Inductees into the Hall of Fame are normally chosen by a specially selected panel, made up of some of the game’s biggest names. “They include Alan Hansen, Sir Alex Ferguson and Mark Lawrenson, alongside a group of football experts and historians.
“This year, we thought it would be great to get the public involved, especially as Liverpool people are so knowledgeable about football. “As this is a specially themed European event to tie in with Liverpool’s celebrations as Capital of Culture, it made sense that they should help choose the best-ever Everton and Liverpool players.
“We hope ECHO readers will really get involved and we cannot wait to see the outcome.” The phone lines open today and close on September 5.
ECHO essentials
TO vote for the best Liverpool player, call 0901 229 2539 and key in your two-digit vote choice, or text LFCVOTE followed by a space and the two-digit number you wish to vote for and send to 84080. For Steven Gerrard, press 01, for Kenny Dalglish, 02, and for Kevin Keegan, 03. For Everton call 0901 229 2573 and key in your two-digit vote choice, or text EFCVOTE followed by a space and the two-digit number and send to 84080. For Peter Reid, press 04, for Andy Gray, 05, and for Neville Southall, 06. Calls cost 25p although network charges may vary. Text messages are 25p plus standard message rate. Usual ECHO rules apply. carolineinnes@liverpoolecho.co.uk

Everton draw Standard Liege in UEFA Cup
Aug 29 2008 Liverpool Echo
EVERTON today drew Standard Liege in the first round of the UEFA Cup.
The Belgian champions, knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool only this week, will return to Merseyside to visit Goodison for the first leg on Thursday, September 18. The return leg will be played on October 2. The winners will go through to the group stages of the competition. Liege, who were only despatched by a Dirk Kuyt goal at Anfield on Wednesday deep into extra time, were the toughest of the five opponents seeded Everton could have been drawn against. The Blues, however, will not be unnerved by the challenge presented by Liege. David Moyes' side improved from game to game during last season's UEFA Cup adventure, winning eight times and drawing once before being cruelly knocked out in the last 16 by Fiorentina on penalties at Goodison. There is a determination this time around to improve on that showing with a belief in the Goodison squad that they are capabale of going all the way to Istanbul next May. Liege, who considered themselves unlucky to be drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifier - will curse their luck again at being drawn against one of the Premiership's top sides.

Everton land Manchester United striker Louis Saha
Aug 29 2008 EXCLUSIVE by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
LOUIS SAHA was today set to become Everton’s fourth summer signing and end David Moyes’ search for a new striker. The Blues have negotiated a deal with Manchester United that will see Saha follow in the footsteps of Phil Neville and Tim Howard and make the journey from Old Trafford to Goodison Park. The France international, who was wanted by Sunderland, West Ham United and Valencia, will sign a contract that will keep him on Merseyside for three years and he will fill the gap vacated by Andrew Johnson’s move to Fulham. Moyes has been keen to add firepower to his squad all summer and pursued a number of targets, including Real Zaragoza’s Diego Milito and Darren Bent of Tottenham Hotspur, but had hitherto been frustrated. United, however, have reluctantly decided to allow Saha to leave after it became clear they would struggle to accommodate his demands for regular first team football. Some may raise questions about Saha’s fitness but Alex Ferguson has never made any secret of the esteem in which he has held him and feels he deserves a change of fortune. “When he is fit, Louis is an explosive player who will guarantee 20 goals a season,” Ferguson said earlier this month. “Louis is on a programme at the moment which we feel will get him to 100 per cent fitness. Hopefully that will be the case as he is such a fantastic player.” If, then, Saha can leave his troubles behind, there is little doubt he will make the business done to bring him to Goodison Park look shrewd; spells at Fulham and United have left him averaging a Premier League goal every 2.2 games. It was for that reason Ferguson spent £12.8m on him in January 2004 and he made an instant impact, scoring three times in his first two appearances, including a double in a 4-3 win over the Blues at Goodison Park. Not surprisingly, that led to him being called up by France and the Parisian quickly made his mark for Les Bleus, scoring on his debut against Belgium and playing twice at Euro 2004. He has since gone on to pick up a further 15 caps. Chances are, though, he would have significantly added to that tally had it not been for a variety of fitness issues, the main ones being with his knee, hamstring and, most recently, his calf. For all those issues, however, Ferguson’s faith in Saha never waned. Indeed, such was the esteem in which he held a man who started his career with Metz that Ferguson chose to partner Saha with Wayne Rooney even when Ruud van Nistelrooy was fit. He was rewarded when the 30-year-old helped United win the 2006 Carling Cup. But with Ferguson pursuing Tottenham’s Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov and a glut of strikers including Rooney and Carlos Tevez to keep happy, he has reluctantly allowed him to move on.
What type of player, then, has Moyes got on his hands? Strong and quick, Saha has the ability to play through the middle on his own or with a partner alongside him. If he can form a partnership with Ayegbeni Yakubu, Everton will surely maintain their place in the top six. The big question, however, is keeping him off the treatment table. Saha, clearly, has spent too much time in the past couple of years doing rehabilitation work rather than tormenting central defenders - and Moyes’ critics will say that he has taken a risk. But Everton’s manager is not a gambler and he will only have sanctioned this transfer after being completely satisfied with both Saha’s attitude and fitness; if those aspects were not up to scratch, Moyes would have eschewed the deal at all costs.
Though he won’t make his debut in tomorrow’s tussle with Portsmouth, Saha will be safely in situ for the game after against Stoke City and there is every reason to believe that Moyes’ activity in the transfer market this week will help the Blues go into the international break on a high. Lars Jacobsen - his first purchase on Monday - should figure at some point, as may Ecuadorian international Segundo Castillo but contractual issues mean that Nigerian winger Victor Obinna will have to wait to be unleashed. It should guarantee that atmosphere at Goodison is less anxious than it may have been and skipper Phil Neville is hoping that three points against Harry Redknapp’s men will provide further reassurance to supporters. “Whenever you bring new faces in, they always give you a lift and maybe we can start thinking about getting back up to where we were at the end of last season,” said Neville. “Hopefully there will be a big difference between our last home performance and this one.
“We basically only had 11 fit players against Blackburn but the win at West Brom gave everyone a lift and we were hoping after that game some new players would be brought in. When that happens, you can see the difference it makes in training.
“After we had beaten West Brom, our thoughts turned to Portsmouth straight away and I think we’ll be a different proposition from the way were a fortnight ago. We’ve got Vaughany come back and you could see the difference he made when he came on last week. “Victor Anichebe will also be back after doing so well in the Olympics and we will be aiming to go into the international break on a real high. It’s another 15 days before we play again and that’s a long time to be stewing on a defeat.
“But the place will be buzzing again if we can beat Portsmouth and if the Gaffer can add some new faces, we will then have the chance to integrate them before we play Stoke. First things first, though, we need to concentrate totally on Portsmouth.”

Howard Kendall: Don’t judge name game too early
Aug 29 2008 by Howard Kendall, Liverpool Echo
THEY are names that may have had supporters searching on Google, but it would be wrong to pass judgement on Everton’s first three signings before they have kicked a ball. Lars Jacobson, Segundo Castillo and Victor Obinna are not players who are known in households up and down the country, nor are they the kind of glamorous purchases which really set the pulse racing. In situations like this, however, you have to back the manager, and David Moyes will not have sanctioned their arrival unless he was absolutely sure they could add to his squad this season. So, if fans had complaints that David had not taken action in the transfer market up until Monday, it’s not very fair for them to start complaining now after he has tried to rectify the situation and brought individuals in who could turn out to be terrific. It’s a situation I can relate to. When I signed Andy Gray, I was aware that people were questioning my judgement and the night that deal was completed, I attended a dinner and could hear people passing comments such as “what is he doing?” Having seen Andy play, though, and had him rigorously checked out by a specialist, I knew that if he worked hard to strengthen his knee, he would be fine, and thankfully everything turned out better than we could have envisaged. Yes, the jury will be out on these three lads for a while, but you need to remember it is going to take time for them to adjust to the pace of the Premier League and get used to new surroundings. It may well take a couple of months for things to settle down. What’s more, people will be wondering why they have not been snapped up before now – either by Everton or someone else – but the beauty of loan deals gives David the option to pull the plug if things don’t work out.
But until then we have got to hang fire before we make our final decision.
And, who knows, they may just turn out to pleasantly surprise one and all.

The Friday column: Last-minute shopping has its dangers
Aug 29 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT’S a Christmas Eve conundrum most blokes can relate to – the desperate dash round the shops at four o’clock to buy the missus’ present, preferably ready-wrapped.
But leaving it late is fraught with danger, and you usually end up with a foot spa and a bottle of over-priced perfume. Which is why Everton’s last minute trolley dash around the transfer market equivalent of Aldi is such a worry. Bodies are needed at Goodison Park, and lots of them. But adding five or six players in the days before the transfer deadline is a high risk policy. Assimilating so many players from so many different countries and cultures into a tight knit squad which prides itself on its team spirit is one thing; but another is whether those players are actually any good. Names are pinging on the Everton radar all the time, but the trio who have landed already bear the smack of desperation. Such is the confidence shown in Danish defender Lars Jacobsen, he has been offered a solitary year’s contract. Ecuadorian midfielder Segundo Castillo spent a few days on trial at Blackburn earlier this summer, and was sent packing. And Victor Obinna, a winger who celebrates his goals with a Peter Beagrie style somersault, was bought by Italian champions Inter . . . and loaned out immediately. Blokes who make that Christmas Eve mistake never repeat it.
I hope Everton Football Club don’t learn a similarly harsh lesson.

Louis Saha can make winning impact at Everton – David Moyes
Aug 30 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
DAVID MOYES has hailed the match winning qualities of Louis Saha that could see him become Everton’s shrewdest transfer in years. The France international, who has agreed a three-year, deal was due to undergo a medical today at Goodison Park to rubberstamp his move from Manchester United. Everton have not had to pay United any money up front, instead brokering a deal that will see them make regular instalments depending on the amount of games Saha plays. Those economics are down to the fact Saha has been troubled by injury at Old Trafford but a look at his record shows that when fit, the 30-year-old is a top performer. And Moyes – who is not putting a time scale on when Saha will be seen in a Blue shirt – is hoping that the former Fulham striker gets ample opportunity to show his worth. “Louis has had no pre-season games, so there is no estimate when he may play,” he said. “As far as I know, he is in pretty good nick, he had just picked up a calf strain in training.
“That’s not far away from being okay now. Yes, he’s had injury problems and if he had been playing every game, we wouldn’t be getting him for next to nothing.
“There will be some money (to pay) after he’s played games but there is no initial outlay. “If you speak to people who have worked with him, they will tell you he is a top centre forward. “If I can get him out 20 times a season, that would give us a chance of winning 20 games. I won’t use him sparingly. I’ll use him at every opportunity if he is fit.” Saha cost United £12.8m in January 2004 but only made 86 League appearances. Moyes is hoping Saha will now bounce back to show he can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. “The thing is that your body misses the contact and rigours of playing games regularly,” said Moyes. “If you are not used to that, you get concerns. “You wonder whether they will be able to take the contact from challenges. We can’t tell until he has played.” Saha will see his new team-mates tackle Portsmouth today and may be available before Everton start their UEFA Cup campaign against Standard Liege.

Tough UEFA Cup draw – but there’s no reason for Everton to fear Liege
Aug 30 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
NOT for the first time, a European draw in Monaco left Evertonians groaning at their rank bad luck. Following on from Villarreal, Dinamo Bucharest and Metalist Kharkiv, the Blues were presented with an assignment to book a place in the UEFA Cup group stages that, at first glance, seems anything but straightforward. One question. Why the worry? Just because Standard Liege ran Liverpool close over two legs in the Champions League does not mean they have suddenly become world beaters. If anything it simply highlighted the shortcomings of the team from across the Park.
Put it this way - during last season’s European adventure, had Everton been paired with a side from Belgium, there would have been a quiet confidence about getting the job done without too much trouble. What, then, has changed? Liege, of course, will be difficult opponents and have some industrious players, but name one player in their starting line-up that is a genuine household name? It’s time to stop subscribing to the ‘glass half empty’ school of thought. Other than starting each game against Liverpool with an early flurry, Liege did not threaten to score an avalanche of goals with slick, one-touch football, so why should that be the case now they have to face the Blues?
Surely they should be concerned about the problems Everton will cause, rather than the other way around. Adopting a defeatist attitude only leads to one outcome.
Fortunately, Everton’s players would never allow themselves to think that way and Phil Jagielka observed: “When you look at who we could have got, then I suppose you have to say we’ve been a bit unlucky, but we’re still fully confident.
“They gave Liverpool a decent game and they are clearly a good side, but we know what the European games are all about now after last season and we’re looking forward to it. If you get to the UEFA Cup, you can’t expect any easy rides.”

Barry Horne: It’s a wait and see situation over Everton new boys
Aug 30 2008 by Barry Horne, Liverpool Echo
THE events in and around Goodison Park since last Friday mean that the outlook is brighter than it was before the last home match. We’ve seen a hard earned victory at West Brom, and a “flurry” of transfer activity. I don’t think we should get too carried away just yet, though. Had West Brom possessed a little more quality in the final third of the pitch the result might have been different, while three of the four signings brought in so far have the air of short termism, and just a little panic about them.
Lars Jacobsen is a steady player, but figured only a handful of times for Nuremburg, last season. Little is known about Segundo Castillo, who will hopefully fill the Lee Carsley role, while Victor Obinna looks a promising talent, but only that. Inter will be hoping that he has a fantastic season, enabling him to return there a more experienced and tested player, while adding to his transfer value. Louis Saha hasn’t played a lot of football for the past five years. He is an undoubted talent, but made only 52 Premier League starts in four-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, a record which speaks for itself.
However, with the fact that the striker has not cost anything (wages apart) so far, it could prove a good move. The obvious risk to the deal concerns his fitness, but if that can be put right, Everton fans could possibly see the best of Saha.
Pompey pose threat
PORTSMOUTH are a team who have so far failed to justify the faith shown in them by most pundits. But their defeats have come against the top two sides in the country, while over the last 18 months Harry Redknapp has worked the transfer market with his usual flair and idiosyncrasies. Pompey boast talent which would walk into most squads outside the top four – men like James, Johnson, Campbell, Kranjcar, Diarra and Defoe. Their league placing should be disregarded. Everton can expect a tough game today, but nevertheless one they are still more than capable of winning.
The win at West Brom will have boosted confidence, while the return to the fold of James Vaughan was a huge boost. Let’s hope that, finally, after several false starts, this could be Vaughan’s season.

Euro date that left a lasting impression on Everton signing Lars Jacobsen
Aug 30 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
IF EXPECTING the unexpected was necessary to fathom Everton’s previous Danish representative, it is comforting to know the latest is infinitely more reliable.
Thomas Gravesen’s ability to thrill and infuriate in equal measure meant he was never an individual in whom you could place implicit trust but Lars Jacobsen, thankfully, is the kind of diligent professional that every squad needs. While the Blues’ first summer signing admits he will never indulge in the madcap antics that ensured Gravesen was known as the dressing room clown, he is hoping to make the kind of impact his compatriot had on the pitch during his first stint on Merseyside.
Gravesen’s role in helping the Blues chart a path to Champions League qualification four years ago ensured he was big news back in Denmark and that ensured it soon became a dream of Jacobsen’s to follow in the maverick’s footsteps. So when David Moyes contacted Jacobsen last weekend and offered him the opportunity to join Everton, the 28-year-old never hesitated in saying ‘yes’ and, just a few days into his new career, he already believes his decision has been vindicated. “I played with Thomas for a couple of years and know him well,” said Jacobsen. “Yes, he is one of a kind. Put it this way, he’s different from me. He is always up to a joke or something. He’s a funny person but he is also a very good footballer. “He is the kind of player who you either like or you don’t. But he did very well while he was here and I know that the crowd loved Tommy. When he was on top of his game, he was one of the best I ever played with. “I knew he loved it here but I didn’t have chance to speak with him about my move because it all happened so fast. It doesn’t matter, though, because I can tell that this club is the right one for me.” Should he want any further evidence that his choice was correct, Jacobsen need only cast his mind back to last November when he sat in the stands and watched the Blues beat his previous employers, FC Nuremburg, 2-0 in the UEFA Cup. “I was very impressed by what I saw,” recalled Jacobsen, who will wear squad number 15. “The Everton fans filled the stadium and it added to the occasion as Nuremburg had not played in Europe for many years. It was impressive – but so were the team.”A hernia problem ruled him out of that contest, as it did for much of a disappointing Bundesliga season that ended in Nuremburg being relegated, and Jacobsen negotiating his release in June. He has spent the time since training with another of his former clubs, FC Copenhagen – with whom he won three Danish titles – but dispelled worries about his fitness last week when playing for his country against European Champions Spain. That said, he is aware it will take time to adjust to the rat-a-tat-tat pace of the English game, just as he will need a short period to settle into unfamiliar surrounds, but cannot wait to get immersed in a new chapter of his career. “Everything has gone very quick but I’m very pleased to be here,” said Jacobsen, who has already been given a rough guide to the city and sampled some local restaurants with his close friend Daniel Agger, the Liverpool central defender.
“I know the manager was interested in signing me about 18 months ago and I spoke with him then. It helps that the club knows me and they have seen me play in a lot of games. It was also so important for me to get to a club where they know the kind of player I am. “I have seen a lot of matches featuring Everton and they used to be on all the time back home when Thomas was here. I hope to play many games, but of course that is down to the manager. He will decide. “But playing in Europe and in the Premier League is something that everyone wants to experience. I just hope I can play a part. I’m quite fit now after my injuries but I have not played so many matches.”
Provided all goes to plan, Jacobsen, who signed a 12-month deal which has the option of another year, should not be short of first team action this season and he could well make his debut against Portsmouth today. Harry Redknapp’s side may have lost their opening two fixtures but Jacobsen does not need an in-depth knowledge of the Premier League to know they will be troublesome opponents. That said, he is confident his new colleagues can gain back-to-back wins. “What I particularly like here is that everything you do must be done at 100 per cent,” he observed. “The quality of players here is so good and I just hope that we can have another good season. “It will be a difficult game against Portsmouth. They are a good team and I saw them play against Manchester United on Monday. We will have to be at the top of our game if we want to beat them. I’m just glad and honoured that I have chance to be part of it.”

Relief will be clear as Everton's summer saga draws to close
Aug 30 2008 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
A FRENZIED week in the transfer market with the probability of more activity to come before the window closes should leave two words in the thoughts of Evertonians - never again. Despite fears that September 1 would come and go without the Toffees adding to their squad, the endless phone calls, faxes, e-mails and text messages finally bore fruit this week with a clutch of new faces arriving at Goodison Park.
Lars Jacobsen, Segundo Castillo and Louis Saha will all wear the famous Royal Blue shirt this season, as will the flying Nigerian winger Victor Obanni, subject to his work permit problems being rectified. In all likelihood, the most expensive additions will be recruited over the weekend and, if that is the case, David Moyes’ squad will suddenly look much more robust than it did on the day this new season began. What’s more, it will settle the jangling nerves of the long-standing, loyal supporters who had harboured understandable fears that all the good work of recent years would be squandered due to a summer of indecisiveness. This is not say that a late spree will rectify all the problems Everton have endured since the final ball of the last campaign was kicked, as who knows how long it will take for this influx to settle into the Everton way? Time is the only thing that will answer that question. But as commendable as it is that so many deals have been done in such a short space of time, surely Moyes, his board and players will know that they cannot leave things so late in the day again. It should have been a summer where everyone looked forward and enjoyed seeing players come in at steady intervals and in fairness to Moyes, that is precisely what he wanted - there is no better time for signings to adjust than on the club’s annual American pre-season tour. As productive as the 10 days in Chicago and Denver were earlier this month, Moyes made no secret of the fact that his only regret was he didn’t have - to be hypothetical - a Joao Moutinho or Diego Milito to welcome into the fold. Again, to play Devil’s advocate, there is not much more Moyes and Bill Kenwright could have done with some of the targets other than kidnapping them; there was nothing wrong with the personal terms they offered nor transfer fees.
Quite simply, clubs have been unwilling to do business as the players Everton have chased have been at the top end of the market and, using the example of Rennes and Stephane Mbia, clubs do not want to weaken their squads. “We’ve met the demands of nearly all the players we have met,” Moyes confirmed. “That’s not the problem. The problem is not many clubs want to sell players. There are a lot less transfers this year compared to last year. “There’s a tightening up. And you also need big money as well. I don't feel I need to buy in mid-Premier League players. I need top players to challenge the top teams. And that means top money. I’ve never had a more frustrating summer.” Nor, though, have his supporters. It has been a cause for exasperation seeing teams buy when week after week passed with no activity and it certainly had an impact, as performances during pre-season were not what was expected.
Cast your mind back to the summer when Andrew Johnson, Joleon Lescott and Tim Howard arrived and think about the flying start a settled Everton team made to set them on a path that ultimately led them back into Europe. That, if possible, has to be the template in years to come. Act fast, get players settled in and sit back to reap the dividends; they may get away with acting on the hoof this time but, as you often find on Christmas Eve morning, last minute shopping is rarely so rewarding.

How the extra special goals left their mark
Aug 30 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT was possibly the latest goal ever scored at Anfield. A combination of a five past eight kick-off time, and the resilience of Standard Liege meant that it was 10.25pm before Dirk Kuyt finally broke through. But where does Kuyt’s cracker come in our list of top 10 extra time goals?
IAN ST JOHN
1 IT’S one of the most celebrated goals in Reds history, and it came nine minutes from the end of extra time.
All of the goals in the 1965 FA Cup Final came in the extra period, Billy Bremner equalising Roger Hunt’s opener. But The Saint’s stooping header finally brought the Cup to Anfield for the first time.
ADRIAN HEATH
2 EVERTON hadn’t been to an FA Cup Final for 16 years – and Southampton were the toughest opponents left in the 1984 Cup competition.
But with Everton’s Highbury semi-final seemingly drifting to a replay Heath rose highest in the Saints’ penalty box to plant a header past Peter Shilton. It was the very last minute of extra-time, and the most glorious era in Everton’s entire history was just about to dawn.
IAN RUSH
3 NO-ONE has scored more extra time goals for Liverpool than Ian Rush, which is hardly surprising given that no-one has scored more goals full stop.
But two of his most memorable came at Wembley in 1989. A 72nd minute substitute for John Aldridge, Rush needed one goal to create a new scoring record in Merseyside derbies. He managed two to break Blue hearts and land the FA Cup.
GRAEME SHARP
4 ONLY Dixie Dean scored more goals for Everton than Graeme Sharp. But the Scot was more a scorer of great goals than a great goalscorer.
One of his best came at Villa Park in the semi-final of the 1986 FA Cup. Sheffield Wednesday had pegged back Alan Harper’s opener to take the game into extra time, then Sharp volleyed home an exocet to take the Blues back to Wembley for a third successive FA Cup final.
RONNIE WHELAN
5 TEN minutes of extra time in the 1992 FA Cup semi-final remained when Darren Anderton gave Second Division Portsmouth a shock lead against Liverpool.
But with three minutes left John Barnes curled a free-kick against a post – and Whelan levelled.
EAMONN O’KEEFE
6 THE official attendance was 49,192 . . . but with thousands more cramming into Goodison without paying after the gates had opened to let out early leavers, the FA Cup fifth round replay of 1981 was witnessed by a huge gallery. They saw Eamonn O’Keefe hit an extra time winner to dump out Southampton.
IAN RUSH
7 THE first all-Mersey FA Cup final became a reality, thanks to extra time goals at Villa Park and White Hart Lane. Southampton kept the Reds at bay until the 99th minute, when Rush finally broke their resistance. Five minutes later he added a second.
DEREK MOUNTFIELD
8 JUST a minute from the end of the 1985 FA Cup semi-final, Everton were on their way out to Luton. Then Kevin Sheedy grabbed an equaliser and in extra time Mountfield headed a winner.
JAN MOLBY
9 LIVERPOOL’S FA Cup campaign was certainly getting tough against little York City. After a 1-1 draw at Bootham Crescent, Molby finally broke York’s resistance at Anfield four minutes into extra time and Kenny Dalglish struck four minutes later.
BRIAN LITTLE
10 EVERTON had bravely battled back at Hillsborough and Old Trafford in the first ever domestic Cup Final to go to three matches. But just seconds before a Cup Final was decided by a penalty shoot-out for the first time, a cross was cruelly deflected and Little pounced.

Brave Jimmy is on Everton away day mission
Aug 30 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
NINE-year-old Evertonian Jimmy Oliver has been given grounds for hope – five months after his mum and dad were handed the news all parents dread.
The Southport schoolboy has made it his mission to watch his beloved Everton in every away match this season. And it is a quest he has already successfully embarked upon – months after his parents had been told an aggressive form of cancer meant their son probably wouldn’t even see the end of last season. Dad Mark, like his son a lifelong Blue, recalls the horrifying moment clearly. “It was April 1, which is quite ironic now,” he explained. “We were told Jimmy had a very rare and very aggressive form of cancer and we had four to six weeks left with him, so make the most of them.
“When we played Newcastle, six weeks later, I was pleased it was raining because I was looking around the ground with him, thinking this could be the last time he sees Goodison Park. “But then he had another CT scan and we were told if Jimmy had his leg amputated it might get rid of the cancer. “We had the operation and Jimmy’s still fighting it. We’re just being as positive as we can.” The Olivers have been given support from Evertonians everywhere. “It was strange,” added Mark, “but at that Newcastle match some totally random man came over to us with a silk flag and said ‘I want your lad to have this’, but we’ve had loads of moments like that. It’s been an incredible time for us all.” The Blue clan has rallied round one of their own after the extent of Jimmy’s illness became evident just before Christmas last year. “Jimmy was a goalkeeper for Southport Trinity in the Craven Minor League,” explained Mark. “Everton scouts were looking at him, but he had a small rash on his shin which we thought had been caused by his shin pads. “He was in more and more pain, but we kept getting told for six months it was just growing pains. The sore grew, and then we were told it could be a benign tumour. “We realised it was really serious the day Yakubu scored his hat-trick against Fulham. “We have season tickets in the Gwladys Street and when everyone stands up Jimmy can’t see, so I lift him and stand him on the seat in front. But he was in so much pain that day he couldn’t bear any weight.
“We were admitted to Alder Hey and I think for the next month or so he only spent a handful of days at home. “But Everton have been incredible. Duncan Ferguson rang him from Majorca which was wonderful. Some of the members of the Southport Supporters Club set it up and he was on the phone for about 20 minutes. He is Jimmy’s big idol and he just sort of yelped when he answered the phone.
“The staff at Alder Hey can’t speak highly enough of Duncan. There are times when he just turns up unannounced and spends three or four hours there chatting to the kids.
“Then Tim Cahill rang from Chicago this summer to invite him down to the training ground at Finch Farm which was another great experience.” Jimmy was named after former Everton striker Jim Pearson – “he scored the first goal I ever saw Everton score against Nottingham Forest in 1977,” explained Mark. And Jimmy turns out to have been something of a lucky charm for the club. His first away game with his dad was the 1-0 win at Leeds in 2002, Everton’s first win at Elland Road for 51 years.
His first match was the FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient the previous season when Paul Gascoigne rolled back the years in a 4-1 win for the Blues. “Everton have given him so many magical moments,” added Mark. “He was too ill to go to the SK Brann game last season, but he was watching it on TV when the camera caught me in the crowd eating chips. “One of the side effects of the treatment he was having was awful mouth ulcers all the way down his throat which meant he couldn’t speak. But his eyes lit up when he saw me, and even more so when Johnson smashed in the sixth goal.
“If he didn’t have Everton in his life he wouldn’t have experienced those moments.”
Mum Vicki, brother Will (6) and sister Rachael (16) are all convinced watching Everton is helping Jimmy through his brave battle. And dad Mark remains fiercely ambitious for his son. “I have no doubts in my mind that Jimmy will be playing for England in the future,” he declared. “Steve Johnson, England amputees’ three-times World Cup winner and captain of Everton’s disabled team, came round to show him his artificial leg and told him about a lad of 16 who had just got into the England disabled team and was flying all round the world.” Of more immediate concern, however, is the Royal Blue tour. “We went to West Brom and we have our tickets for Stoke,” said Mark.

Castillo chants
Aug 30 2008 Liverpool Echo
In last night's Echo, new terrace chants drafted and published on a fans website and relating to new Everton signing Segundo Castillo were reproduced. We apologise for any offence caused to the player or to the club or to readers as a result of us reporting the subject matter. The Liverpool Echo and its staff abhor racism of any description and any racist undertones in the item were non-intentional.

Have your say on the Hall of Famers
Aug 30 2008 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Echo
SIX more Merseyside players have been added to the Echo readers vote poll for the best Liverpool and Everton player in Europe. On October 8 the National Football Museum will be holding a special European Hall of Fame Awards celebrating English clubs achievement in Europe at the Echo Arena. Liverpool was chosen to be the host city because of its Capital of Culture status and strong footballing heritage.
And for the first time in the awards history it is Echo readers who will vote their favourite Liverpool or Everton player into the Hall of Fame. Due to public demand Alan Hansen, Phil Neal and Graeme Souness have been added to the Liverpool list and Kevin Ratcliffe, Graeme Sharp andTrevor Steven to the Everton list.
To vote for your best Liverpool player: Call 0901 229 2539 and key in your two digit vote choice. Or text LFCVOTE followed by a space and the two -digit number you wish to vote for and send your text to 84080.Liverpool Nominations are:
Steven Gerrard 01
Kenny Dalglish 02
Kevin Keegan 03
Alan Hansen 07
Phil Neal 08
Graeme Souness 09
To vote for your best Everton player: Call 0901 229 2573 and key in your two digit vote choice. Or text EFCVOTE followed by a space and the two -digit number you wish to vote for and send your text to 84080.
Everton nominations are:
Peter Reid 04
Andy Gray 05
Neville Southall 06
Kevin Ratcliffe10
Graeme Sharp 11
Trevor Steven 12
Terms and Conditions: 1. Calls will cost 25p at all times, although network charges may vary. 2. Text messages are charged at 25p plus standard message rate, and this service is available to all networks. 3. Number of entries per person is not limited. 4. Usual competition rules apply. 5. The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over at the time of entry, except employees and their immediate families of Trinity Mirror and each of their group companies, and anyone professionally connected with this promotion. 6. Lines will be open from 11am Thursday 28th August until noon Friday 5th September 2008. 7. (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/rules)

August 2008