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Moyes cautious despite cup shockSponsored by
Tue Mar 01 2011
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David Moyes feels it is too early to say whether Everton's stunning win over Chelsea will prove the season's turning point or a false dawn. The Toffees breathed new life into their disappointing campaign with a dramatic penalty shootout win at Stamford Bridge in an FA Cup fourth-round replay 10 days ago. They followed up the Chelsea result with a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday to move into mid-table, but their work would be undone if Reading spring a surprise in the FA Cup fifth round. Moyes said: "I don't think we have had our feet off the ground for a long time. We have done nothing this year to jump up and down about and say we are doing well. We had a really good victory against Chelsea, but that's all." He added: "Two weeks ago you were probably asking, 'Were we in a relegation battle?' and I would have said 'yes'. "We could well still be if we don't keep picking up points. "We have got to do that first and foremost and if we do pick up the points, then we will try to see how close we can get to the European places." Moyes has made no secret of his desire to win the FA Cup and bring silverware to Goodison Park for the first time since 1995. The Scot will celebrate nine years in charge this month and feels success is long overdue. He fielded a strong side in the third round at Scunthorpe and even though the Chelsea win showed his side at their determined best, he is taking nothing for granted at home to npower Championship side Reading. Moyes said: "It has given us a feeling that if we can put out the holders we can beat anybody but we understand how hard this game is. Reading came to Merseyside last year and put Liverpool out. We are not going to be taking them lightly. "I have to keep reminding myself and the players we have had some bad days in the FA Cup in the past. Let's make sure this isn't another one. We will give Reading the respect they deserve. They are a good team with some very good players."
Everton FC manager David Moyes would never sell Leon Osman or Tony Hibbert
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 1 2011
MANAGER David Moyes says he would never contemplate selling Leon Osman. The 29-year-old midfielder produced a man-of-the-match performance in Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland, laying on the assist for the first of Jermaine Beckford's double. Moyes admits Osman may not be the most effective player in the squad but believes his attitude and commitment to the Goodison Park side cannot be bettered. The Everton manager says Osman, along with Tony Hibbert, are having to adapt to life without assurances of regular first-team action but consistently respond with top displays when called upon. Following the departure of Steven Pienaar to Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, Osman has started three times and is increasingly finding more opportunities to play. Hibbert has not featured since the FA Cup third round tie at Scunthorpe – one of only seven starts the defender has had this campaign – yet Moyes sees he and Osman as integral members of the Everton squad and reaffirmed their importance by saying whilst he is in charge, the duo will be at the club. “We’ve never given up on Ossie,” said Moyes, whose side take on Reading the Cup this evening. “As long as I’m here Ossie will be here and Tony Hibbert, as long as they want to be here.
“They know what the club’s about. They know what’s required and they know what I’m about and from that point of view I think they’re really important. “Ossie would have played any position on Saturday. Hibbo, I know if I put him in he’ll never let me down, he’ll always give me his best.
“I’ve never thought they’ve outlived their usefulness for us. Never. Unless they ever come to me and say they thought that had happened, that won’t come from me because I know I can rely on them.
“They’re not always our best players, but they certainly always do their job and they know the mechanics of the club and they know what’s required. “They are really good team players.
“They will find times when they’re not in the team – Hibbo’s finding that at the moment – but I would never lose faith in either of them because the two of them are regular. I see them training every day and, it’s easy to say, but they look as if they’ve got blue blood and because of that I know exactly what they’re going to give me when they go out on the pitch. “We always need players who are going to be committed. And willing to ruffle a few feathers, and Ossie’s willing to do that. Ossie’s one of the senior boys and he will dig a few out if he doesn’t think they’re doing the right job.”
Osman came mighty close to adding gloss on a stand-out display with a goal in the closing moments against Sunderland. After slaloming his way through the Black Cats' defence and rounding goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Osman's effort was headed off the line by El Elmohamady. But the disappointment of not scoring a second goal of the season could do little to detract from a fine showing. “He is magnificent with the ball at his feet,” added Moyes. “I actually thought he was as good as anybody on Saturday. I thought Ossie played really well. “He was involved with the first goal and he was involved all game. “A lot of our good play came off Leon Osman and he has been a really steady player over the years, he really has, and I’ve said many times that he’s a real team player for us. “Ossie today did a lot of great things and his skill in the box was great. I couldn’t believe it when their boy got back to head it off the line. I thought it was in.”
On-pitch is what counts, says Everton FC manager David Moyes
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 1 2011
EVERTON manager David Moyes hopes his team will soon become the only reason people are talking about his football club. The club’s inability to spend big money on players over the past year and their recently-published accounts have led to speculation about the club’s financial position. That is not an issue Moyes wants to dwell on and he believes his players can change perceptions if they build momentum in the closing months of the season. Everton claimed a memorable victory at Chelsea in an FA Cup fourth-round replay earlier this month and followed that with a win over Sunderland which lifted them to 10th in the Premier League. Moyes now wants to build on those results, starting with the visit of Championship Reading in the fifth round of the cup tonight. The long-serving Scot said: “It is about changing the perception of the club from the way it is getting perceived at the moment. “Because the club’s accounts came out, there was a lot of bad news.
“I always thought the team could make a difference. “If we win games, move up the league, hopefully we can get people talking about the football more than anything else to do with the club.
“It was always going to be something which if the team does well it can cover a lot of things at the football club. “At this present time I don’t think the team has done well enough this year.” Everton have spent most of an inconsistent season in the bottom half of the table. Notable wins over Manchester City in December and Tottenham in January were false dawns but the penalty shootout success at Stamford Bridge could yet prove the turning point. Moyes said: “Tomorrow is a night we need the fans right behind the team and supporting us the way they did at Chelsea. “That was probably the best we’ve been able to give them this season, but you always hope the best is still to come. “Let’s hope it is in this game and future games as well. “But it’s the FA Cup – you never know what is going to happen. Throughout the years there have always been results you don’t expect.
“We have to make sure this is one where we do expect to get Everton through. “But I think Brian McDermott has done a great job down there with his team. “He has steadied Reading and it wasn’t too long ago they were a Premier League team, so we have got to be mindful of that.” Moyes has a number of injury concerns for the tie but striker Louis Saha should be in contention after walking away unscathed from a car crash on Sunday night. The Frenchman lost control of his Ferrari 458 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and collided with a fence. Referring to the player’s past problems with various injuries, Moyes joked: “Incredibly, he has no injuries from it!” The only issue for Saha is whether he is still troubled by the hamstring injury which hindered his return to action after two games out against Sunderland on Saturday. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini is a major doubt with an ankle problem while Tim Cahill, Jermaine Beckford and Victor Anichebe will also face fitness checks. Moyes said: “We have got a few injuries and we are going to be short of one or two come the game, but I’ll keep it to myself for now.”
Leicester City say no Everton approach for Andy King
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 1 2011
LEICESTER CITY say Everton have not made an approach for the highly-rated Andy King. Speculation mounted last week that the Goodison Park were monitoring 22-year-old King but manager Sven Goran Eriksson has confirmed no contact has come from Merseyside. The suggestions were striker Yakubu would be allowed to make his loan move a permanent transfer if King swapped City for the Goodison Park outfit, but Eriksson has played down the talk. “I have read about Andy King in the newspapers but I guarantee that I have heard nothing of this,” said Eriksson, whose side currently lie in seventh place in the Championship. “The club has not been contacted because I would have known that as well. Andy’s agent has not spoken to me either.” Meanwhile, ahead of tonight’s FA Cup fifth round tie, in-form Reading striker Noel Hunt admits he is ready to risk the wrath of his girlfriend. Hunt’s partner Alana is a lifelong Evertonian and her family have a box at Goodison Park but has promised the Republic of Ireland international she will be cheering him on with the rest of the travelling Royals. “Everton are a quality side,” said Hunt. “We have to go to their place and try and cause an upset, but it will be interesting because my missus and her family are all Everton fans.
“She told me she will sit with the Reading fans and she wouldn’t be let back in the house if she didn’t. “Her family have a box so there will be a good bit of banter. “She wants to watch what she says or she might lose her place in the house. “I remember watching a game with her brother and he was almost in tears when they let a goal in. “It shows how passionate they are. “He’s funny I wish I was beside him for the game as he’ll be an emotional wreck.”
ACADEMY FOOTBALL: Gerard Kinsella hits stunner as table-toppers Everton under-18s triumph
by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 1 2011
GERARD KINSELLA’S superb 30-yard effort was the highlight of Everton under-18s’ excellent 2-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Neil Dewsnip’s side maintained their four-point lead at the top of the Group C table of the FA Premier Academy League. Everton started well and took the lead with Kinsella’s superb strike on the half-hour mark.. Five minutes later Anton Forrester doubled Everton’s lead from the penalty spot after Femi Orengua had been brought down in the area. Everton were in control throughout and had numerous opportunities through Forrester, Orenuga, Luke Dobie, Hallam Hope and Johan Hammar, while schoolboy Chris Long nearly marked his debut as a substitute with a goal. In the end Everton had to settle for the two goals, but they remain in great form at present. Dewsnip said: “It was a good performance and I was very pleased. The game didn‘t settle down until about half an hour when Gerard Kinsella scored an absolute worldie (world-class goal) from 30 yards into the top corner. That made us feel a lot better and we dominated the rest of the half and much of the second half. “Early in the second half we had five or six goalscoring chances. The downside is we couldn‘t finish them off. But apart from a chance in the last minute it was quite a comfortable win. “James Fitzgibbon made his debut in goal and made a wonderful start. He kept a clean and that was positive and hopefully he can go on from strength to strength from there.” Everton will carry on their title pursuit this Saturday against second-placed Manchester City at Finch Farm (kick-off 11am). Tyas Browning, Danny Murphy and Adam Thomas are all out injured. EVERTON UNDER-18s: Fitzgibbon, Barrow, Higgins, Bidwell, Hammar, Orenuga (Dyer 75), Kinsella, Donegan, Dobie, Hope (Long 70), Forrester.
Mark Lawrenson: Birmingham can be inspiration for Eveton FC
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 1 2011
I WAS at Wembley to witness Birmingham CIty’s triumph over Arsenal in the Carling Cup on Sunday – a victory for attitude and application. The kind of qualities that often best exemplify Everton when they’re the underdogs. So there should be no jealousy or bitterness that Birmingham have succeeded where Everton have consistently failed since that FA Cup win in 1995. The wait for silverware will go on for another year if they don’t get past Reading tonight. And if even just two of Everton’s players turn up thinking it will be easy then they could be in for a nasty shock. But get through and it’s time to take inspiration not just from Birmingham City, but from the qualities that saw them through at Chelsea in the fourth round. Then looking to the quarter-finals, Everton have a great record at Manchester City and Aston Villa are beatable. Especially given the fact that Everton are finally stringing some results together.
Reading confident of pulling off a shock Mersey double ahead of FA Cup trip to Everton
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post
READING manager Brian McDermott has promised to send his npower Championship side out to attack Everton in the FA Cup fifth-round tie at Goodison Park. The Royals dumped Everton’s city rivals Liverpool out of the competition last season with a 2-1 win at Anfield en route to the last eight, and are confident of a repeat performance. McDermott lines his team up with two genuine wingers in Jobi McAnuff and Jimmy Kebe and he has promised that he will not compromise his attacking principles against David Moyes’ side. He said: “It’s a great game, it’s exactly what we want. “We are trying to get into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the second year in a row and are playing against a team steeped in history with a great manager and good players. “We are looking forward to having a real go and trying to get through. “But we’ll only enjoy it if we win and get through. Getting results is the only way to enjoy a game.” Central to the Royals’ chances is Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long. Long scored the winner against Liverpool 12 months ago but has really come into his own this season, scoring 17 goals, including a goal in each round of the FA Cup so far.
He will be partnered by Noel Hunt in an attacking formation but it is at the other end where McDermott’s preparations have been hit. Goalkeeper Adam Federici is out with a knee injury while captain Ivar Ingimarsson is set to miss out with a groin problem. Alex Pearce remains sidelined with his thigh strain, so former Blackburn man Zurab Khizanishvili is set to start. Right-back Andy Griffin missed out at the weekend with an Achilles injury, meaning Shaun Cummings will deputise once more. A makeshift back four and goalkeeper is not ideal for the underdogs, but McDermott is keen to attack from the off and give his travelling fans a night to remember. He said: “I want it to be a great game and I want to make sure we do the best for our fans. “We’ll have good travelling support and it’s important that they have a good night. “We go there well equipped, we know what we are doing and we know our gameplan. We will attack the game and look to win it on the night. “We have been to Merseyside before and won and we love going there. “They are really good footballing people who know their stuff.”
Ian Snodin: That was a weekend of sport to savour
Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
WHAT a weekend of sport! I watched England beat France in the rugby union on Saturday, which means we only have to beat Ireland to claim the Grand Slam (Scotland will be a formality. I’ve already told Jimmy Lumsden and Graeme Sharp that the English will be wearing blindfolds for that one!) Then there was Sunday’s incredible finish in the cricket – set up by a Yorkshireman, Ajmal Shahzad – a major upset in the Carling Cup final – and all topped off by Everton’s performance and victory over Sunderland on Saturday.
Ian Snodin: Birmingham show Everton FC how it’s done
Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
BIRMINGHAM CITY’S success in Sunday’s Carling Cup final merely underlined what a chance Everton missed this season when they went out of the competition to Brentford – and why David Moyes’ men should believe they can repeat Birmingham’s achievement in the FA Cup. Birmingham knocked out Everton’s conquerors – ironically the same way Everton went out, on penalties – and then faced games against Aston Villa and West Ham for a place in the final. Not many gave Birmingham a hope in the wide open spaces of Wembley against a team of the passing quality of Arsenal, but the final showed what can be achieved with hard work, desire and commitment. Sure, Ben Foster, had to make a number of excellent saves, but everybody in Blue worked relentlessly to ensure that they deserved whatever luck came their way. It’s a lesson Everton can take into their FA Cup campaign. We’ll have to work our socks off to get past Reading tonight, but we’d then be just one match from a Wembley semi-final and two from another FA Cup final. Birmingham have proved that Wembley cup finals need not just be the preserve of the Chelseas, the Man Uniteds and the Arsenals.
Ian Snodin: Newcastle are buzzing ahead of Everton’s trip to St James’s Park
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
I WAS invited to watch Newcastle train a couple of weeks ago by my old Goodison team-mate Peter Beardsley – and I saw a squad of players with a real buzz about them. Everton’s trip to St James’ Park on Saturday will be a tough one – especially with Scousers like Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan doubly keen to impress – but it’s a place we can still earn some reward. When Newcastle came up last season I honestly thought they might struggle. That’s not been the case and it will be a tough test for us at the weekend – but one we can handle.
Reading promise to go on the attack at Everton in cup clash
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
READING manager Brian McDermott has promised to send his npower Championship side out to attack Everton in the FA Cup fifth-round tie at Goodison Park. The Royals dumped Everton’s city rivals Liverpool out of the competition last season with a 2-1 win at Anfield en route to the last eight, and are confident of a repeat performance. McDermott lines his team up with two genuine wingers in Jobi McAnuff and Jimmy Kebe and he has promised that he will not compromise his attacking principles against David Moyes’ side. He said: “It’s a great game, it’s exactly what we want.
“We are trying to get into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the second year in a row and are playing against a team steeped in history with a great manager and good players. “We are looking forward to having a real go and trying to get through. “But we’ll only enjoy it if we win and get through. Getting results is the only way to enjoy a game.” Central to the Royals’ chances is Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long. Long scored the winner against Liverpool 12 months ago but has really come into his own this season, scoring 17 goals, including a goal in each round of the FA Cup so far. He will be partnered by Noel Hunt in an attacking formation but it is at the other end where McDermott’s preparations have been hit. Goalkeeper Adam Federici is out with a knee injury while captain Ivar Ingimarsson is set to miss out with a groin problem. Alex Pearce remains sidelined with his thigh strain, so former Blackburn man Zurab Khizanishvili is set to start. Right-back Andy Griffin missed out at the weekend with an Achilles injury, meaning Shaun Cummings will deputise once more. A makeshift back four and goalkeeper is not ideal for the underdogs, but McDermott is keen to attack from the off and give his travelling fans a night to remember.
Ian Snodin: Everton FC's Mikel Arteta getting back to his best
Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
MIKEL ARTETA was widely reported to have returned to his best form on Saturday, after his dazzling dribble and pass to create Jermaine Beckford’s match-clinching second goal. But impressive though that run was, there were other signs that Mikel was back to his most influential. It wasn’t just Mikel’s passing which was good, I was equally as impressed by his closing down, his determination to win the ball back and his snap in the tackle. They aren’t qualities you normally associate with Mikel Arteta, but for me that underlined just how desperate he was to contribute to an all-round team performance. Obviously it’s his creativity that we need the most, though, and that was much more in evidence throughout. Mikel looked like he enjoyed the moment where he created the second goal as much as Jermaine Beckford, who put it in. After a long lean spell in terms of his goal assists, Mikel has now created a couple of goals in successive home games, after his well struck corner against Blackpool which Louis Saha nodded in at the far post. Moments like that can only help his confidence and we should expect to see the best of Arteta between now and the end of the season.
Ian Snodin: Full-backs key to Everton FC’s success
Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
EVERTON’S full-backs have been two of the success stories of their season so far. Phil Neville’s form has been so impressive that it was no surprise Champions League chasing Tottenham tried to lure him away in the January transfer window. And Leighton Baines, for me, has been the best English left-back in the Premier League. Which is why I’m confident that Everton can reach the last eight of the FA Cup at Goodison Park tonight. Reading play with two genuine wingers in Jobi McAnuff and Jimmy Kebe, which helps them create plenty of chances. They have scored 58 goals in all competitions already this season and dumped West Bromwich Albion out of the FA Cup earlier this year. But Neville and Baines can help stem the flow of chances from Reading’s wide-men, and create problems themselves going forward. It’s a night match at Goodison, so while Reading will bring plenty of fans with them I’m sure our own supporters will help generate a great atmosphere and that will inspire us to victory. The memory of Reading’s win across the park in a major FA Cup upset will still be fresh in their minds, and we need to stamp out authority on the the tie from the first minute. Psychology certainly comes into football – and Reading will use the memory of that success to convince themselves lightning can strike twice tonight. You only have to see Sunderland’s experiences at Goodison in recent seasons to see the affect psychology can play on a football team. I know from personal experience that when you’re on a team bus, heading to a ground where you haven’t enjoyed a good record, it definitely preys on your mind. Sunderland came to Goodison riding high in the Premier League and confident of giving us a good game. But as soon as Kieran Richardson screwed that early chance wide you could almost see doubts creep in. Once Everton took the lead there was only ever going to be one winner. Evertonians will be hoping the same kind of psychology can be brought to bear in the FA Cup. There’s still plenty of football to be played, but if we can overcome Reading tonight, there’s a reasonable chance we’ll be travelling to Eastlands for a mouth-watering quarter-final. And Manchester City won’t need reminding of Everton’s recent record against them – or Tim Cahill’s personal goalscoring record against them.
First of all, though, Everton have to overcome Reading tonight. And the presence of Phil Neville and Leighton Baines in their back-four means I’m confident that Everton can take their place in their quarter-final line-up, without the need for extra time or another penalty shoot-out!
Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert will be at Everton FC as long as I am says David Moyes
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
Leon Osman celebrates his late winner against Southampton with Tony Hibbert (158)
DAVID MOYES will send his two Everton ‘Blue Bloods’ into FA Cup action tonight, almost two years after a harrowing Wembley experience looked to have signalled the end of their Goodison careers.
The Blues boss declared today that Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert have both got jobs for life – or at least as long as he is in charge – and insisted he never lost faith in the little Scousers who epitomise much of his own Everton philosophy. Osman and Hibbert suffered more than most when Chelsea beat Everton in the 2009 FA Cup final. Hibbert was hauled off at half-time, while Osman was also replaced as David Moyes’ hopes of becoming the first Blues boss to land silverware since 1995 fell at the final fence. But despite signing defenders Lucas Neill and Johnny Heitinga, plus midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov in the wake of that Cup final defeat, Moyes insisted he never lost faith in the home grown duo. “We’ve never given up on Ossie or Hibbo,” he rapped. “As long as I’m here Ossie and Tony Hibbert will be here, as long as they want to be here. “They know what the club’s about.
“They know what’s required and they know what I’m about and from that point of view I think they’re really important. “Ossie would have played any position. Hibbo I know if I put him in he’ll never let me down, he’ll always give me his best. “I’ve never thought they’ve outlived their usefulness for us. Never. Unless they ever come to me and say they thought that had happened, but that won’t come from me because I know I can rely on them. “They’re not always our best players, but they certainly always do their job and they know the mechanics of the club and they know what’s required. “They are really good team players.” Both came through the Goodison youth ranks and picked up FA Youth Cup winners medals in 1998. Hibbert made his senior debut at West Ham in March 2001, when he won a penalty kick after almost losing his head to a Stuart Pearce challenge. Since then he has made 262 appearances, but famously still awaits his first goal. Despite waiting almost three years longer for his first team debut, Osman trails his colleague by just six appearances, and has 34 goals to his name. While Hibbert was an unused substitute on Saturday against Sunderland, Osman earned his manager’s own personal man of ther match nomination.
And he said: “They will find times when they’re not in the team – Hibbo’s finding that at the moment – but I would never lose faith in either of them because the two of them are regular. “I see them training every day and, it’s easy to say, but they look as if they’ve got blue blood. “Because of that I know exactly what they’re going to give me when they go out on the pitch. “We always need players who are going to be committed and willing to ruffle a few feathers, and Ossie’s willing to do that. Ossie’s one of the senior boys and he will dig a few out if he doesn’t think they’re doing the right job. “He is magnificent with the ball at his feet. “I actually thought he was as good as anybody against Sunderland. I thought Ossie played really well. “He did a lot of great things and his skill in the box was great. I couldn’t believe it when their boy got back to head his shot off the line. I thought it was in. “He was involved with the first goal and he was involved all game. A lot of our good play came off Leon Osman and he has been a really steady player over the years, he really has. I’ve said many times that he’s a real team player for us.”
Everton midfielder FC Mikel Arteta keen to banish his previous cup pain this year
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 1 2011
MIKEL ARTETA is aiming to build on Saturday’s encouraging display against Sunderland – and take a step closer to erasing the biggest disappointment of his career to date. Everton’s inspirational Spanish midfielder sat out Everton’s two Wembley appearances in 2009 through injury, and in 2008 missed another opportunity to win a Wembley place when he was suspended for the first leg of the Blues Carling Cup semi-final. Now he is keen to build on Saturday’s goal-creating performance and help overcome Reading to stand just one tie away from his first appearance. “I didn’t get the chance to play in the (2009) final because I was injured, so hopefully we can beat Reading and get closer to returning there,” he said. “I have had a season where it has been tough for me. “I have been trying hard but some of the things haven’t gone the way I wanted. “I think for creative players it is even harder than for defenders. But I kept working and I am finding my form and I am confident now.”
Everton have secured back-to-back victories only twice this season, but can celebrate their second victory in three days if they overcome Championship side Reading tonight (kick-off 7.30pm).
With Manchester City or Aston Villa awaiting in the quarter-finals, Arteta added: “I think it was a good performance against Sunderland. “We needed that to build on last Saturday’s game and the confidence we got from that. Hopefully we are back on it now. “Tuesday is a massive game. Hopefully we can get through and hopefully it is going to be sold out. “Let’s give the fans something as well. “It is the only chance now we have got to win something, so let’s beat Reading and that will make a big difference to the season.” Boss David Moyes is hoping for a repeat of the backing his side received in the last round at Chelsea, from the Goodison fans tonight. “This is a night we need the fans right behind the team and supporting us the way they did at Chelsea,” he said. “That was probably the best we’ve been able to give them this season, but you always hope the best is still to come. “Let’s hope it is in this game and future games as well. “But it’s the FA Cup – you never know what is going to happen. “Throughout the years there have always been results you don’t expect. We have to make sure this is one where we do expect to get Everton through. “But I think Brian McDermott has done a great job down there with his team. “He has steadied Reading and it wasn’t too long ago they were a Premier League team, so we have got to be mindful of that.” Moyes has a number of injury concerns for the tie but striker Louis Saha should be in contention after walking away unscathed from a car crash. The Frenchman lost control of his Ferrari 458 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and collided with a fence. Referring to the player’s past problems with various injuries, Moyes joked: “Incredibly, he has no injuries from it!” The only issue for Saha is whether he is still troubled by the hamstring injury which hindered his return to action after two games out against Sunderland on Saturday. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini is a major doubt with an ankle problem while Tim Cahill, Jermaine Beckford and Victor Anichebe will also face fitness checks. Moyes said: “We have got a few injuries and we are going to be short of one or two come the game, but I’ll keep it to myself for now.” Provisional squad: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Osman, Rodwell, Cahill, Arteta, Saha, Beckford, Bilyaletdinov, Gueye, Heitinga, Hibbert, Baxter, Duffy, Mucha.
Everton FC 0 Reading 1: Greg O'Keeffe sees the Blues' last chance of silverware disappear
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 2 2011
Despair for Mikel Arteta as Everton crash out of the FA Cup to ReadingTHE talk around Goodison just after kick-off yesterday was about the pile-up on the M62 that made Jermaine Beckford late for work. By the end of a wretched, season-defining night the topic of the mournful conversation was the car crash that Everton’s season has become. David Moyes believes that success on the pitch can cover up a multitude of sins off it. Unless his players can somehow conjure up an improbable surge towards European qualification in the league, the Blues won’t have that luxury this season. There are bad nights, and then there are nights when your last chance of silverware fades and dies pitifully before your eyes, around the same time the news emerges that you will be without your best player for the rest of the campaign. Maroaune Fellaini’s season-ending ankle injury compounded a gut-wrenching evening for the Blue half of Merseyside. Louis Saha might have walked away unscathed from the smouldering wreckage on Sunday, but last night his club wasn’t so lucky. The ominous tone was set in the opening few minutes when Reading, emboldened by their FA Cup success at Anfield last season, started with the greater intent and conviction. Lightening-quick winger Jimmy Kebe was allowed to make a dangerous cross after bursting through on the overlap, but his delivery evaded both Everton’s defence and his own attack as Tim Howard pounced to smother. Bouyant after their FA Cup knock-out of Chelsea, and a routine victory over Sunderland in the league, it should have been the Blues who were rampant. Instead it was Brian McDermott’s side which seemed the more dangerous, even though the Toffees bossed possession. The Royals pressed the ball relentlessly and closed down the home side, while threatening on the counter attack. Everton’s attacking momentum had been upset from the start. Saha and Beckford showed potential of a dangerous partnership against Steve Bruce’s side, and Moyes was unable to unleash them again because of the former Leeds man’s late arrival. Still, even back at 4-5-1, they had chances to take the lead, first when Seamus Coleman headed Leon Osman’s cross into the turf and the ball bounced up and narrowly over the bar. Then Osman, praised so highly by his manager at the weekend, stung Alex McCarthy’s palms with a smart low drive after nice build up play from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. But Everton’s downfall, just before the half hour mark, was courtesy of the sloppy defending which has marred much of their season. They failed to deal with Ian Harte’s corner, and Reading skipper Matt Mills rose above Sylvain Distin to win the initial header. When Osman’s scuffed an attempted clearance from 12 yards, Mills took advantage of the pause to seize on the bouncing ball and fire low past Howard through a crowd of players. It almost got worse. Kebe again found space, this time on the opposite flank, and went one on one with Everton’s keeper who made a fine save from his fierce shot. Goodison wailed in frustration. Then familiar faults started to appear. Everton’s approach play had its usual zip and zest, but it began to splutter and fail in the final third with only one striker to aim for. Coleman and Arteta were both guilty of over-deliberating when a simple cross or pass went begging, but they were not alone. The interval saw a tired looking Coleman replaced by Victor Anichebe, and Beckford made his belated entrance for Bilyaletdinov. Instantly the duo nearly levelled when Saha slipped a short pass into Beckford, whose pace got him clear but a tame shot was held by McCarthy. Nerves were fraying fast, and Harte had them jangling even further when his 30-yard free kick flew just wide. Even Phil Neville showed the tension was getting to him, earning a yellow card for a crude hack on Jobi McAnuff. As the tension cranked up, Everton’s passing cracked up. In their desperation to level, simple balls started to go astray as frustration seeped into the Toffee’s attacking. When Reading midfielder Jay Tabb found himself suddenly clear in the Everton penalty area, hearts sank again until Neville deflected the ball wide for a corner. Then Saha went close at the other end, only for Distin to deflect his goal-bound shot wide. Luck seemed in depressingly short supply. Reading keeper McCarthy will probably never make a finer reflex save than the point blank stop that denied Osman moments afterwards. Even with five minutes added time, Everton’s fate seemed inexorably sealed. Those home fans left inside the ground at the end booed their team off, before applauding the Reading players. It was a noble gesture much appreciated by the away dressing room. However, the Everton faithful were clapping with more than just generosity of spirit. In their applause was the sentiment of condemned men. It was the last classy gesture of fans who suspect their season is facing the firing squad and every gun is loaded.
All the jubilation and romance of that last-gasp win at Stamford Bridge has vanished. In its place remains a numbing fight against mid-table mediocrity.
Marouane Fellaini injury woe as Everton FC crash out of FA Cup to Reading
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 2 2011
EVERTON’S FA Cup despair was compounded today as Marouane Fellaini was ruled out for the rest of the season. The Belgian, widely regarded as one of Everton’s key performers, requires an operation on the ankle injured against Sunderland at the weekend, and will not feature again this term. David Moyes must come to terms with the setback, and the potential three week absence of Tim Cahill with a foot injury, as he plans how to salvage a season which saw its last hope of silverware vanish after a 1-0 FA Cup fifth round defeat by Reading at Goodison last night. He said: “Marouane Fellaini is going to be out for the season now, he’ll have an operation on Monday.
“Most people will tell you he’s been a key key player for us this season. “Tim Cahill will miss two or three weeks with a foot injury just now, but that isn’t a reason for tonight’s result.” “We had a great opportunity with a home game after doing so well in the previous tie so it’s a feeling of disappointment.” Moyes was unable to start with his twin strike force of Louis Saha and Jermaine Beckford, after the former Leeds United striker missed the 7.30pm kick off due to delays on the M62 as he travelled to Goodison. But Moyes, who saw his team booed off by the home crowd, refused to blame Beckford. He said: “I hadn’t named the team yet (when Beckford was late) but obviously you want your players here. It was a crash. It could happen to you, me or anybody. “(The fans reaction) was quite right. We didn’t play well. This was a competition we had high hopes in after Chelsea, so I totally understand.” The Everton boss was eventually able to introduce Beckford, along with Victor Anichebe, at half time but the changes were to no avail as his side were sent crashing out of the competition. He said: “I felt like we needed to make a change and try something at half time. We hadn’t created anything in the first half and needed to get a goal back. We had no real craft at the top of the pitch. “We knew what we’d have to deal with, with their centre forwards running about but we had no ability to break them down at the other end. Once they got the goal it gave them something to hang onto. “We’re not hiding it, we’re majorly disappointed but you have to credit Reading. “I’ll pick myself up and get back on it come Thursday.”
Everton FC 0 Reading 1: End of the road as Blues crash out of FA Cup
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 2 2011
Dejection for Mikel Arteta as Everton crash out of the FA Cup to ReadingLOUIS SAHA walked away from a motoring accident over the weekend. But none of David Moyes's side can escape unscathed after this car crash of a performance. Much like Saha's battered Ferrari 458, Everton's FA Cup run came to a shuddering halt last night when they slumped to a desperate home defeat to npower Championship side Reading. From the highs of Stamford Bridge to this depressing, demoralising low; so continues Everton's frustrating, rollercoaster campaign in which any encouragement is soon negated by another dismal setback. This wasn't quite as bad as the dire reverse at Bolton Wanderers last month, but that's of little consolation to the Everton supporters who greeted the final whistle with a cacophony of jeers. Quite right, too. Moyes and his players could have few complaints over the outcome. They were outfought and outthought by their lower league opposition, Reading full value for a victory earned by a 26th-minute goal from skipper Matt Mills.
Not only did the strike end Goodison hopes of a return to Wembley and any interest in silverware this season, it also banished the feelgood factor engendered by dramatic victory at Chelsea in the previous round. If concern over the long-term future of the club had been put to one side in the wake of that shoot-out success, then such an inquest will surely be reopened once again this morning. Saha wasn't the only Everton striker to experience car trouble this week.
Jermaine Beckford may have expected a starting role following his two goals in the weekend 2-0 win over Sunderland until a serious accident on the M62 delayed his arrival to the ground until 10 minutes before kick-off. Beckford was eventually introduced from the bench at the break as Moyes sought Cup salvation, but by then damage had been done; Everton found wanting all over the pitch, particularly up front where they lacked the nous to break down an obdurate Reading rearguard.
Yes, Moyes was without both Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill. But they were the only significant absentees of an otherwise full-strength team. News Fellaini is now absent for the remainder of the campaign added injury to the insult of this result. The warnings were there that Everton would not be in for an easy ride. After all, Reading won on their last visit to Merseyside when knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup at the third round stage at Anfield 14 months ago. And the Royals were also the only Championship side to eliminate Premier League opposition in this season's competition, having beaten West Bromwich Albion in the third round. However, although on the fringes of the promotion play-off places, Brian McDermott's side had won only one of seven games since booking a place in the last 16 with victory over Stevenage Borough. The early 7.30pm start time, a throwback to the days before television coverage slowly eroded so many of the game's traditions, was no excuse for a slumbering first-half performance from Everton in front of a surprisingly subdued home crowd. Reading served note of their intent as early as the second minute when Jimmy Kebe sprinted down the right and Tim Howard safely fielded an overly-ambitious flick from Shane Long. Kebe's raids down the flank would be a feature of the first half, with both Leighton Baines and Syvlain Distin struggling to contain the Malian winger. And the visitors went ahead on 26 minutes as Moyes's men were undone by the hesitant defending that has dogged them throughout the campaign. A fine block from Phil Jagielka deflected behind a goalbound shot from Mikele Leigertwood, the Reading midfielder given far too much time on the edge of the Everton area. But from the resultant corner from the right, Distin allowed Mills to reach Ian Harte's inswinging delivery and, although a stretching Leon Osman half-cleared the danger, the home defence were slow to react as the ball bounced back at the feet of Mills for the centre-back to sweep home from 12 yards. Reading should really have doubled their advantage two minutes later when Distin failed to cut a hopeful pass 40 yards from goal and Kebe raced in clear on Howard, only to fire far too close to the goalkeeper who saved gratefully with his legs. Everton huffed and puffed, unable to gain any momentum or rhythm going forward with Royals goalkeeper Alex McCarthy barely given a save of note to make. Their best chance before the break came in the 11th minute, a teasing cross from Osman finding Seamus Coleman at the far post where the Irishman sent a free header into the ground, the ball then looping narrowly over the crossbar. Moyes had seen enough and at half-time threw on both Beckford and Victor Anichebe for Coleman and the ineffective Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. The impact was instant. Everton were suddenly more combative with Beckford partnering a previously isolated Saha in attack, the pair combining on 47 minutes for the former to strike an angled drive at McCarthy. Mikel Arteta dragged a shot narrowly wide from 20 yards shortly afterwards, although Anichebe's attempts to follow suit ended with a less appreciative response from the increasingly edgy home crowd. But Reading refused to sit back, and Harte was near with a curling 25-yard free-kick that Howard could only watch flash beyond his right-hand post. Everton's initial threat soon dissipated as Reading reshuffled to cope with the change of approach from Moyes, with the Royals coming close again on 76 minutes when Long fed Jay Tabb for a shot that deflected off Neville and flew just wide. Everton had to throw everything forward in the closing quarter and it almost paid dividends 11 minutes from time. A deep cross from Saha was headed back across goal by Beckford into the path of Osman, whose first-time shot was brilliantly kept out by keeper McCarthy. But that was as near as they came, the 16-year wait for a major trophy extended for another 12 months. The boos at full-time said everything. Now the questions will start once again.
Marouane Fellaini ruled out for the season as Everton crash out of FA Cup to Reading
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 2 2011
DISAPPOINTED David Moyes admits Everton deserved to be jeered from the field after crashing out of the FA Cup – as Marouane Fellaini was ruled out for the rest of the season. A 26th-minute goal from Matt Mills was enough to send the Goodison outfit tumbling to a 1-0 home defeat in their fifth round clash with npower Championship side Reading last night. The gloom was deepened with the news Fellaini will not play again this campaign, as the Belgian is set to undergo an operation on Monday on the ankle problem sustained in the weekend win over Sunderland. Everton were greeted with a chorus of boos at the final whistle after their hopes of silverware were ended by a dismal reverse. And Moyes could have no complaints when asked about the reaction of the supporters.
“It was quite right,” said the Everton manager. “We didn’t play well. “This was a competition in which we had high hopes after beating Chelsea, so the supporters’ reaction I can totally understand.
“We had a great opportunity having been given a home tie and having done so well in the last round, so it’s a big disappointment. “I don’t feel let down. I think we just didn’t play well enough to win the game.” Fellaini was joined on the sidelines last night by Tim Cahill, who could be out for the next three weeks with an foot complaint. And of the injuries, Moyes said: “Marouane Fellaini is going to be out for the season now, he’ll have an operation on Monday “Most people will tell you he’s been a key key player for us this season. “Tim Cahill will miss two or three weeks with a foot injury just now, but that isn’t a reason for tonight’s result.” It is the fifth time in the last seven seasons that Everton have been eliminated from the competition at Goodison. And Moyes bemoaned the lack of cutting edge up front from his players. “We had no real craft at the top end of the pitch tonight,” said the Scot. “We had no real ability to break them down at the top end of the pitch. Once they got their goal, it gave them something to hang on to. “I thought we passed the ball quite well tonight. But a lot of it was sideways and across the pitch and we couldn’t really penetrate them.
“I don’t know if it’s a case we lacked spirit or character. The game meant we always had to keep moving the ball about. I thought we tried to do that but we just didn’t have it. “But you have to credit Reading, they came and did a job, scored from a set-piece and that was it.” Moyes added: “I’ll pick myself up and get back on it on Thursday and get ready for the next game. “There’s still situation where we are not good enough to win lots of games. It’s obvious. It’s not going to go away just because we have won a few. “There are signs we are doing better. “But we were short on quality tonight and there’s always the chance that can happen.” Everton’s plans were hampered by Jermaine Beckford arriving only 10 minutes before kick-off after being delayed by a serious accident on the M62 on his way to the ground. But Moyes refused to criticise the striker and said: “I hadn’t named the team. “But you want your players here, obviously. But it was a crash, it could have happened to anyone.”
Captain Mills is Reading FC cup hero at Everton
By Jonny Fordham
March 02, 2011 The Reading Post
Matt Mills revealed he had dreamed of scoring the winning goal against Everton that put Reading through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the second season running. Mills’ fifth goal of the campaign sank the Premier League big-guns 1-0, 14 months after Royals shocked Liverpool 2-1 in the third round. A trip to his old club Manchester City or Aston Villa is now the next hurdle for Royals on Sunday March 13 (4.45pm kick-off), with a semi-final at Wembley awaiting the winners.
Talismanic captain Mills will be sure to have more flash-backs of the moment he fired the ball past United States international Tim Howard at Goodison Park. Reading FC web chat with Jonny Fordham
He said: “I imagined scoring. I was joking with my girlfriend (celebrity actress Emma Rigby) saying what celebration I was going to do and luckily it came off. "To get a goal like this and then to win is something I won’t do too many times. "It was pure emotion and passion after I scored. Performances recently have been questioned, but a lot of passion came out at that moment.
“The boys went out there and wanted to prove a point and we’ve now done that.
“Beating Liverpool at Anfield was pretty special and winning at Wembley with Doncaster was an awesome feeling. “As a team that can’t rotate too many players, well, the lads that came in were absolutely fantastic. I’m well and truly on a high.” After the emotion and sensation settles from the magnificent win in the North West, Royals will start to turn their attentions to Middlesbrough at home on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Mills is Reading FC's talisman in 1-0 Everton win
By Jonny Fordham
March 02, 2011 The Reading Post
Captain marvel Matt Mills scored a shock winner as Reading completed a miraculous FA Cup giant-killing double on Merseyside. Last year it was seven-times winners Liverpool who fell to Brian McDermott’s side in the third round, 14 months later and David Moyes’ five-times victors Everton became Royals’ fifth-round victims. Everton, who dumped out holders Chelsea in the last round, had never before lost a home game to Reading, but their lack of a cutting edge and invention across their multi-million pound strike-force cost them dear. Reading were roared on by a boisterous and lively following of more than 1,000 fans who made the pilgrimage from Berkshire and again they weren’t disappointed. The Toffees were without several key players with injuries preventing influential and lethal midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill taking part. Defenders Shaun Cummings and Ivar Ingimarsson missed out for Reading, meaning manager Brian McDermott was forced to make unwanted changes at the back. Iceland international Brynjar Gunnarson, out of position at right-back, made a number of crucial blocks to deny Spaniard Mikel Arteta as the Toffees’ asked questions of the make-shift rearguard early on. Seamus Coleman wasted their best chance of the opening half when he headed Leon Osman’s cross into the ground and onto the top of the net. Despite David Moyes’ Premier League outfit playing the better and more attractive football at times, it was Royals who took the lead through skipper Matt Mills. Left-back Ian Harte delivered a corner into the box and with Osman unable to clear, 24-year-old centre-back Mills was there to volley home a fortuitous, but well executed goal against the run of play. His fifth strike of the season has now set up a quarter-final showdown away to either his former club Manchester City or Aston Villa on Sunday, March 13. Booed off at the break, Moyes shuffled his pack by bringing on attacking reinforcements for the second half. Jermaine Beckford, who arrived just five minutes before kick-off due to traffic problems, joined Victor Anichebe as the Premier League stars tried to break down Royals who played with bravery and endeavour. McDermott’s side, again driven on by unbeaten Mikele Leigertwood from midfield, held their shape and nerve to frustrate the hosts. Midfield schemer Jay Tabb again partnered the QPR loanee in the middle of the park and the pint-sized enforcer should have put the tie beyond any doubt when he fired wide 15 minute from time.
England under-21 goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, growing in stature from his experiences due to Adam Federici’s knee injury, clawed and scrapped at everything and anything before him. Osman forced the 6ft 5ins stopper into a sublime reaction save when Beckford’s header fell into his path and he hit an instinctive shot towards goal. It might have been another smash and grab cup victory to yield another top-flight scalp, but that won’t matter an inch to anyone connected with Reading.
Everton (4-5-1): Howard, Baines, Jagielka, Distin, Coleman (Anichebe, 46), Rodwell, Osman, Neville (c) (Baxter, 88), Bilyaletdinov (Beckford, 46), Arteta, Saha. Subs not used: Mucha, Hibert, Heitinga, Duffy.
Reading (4-4-2): McCarthy, Gunnarsson, Mills (c), Khizanishvili, Harte, Kebe, Tabb, Leigertwood, McAnuff (Robson-Kanu, 79), Long, Hunt (Church, 86). Subs not used: Andersen, Karacan, Antonio, Howard, Armstrong.
Referee: Andre Mariner (West Midlands).
Everton manager David Moyes rues missed opportunities after FA Cup defeat to Reading
Everton manager David Moyes admitted his side deserved to get knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Reading.
The Telegraph 02 Mar 2011
After stunning Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the previous round, Everton had entertained hopes of a lengthy run in the FA Cup and were expected to progress safely to the quarter-finals against Reading.
But a first-half goal from Reading defender Matt Mills stunned Goodison Park into silence and ultimately sent the Royals into a last eight tie against either Manchester City or Aston Villa. It was a bitterly disappointing exit for Everton, who left the field to a chorus of boos as Reading's players celebrated a famous win. "It's a massive disappointment for us because we did so well in the previous round," Moyes said afterwards. "You can only ask for a home tie and we didn't take advantage of it." Moyes said poor defending and a lack of creativity in the opposition half had weighed against his side. We could have defended the set piece for the goal, our attacking wasn't good enough. I think they defended really well," Moyes said. "They got back behind the ball and we didn't have enough craft at the top of the pitch to make things happen." Moyes also paid tribute to Reading's performance. "Terrific the way they got about their job," he said. "The longer it went on the more desperate we became." Reading manager Brian McDermott meanwhile said his team had been quietly confident of scoring an upset just as they did last year when they knocked out Everton's city rivals Liverpool in the third round. "We thought there was an opportunity for us," McDermott said. "We've got such a good bunch of players and spirit and we wanted to take the game to Everton. "It didn't work for the first 15 minutes, they passed around us. But we got the goal and once you've scored it gives you something to hang on to." McDermott believes the result will lift the club as they mount a late push for a Championship play-off place. "We are close. If you can come to Goodison and put on a performance like that it gives you a lot of hope for the future," he said. "Nights like that are just going to galvanise the club." There was more bad news for Everton last night following news that Marouane Fellaini will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. The Belgian international midfielder requires an operation on the ankle injury which has plagued him for much of the year and is not expected to be fit before the end of the campaign.
Marouane Fellaini to miss rest of Everton season
By Andy Hampson, The Independent
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
The Belgium international will undergo surgery next Monday after aggravating the injury in Saturday's Barclays Premier League win over Sunderland. Fellaini, 23, missed last night's FA Cup fifth-round loss to Reading at Goodison Park and manager David Moyes confirmed the news after the game. The Scot explained: "Marouane is going to be out for the season now, he will have an operation on Monday." It is the second successive year an ankle injury has brought a premature end to Fellaini's season. Fellaini, a club record £15million signing three years ago, was out of action for around six months after an ankle operation in February 2010. Moyes added: "Everybody who has watched us will tell you he has been a key player for us and Tim Cahill will probably miss two or three weeks as well." Australia midfielder Cahill also missed last night's game with a foot injury.
The absence of the influential pair will be a major blow as Everton look to improve upon their mid-table position in the Premier League.
EVERTON 0 READING 1
By PHIL THOMAS
2 Mar 2011 The Sun
IF Louis Saha thought his car was a mess, it is nothing compared to the wreck that has become Everton's season. For while Saha may have walked away with barely a scratch after writing off his Ferrari on Sunday night, the Toffees found themselves cut to ribbons by the Royals. And for manager David Moyes and his men, it just leaves a relegation scrap to look forward to over the next two months. Play like this too often and they will be lucky to escape that unscathed. It may have been misery for Moyes but it was Mersey magic for Brian McDermott and Reading, enjoying a second famous Cup triumph in these parts in 14 months. Last season, they went to Anfield for a third-round replay and dumped Liverpool on their own patch. Last night, they were equally good value and more than merited a place in the last eight for the second season running. They now travel to the winners of tonight's tie between Manchester City and Aston Villa in round six, with a semi-final place at Wembley up for grabs. Skipper Matt Mills bagged the goalscoring glory with his 26th-minute strike but it was a night for right Royal heroes everywhere you looked on the visitors' side. Such as keeper Alex McCarthy, who produced a truly outstanding point-blank save to deny Leon Osman a late leveller. Or the jet-heeled Jimmy Kebe, whose pace and trickery gave Leighton Baines a torrid evening. Or Brynjar Gunnarsson, Mills and the rest of the backline, who formed a rock-solid wall to deny the men who had ousted Chelsea in the previous round. Talk about chalk and cheese. While Everton were in Wonderland at Stamford Bridge, last night it was more Blunderland as their last hope of silverware drifted away - and the fans let them know about it at the end. Moyes admitted: "We had no real craft at the top end of the pitch. We're majorly disappointed, we're not hiding that, and we were short of quality. The reaction from the crowd was quite right, we didn't play well. "They had high hopes after beating Chelsea, so I totally understand them." Even the team selection was riddled with chaos after a snarl-up on the M62 meant in-form striker Jermaine Beckford arrived 10 minutes before kick-off and had to drop to the bench before coming on at half-time. But the way McDermott's men went about their business and kept their shape throughout, you doubt whether it would have made much difference if he had been on from the start. Everton's Belgian midfielder MAROUANE FELLAINI is out for the rest of the season after having an operation on the ankle he injured in Saturday's win over Sunderland. His Toffees team-mate Tim Cahill is sidelined for three weeks with a foot problem.
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
STAR MAN - MATT MILLS (Reading)
EVERTON: Howard 6, Neville 5, Baines 5, Distin 5, Jagielka 6, Rodwell 6, Coleman 4, Bilyaletdinov 4, Arteta 5, Osman 5, Saha 5. Subs: Beckford (Coleman 46) 6, Anichebe (Bilyaletdinov 46) 5, Baxter (Neville 88) 5. Not used: Mucha, Hibbert, Heitinga, Duffy. Booked: Baines, Rodwell, Neville.
Royals rumble the Toffees
The Sun March 2 2011-03-02
READING boss Brian McDermott produced another Mersey upset - then hailed the EVERTON fans.
The Royals booked a quarter-final place with a goal by Matt Mills. McDermott said: "To get applauded off by the Everton fans is a great feeling and I won't forget that. "As we discovered last year when we won at Anfield, they have real class supporters on Merseyside." Reading beat Liverpool in the third round at Anfield last season and when asked who he wanted next, McDermott joked: "Tranmere - because they are another Merseyside team." Instead, it will be the winners of tonight's game between Manchester City and Aston Villa. McDermott said: "We played Villa last season and were 2-0 up at one stage. But 15 minutes later we were 3-2 down so, whoever it is, it will be a big assignment. "The victory at Liverpool last season gave us impetus to push on in the Championship and I hope it happens again on this occasion. Our work-rate was phenomenal."
EVERTON 0 READING 1: ROYALS FEEL SO HAPPY ON MERSEYSIDE
Mar 2 2011 The Daily Star
By Kevin Francis
They held Liverpool to a draw in the third round last year before delivering a knockout blow in the replay at Anfield. Now, on the other side of Stanley Park, the Royals have turned the tables on Everton to reach the last eight for the second season on the trot. And this was no fluke either, for Brian McDermott’s team of battlers really did run David Moyes’ men ragged at times. The Championship side, 20 places beneath Premier League Everton, produced a never-say-die approach that repeatedly had the Toffees on the ropes. True, Everton mounted a concerted fightback in the second half, but they always had trouble in trying to snuff out their dangerous opponents. Captain Matt Mills was the goal hero for Reading, with a first-half strike that gave the home side a shock from which they never recovered. The goal that stunned the vast majority of the Goodison Park crowd into silence came in the 26th minute. Everton completely failed to deal with a right-wing corner from veteran defender Ian Harte and a Mills header was only half-cleared by Leon Osman.
The ball rolled back out to Mills, who made no mistake, hammering the ball through a packed Everton defence. The Royals should have gone further ahead just a few minutes later when Jimmy Kebe raced through alone to set up a great scoring chance. However, the advancing Tim Howard narrowed the angle and Kebe fired the ball harmlessly at the Everton keeper. Reading had given a clear indication that they certainly weren’t overawed by their opponents, showing a willingness to attack right from the kick-off in this fifth-round clash. In fact, they almost went ahead after just two minutes following a cracking right-wing run from Kebe. His cross was met by Shane Long, but the Irishman just couldn’t control the ball sufficiently well enough near the goalline and the chance went begging. It was the kind of early wake-up call that should have made Everton aware of the dangers that could be posed by Reading. After all, they had knocked West Brom out in the previous round and clearly are not worried about top flight opposition. The hosts’ first real goal attempt came after 12 minutes thanks to an excellent left-wing cross from Osman. Seamus Coleman rose high to meet it, but his downward header bounced agonisingly over the bar.
Everton did look much more lively in the second half, with interval substitute Jermaine Beckford posing the visitors all kinds of problems. He almost scored within a minute of the resumption when, after being put through by Louis Saha, he saw his left-foot effort saved by Alex McCarthy.
But then it was Reading’s turn to go close again in the 51st minute when a fierce Harte free-kick whistled just inches wide of a post. Then, in the 75th minute, a low shot from Kebe was deflected away from the goal by Phil Neville when another goal looked to be on the cards. Everton did apply plenty of pressure, particularly late on, but never really had any clear-cut opportunities. They almost scored in the 75th minute when a Saha shot hit team-mate Beckford, who couldn’t move out of the way quickly enough. A minute later, McCarthy produced an absolutely brilliant save to deny Osman, who sent in a rocket of a shot from six yards. However, despite Everton’s late fightback, it was all a case of too little too late on the night.
Everton FC letters: Blues are in a mess from top to bottom
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 3 2011
THIS season has been a total disaster for Everton and questions have to be asked as to why the club are consistently found wanting against so-called inferior opposition. Time and again this season the onus has been on us to attack and we have come up short. It’s only in games where we have to be defensively resilient and soak up a lot of pressure that we’ve actually prevailed – Manchester City and Chelsea away being the two examples, possibly throw Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham into the mix too. Teams invariably know how to set-up against us. On Tuesday, Reading suffocated us with consummate ease. The manager has to find solutions – and he’s not finding them. From the top to the bottom the club is in a mess. The fans are made to suffer the indignity of PR spin from those managing the club – whether it be Robert Elstone making out the club’s accounts are a “good set of accounts” or David Moyes or Phil Neville telling us things will be put right on the field. “Mikel Arteta is our Iniesta”; “Osman is here for life” – the supporters do not want to hear this nonsense. Everton need to be more ruthless but with the current management team we never will be.
BobbySen
WE will get the usual ‘apologies’ from the players. How many corners have we turned now? One after Manchester United, one after each derby game, one after Chelsea etc etc. No wonder our players look dizzy!
Graeme
I THOUGHT having a night’s sleep would make it better. No. I still feel awful. Fans gave their all, like they do every week. This team, the manager, the owner are not worthy. This goes on, season after season. Years of chronic under-investment. Are we poorer than Reading? I don’t think so. So where are the players with heart, with passion? Reading had them on Tuesday night.
GwladiesStNoHopers
I CAN honestly see fans voting with their feet next season in a big way I’ve lost count of how many have said they won’t renew their season tickets. After 40 years supporting the Blues I really fear for the club and where its going.
Rayefc
TAXI (a big one) for Kenwright, Moyes and underachieving players.
Bobsdad
YET another shocking performance on Tuesday. David Moyes doesn’t seem to be able to motivate the players anymore. We have no pace in the team and all night passes went sideways allowing Reading to have 11 men behind the ball. This is not a one-off bad performance but has been happening all season; even the recent home wins have only been because of a naive Blackpool and a very poor Sunderland team.
Hawksy1
WHY is anyone surprised by the result against Reading? It's been happening all season – reaching the heights one week and going down the pits the next. Once Reading went ahead even at that early stage I knew we were out – they are a good side (as Liverpool found out last season) and we were lucky as we were against Chelsea not to go more than one down. Our season is now effectively over.
There isn’t any chance we’ll be relegated but things have to change in a big way before we can compete with the best again. And unless they do, the future looks grim.
Blooper
I SERIOUSLY worry for the Blues now. We show no effort, no passion against teams we should be beating and get turned over by them. We probably need four more wins to guarantee safety and I just cant see who we are going to beat. It becomes increasingly harder to keep the faith.
Dan1989
IT’S time for the Blues to look at themselves in the mirror. What has changed from last season? Pienaar and the Yak have gone – that's it. We're better than this and it's time for the players to prove it from now until the end of the season. They shouldn't be looking to the summer beach or to the transfer window but to finishing above the Reds – it's the least they can do. There is no excuse for poor simple passes, not closing down, no movement, no effort (from some), throwing your arms in the air or falling over and blaming the ref every time you lose out on a header. Pull yourselves together and give back to the fans what they have always given you – namely loyalty, faith, support, high expectations and credit where credit is due.
Ozzie2010
TUESDAY was a very disappointing performance. I have to question the heart of a side who can put in such a passionless performance at Goodison itself in the only competition we are left in. I will always follow the shirt but some of that team simply do not deserve to play for EFC. And part of the problem is Moyes has no ‘plan B’ when it’s not working out.
JCairns
Everton FC jury: Blues fans on the FA Cup exit to Reading and the club's current plight
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 3 2011
Mike Williamson: Everton FC’s motto at the moment should be ‘No Money, No Ambition, No Hope’
JUST how do you find the words to describe the plight of this once great club? Our motto at the moment should be No Money, No Ambition, No Hope. That is painful to say but it’s true. There was a predictable inevitability about Tuesday night, which seemed to be reflected in the strangely subdued mood of the crowd even before kick-off. Reading fully deserved their win and while Moyes will say otherwise, the season is over. Rodwell is a promising player but that’s all and he looks totally disinterested at present. We need to get real about our expectations and focus on stabilising the club’s long term future by first and foremost getting rid of the debt. I would sell him, Anichebe, Heitinga and Bilyaletdinov to the highest bidders and use the funds to rebuild. There simply have to be decent players in the Championship and lower leagues who could do a decent job for us. Cole Fraser: Losing to Reading was unacceptable for Everton FC POSITIVE results against Chelsea and Sunderland had convinced many that our poor form may finally be turning around. It isn’t. A lot of our displays have disappointed me this season, and the Reading game is near the top of that list.
I never expect too much of Everton, but I know what we’re capable of. Losing to a lower division side in an important game isn’t acceptable for us. Fair play to the Royals – they turned up and did their job, but we didn’t even give them a game. Once again, our passing was terrible. It’s something that we clearly aren’t working on as much as we need to. It’s embarrassing to see that our players can’t even complete some short simple passes to feet. After an abysmal performance, lacking any real show of desire, it adds insult to injury when Moyes tried to change the game with a substitute in the 87th minute. Ridiculous.
Mike Drummond: Reading deserve full credit for their win over Everton FC in the FA Cup FULL credit needs to go to Reading who fully deserved their win on Tuesday by defendingŠ brilliantly, winning balls and shaking up our defence on nearly every attack. Everton, on the other hand, were absolutely tragic – another contender for a ‘worst performance in Moyes’s reign’, possibly? For some bizarre reason, we started with one up-front – at home and against a Championship side which doesn’t even go well in the Premier League for us anymore. For the first 15 minutes, I thought this could be a walk over; then their goal just completely broke us. So our season is now over. I expect the usual ‘Moyes and Kenwright out’, and half the squad to be linked with a move away in the summer, stories. However, for the first time, they may be true! David Wallbank: Will we ever see Marouane Fellaini in an Everton shirt again? EVERTON were a disgrace on Tuesday night against Reading.
The Blues FAILED while Reading booked only their third-ever appearance at this stage of the FA Cup.
Beckford stuck in traffic while Fellaini and Cahill both sidelined meant it wasn’t the perfect build-up before kick-off, but no one expected us to be dumped out by the side from the npower Championship. Now with the news we’ll be without Fellaini for the rest of the season, the question is will we ever see him in an Everton shirt again following all the transfer speculation. The man with the big Afro has been one of a few bright lights in what is now becoming one of our worst seasons in recent memory. I won’t, and can’t defend any of our players for FAILING to deliver value for money.
Our season is over and the doom clouds hang heavy above Goodison Park.
Former Blue Ronnie Goodlass' post-mortem on Everton FC’s FA Cup
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 3 2011
THE sullen pessimists had warned it was possible, but Evertonians who dared to believe their club could go all the way in the FA Cup are still reeling with shock at their humbling by Reading.
An ugly realisation has dawned on supporters that a respectable finish in the Premier League remains the Blues only chance of relative achievement this season. Undoubtedly Everton’s more experienced players, men who David Moyes has labelled his ‘mini-managers’; Leon Osman, Tony Hibbert, Tim Howard and Tim Cahill are also struggling with that bleak conclusion – as they ponder 11 games without their inspirational midfielder Marouane Fellaini. BBC Radio Merseyside Everton commentator Ronnie Goodlass is a blue-blooded fan first and former player second. And Ronnie is as down-hearted and angry at Tuesday night’s capitulation against the npower Championship outfit as any supporter. The 57-year-old also fears that the psychological impact of the defeat could derail Everton’s hopes of catching rivals Liverpool, who sit sixth in the league, six points ahead of the Toffees who have a game in hand. “The problem is that if you have any realistic hope of getting near that top five almost every game now becomes must win,” he says. “Normally you’d look at a trip to St James’s Park to play Newcastle and say a draw would be a decent result. “But with the hope of FA Cup success gone you’re thinking they have to go there and win it, then beat Birmingham and so on, and that’s far easier said than done.” Goodlass is angry that Birmingham, who come to Goodison next Wednesday, are arguably a smaller club who are still in the FA Cup and have a league cup under their belt already this season. “It’s frustrating,” he says. “They’re still going strong in the FA Cup as are Bolton and West Ham. “If you had to pick a draw for the fifth round then you could have done a lot worse than Reading at Goodison, and then that happens. “A lot of players were found wanting on the night. Some lads were given a chance to step up to the mark and they failed.” The former Goodison winger pulls no punches in his assessment of performances on the night. “I was disappointed with the changes at half time. Victor Anichebe has just been given a four and a half year contract and he just didn’t do it. “He wasn’t really winning headers or seeming to be committed to winning the ball at all, and that infuriates supporters. They expect 100%.
“Bily was played on the wing again and it’s patently clear he’s not a wide man. Perhaps Osman should have been out on the flank with Bily more central playing off a striker. “He just looks nervous and as if he doesn’t believe he can go past a player. “We hardly tested the Reading keeper apart from Osman’s chance which he saved well. Even from set pieces, Mikel Arteta was disappointing again after doing well against Sunderland.” Perhaps what galled Goodlass most was striker Jermaine Beckford arriving late and upsetting Moyes’ plans to pair him with Louis Saha from the start.
“The fans who paid for their tickets all got to the ground on time. Some of them travelled on the M62 as well. The rest of the squad got there on time. “This was a major game. Win it and we were into the quarter finals. How can a player only leave himself a couple of hours to get to the stadium?
“It’s not good enough. Mick McCarthy was watching and walked away smiling. “He will want to play us tomorrow. Some players need to really step up in adversity now. They need to take a long, hard look at themselves and take individual responsibility.”
Nigerian striker Yakubu keen to seal Everton FC exit - Sven Goran Eriksson
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 3 2011
YAKUBU wants to make his move to Leicester City permanent if the Foxes clinch promotion to the Premier League. The Nigerian striker has hit form since making the move to the Midlands in January, with four goals in eight games, and Sven Goran Eriksson is keen to keep him at the Walkers Stadium.
Any full transfer, though, would depend on the finances available to David Moyes. If the Everton boss receives a modest transfer budget, as predicted by chief executive Robert Elstone in January, he will have to weigh up whether to cash in on Yakubu along with other saleable assets on the club’s books. Eriksson feels winning promotion will be key to Leicester’s prospects of keeping the powerful forward, who he believes would be happy to remain under his tutelage. He said: “I’m quite sure if we go up that Yakubu will stay, and he wants to.” Eriksson wants to keep all his loan signings; including former Toffees target Kyle Naughton, Jeffrey Bruma, Ben Mee, and Patrick van Aanholt at Leicester. He added: “I should like to buy them all as they are very good for the club. “Firstly, I have to discuss things with the players and then the chairmen of their clubs which is even more difficult. Some have said it will cost us a lot of money to buy them but I already know that. “We will wait a couple of weeks and then start to see where we are.” Moyes could be tempted to try and include Leicester’s talented midfielder Andy King in a potential swap. The 22-year-old has scored 15 goals this season to take the Foxes near to the play-offs. Leicester are not desperate to sell their top players though, and have the support of wealthy new Thai owners who could insist they simply want to make a cash bid for the Yak. Meanwhile, former Everton utility man Steve Watson believes Everton’s mastery of the midfield contest will be key in their bid to bounce back against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday. The Blues, still smarting from their 1-0 defeat by Reading in the FA Cup on Tuesday night, last won at St James’s Park in 2000, when Watson was part of the visiting side. And the Newcastle-born former Toffee thinks Everton face a tough task dealing with the Magpie’s midfield trio of Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tiote. He said: “I think their midfield has done very well this season - I think Joey Barton has had an outstanding season, Kevin Nolan is always dangerous and Tiote has anchored the midfield brilliantly. “He’s probably been one of the best in the Premier League in that position, the Newcastle midfield is very strong at the moment. “I think the game will be won and lost in the middle of the park because both teams have some high quality midfielders battling out against each other.” Watson says United have coped admirably with the loss of their striker Andy Carroll, who joined Liverpool for £35m in January. He said: “I think obviously with the managerial change and losing Andy Carroll, who was their best player and a big part of the dressing room, they’ve done really well. “They’ve pulled out a couple of very good results this season, obviously the Arsenal result springs to mind (4-4) and a they managed a very good away win at Birmingham as well - they are a dangerous team, and it seems to be going well for them. “As good as Andy was, and he was excellent when he was fit, but even he was injured their form didn’t dip that much. “Obviously they are going to miss a player like him because he is a special talent, but it’s time for players to step up to the plate and that’s what they seem to have done.”
Ian Doyle on why FA Cup defeat marks the beginning of the end of an era at Everton FC
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 3 2011
WRITING in his programme notes before Tuesday night’s encounter with Reading, David Moyes warned of the FA Cup’s knack of throwing up strange results. But the oddest aspect of Everton’s subsequent dismal elimination against the npower Championship side was it wasn’t strange at all.
In a week in which two of his strikers ran into car trouble, this was an accident waiting to happen for the frustrated Moyes. By beating Chelsea in the previous round, Everton underlined their ability to take on and beat the Premier League’s leading clubs, having lost to only Arsenal in 11 games against the top-flight’s top six this season. But by losing at home to Reading, the Goodison outfit demonstrated a propensity to falter in the face of the so-called lesser lights when the onus and expectation is placed firmly upon their shoulders. So a campaign that started with such high hopes has now effectively been written off by a deserved FA Cup humiliation that exposed the shortcomings of the current squad. The defence, a bedrock of every Moyes team, remains worryingly porous; just two clean sheets in the last 21 games tells its own story. The midfield has consistently lacked the guile and wit to break down even the most basically-organised of opposition rearguards. And the attack, which Moyes feared in the summer would be the Achilles heel for his team, has proven expectedly unreliable, despite Louis Saha’s New Year revival.
So, now what?
In the short term, Everton cannot afford to suffer any hangover from Tuesday’s defeat. While six points off sixth place, Moyes’s men are still only five points clear of the relegation zone. And while hopes of silverware have been dashed, it would be wrong to suggest Everton’s players now have nothing to play for this season. Their Goodison futures are likely to be on the line giving the nagging suspicion the current team is reaching the end of its natural cycle. Moyes may have to rip it up and start again. But the issue with that is obvious. “There’s still a situation where we are not good enough to win lots of games,” said Moyes in the wake of Tuesday’s defeat. “It’s obvious. It’s not going to go away just because we have won a few.” The Everton manager didn’t have to elaborate further on the situation. Everyone is acutely aware of the financial restraints within which he has to work, with the release of the recent club accounts prompting chief executive Robert Elstone to state there would be no transfer war-chest in the summer. Moyes therefore faces a major decision over how to approach the next transfer window. Rather than bolster resources with significant new arrivals last year, the Everton manager instead chose to concentrate on retaining the core of his squad by offering key players fresh contracts. It was a decision that has ultimately backfired, Everton crying out for new blood in recent months with the smattering of close season signings making negligible impact. While Jermaine Beckford has at least contributed some timely goals, the trio of Jan Mucha, Magaye Gueye and Joao Silva have started four games between them. And rather than use the recent January transfer window to bring in reinforcements, Moyes has been pressed into cutting costs by allowing James Vaughan and Yakubu to depart on loan and sanctioning the sale of Steven Pienaar. With Pienaar refusing to sign a new deal and poised to walk away for nothing at the end of the season, the potential £3million raised from the South African’s move to Tottenham Hotspur was good business. But the sign it sent out was unsettling. Is Everton once again becoming a club that sells its best players? It’s not difficult to see where the squad could be pruned. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has frustrated too many times and John Heitinga has failed to convince. Even Victor Anichebe, who recently penned a new contract, could have no complaints at being shipped on after flattering to deceive. However, it seems the only way Moyes can generate the money needed to facilitate a major squad rebuild is by cashing in on one or more of his prized possessions.
The past sales of Wayne Rooney and Joleon Lescott have shown chairman Bill Kenwright willing to hand over the funds to his manager. But such is the precarious financial climate at Goodison, it begs the question of whether Moyes would allow key personnel to depart in the knowledge he may not be given access to the money. This approach, of course, has the knock-on effect of making potential investors, should they even exist, think twice over pumping money into a club that appears to be regressing at a time so many of its near rivals are looking forward. Marouane Fellaini, one of Everton’s better players this season, would seem the most likely to attract serious interest with Chelsea long-time suitors of the Belgian, although Moyes is keen to begin talks with the midfielder over an improved contract. Twelve months ago, Mikel Arteta would have been mentioned in the same bracket but the Spaniard has seen his stock fall after an underwhelming campaign, while Phil Jagielka’s injury problems may have weakened Arsenal’s pursuit of his signature. Jack Rodwell has also failed to hit the heights this year – not helped by a serious injury in the autumn – and Fellaini’s absence for the remainder of the campaign gives the teenager an opportunity to justify the hype that has attracted Manchester United The final issue, though, is with Moyes himself. Nearing the ninth anniversary of his arrival at Goodison, the Scot would be forgiven for growing weary at swimming against the tide. There have been signs in recent weeks, though Moyes would never admit it, that the fight and burning desire has dimmed, if only slightly, in the face of the continued obstacles that are blocking his path to success with Everton. One thing is for certain, however. Tuesday’s defeat has marked the beginning of the end of an era at Goodison.
Everton FC latest: On-loan Yakubu ‘may want to stay at Leicester City’
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 3 2011
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON has claimed on-loan striker Yakubu will press for a permanent move to Leicester City should the club be promoted to the Premier League. Yakubu has scored four goals in eight appearances since his temporary move from Everton to the Walkers Stadium until the end of the season. Foxes manager Eriksson has made it clear he wants to keep the Nigerian for the long term, with Goodison counterpart David Moyes open to offers for the forward. And Eriksson feels winning promotion will be key to Leicester’s prospects of keeping the powerful forward. “I’m quite sure if we go up that Yakubu will stay, and he wants to,” said Eriksson. Should Leicester pursue a deal for the forward, then Moyes could seek to make formal his interest in Foxes’ highly-rated 22-year-old midfield Andy King. Moyes, meanwhile, has been reflecting on Tuesday’s FA Cup fifth round exit at home to npower Championship side Reading. And the Goodison manager accepts the campaign ranks among the worst of his nine-year tenure at the club and has warned his players they cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves. “We still know we are vulnerable,” said Moyes. “You don’t get into the position we are in if you’re not. “The players went out there with the same spirit we have had but we didn’t have the quality to open up Reading. “I can understand the boos, this is a competition where the supporters had high hopes. We had beaten Chelsea in the previous round. “It has not been the best of seasons, that is for sure.” Everton’s reserve team clash with Liverpool later this month will now take place at Anfield. The game takes place on Thursday, March 24 with a 7pm kick-off.
Where do Everton and David Moyes go from here?
March 3 2011 The Guardian
The Goodison Park club's manager is suffering from the same syndrome as Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, an inability to maintain the high standards of his early days D avid Moyes contemplates his lot after Tuesday's crushing FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Reading, the low point of Everton's scratchy season. The only good thing, from an Everton point of view, to come out of the shock FA Cup defeat by Reading was that the home fans were still classy enough to applaud deserving opponents off the pitch, despite their own disappointment. Arsenal supporters couldn't manage that even in a Wembley cup final last Sunday. Many made for the exits the instant the final whistle blew on Birmingham's unexpected though not undeserved triumph, and by the time Stephen Carr went up for the Carling Cup he was forced to wave it to just one end of the ground because the other was completely empty. So fair play to Everton fans. "To get clapped off by the home fans here was a tremendous tribute," Reading's manager, Brian McDermott, said. "They are great people on Merseyside." The bad news for Everton, and perhaps David Moyes in particular, was that their supporters also booed the home players. As frustrated as everyone else, the Everton manager had little option but to take the latest blow on the chin. "I am not hiding it, we are majorly disappointed," Moyes said. "I know there are situations where we are not good enough to win games, that much is obvious." Yes, but there are games and games, and when the manager of a side who have just put Chelsea out of the competition for the first time in three years admits the team do not possess enough craft or quality up front to progress against a Championship team at home and in pursuit of the only silverware on offer this season, it sends a powerful signal that something is going to have to change quite soon. Everton supporters are nothing if not fatalistic. No sooner had Phil Neville's final penalty hit the back of the Stamford Bridge net than the possibility of following a blaze of glory with a damp squib at Goodison Park was being discussed, so going out meekly to supposedly inferior opposition did not necessarily take everyone by surprise. It just seemed to confirm suspicions that the club clock has not just stopped but started to turn backwards. The particular charge against Moyes this season, one the Reading result would appear to bear out, is that his normally feisty Everton have lost all direction and purpose against ordinary opponents. For a team tipped by some seasoned observers to be challenging for a Champions League place this year, Everton have been remarkably inconsistent, beating Liverpool and Spurs yet losing at home to West Brom and Newcastle. Results against top teams have been for the most part respectable, yet Everton have spent the season nearer the relegation positions than the European ones because of tame home draws with Wolves, Wigan and West Ham, not to mention the spectacular implosion of Everton 1 West Brom 4 back in November. Those four clubs are propping up the table, and Everton, in addition to failures against Bolton, Blackburn and Stoke, are still waiting to beat any of them. Consistency is one of the things Moyes brought to the club, in addition to a spiky way of playing that would normally guarantee Everton a fighting chance against all but the most classy of opponents. If Everton can no longer be relied upon to compete to a certain standard, nothing can be taken for granted. As Wolves have demonstrated this season, it is perfectly possible to raise your game and notch some notable victories over the big boys while remaining in imminent danger of relegation.
To say Everton have been a disappointment in the league this season is an understatement, but now the same inability to string a couple of results together has put paid to their hopes of the FA Cup. Maybe they were guilty of looking too far ahead. Having already won at Manchester City in the league this season and having no reason to fear Gérard Houllier's Aston Villa, they might have been thinking of quarter-finals and beyond and Manchester United and Arsenal playing each other. After putting out Chelsea it would be perfectly natural to think that way, but only if you are the sort of team who can be professional and clinical enough to get an obstacle such as Reading out of the way.
Everton plainly are not, and Moyes has admitted as much. Not only were the Championship team deserving winners, it was an Everton player who was embarrassingly late for the game after being held up on the motorway, and with Marouane Fellaini out injured again for the rest of the season, joining Tim Cahill on the sidelines, the manager has lost two of the players who do more than most to carry his combative instincts on to the pitch. In almost 10 years at the club Moyes has known disappointment and immense frustration before, and bounced back quite brilliantly on countless occasions. There are signs, however, that he is becoming weary and less effective, just like his players. The old theory that players gradually grow tired over the years of the same instructions from the same manager is undermined by the longevity of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger elsewhere, though United and Arsenal have known success under those managers and have new challenges to meet each season. Plus they have money to spend, if required, to overhaul the team and freshen things up. Everton have none of those advantages, and are becoming stuck in a rut. They are good enough not to be relegated, but Moyes is a better manager than that and deserves a greater challenge. He did enough in his first five years at the club to be recognised as an outstanding organiser and motivator, but the upward move never came. Partly because he has little European experience, partly because the big jobs usually go to foreigners. Everton are never going to sack Moyes, and nor should they. He has hardly failed, he has just found it difficult in the past few years to repeat the giant strides of his early tenure. Wenger at Arsenal could say the same thing, and Moyes at Everton has been loved and revered just as much. So what should he do? Resign, just to break the circle? It is not his fault that Everton are not going anywhere, but what else can he alter? What is there left to try? Some of the fans think the chairman Bill Kenwright ought to resign, but in the absence of a rich and generous benefactor that would be a fairly pointless gesture. Moyes has done superbly well for Everton, he has been the best manager a cash-strapped, diminished club could hope for, yet the club's situation now is drifting back towards the hopelessness and stasis it knew under Walter Smith, the season Preston's bright young boss was brought in to successfully stave off relegation. That's the reality of the Premier League glass ceiling, the result of perenially having to compete with clubs with infinitely greater financial resources. It is tough for teams in the middle. While Moyes's players may have deserved to be booed off after their Reading defeat, the manager himself is still hugely in credit after the last nine years. He just won't be feeling that way at the moment. He will be at his wits' end, glummer than he has a right to be, wondering how this weird sort of success story can possibly come to a happy conclusion.
Football transfer rumours: Jack Rodwell to Real Madrid or Arsenal?
By Tom Lutz guardian.
Thursday 3 March 2011
It seems that criticism of Fernando Torres since his move to Chelsea may have been misplaced, readers. While many of you thought Torres had spent the last few weeks doing a really bad impression of himself two years ago, he has in fact just been following instructions from his manager. "I don't ask my strikers to score. I ask them to play for the team," says Carlo Ancelotti, as he wrote notes instructing the groundsman not to cut the grass, John Terry not to cry at the slightest setback and the Mill not to write tiresome lies. "Torres did a very good job with that. People judge him on the goals he scored, but I have to look at different things about his performance." One thing Owen Coyle doesn't want Daniel Sturridge to do is go back to Stamford Bridge, where no doubt he'll go back to his old job of being told not to do anything that may affect the outcome of a game. For that reason, Bolton will pay £10m for the striker's services this summer. Over at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney is starting to do a passable job of leading the line but that hasn't stopped "Spanish sources" [read: a tabloid reporter on a golfing holiday in Tenerife] linking Manchester United with a £34m bid for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente. The Mirror have noticed that Everton quite need a striker and, with a few flourishes, have come to the conclusion David Moyes will sell Jack Rodwell to Real Madrid, Manchester United or Arsenal for £20m to raise funds. Next week: David Cameron sells Leicester to the Chinese for £5m to buy some bunting for the royal wedding. It's really nice bunting though. lan Pardew has noticed a few fans snoozing on the back rows at St James' Park of late, so he'll snap up John Arne Riise in the summer to smack shots wildly over the bar and into the unsuspecting faces of sleepy supporters. Oh, and Riise will replace José Enrique who is off to Anfield. Now that Arsenal have won again, they're back to being the New Barcelona and the bestest team ever to play in the world ever. They'll show their commitment to their new status by signing Barça's reserv... Barça's up and coming winger Víctor Vázquez, who is a free agent in June. Yakubu is quite enjoying his time at Leicester and will join permanently if the team get promoted. Unless Leicester is sold to the Chinese, his Mandarin isn't what it once was. And finally, Ossie Ardiles, Peter Taylor and Paul Hart are playing an epic game of Risk to see who'll be the next manager of Swindon. Taylor has just beaten Hart in a huge battle over Irkutsk but sustained big losses so Ardiles is looking favourite at the moment. BREAKING NEWS: Hart has just won a vital battle in Western Europe meaning he's the new Swindon manager.
Griffin: Reading FC could have beaten Everton by more
By Jonny Fordham
March 03, 2011 Crowthorne & Sandhurst Times
Everton fan Andy Griffin felt Reading could have beaten his boyhood club by more than just the 1-0 scoreline on Tuesday night. The injured right-back sat in the away end at Goodison Park with 912 loyal Royals to cheer on his team-mates against David Moyes’ side. Follow Jonny Fordham on Twitter here Centre-back Matt Mills grabbed the winning goal to send Reading into the quarter-finals to face Manchester City on Sunday, March 13 (4.45pm kick-off). And Griffin admitted: “I think our players totally deserved the result at Everton and it’s a difficult place for any team to come to.
“We looked very organised, were full of energy and played with a lot of passion, desire, determination and it could have been more. “I wasn’t too bad with having to watch it, but with 10 minutes before the end I was a little bit nervy and jumpy. The lads got the result that they deserved in the end. “Our fans were very passionate, very loud and it’s great for the players. I wasn’t quite joining in with the chants, but I was enjoying the atmosphere. “I grew up an Everton fan and my family are from this neck of the woods and you’re either a red or a blue. "My grandad was a blue, my dad was a blue and so am I.” Griffin will be assessed by Royals’ medical team ahead of Saturday’s home game with Middlesbrough (3pm kick-off), but his chances of getting over his Achilles problem look slim. The 31-year-old added: “I’m not quite sure if I’ll be ready, I need to speak to the physio and see. It’s a little bit of a problem, but nothing too bad.”
Moyes admits relegation fight
Thursday, 3 March 2011
The Guardian
Everton manager David Moyes has admitted that his team are in a vulnerable position following their FA Cup defeat to Reading this week. The Merseyside club beat Chelsea on penalties in the previous round but undid their fine work by losing at home to the Championship side. They remain 11th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone and have also lost midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill to injury. "We know we are vulnerable," Moyes said. "You don't get into [this] position if you're not. It has not been the best of seasons, that is for sure."
Howard Kendall: Newcastle a tough prospect for Everton FC
Mar 4 2011
NEWCASTLE away isn’t the easiest fixture to try and get over Everton’s FA Cup heartache.The Magpies have done well despite having to sell Andy Carroll, and Everton will have to be wary of their width with Joey Barton and Jonas Gutierrez who have a lot of ability.Gutierrez played left-back for Argentina in the World Cup but he is a talented winger – and if he wants to leave St James’s Park in the summer I think Everton could do a lot worse than try and sign him. He is a positive player.Everton will have to cope without Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill of course, which will be a tough prospect. They are both great players but the Blues will miss the Belgian more.
Howard Kendall: Fiery Old Firm derby had me hooked
Mar 4 2011
THE OLD firm derby on Wednesday night was a an entertaining game – even if it was amazing that more players didn’t get their marching orders.What amazes me is that the two sides play each other so often in an average Scottish season, and yet the passions are so inflamed whenever they do line up. I hope the Scottish Football Association apply a bit of common sense to Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon. They were daft to get involved in a silly handbags row like that, and it wasn’t very dignified but they are both young men trying to make their way in management and these things can happen.
I believe McCoist has a great, bubbly manner in the dressing room and can really bring the best out of his players.He’ll have big shoes to fill when he takes over from Walter Smith at Ibrox. I have a lot less sympathy for El Hadji Diouf. In fact, I’m puzzled why top clubs still sign him. He’s not going to change and has had more than enough opportunities to turn a corner and sort out his behaviour on the pitch. The lad looks like trouble when he’s in the tunnel before the game, never mind once he’s crossed the white line.
Howard Kendall: Over-taking rivals Liverpool must be Everton FC’s target now
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 4 2011
David Moyes and Kenny Dalglish shake hands at the Merseyside derbyIT’S A bitterly disappointing time to be an Everton supporter – there was always the concern that the Blues were looking beyond the tie at Manchester City or Aston Villa. Reading were well organised and dangerous on the break, but Everton should have had too much for them. To lose to a side who aren’t even in the promotion race in the npower championship was not good enough – especially not at Goodison Park. One of the aspects of the night that I found confusing was Jermaine Beckford being late. I think it makes sense to have the players at a hotel on the morning of the game, do some light training, have lunch and then get some rest. Driving on the motorway two hours before the game is not the best preparation in my opinion. Also with all the problems on the motorways, you can’t be guaranteed the player will get there on time, which is what happened. It was frustrating that the two strikers were unable to start up front together, as they had both done well against Sunderland. It’s going to be a long end to the season now. To be talking about the sole aim of the campaign being to reach a respectable league finish at the start of March is pretty gloomy. David Moyes will know how to raise his players though. One suggestion could be to make their goal becoming top dogs in the city. Overhauling Liverpool, who are only six points ahead and the Blues have a game in hand, would be the best tonic for some fed-up fans. It’s important the lads have a specific target like that, or it will be easy for heads to drop. The season doesn’t have to be a failure.
Dave Prentice: Everton of 2011 can learn from clockwatching Harry Catterick
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 4 2011
WHAT would Harry Catterick have said? Any self-respecting Evertonian doesn’t really need to ask. The famous Blues boss with the infamous clocking-in book would have hauled Jermaine Beckford into his little Bellefield office, snapped: “You’re late. No excuses. You’ve had since 10 to five on Saturday to get here,” then fined him. But what’s of infinitely more interest to Evertonians this morning is exactly what David Moyes has said to his striker with the time-keeping troubles. On Tuesday night Beckford missed his chance to build on Saturday’s promising performance against Sunderland, because he was stuck in motorway traffic on his way to work. Publicly, Moyes stayed tight-lipped. “It can happen to anyone,” he said. “I hadn’t named the team.” Except it didn’t happen to Phil Neville, who travels along the M62 to work. It didn’t happen to Phil Jagielka who uses the same route. And it didn’t happen to Louis Saha, who’s speediest car was unavailable because of a separate and unrelated crash. Which begs two pressing questions. Why did Beckford get caught up in a motorway pile-up when his team-mates didn’t? But more importantly, why does the club apparently have a policy which allows first team footballers – especially those who live outside the Merseyside area – to go home after training on matchdays? As long ago as the 1980s Everton insisted on their players eating a pre-match lunch together, before retiring to a city centre hotel room for a couple of hours’ kip. It was a way of ensuring that players fuelled up for a match properly, that those with young children received adequate rest and relaxation ahead of a match and it ensured that the team travelled together to the match by coach. It was only a short trip – usually from a city centre hotel to Goodison Park. But it was enough to ensure that team spirit started to build in the crucial hours before kick-off. There’s little doubt that Everton missed Beckford’s presence in the first 45 minutes on Tuesday. After linking so well with Saha on Saturday, it was glaringly obvious from the start that Saha needed support. He didn’t get it until half-time, by which time Reading led. Beckford could at least have had the good grace to look embarrassed when he took his place in the dug-out. Perhaps it was only a momentary lapse, but as the cameras caught him he was laughing and joking. Losing to Championship side Reading is no laughing matter. Neither is failing to turn up for a football match on time. Harry Catterick made sure his players knew that. Such was his obssession with players clocking in for training, no-one ever dared turn up late for a kick-off. His daily ritual bred good habits on the days that really mattered ... matchdays. The Everton of 2011 could learn a lesson from The Catt.
Former Everton FC midfielder Gary Speed keen to emulate David Moyes
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 4 2011
GARY SPEED could be forgiven for still harbouring a little resentment about the acrimony his departure from Everton sparked in 1998. The boyhood blue endured a few torrid returns to Goodison Park in the ensuing seasons, but while those inflamed passions mellowed as his career progressed, Speed’s love of the Toffees never did. Back in Liverpool this week for a Q&A with Liverpool JMU sports science students to discuss the importance of science in football, he admitted he felt the disappointment of Everton’s exit from the FA Cup keenly. But Speed, who played for five clubs during an amazing 22-year career, knows all about longevity and believes David Moyes’ nine-year reign at Goodison has provided his fellow Celt with the experience to weather this current storm. “As a player I’ve been in these sort of positions, and you don't let yourself believe the season is over. Absolutely not,” says the 41-year-old Wales manager. “David Moyes will tell them to get as much out of the last few games of the season as possible.” Speed insists Everton cannot wallow in self-pity after their hopes of silverware died against Brian McDermott’s npower Championship side. Instead he insists they must realise that there is more than just pride at stake in their task to finish as high as possible in the Premier League table. “Everton can’t compete financially with some of the other sides in the Premier League so it’s important they finish as high up the division as possible, so they can get more money, he says. “Obviously it also gives them confidence for next season. “I’ve got no doubt David Moyes can get them to focus on that.” The man from Flintshire, North Wales, is still relatively new to management; he landed the Sheffield United job early this season before departing for his country before Christmas. So he envies Moyes’ wealth of experience, and believes that the Scot can perform no matter what transfer funds are available to him in the summer. “He has had experience before of working on a budget. He’s one of the longest serving managers in the league and this won’t be any new to him,” he says. “That experience will stand him in good stead for the rest of the season. “He seems to have a really tight bunch of players who play for their manager, and there’s no doubt they’ll give 100%. “They won’t take their feet off the pedal for a second.” Speed is enough of a realist, though, to admit the financial handcuffs Moyes wears must weigh heavy at times. “I’m sure David is frustrated, of course he is,” he says. “But that’s the constraints he must work under. He’s only a young manager still with a lot of years left in the game. “He’d certainly like some more help in that (financial) aspect of the game, but as a young manager this will be a great experience for him. “He’ll deal with it, and it will bring the best out of him again.” Speed may have played in the Champions League for Newcastle, but the fortunes of the North East club and Leeds United, another of his teams, have impressed upon him that there is more to football than money. “I absolutely think there’s more to football than money,” he says. “David Moyes has been a massive success in those terms. “ They haven’t had a lot of money but the way he has improved the team is a massive success. “Look at the Newcastle’s and Leeds who have gone down. He’s been great by comparison.” Moyes must put aside his personal dismay at this latest low for the Blues to take on Alan Pardew’s side tomorrow, and Speed believes the Scot’s backroom staff will help. “St James’s Park is a tough place to go. Newcastle are in decent form but like a lot of teams they’re a bit hot and cold and if Everton are on form they’re certainly capable of getting a result up there,” he says. “The staff around him will pick him up. “That’s why the people around you are so important, and he’s got some great guys. “Steve Round, Andy Holden and Jimmy Lumsden are good experienced men who’ve been through all this before and that’s why he’s picked them. “Sometime as a manger you do need lifting.” Speed divulges that he would like to follow Moyes’ habit of punching above his weight when he attempts to resurrect Wales - starting with a Euro 2012 qualifier against England later this month. I’m looking forward to Wales and working hard,” he says. “I desperately want them to be successful. Other countries have done it so there’s no reason why we can’t. “We have a good group of players and I want to get them on the pitch more often than not, because that’s our best chance of being successful.”
Back of the Net football highlights of the week - Charlie Sheen special
Mar 4 2011
Welcome to Back of the Net, our weekly round-up of football coverage on our sites and across the web. Keep your eyes peeled for suggestions for next week's Back of the Net and feel free to submit them for inclusion either via email to liverpooldigitaldesk@gmail.com or by giving us a shout on Twitter at www.twitter.com/livechoefc or www.twitter.com/livecholfc This week's Back of the Net has a special, Charlie Sheen-themed twist. If you haven't seen the Hollywood actor's unusual interview with ABC News this week, click here - it is essential viewing. In honour of Charlie's "passion", here are some of the best and funniest rants from the world of football.
1) Eric Cantona
When you've kung-fu kicked an opposition fan during a football match, what is the best way of trying to wriggle out of it in front of the world's media? Grovelling apology? Not for former Man United forward Eric Cantona, who opted for a seagull and sardine-based metaphor instead:
2) Ian Holloway
If anyone is the Charlie Sheen of Premier League football management, it is surely Ian Holloway. His Blackpool side have certainly been "winning here and winning there" in the top flight this season. Here is a video of his best quotes:
3) Chris Kamara
An "unbelievable" compilation of his finest moments summarising football matches on Soccer Saturday:
Marouane Fellaini’s dad blames Everton FC for his son’s season-ending injury
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 4 2011
THE father of Marouane Fellaini has blamed Everton for his son’s season-ending ankle injury. Outspoken Abdellatif Fellaini believes the midfield star was risked for Everton’s Premier League victory over Sunderland, despite doctors saying he should rest after picking up the knock against Chelsea in the FA Cup the week before. Fellaini Snr says his son has been devastated by the news he will miss the remainder of the season, and questioned the decision for the 23-year-old to line up against Steve Bruce’s side. The comments are certain to anger David Moyes, who at the weekend credited Fellaini’s impressive attitude and desire to recover from injury in time to play against the Black Cats. It is not the first time Fellaini’s father has upset the Goodison hierarchy, after twice suggesting his son is being tracked by Chelsea. “Marouane is really in a desperate state,” said Abdellatif Fellaini in the Gazet van Antwerpen. “He should never have played that last game against Sunderland, he should never have been allowed to play. Because he was already injured. “Against Chelsea, Marouane already had received a knock. And yet they let him play against Sunderland, while the doctors have prescribed rest. Who ultimately decided otherwise, I do not know.” Belgium National coach Georges Leekens also revealed how he had to calm down the emotional player in a phone call as he waits for an ankle operation on Monday. He said: “Marouane sounded sad. I got him to calm down some. That makes sense when you hear that you’re out long again.” But last night Everton were reported to have angrily rebuffed the claims Fellaini was forced to play when injured, labelling them “nonsense”. The row will worry supporters who are keen for the £15m star to sign a new contract this summer, but former Everton captain Gary Speed insists Fellaini is committed to the Blues. He said: “He’s Everton through and through, from the way he plays and you can’t say that about every foreign lad who comes in. He has the club at heart and the fans identify with him. I like Fellaini – it’s great watching him play. “Hopefully they can keep hold of him. I suppose Jack Rodwell is the same. He’s done ever so well, and has all the top clubs looking at him. “You’ve got to congratulate David Moyes on that. It’s better having players who are wanted than not performing. He brought him in for big money and he’s done the business.” Meanwhile, Victor Anichebe has settled out of court with Newcastle after instigating legal action over a tackle from Kevin Nolan that left him sidelined for 11 months. Nolan was shown a straight red card for the challenge on Anichebe during a 0-0 draw at St James’ Park in February 2009 and subsequently apologised. But the Nigeria forward took legal action for loss of earnings related to bonuses for club and country. Anichebe, who will be part of the Everton squad who return to Newcastle on Saturday for the first time since that game, came to an agreement for an unknown sum out of court.
Everton FC's Victor Anichebe receives six-figure out-of-court settlement from Newcastle United
By Greg O'Keeffe
Mar 4 2011
VICTOR Anichebe has received a six-figure out-of-court settlement from Newcastle United after he sued them over a Kevin Nolan horror-tackle that left him badly injured two years ago. The Everton striker took the Magpies, who the Blues face tomorrow, to court for potential loss of earnings following the tackle which left him plagued by injuries for more than a year. Anichebe, who is in line to return to St James’s Park tomorrow for the first time since the incident, has been forced to undergo two operations since the Newcastle captain’s two-footed lunge damaged cartilage in his right knee in February 2009. A succession of minor related injuries as he battled to regain full fitness have restricted the 22-year-old to just 22 appearances for David Moyes' side even since he returned to the first team in January last year after 11 months’ recuperation. Though Everton continued to pay his wages throughout that period, it is understood Anichebe instructed his lawyers to sue Newcastle for potential loss of earnings. The player was on a highly-incentivised contract with the Goodison Park club and his legal team argued he had lost out on a substantial sum of appearance bonuses that he would have earned had he remained fit. It is believed the forward also asked Newcastle to pay compensation for earnings lost when he was unable to play for the Nigerian national side, thereby earning further appearance bonuses. The case was eventually settled out of court for a substantial sum. Anichebe, who had not previously suffered a major injury in his career, has struggled to remain fit since Nolan’s tackle.Fine form in pre-season this year was undermined by a meniscus problem sustained upon his return from Everton’s tour to Australia and he did not return to David Moyes’s plans until November.Nolan apologised for the tackle — which occurred on the same day as Mikel Arteta tore snapped his cruciate ligaments — at half-time during the 0-0 draw at St James’s Park.
Everton FC boss David Moyes hits back at Marouane Fellaini's dad over injury claims
Mar 4 2011
EVERTON boss David Moyes has responded to the father of Marouane Fellaini after the Belgian star's dad blamed the club for the midfielder's season-ending ankle injury. The 23-year-old was substituted in the first half of Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland, a match Abdellatif Fellaini says his son played in despite being injured after picking up the knock in the FA Cup replay victory at Chelsea. "That's completely wrong," said Moyes. "We would never do that. It's a load of rubbish. "We had to hold the boy back from training on the Tuesday and then the Thursday before he trained on the Friday. "It's maybe his dad is upset because the boy is going to have another operation on Monday, but we wouldn't do that - nobody would. "We wouldn't risk Marouane Fellaini, who's been arguably our best player this season."
Marouane Fellaini’s father accuses Everton FC of wrecking midfielder’s season
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 4 2011
MAROUANE FELLAINI’S father has claimed Everton are responsible for the midfielder being ruled out for the rest of the season. Fellaini will undergo an ankle operation on Monday that means he will not play again this campaign. The Belgian international initially suffered the problem during the FA Cup fourth round replay win at Chelsea on February 19, but was selected by Everton manager David Moyes for the 2-0 triumph over Sunderland the following weekend. Fellaini lasted just 42 minutes in the match against the Black Cats before being substituted, after which a scan revealed the extent of which the injury had been aggravated. And now the 23-year-old’s father, Abdellatif, has blasted Everton for ruining his son’s season and accused the club of ignoring medical advice. “Marouane is really depressed,” he said. “He should not have had to play against Sunderland – he was injured after all. He got a kick on his ankle during the previous game against Chelsea. However, Everton made him play against Sunderland even though the doctors had prescribed rest for him. “I don’t know how they can have finally decided otherwise.” It’s not the first time that Fellaini’s father has risked the wrath of the Goodison outfit, having previously urged his son to pursue a move to Chelsea. And Belgium national coach Georges Leekens has claimed the player was deeply upset by the latest injury setback, having missed the last four months of last season with a similar problem.
“Marouane was very sad when I spoke with him, and I had to calm him down,” said Leekens. “It is only natural when you learn that you are going to be out of action for a long time.” Meanwhile, Leighton Baines has revealed his desire to keep on improving after becoming widely hailed as one of the best left-backs in the country. Baines’s excellent performances for Everton this season have resulted in a recall to the England squad which saw him win his third cap against Denmark last month. And he said: “You’re always on the look-out to see what other people are doing, not just left-backs. “It’s sort of homework, subconsciously you’re watching a match and taking it in and seeing what types of things other players are doing for when you come up against them. “In terms of left-backs you have a look and see what they are doing, and what they are getting success from to see if you can incorporate it into your own game. I don’t think anyone will ever be in a position to say they are good enough or have played enough games to claim that they don’t need to improve. You’re always looking for ways to improve and the best way to do that is playing a lot of games when you’re young, and then get to a stage where it’s important to be a student of the game.”
Blue Watch: Time for Moyes to try something new at Everton FC and surprise us
by Gary Porter, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 4 2011
IT WASN’T just Everton’s rollercoaster season that came to a crashing end at the final whistle on Tuesday night. The dismal defeat at the hands of Reading and the limp manner in which the Blues bowed out of the FA Cup signalled the end of something much more significant. The end of an era under David Moyes. On a shoestring budget he’s turned the football club around and while, regrettably, he hasn’t brought long-awaited silverware back to Goodison Park, he has successfully changed the perception of the club by transforming us from perennial strugglers to one of the top sides in the league. Sadly, a decline which began when Joleon Lescott departed down the East Lancs Road has gathered alarming pace this season and there’s now a feeling that we’re almost back to where we started. No money, no stadium solution, and no expectancy for success. The memorable victory at Stamford Bridge should have acted as the springboard for a positive end to the campaign, but it merely papered over the cracks. Assuming that by our very Jekyll and Hyde nature we’ll pick up enough victories to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight, a mid-table finish seems the most likely scenario.But then what? High-profile sales – Fellaini and Rodwell I suspect – to bring in fresh blood? Does Moyes want or have the desire to try and put together another over-achieving team? Whatever happens, there is huge work to be done once the season is officially over if we’re to prevent this disastrous campaign from becoming the norm. In the meantime, wouldn’t it be nice if David Moyes decided to use the remainder of the season to try and freshen things up. For a start, drop the predictable 4-5-1 formation and go with two strikers. Try Bilyaletdinov out in an attacking midfield role where he’s had joy playing for his national side, rather than continually playing him out wide where he’s consistently ineffective. Perhaps push Arteta out onto the flank and see if he can recapture some of his sparkle and provide Baines with the Pienaar-esque link up play we’ve desperately missed since the South African left for North London. Surprise us Moyes, what have you got to lose? The damage has already been done.
Pardew not thinking about Europe ahead of Everton FC clash
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 4 2011
NEWCASTLE manager Alan Pardew has warned his players not to get carried away by talk of European qualification. The Magpies cemented their place in the top half of the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Bolton last weekend, and head into tomorrow’s clash with Everton sitting in ninth place and eight points clear of the relegation zone. However, until they are mathematically assured of their presence in next season’s top flight, Pardew will not allow anyone within the camp to think of anything other than survival and the need to achieve it as quickly as possibly. Finishing in their current position would represent a significant achievement for last season’s Championship winners, and although a good run to the end of the campaign could see them challenge for sixth and the Europa League, that is very much on the fringes of the manager’s thoughts. Pardew said: “It’s not lost on us. It’s a situation where, with the goal difference we have, we could jump a couple of places, and that’s what you want to do at any football club. “We will strive to get a victory on Saturday and see where it leaves us at 5pm. “We can jump up the league a few places, but we are a long way from getting into Europe. We have a team that is functioning well, the results have been good since the turn of the year and we want to keep it going.” “Every point is gold dust in this division, every point, and you have to really, really work hard to get them,” he added. “Between now and the end of the season, we just want to try to get the maximum figure we can.”
Pardew eyes six appeal after Everton clash
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle (Newcastle Paper)
Mar 4 2011
ALAN PARDEW has told his players to let their league position do the talking ahead of tomorrow’s crunch clash against Everton. The Toon boss does not believe his side have been given enough credit in 2011 despite a run of just one defeat in the last nine Premier League matches. United could find themselves in a creditable sixth position in the table on tomorrow night if they win and other results go in their favour. Now Pardew wants his players to adopt a siege mentality ahead of the encounter with Everton and told the Chronicle: “We have a bigger carrot this week because if results go our way we could find ourselves in sixth place on Saturday night. “That would be astonishing, so it is something to really focus on.” And when asked if Newcastle getting into a Europa League place this season would be fantasy football, Pardew says: “It really would be. I hope the crowd take it on board and try everything they can to take us over the line with this one.” Yet Pardew isn’t expecting any credit from football pundits who have failed to appreciate his side’s efforts this term. He said: “I suppose because Bolton were away from home it was they who took a lot of credit out of the game, somewhat undeserved credit if I’m honest. “I thought we were the dominant force in that game when we had 11 players on the pitch. And when we went down to 10 we still gave as good as we got against a team that are meant to be having a great season, apparently, or so I read. “I feel that the most important thing for us is to improve our home form. The most important thing is to win in front of our home fans.” Pardew is confident his side can keep up their great run. He said: “It’s one defeat in nine games. We need to keep that going.” :: TO SEE United’s big clash with the Toffees, go to www.nufc.co.uk for ticket details. QUEENS Park Rangers boss Neil Warnock has claimed that the Londoners have agreed a fee for Wayne Routledge. The pacy winger joined QPR in January and has been a success at his old club after scoring twice in eight games from out wide.Warnock said: “I can’t give exact details, but I think we’ve agreed everything with the club.”
Barton and Ireland battling to face Everton
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle (Newcastle Paper)
Mar 4 2011
ALAN PARDEW is sweating on both Joey Barton and Stephen Ireland ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League game with Everton. Barton did not play a full part in training yesterday with the midfielder still struggling to overcome a thigh injury sustained seven days ago. Meanwhile Ireland has been dealt a fresh injury blow as he picked up a thigh problem yesterday morning. Both are rated “50-50” by Pardew, which means that fit-again Danny Guthrie is on standby to star against Everton after recovering from a thigh problem. But Pardew is refusing to rule anybody out and will give the former Manchester City duo every chance to prove their fitness. Pardew told the Chronicle: “Joey is 50-50, but unfortunately so is Stephen Ireland. “He’s come back from a long-term injury and his knee is fine and then he’s picked up a little pain somewhere else -that’s normally the way. “Whether it keeps him out I don’t know. “Both of those are up in the air. They both have the same injury.” Barton’s future at United also remains uncertain, but while news on an extension of his contract is still awaited by Toon fans, Pardew is thrilled by the Scouser’s attitude at the club’s training ground. Pardew said: “Most of the players will run with these contracts until the summer and we’ll then go from there. “There might be one or two exceptions to that. “At the moment everybody here has to show the same character and commitment that they have shown in every other game. “They have been absolutely different class. “You can’t knock them and we hope it continues.” Pardew also hopes that capturing Cheick Tiote on a long-term deal will also encourage others to join him, with Jose Enrique another player fans would love to see tied down. Pardew said: “I think it was important to sign one of our best young players. “In terms of going forward, to re-sign Cheick was a statement. “That was one of the reasons we did it.”
Boss warns Toffees will be hurt by Cup exit
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle (Newcastle Paper)
Mar 4 2011
ALAN PARDEW has warned his players to be wary of the “wounded animal” tomorrow as Everton come to Tyneside suffering from the FA Cup blues. The Toffees were dumped out of the competition at Goodison Park in midweek, with the result causing fury among Everton fans. Pardew feels that David Moyes’ tough stance on his side’s FA Cup exit will be a major factor going into the game at St James’ Park. He said: “The start of the game will determine the outcome. “He will want a reaction from his team and I think he’ll get it. “If we let them get a good foothold in the game it will be difficult for us. “If we can overcome that then we can win the game.” Pardew knows Everton are missing key figures such as Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini but is refusing to take them lightly.
He added: “Cahill wasn’t involved last week but they have Arteta, Beckford and Shay Coleman.
“They are having an indifferent season for them, but don’t let that take anything away from a great squad.” Pardew has also denied reports that he is ready to let Danny Guthrie out on loan, with the player linked to Nottingham Forest this week. He said: “I don’t know where that come from. “There is nobody going out on loan apart from possibly from the younger lads. “I think Danny’s got a chance, absolutely. I like him.”
Coloccini set for most important Toon game
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle
Mar 4 2011 (Newcastle Paper)
FABRICIO COLOCCINI believes that tomorrow’s clash with Everton is one of the most important clashes of the season for Newcastle United. Victory over the Toffees could elevate the Magpies to sixth spot in the Premier League – something that was unthinkable at the start of the season when many pundits and observers felt Newcastle would be lucky to stay up. All season Toon players have tried to keep expectations realistic, but going into the final 10 games the black-and-whites remain in with a shout of a place in Europe with sixth space a potential Europa League slot. Coloccini goes into the game likely to partner Mike Williamson for the ninth game in a row. And looking ahead to the encounter he told the Chronicle: “I think it’s one of the most important games of the season. If we take three points it will be good because that will be four from six. “Everton are a bit like Bolton and they have some very good players. “We have to keep going with this mentality and try to win the three points.” Coloccini took the positives from the 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers last weekend and feels that having dug in with 10 men, it turned out to be a point gained. He said: “When you have 10 men you know you have to work extra hard to try to see the game out. “That’s what we did against Bolton and it is a point that keeps us in the hunt in the top area of the table.”
Tell us your prediction for the Everton game
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle
Mar 4 2011
NEWCASTLE United won’t be guaranteed safety with victory against Everton on Saturday night but they can certainly start to breathe easier if they see off the inconsistent Toffees.The Merseysiders got themselves in a real stick on Tuesday night when Reading dumped them out of the FA Cup at Goodison Park and to add to their woes Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill, both influential on their day, are both out of the trip to St James’ Park.Newcastle haven’t won a 3pm game on a Saturday since 2008 and the former player curse threatens to raise its ugly head again in the form of Louis Saha – but for all that United should have more than enough in their locker to see off David Moyes’ troops.
Barry Horne: Goodison Park could become a very lonely place in what’s left of this season
by Barry Horne, Liverpool Echo
I WAS looking forward to a comfortable victory on the back of a good performance at Goodison on Tuesday night. Once again things didn’t turn out as they should have. Reading must be given enormous credit for their tactics. Their players worked terrifically hard and were given very little credit for the positive manner in which they broke forward. At 1-0 up they still committed men forward with abandon and, from the breakdown of one such attack Leon Osman forced one of the saves of the season. Ultimately Everton lacked the invention to work their way through Reading’s narrow massed ranks and seemingly did not have the know-how to go around and get in behind to create opportunities. What was clearly apparent and quite worrying was how quickly the confidence drained from many of the Everton players. After two great victories – a wonderful performance at Chelsea and a great victory in front of a terrific crowd at the weekend – it was alarming to see how inhibited we became as the game wore on, in front of a crowd which could have been far more negative during the game. The atmosphere in which the remaining 11 games will be played could be quite testing and something many of the players may not be used to. At times like this you really do find out about people. Of those 11 games we should win eight, but a negative Goodison Park can be quite a lonely place.
Royal Blue: Frustrated dreams of Marouane Fellaini’s father could spell the end of his son’s days at Goodison Park
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
The frustrated dreams of Marouane Fellaini’s father could spell the end of his son’s days at Goodison Park AS A TEENAGER in Belgium Marouane Fellaini used to run to school while his friends cycled or enjoyed lifts from their parents. The lanky teen had no choice. It was one of the various decrees of his father Abdellatif, who was driving a bus in Brussels at the time to make ends meet. A frustrated footballer whose career had stalled indefinitely after playing in the Belgian second division, Fellaini Snr had already started to dream of enjoying a career vicariously through his son. It is the classic competitive dad syndrome. So many fathers in football fall into the trap of trying to play on by proxy through their offspring when their own knees have gone on them. You only need to go and watch a local junior league match to witness the syndrome in action, or talk to some dads who have a child at one of the North West’s various academies to discover the lengths they will go to ensure their kid can make it. Of course many of them are typically selfless parents, simply doing whatever they can to help their children achieve their ambition. Others are doing that, while quietly following their own agenda of one day being able to walk down the road and hear someone say: “That’s so and so’s dad,” or to bathe in the glory of their son’s first Premier League goal one day. Abdelatiff drove buses while, it’s safe to presume, day dreaming of the handshakes and pats on the back when his son won the Champions League. He might not drive buses anymore, but that dream still drives him. It’s that vision which will sadly mean Everton’s task of keeping hold of Fellaini this summer could be impossible. He has already started touting Chelsea’s interest in his son, and on Thursday gave an interview to a Belgian newspaper in which he accused Everton of wrecking his son’s season by playing him contrary to doctor’s orders against Sunderland, thus causing him to be ruled out for the rest of the campaign. It’s ludicrous. David Moyes would never force a player with a genuinely serious injury to play, and would not risk serious injury to a key performer for the sake of one game. Fellaini Snr’s claims are damaging, and could harm the stability of the relationship between his son and his employer. Abdellatif can understandably be frustrated at the setback, but no more so than the Goodison fans who idolise his son, or the manager who has been thrilled by the 23-year-old’s attitude and commitment to be fit and playing. Fellaini is not the type of fragile flower to let a knock stop him pulling on a royal blue shirt. It is likely the midfielder told his manager he was ready to play against Sunderland, and sheer misfortune then saw a niggly problem exacerbated by a couple of heavy challenges during the game. It was nobody’s fault, and it happens in football all the time.
But unfortunately the situation may well fit the agenda of a man who wants his son to move to a so-called “big club”. At 10, Marouane was sidelined by Anderlecht coaches for missing training sessions so Abdellatif pulled him out of the club. When Fellaini was 15, a scout from Belgian first division club Sporting Charleroi told his father that his son could become a second Patrick Vieira. Fellaini joined Charleroi but, two years later, Abdellatif felt the prediction was extremely unlikely to be fulfilled. Then Standard Liege came knocking. Fellaini Snr has certainly been a major factor in his son's rise.
“You could say it like that,” Marouane once said when asked if his father lives his sporting dreams through his son. “Marouane belongs at a really top club and he will only get better. “I hope that I will see him work at a big club,” said the dad in January. If Fellaini signs a new contract this summer it will be a pleasant surprise, but don’t hold your breath.
Royal Blue: Football blogger on trail of Dixie Dean aficionado
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
A FOOTY blogger is hunting for anyone who saw the Great Dixie Dean play live.
Isaac Ashe, a reporter at the Loughborough Echo, would love the chance to interview someone who saw the most prolific goal scorer that ever lived in action, for an article for his popular online column. He suspects Barcelona star Lionel Messi could be the man who overtakes Dixie’s legendary 60 in a single season goal haul, and wants to chat with someone who watched the Everton and Tranmere centre-forward. If you can help, call Isaac on 01509 635820.
Royal Blue: Let’s give tardy Jermaine Beckford the benefit of the doubt
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
JERMAINE BECKFORD has probably had better afternoons than Tuesday last week.First he got stuck in endless traffic on the way to Goodison Park, probably aware he should have been at his destination several hours beforehand anyway. Then when he arrives he’s subjected to the excruciating march along the touchline to the dugout where he knows full well David Moyes’s icy stare awaits. Once there, the ESPN cameras catching him laughing as team-mates deliver a predictable volley of skits for his tardiness, which only makes him look worse and like he’s nonchalant about the whole thing. Nightmare. In reality, I expect Beckford was mortified about his lateness and gutted he was unable to start the game. He may not say much, but his hunger to do well in an Everton shirt is evident. It’s more likely that the smirk which has understandably annoyed fans was one of abashed shame. One of those times when you laugh to avoid showing your extreme discomfort. Beckford has dragged himself up from the semi-pro pitches of London to arrive at the top flight, and even if he appeared cock-sure, he values his opportunity at Everton and deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Barry Horne: Gerard Houllier disrespected his senior players with his FA Cup team selection
by Barry Horne, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
A LOT has been said and written about Gerard Houllier’s approach to his club’s fifth round FA Cup tie at Manchester City. Houllier, as usual, had a ready prepared response towards the criticism of his team selection.His defence that the Aston Villa team he put out was in fact a strong one because it contained “many internationals” was unconvincing.In cases like these people often focus on how the fans are short changed, but I haven’t seen anyone see things from the players’ perspective.With Villa not going to go down or qualify for Europe, a potential FA Cup quarter-final against Reading was their big chance to salvage something from a disappointing season.It was also a realistic chance to actually win a major trophy.Despite the fact that the FA Cup’s image has been eroded, it is still considered a major trophy and one I would imagine Ashley Young and Stewart Downing would desperately like to win.Young has never won a major trophy, while it’s seven years since Downing was a League Cup winner.I’m willing to bet that both would have been disappointed to say the least that they were so obviously denied the opportunity to win a trophy this year.The majority of even the top players have very few opportunities to win major trophies.I think it is disrespectful of Houllier, however he wants to dress it up, to so obviously give up on his team’s chances as he did.What’s even more surprising is that he had someone sitting alongside him who would understand the players’ position as well as anyone.Gary McAllister was a fine pro who, had he not been plucked from relative obscurity to have a glorious swansong to his career – ironically by Houllier – would have hung up his boots with just one winners’ medal.
Time is nigh for Beckford to lead Everton FC’s fightback on the Toon
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
0ShareAdd a commentRecommend JERMAINE BECKFORD and time-keeping may be a touchy subject around Finch Farm this week. The striker was probably first on the team bus to Newcastle yesterday, perhaps wearing two watches, after he turned up late for the FA Cup debacle against Reading. But it would be ever so timely if the former prolific Leeds United man could strike the winner for the Blues at St James’ Park today. Spirits around the Blue camp have understandably been at a low ebb since their Cup exit, and there are easier places to go in search of redemption than the North East, with the Magpies hoping for three points that could position them in the top six. The reverse fixture at Goodison this campaign does not bode particularly well. Everton sunk to an early season defeat which displayed the problems that have since developed into an ambition-crippling malaise; an inability to break down well organised, combative teams in tandem with an uncharacteristically leaky defence. Yet on the road, with expectations lessened, the Toffees have fared better – and so they will hope to bounce back today. The omens may slightly be in their favour. Newcastle have not won a Saturday home game with a 3pm kick-off in the Premier League for two and a half years – a record stretching back to August 23, 2008. The Geordies have made steady progress in the league despite their managerial upheaval, although their best results have come on the road with wins at Arsenal and Goodison in September. It is in the midfield where Alan Pardew’s team are at their most formidable. Carling player of the month Cheik Tiote was outstanding at Goodison last year, and was rewarded with a bumper new contract in January. Evertonian Joey Barton has provided the creative outlet with six assists, although the maturing Scouser is an injury doubt for today, with the rusty Stephen Ireland on standby to make his debut. Tiote has screened the defence well in the role Marouane Fellaini has sparked for the Blues in, winning more tackles than any other Newcastle player with a completion rate of 77%, while remaining tidy in possession. But while Tiote is a top tackler, he is not as effective as Seamus Coleman. The Ireland international seemed tired against Reading, and it’s important to remember he is still playing out of position and for a longer stretch than ever before in the top flight. But with a success rate in terms of challenges of 88%, he puts many other opponents in the shade. Elsewhere, United have their own consistently impressive left back in Spaniard Enrique, who may be heading for the exit this summer, while Jonas Gutierrez on the flanks has offered width and positivity. Kevin Nolan, who has been ordered to pay a six figure sum to Victor Anichebe in damages for that infamous horror tackle in February 2009, has weighed in with 11 goals from midfield. The captain’s contribution has helped ease the loss of their striking outlet, Andy Carroll, and United must now look to Shola Ameobi – who may play in a mask to protect his cheek bone today, or Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best. St James Park has seen more Premier League goals than any other ground this season, with 51 being scored in total, an average of 3.6 per game. For all his current headaches, David Moyes is at least spared a defensive dilemma. With Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini out injured, the team almost picks itself unless Moyes springs a surprise and uses Phil Neville as his defensive midfield screen while utilising Tony Hibbert at right-back. More likely is Beckford and Saha starting up front, with Jack Rodwell and Mikel Arteta playing quite deep in midfield, as Leon Osman continues on the left and Seamus Coleman maintains his wide right remit. Newcastle often keep a high defensive line and this could present Beckford with the perfect chance to use his pace and make amends.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew warns his side they face a wounded beast in Everton FC
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
NEWCASTLE manager Alan Pardew as told his side to beware of the ‘wounded’ animal that faces them at St James’s Park this afternoon. David Moyes’ Everton side will still be smarting after crashing out of the FA Cup with the shock 1-01 fifth round defeat to Championship side Everton in midweek. While Magpies have lost just one of their last nine league games, the Blues have endured mixed fortunes in recent weeks. Despite knocking holders Chelsea out of the FA Cup and landing a 2-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland at Goodison last weekend the midweek cup reverse means Everton are smarting and will be determined to bounce back. And Pardew is warning his players to be on their guard. He said: “They are a team that will be wounded after the FA Cup defeat and will come to put it right. Knowing David Moyes as I do, he will be very, very determined to get a positive result at our place.” The Newcastle manager and his squad will continue the fight for points at home to Everton today knowing victory would all but assure them of their place in next season’s top flight. Barton and loan signing Stephen Ireland are doubts with thigh problems, but striker Shola Ameobi will return to the mix wearing a special mask to protect his fractured cheekbone. The 29-year-old has been sidelined since suffering the injury at Fulham on February 2, and it is a measure of how well Leon Best, the man who partnered him that night, and Peter Lovenkrands have performed in his absence that he is by no means guaranteed an instant return to the team. Pardew said: “No, that’s absolutely right. Peter and Leon have done really well. “They go into this game with the shirts and it is down to their performance to keep them. “But Shola is in and around it now, so they need to make sure they stay on their game. “He is a very good player. He has been stuck behind very, very good strikers here for a lot of his career and perhaps has not had as many games as he would have liked. “But he is certainly right up there with Leon and Peter and looking for a starting place, and that’s the competition you want.” The Newcastle boss and his scouting team have started to identify potential targets for a summer recruitment drive. Pardew is keen to be fully prepared for a crucial transfer window during which he hopes to be presented with the proceeds of Andy Carroll’s £35million departure for Liverpool. The manager’s spending power will, of course, depend on his current crop of players finishing the job of securing the club’s Premier League status during the remaining 10 games of the campaign. Uncertainty remains over the futures of Jose Enrique and Barton with talks over new contracts having been put on hold, but a list of prospective signings is being drawn up with the Magpies having already been linked with the likes of Cheick Tiote’s Ivory Coast international team-mate Gervinho and PSV Eindhoven winger Jeremain Lens. Pardew said: “We have sat down and discussed briefly what the plans are, of course. “It’s very important to have a strategic plan of what you are doing. “We don’t want to be doing everything at the last minute.”
Everton FC boss David Moyes slams untrue claims of Marouane Fellaini’s father
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
DAVID MOYES has poured scorn over claims by Marouane Fellaini’s father that the midfielder was forced to play despite being injured. The Belgium international was ruled out for the season with an ankle injury after coming off during the Blues 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Goodison Park and will undergo surgery on Monday. Fellaini’s father, Abdellatif, hit out at Moyes’ decision to field his son, after the player picked up the knock in their FA Cup win at Chelsea the previous week. The 22-year-old aggravated the injury following a challenge from Sunderland’s Stephane Sessegnon and now, for the second season in succession, has had his campaign ended early due to an ankle problem. However, Moyes angrily denied any wrongdoing and insists that the club would never risk any player’s wellbeing against doctor’s orders. He said: “That’s completely wrong. We would never do that, it’s a load of rubbish. “We had to hold the boy back from training on the Tuesday and Thursday and he trained Friday. “His dad’s maybe upset because the boy is going to have another operation on Monday. “Who would do that? We wouldn’t – of course we wouldn’t. “We certainly wouldn’t risk Marouane Fellaini, who has arguably been our best player this season.” Moyes, who has no fresh injury problems ahead of today’s away clash against Newcastle United, Fellaini and Tim Cahill aside, believes the Belgian’s absence is an opportunity for other players. He said: “He was out in midweek and people had their chance to step forward then, so yes. “We don’t tend to talk much about injuries. We tend to talk about the fit players. We want them to come to the fore and be the important ones, not the people who are out.” The Scot insists his team have learned the hard way to recover from cup defeat by lower league sides. “I had to come back from the result against Shrewsbury a few years ago, and I had to come back from the result against Oldham,” he said. “If you look at the results and performances in the last few years I think you’ll find we tend to do that. “Winning the next game is the most important thing. Three points would be great for us. “The way the league has been this year if you lose one you are looking down and if you win one you are looking up. I hope we are looking up after Saturday night. “We have shown some good performances in other games and we have to try to get up to that level of performance. “It’s not the time to assess it. “We will probably do that at the end of the season. “What we are looking to do now is concentrate on the next game, keep ourselves focused on that. “At the end of the season we will look to see what we could have done better. “If we can get on the shirt tails of one or two of the teams above us that would give us a boost.”
Steve Round: It's time for Everton FC young buck Jack Rodwell to start realising his potential
Ian Doyle
Mar 5 2011
JACK RODWELL knows all too well about how injuries can strike when at precisely the wrong moment to hamper a promising campaign.So it would have given the Everton youngster little pleasure to be thrust into action last Saturday against Sunderland as a replacement for the limping Marouane Fellaini. However, one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. And with Fellaini now sidelined for the rest of the season with an ankle complaint, the window has opened for Rodwell to seize his first-team chance in central midfield, starting at Newcastle United this afternoon. The 19-year-old remains one of the brightest young things in English football having forged a burgeoning reputation since his record-breaking debut in Alkmaar more than three years ago. But Everton assistant manager Steve Round believes the time has come for Rodwell to start realising that undoubted potential and take his career on to the next level over the remaining 11 games this season. “He's as good as I've seen, there's no question of his potential,” says Round. “But the whole point of potential is that he hasn't quite reached it yet, we'll see where he is in two, three years’ time. “The sky is the limit for him, I think he can be a tremendous player for Everton and for the national team in the future. “He's the one that has got to knuckle down and do it on the field.”
Rodwell began the season with high hopes only to suffer a serious ankle injury of his own in the defeat at Aston Villa in August. Since his return, the England under-21 international has found it difficult to maintain his form and a first-team place, with the start in Tuesday’s FA Cup defeat to Reading only his 10th of the season. But Round hopes he is past his injury problems and ready to excel in the Premier League run-in. “He’s had a few injuries this season but he looks to have come through that now,” he adds. “It’s up to him to take the mantle on, he’s certainly got the talent and he’s certainly got the physical presence. “He’s well regarded and well thought of throughout football and you can see that on the international scene. “But you mustn’t forget he's only 19 coming up to 20 but it's time for him to establish himself.” Everton lost at home to Newcastle earlier in the campaign and have not won on Tyneside in eight previous Premier League visits under Moyes.
They go into the game on the back of Tuesday’s shocking 1-0 FA Cup home exit at the hands of npower Championship side Reading. But Moyes, who reaches the ninth anniversary of his appointment at Goodisonlater this month, has bounced back from cup shocks in the past.
“I had to come back from the result against Shrewsbury a few years ago, and I had to come back from the result against Oldham,” he says. “If you look at the results and performances in the last few years I think you’ll find we tend to do that. “It's frustrating because you want to be consistent.
“The players will have to play their part as well. They need to get on with it and show what they are about and in the main they have done that. “The way the league has been this year if you lose one you are looking down and if you win one you are looking up. I hope we are looking up after Saturday night. “We have shown some good performances in other games and we have to try to get up to that level of performance.” Everton will be without another influential midfielder at Newcastle with Tim Cahill ruled out for up to three weeks with a foot injury. Yet Moyes still has much of the squad which lost just two of their final 24 games last season together, and believes they can fire again.
“There are a lot of good players in there and a lot of strong characters,” he adds. “I have got a lot of trust in them, I believe in them. They are good players and that hasn’t changed.”
Everton FC boss David Moyes rubbishes injury claims from Maroaune Fellaini's father
Ian Doyle
Mar 5 2011
DAVID MOYES has dismissed as “a load of rubbish” claims from Marouane Fellaini’s father that Everton wrecked the midfielder’s season by ignoring medical advice. Abdellatif Fellaini blasted the Goodison outfit after his son was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury against Sunderland last Saturday. Fellaini initially sustained the damage during the FA Cup fourth round replay win at Chelsea the previous week, with his father claiming Everton were then been told the player needed rest. However, Moyes selected the 23-year-old Belgian against the Wearsiders only to see him aggravate the problem in a challenge with Stephane Sessegnon before being substituted after 42 minutes. Fellaini will now undergo an operation on Monday, with this the second successive year the midfielder has had his season ended prematurely by a serious ankle injury. But a puzzled Moyes has rejected any suggestion Everton were risking the player’s wellbeing. “That's completely wrong,” said the Goodison manager. “We would never do that, it’s a load of rubbish. “We had to hold the boy back from training on the Tuesday and Thursday and he trained Friday. “His dad’s maybe upset because the boy is going to have another operation on Monday. “Who would do that? We wouldn’t – of course we wouldn’t. “We certainly wouldn’t risk Marouane Fellaini, who has arguably been our best player this season.” Fellaini’s long-term absence means he will miss today’s Premier League visit to Newcastle United as Everton look to bounce back from the miserable FA Cup exit at home to Reading in midweek. The defeat means the focus is again on the Goodison outfit’s proximity to the relegation zone – five points above the bottom three with 11 games remaining – rather than a possible late push for a European place. And Moyes said: “We get on with our work, that's the job. In any line of work you come in every day and get on with your work. “We will try to win the next game, the next game is always the most important and we will try to win that one. “It is a chance to pick up three points. We have 11 games left and we will see if we can win as many of those as we possibly can. “But it is a big test. I think Newcastle have done well, as have all the promoted teams.” Victor Anichebe returns to St James’ Park for the first time since it emerged he received a six-figure out-of-court settlement from the Magpies after he sued them over a Kevin Nolan challenge that left him badly injured two years ago. Anichebe took Newcastle to court for potential loss of earnings following the Newcastle captain’s two-footed lunge damaged cartilage in his right knee in February 2009. The 22-year-old has since undergone two operations and has been restricted to just 22 appearances since returning to the first team in January last year after 11 months’ recuperation. Though Everton continued to pay his wages throughout that period, the player missed out on a substantial amount of bonuses and it is understood Anichebe instructed his lawyers to sue Newcastle for potential loss of earnings. Anichebe is also thought to have pursued a claim for earnings lost through being unavailable to play for the Nigerian national side, with the case eventually being settled out of court for a substantial sum.
Everton manager David Moyes hits back at Marouane Fellaini’s father
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Belfast Telegraph
Everton manager David Moyes has defended his decision to play Marouane Fellaini against Sunderland last week following criticism from the player's father. Abdellatif Fellaini hit out at the Merseyside club after his son was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury which requires surgery. “Marouane is really in a desperate state,” said Abdellatif Fellaini. “He should never have played that last game against Sunderland.” Moyes said: “That's completely wrong. We certainly wouldn't risk Marouane Fellaini, who has arguably been our best player this season. His dad's maybe upset because the boy is going to have another operation
Newcastle United 1-2 Everton
by Phil Kirkbride at St James Park, Liverpool Echo
Mar 5 2011
EVERTON emerged from the wreckage of their FA Cup exit with a deserved win at Newcastle United this afternoon. Following Tuesday night's season low defeat at the hands of Championship Reading, the Blues showed graft and determination to fightback and beat the North East side - a first win at St James Park since 2000. After Newcastle had taken a 23rd minute lead through Leon Best's close range header, David Moyes' men responded with two quick-fire goals which would ultimately seal victory. A resurgent Leon Osman show poise to slot home the equaliser just after the half hour mark after collecting Mikel Arteta's pass into the area before Phil Jagielka pounced on Leighton Baines' wicked free-kick to fire home. Everton could have added to their lead in the second half but for the efforts of home goalkeeper Steve Harper who denied Jermaine Beckford with a finger tip save and then substitute Seamus Coleman with a smothering save when the Irishman looked certain to score. Newcastle thought they had levelled the game up deep into the second half when Best headed home but referee Howard Webb rightyl ruled the striker to have fouled Jagielka in thje build up. The three points take the Blues back into the top half of the table but their joy was tempered with the injury to captain Phil Neville who was taken off early in the second half with what appeared a hamstring strain. EVERTON (4-4-2) Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman (Coleman 85), Rodwell, Neville (c) (Heitinga 52), Arteta, Saha, Beckford (Anichebe 69). Not used: Mucha, Bilyaletdinov, Duffy, Baxter.
Newcastle 1 Everton 2
6th Mar 2011 (The Sun)
PHIL JAGIELKA was the unlikely goal hero as Everton eased their relegation fears.
The Toffees trailed to Leon Best's 23rd-minute opener before Leon Osman levelled matters.
And Jagielka popped up on 36 minutes with his first goal in 2½ years to nick the win.
Toffees No2 Steve Round revealed boss David Moyes has told the players to focus solely on the next game. Round said: "The manager has said to the team that the only goal for us now is to win the next game and let's see where that takes us. "It's a strange league. Last season, we got 61 points and that got us eighth - I think if you get 61 points this season, you will be in the top six, maybe even the top five, we will see. "The goal really is just to win the next game and see where it goes. There will be a lot fewer points needed to finish higher up the league this year." Everton went close on 17 minutes when Mikel Arteta cut inside from the left and fired in a right-foot shot which keeper Steve Harper had to turn over the bar. Osman should have done better when Arteta picked him out from the resulting corner but he could not direct his header at goal. And it was the home side who took the lead with 23 minutes gone when keeper Tim Howard could only parry Kevin Nolan's shot to present Best with a simple header for his sixth goal of the season. Howard had to hurriedly clear a Nolan header after the midfielder had met Danny Simpson's deep cross beyond the far post on the half-hour. However, the visitors were back on level terms a minute later after Osman and Arteta carved Newcastle wide open and the former side-footed into the bottom corner via a deflection off Jose Enrique. There was worse to come for the Magpies five minutes later when they failed to deal with a Leighton Baines free-kick and the unmarked Jagielka ghosted in to shoot home off the underside of the crossbar. Harper had to race from his line to block after Arteta picked out Jermaine Beckford's 42nd-minute run. At that point, the home side were down to 10 men with Enrique having limped off and Pardew swiftly replaced him with masked striker Shola Ameobi. Jonas Gutierrez's drive was stabbed wide in first-half injury-time as the home side launched a late assault. Howard had to be alert to thwart Ameobi twice at the start of the second half. At the other end, Harper made a superb save to tip away Beckford's low drive. But the Newcastle keeper was a relieved man two minutes later when Arteta was allowed to run unchecked into the area before slipping past Taylor with ease to cross for Saha, who headed wastefully over. Harper had to make a sharp save from Beckford's 61st-minute volley with the striker enjoying his afternoon on Tyneside. Having replaced Beckford with Victor Anichebe, Moyes was looking to see the game out. However, Newcastle threatened with 71 minutes gone when Nolan found half a yard in the box, only for Baines to get a vital block on his shot. Arteta should have wrapped up the win three minutes later but shot wide from point-blank range. Best thought he had snatched a point with a 78th-minute header but saw it ruled out for a push on Jagielka and, despite a late onslaught, there was no way back as Harper had to pull off a late save from substitute Seamus Coleman. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew thought Jagielka had conned the ref for Best's effort that was chalked off. Pards said: "I thought Best was a little bit unlucky with the equaliser that was disallowed. "He backed into him, Jagielka, unfortunately, Leon put his hands up. "I have seen the replay and there's hardly a touch and he has gone down. "I don't think Jagielka would have stopped it if he had defended it properly, so perhaps he was being smart there."
Newcastle: Harper, Steven Taylor (Ferguson 65), Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique (Ameobi 43), Simpson, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Best (Kuqi 85), Lovenkrands. Subs not used: Krul, Guthrie, Perch, Richardson. Booked: Steven Taylor, Nolan. Goals: Best 23. Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman (Coleman 85), Neville (Heitinga 52), Rodwell, Arteta, Beckford (Anichebe 69), Saha. Subs not used: Mucha, Bilyaletdinov, Duffy, Baxter. Booked: Hibbert, Anichebe, Heitinga, Baines. Goals: Osman 31, Jagielka 36.
Att: 50,128
Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).
CITY PLOT A BIG £30M JACK RODWELL HIJACK
ABOVE: Everton's Jack Rodwell comes with an astonishing £30million price tag David Moyes is adamant Jack Rodwell won’t leave Goodison for less than £30m.
6th March 2011 By Steve Millar (The Star)
MANCHESTER CITY are set to hijack Man United’s planned summer swoop for Everton starlet Jack Rodwell and they could have to pay £30m for the Goodison midfielder.Everton don’t want to cash in on midfielder Jack Rodwell, 19, and have slapped an astonishing £30million price tag on his head. And that’s where mega-rich City could hijack any summer move, with Mancini a big Rodwell fan. Mancini was hugely impressed by the kid in Everton’s 2-0 victory at City last March. Rodwell (below) played superbly and made a mug of City defender Vincent Kompany in making the second goal. No official City move has been lodged with Everton but the club are well aware of major interest from United and now Arsenal. Arsene Wenger wants to pair Rodwell with fellow England starlet Jack Wilshere. But United are favourites, with Sir Alex Ferguson revealing that he wanted a player – believed to be Rodwell – in January, but the club wouldn’t do business. Everton boss David Moyes is adamant Rodwell won’t leave Goodison for less than £30m. That could be too much for Arsenal and United but not oil-rich City.
NEWCASTLE 1 EVERTON 2: MAGIC MIKEL’S WORK OF ART
ABOVE: Shola Ameobi – wearing a protective mask on his return after a month out with a fractured cheekbone NEWCASTLE 1 -- EVERTON 2
6th March 2011 By Clive Hetherington
NEWCASTLE 1 -- EVERTON 2 (The Star)
DAVID MOYES’ horse Desert Cry came in second at Kelso – but his Everton side put a bigger smile on his face with a long-overdue win on Tyneside. And the mercurial Mikel Arteta was their key man as he set up the goal which sparked a swift fightback that ended with their first League win here since 2000. It hadn’t been Everton’s week. They were knocked out of the FA Cup at home by Championship side Reading, then learned that midfielder Marouane Fellaini will miss the rest of the season with an ankle ligament injury. Everton No. 2 Steve Round said: “It was just the response we wanted. “Mikel was outstanding. He was creative, elusive and his work ethic was tremendous.’’ Leon Best’s sixth goal of the season gave Newcastle a 23rd-minute lead. But Newcastle’s joy was short-lived as midfielder Leon Osman and defender Phil Jagielka turned the game on its head in the space of four minutes. The second-half introduction of Everton striker Victor Anichebe sparked a confrontation when he clashed off the ball with old adversary Kevin Nolan. It was disclosed this week that Anichebe had settled out of court with Newcastle after suing over a tackle by the Toon skipper that left him sidelined for nearly a year after Everton’s last visit here two seasons ago. But the 75th-minute incident, which saw referee Howard Webb book both players, showed there’s still plenty of bad blood between them. Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton was still out with a thigh injury after missing last week’s 1-1 home draw with Bolton. And with Ryan Taylor banned after his red card in that match, it was full-back Danny Simpson who was asked to fill Barton’s right-sided midfield role. Arteta created Everton’s first real chance in the 17th minute when he cut in from the left to hit an edge-of-box effort that Steve Harper tipped over one-handed. But it was Newcastle who took the lead on 23 minutes. Centre-back Mike Williamson set up Nolan whose shot was parried by keeper Tim Howard and Best stooped to head his third goal in the last five games. Everton levelled just after the half-hour. Osman started and finished the move, finding Arteta who played a superb return ball that Osman coolly rolled home. And they struck again on 35 minutes when Leighton Baines whipped in a low free-kick from the left and Jagielka steered the ball in off the underside of the bar. To add to Newcastle’s problems, left-back Jose Enrique was forced off and striker Shola Ameobi – wearing a protective mask on his return after a month out with a fractured cheekbone – came on in a reshuffled line-up. Newcastle were under pressure again after the break with Arteta continuing to pull the strings for Everton. The Spaniard combined with Osman, who found Jermaine Beckford – and only Harper’s reflexes kept him out. Arteta then set up ex-Newcastle loanee Louis Saha, who should have done better than head over. And Saha could have killed the game off when Arteta laid a chance on a plate. Best headed in what looked like an equaliser for Newcastle late on but his needless push saw it ruled out. Newcastle are now only six points off a relegation place but boss Alan Pardew said: “I’m not looking over my shoulder. “But you can’t play at this level and lose quality players like Joey Barton, Stephen Ireland and Nile Ranger. “It was too many.”
Newcastle 1-2 Everton: Sunday Mirror match report
6th March 2011 By Brian McNally
Everton boss David Moyes got the perfect response from his FA Cup flops as they ended a 10-year wait for a win on Tyneside with a superb comeback success.Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka were the Merseysiders goal heroes as they bounced back from conceding a sloppy early goal to Leon Best to earn a victory that just about ensures their safety for another season.It was the ideal riposte to the lacklustre cup exit to Reading and the reality was they were comfortable winners against a Newcastle side who have now won just four times in 15 home games.Newcastle banked £35million from the January sale of Andy Carroll and on the evidence of this shot-shy display they will have to spend most of it to revitalise a squad that looks bereft of firepower.The Magpies went into the game with their eyes on sixth place and a chance to overtake deadly rivals, but the reality was they simply weren't good enough to see off an impressive Everton side.And once again Toon boss Alan Pardew had to try and explain away his side's inability to hold on to a lead.Pardew said: "Once we got the goal from Leon Best we switched off and got punished. We couldn't hang on to the lead for long enough.It was an unfortunate day for us."It fell nicely for Everton. We were not at our best. Our home form is letting us down and once again we haven thrown away a lead."We were lacking a little bit of flair with Joey Barton and Stephen Ireland out and then we lost Jose Enrique and finished with Jonas Gutierrez limping. We need our top players back and, hopefully, Barton, Ireland and Enrique will all be available for our next game at Stoke."I was disappointed with the first half display and the way we lost the goals.But we put up a helluva fight in the second half and deserved something."Everton coach Steve Round, a former Magpie back-room boy, hailed his side's character.Round said: "It was the lowest I have known the players after the Reading defeat. But it was fantastic the way we bounced back today and the motivation came from the players."We never lost belief even when Newcastle went ahead. We scored two quick goals and could have had another three or four."Leighton Baines showed great quality with that excellent free kick for Phil Jagielka's winner. He showed today why he is one of the best full backs in the Premier League. He is always good for an assist."The Magpies went ahead on 23 minutes through Republic of Ireland striker Best's sixth goal of the campaign.The move began with Argentinians Fabricio Colocinni and Joas Gutierrez linking up down the home left flank. Mike Williamson then fed Kevin Nolan, whose shot was parried by Tim Howard.But the surprised Everton keeper only diverted it to Leon Best, who found the net from close range with a stooping header.Newcastle, however, like the previous home game with Bolton were unable to hold on their lead. This time it lasted just eight minutes before Osman levelled and within another five minutes Jagielka had put Everton ahead.The Newcastle defence stood off as the immaculate Mikel Arteta picked out a superb ball from left side of the Newcastle box to find Osman. He had all the time in the world to control the ball and simply pass it into the net from 10 yards for his first goal of the season.Jagielka grabbed a rare Premier League goal to give Everton the lead. But it was a wonderfully-precise free kick from Baines that carved out the chance.The Everton left back curled a glorious, teasing ball into the home six-yard box and Jagielka steamed in at the back post to turn the ball into the net as the Newcastle defence simply stood watching.Newcastle's woes increased with left back Enrique limping off just before half -time to force Pardew to reshape his side. Shola Ameobi came on wearing a mask to protect his cheekbone injury and that meant Peter Lovenkrands moving back to right midfield to take Simpson's place.Everton too had to reorganise in the 52nd minute when skipper Phil Neville limped off with a hamstring pull. The former England defender was replaced by John Heitinga.The visitors Saha looked a certain scorer but somehow sent what should have been a simple header into the net over the top.Everton almost scored again a few minutes later when only a brilliant one-handed save from Steve Harper in the home goal prevented Jermaine Beckford's angled drive finding the target.But there was no doubt Everton were worth the win.
Hoffenheim want to take Moyes to Germany
06/03/11 By Alan Nixon (The Sunday Mirror)
Everton boss David Moyes is a shock target for wealthy German club Hoffenheim.Moyes tops a shortlist of candidates for the manager’s job at the ambitious Bundesliga outfit, who are looking to recruit in the summer.Hoffenheim’s owner Dietmar Hopp is among the richest men in Europe and could find it easy to lure Moyes, increasingly disillusioned at the lack of transfer funds on Merseyside
NEWCASTLE 1 - EVERTON 2: ASHLEY'S GAMBLE EXPOSED BY ARTETA
Leon Osman fireed low into the net through Jose Enrique’s legs
Sunday March 6,2011 (The Express)
By John Richardson
NEWCASTLE United owner Mike Ashley loves a gamble. But his latest £35million punt has left the Toon Army’s nerves jangling.While Andy Carroll – sold for a king’s ransom minutes before the deadline – prepares to make his Liverpool entrance today, the team he left behind can’t guarantee their Premier League safety.Unable to bring in any attacking replacements the Geordies are operating on a wing and a prayer, Jonas Gutierrez supplying the width and eternal hope in the penalty area from a sub-standard unit.Everton, inspired by Mikel Arteta, laid bare Newcastle’s paucity in so many areas by dominating large chunks of the game and should have won at a canter.At least they were able to rinse the shock midweek FA Cup defeat against Reading out of their system with a lightning two-goal strike from Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka, despite going behind to a Leon Best header. If there was any criticism from Everton boss David Moyes it would have been over the succession of chances they wasted – enough to have won three or four games, never mind one. Everton, inspired by Mikel Arteta, laid bare Newcastle’s paucity in so many areas Newcastle once again had short-changed another magnificent 50,000-plus crowd who keep coming back for more, despite seeing their owner cash in on his big asset.Newcastle’s goal had only served to light the blue touch paper for a dramatic response from Moyes’ side who had been startled by Best’s opportunist opener.Everton, determined to erase the memory of the midweek FA Cup humbling, had begun with plenty of craft and urgency. With the majestic Arteta pulling the strings they had called the early shots. Arteta himself had gone close cutting in from the left to force Steve Harper into a fine save, arching backwards to tip over the bar. From an Arteta corner, Osman should have done better than to head wide from inside the six-yard box. With the Geordies overrun in midfield it was Jack Rodwell’s turn to cause problems with a fierce effort which flew wide. Cue their surprise when Newcastle took the lead with their first hint of any menace. A quick free-kick from Fabricio Coloccini was worked via Gutierrez and Mike Williamson to Kevin Nolan and his cross, despite a flailing arm from keeper Tim Howard, was headed in at the far post by Best. It was Best’s sixth goal of the season as he attempts to help fill the gaping hole left by Carroll’s departure. Knowing frugal owner Ashley, he might have thought about buying some cheap bags of cement first. Everton’s dismay wasn’t to last long, two sharply taken goals in a five-minute spell giving them the half-time lead they deserved.Osman had so much space to run at Newcastle’s back-peddling defence that it was a good job he didn’t suffer from agoraphobia. He found Arteta completely free on the edge of the box for the Spaniard to repeat the favour, Osman firing low into the net through Jose Enrique’s legs.Worse was to follow for Newcastle as a Leighton Baines free-kick invited a succession of Everton players to apply the final killing touch. It was Jagielka who obliged prodding in against the underside of the bar.There was plenty of hard work ahead for Newcastle if they were going to pull this one out of the fire especially when they lost the influential Jose Enrique to injury.Enter the man in the mask, Ameobi, playing his first game since fracturing his cheekbone.He twice forced Howard into action shortly after the break but it was still Everton who carried the greater venom on the break with Arteta the most influential performer on the pitch.Jermaine Beckford, turning neatly on an Osman ball, brought the best out of Harper, while Louis Saha should have buried a close-range header.Newcastle huffed and puffed as Beckford had a header disallowed for a push – but there was no belief on or off the pitch.
David Moyes a target for German club Hoffenheim
Mar 6 2011 by Alan Nixon, The People
EVERTON boss David Moyes is a shock target for wealthy German club Hoffenheim.Moyes tops a shortlist of candidates for the manager’s job at the ambitious Bundesliga outfit, who are looking to recruit in the summer.Hoffenheim’s owner Dietmar Hopp is among the richest men in Europe and could find it easy to lure Moyes, increasingly disillusioned at the lack of transfer funds on Merseyside.Coach Ralf Rangnick quit Hoffenheim in January over the sale of Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich and the club appointed his deputy Marco Pezzaiuoli as his replacement. But they want a bigger name and Moyes
Everton FC’s assistant boss hails fighting spirit
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 7 2011
STEVE ROUND admits that Everton’s FA Cup humbling by Reading was his lowest moment at the club – as he hailed their fightback at Newcastle United.The Blues responded from Tuesday’s season low defeat by the npower Championship club with a 2-1 victory at St James' Park on Saturday, the first time David Moyes' men have secured consecutive wins in the Premier League since October.A first win at the home of the Magpies since 2000 moved Everton up to 10th in the table, as Round revealed that none of the coaching team were short of motivation to bounce back.First half goals from Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka overturned Leon Best's opener and though Everton were worthy winners in the North East, Round said he would have preferred the Toffees to seal the result by converting many of their late chances.Opportunities fell to a string of Everton players but a mixture of fine goalkeeping from Steve Harper and some wayward finishing meant Round was nervous right until the final whistle.He said: “It was the response we wanted from midweek. It was a result we needed to bounce back from “The players felt we'd let the supporters and the football club down by not progressing in the cup. But there was a real determination on Saturday to show the true Everton and get a win. “This was a big win in terms of bouncing back after midweek. The players were very low in midweek and got the motivation to go and win themselves. We didn't really have to say anything at all to try and put it right.“We've got a run of fixtures coming up and want to see how many points that gets us.“The story of our season has been turning that final pass into the net. You always get the feeling on the bench that you need the third goal because you know what it is like when you come to a place like this.“The fans get behind them, they throw the ball in the box and it is always going to be difficult to hang on. We didn't get the third goal but the pleasing thing was the way we created the chances.” The assistant manager was keen to heap praise on man-of-the-match Mikel Arteta who created Everton's first strike for Osman and impressed on the left flank.“Mikel was outstanding,” said Round. “He was creative, elusive and his work ethic was outstanding. He was only a whisker away from maybe creating two more goals.“Mikel is effective wherever he plays, if he's in that type of form. We made a conscious decision to move him to that side because we felt he'd get more room because of the way Newcastle play, and he did.“It was a bonus for us with Joey Barton failing a fitness test because he had even more room down there. He came to the fore today.”Although Round insists Everton can not afford to look any further than the next match – Birmingham City at home on Wednesday night – the assistant manager suggests last season's points total would be good enough for a place in Europe this time around.“The only goal is for us to win the next game and see where that takes us. It's a strange league. Last season we got 61 points and that got us eighth. Sixty-one points this season will get you in the top six, even the top five. The goal really is just to win the next game and see how it goes.”
Greg O’Keeffe’s analysis as Everton come from behind to beat Newcastle United 2-1
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 7 2011
0ShareAdd a commentRecommend “We were very disappointed from last week and it was important to bounce back. The management had to pick the team up and the Everton players had to pick themselves up,” STEVE ROUND is happy to round off the week on a high.“Credit to Everton. Arteta and the two strikers caused us problems. Then the delivery for their second goal was always going to be difficult to defend,” Newcastle manager ALAN PARDEW holds his hands up and admits defeat DAVID MOYES recently said he “swam the channel” to keep Mikel Arteta at Goodison Park last summer. At times this season the Blues manager must have wondered why he’d bothered pulling on his Speedos. Such has been the formerly mercurial Spaniard’s floundering form, those arduous lengths in choppy waters must have seemed depressingly in vain.Everton had at least one significant big-money inquiry about the midfielder – Moyes could have been forgiven for regretting his refusal to cash in.For his part it seemed that Arteta had come to a cross roads. Perhaps his head was telling him it was time to move on, while his heart was tugging at him to stay on Merseyside and achieve something under the manager who had invested so much faith in him.Ultimately a lucrative new contract and the obvious regard in which he is held at Goodison convinced him to sign.Since then a player who once brought such joy to supporters courtesy of those mesmeric feet, laser-guided passing ability and razor-sharp footballing brain has instead sparked groans and criminations.
Securing his contract was part of the reason many believed Everton could break into the top four this season.But as that optimism has wilted, and the 28-year-old has toiled to rediscover his form, those summer dreams have made a fool of everyone.Yet Arteta has never given up. Sitting deeper than ever in Everton’s midfield, the play-maker has struggled to pull the strings but has never gone hiding.Sometimes, the Basque has actually taken on too much responsibility with the ball. He has tried to overcomplicate. Unthinkably, he had started to lose the ball. It has been depressing to watch.Now finally, and not a second too soon, the artist formerly known as the continental incarnation of the great Golden Vision Alex Young, appears to have woken from his slumber.Everton’s first back-to-back wins in the Premier League since October have been inspired by Arteta’s stirring signs of revival.Moyes demanded that his senior players take responsibility after the nightmare of Reading, and Arteta led by example at St James’s Park.Cleverly deployed on the left flank by the Everton boss, he and the impressive Leon Osman did just that – ensuring the Toffees created more than enough chances to have won the game comfortably. It was an achievement in deep adversity.Shorn of arguably their best performer in Marouane Fellaini for the rest of the season, Moyes reshuffled his pack bringing Tony Hibbert back into the side and pushing Phil Neville into a defensive midfield role.Arteta signalled his intent early on, bursting into the area and cutting across the 10 yard line before unleashing a fierce shot which brought a terrific one-handed save from Steve Harper.Despite the week’s doom and gloom, the Blues were playing some incisive stuff despite their makeshift midfield.Then their curiously soft defensive underbelly threatened to undo everything.Magpies defender Mike Williamson was allowed too much time in Everton’s area before finding Kevin Nolan, and although Tim Howard parried the midfielder’s shot, Leon Best headed in the lose ball as Blue defenders slumbered.St James’ Park can be a tough enough place to go when short on confidence as it is, without conceding so softly.But Everton refused to be down-heartened and leading by shining example, Osman carried the ball from midfield before switching it to Arteta on the edge of the area. The Spaniard noticed his counterpart had continued a run untracked and slid a deft square ball across the box for Osman to pick his spot and roll the ball home through Enrique’s legs.With Alan Pardew’s side momentarily reeling, Everton struck again five minutes later. Phil Jagielka got ahead of his marker to poke a wonderful Leighton Baines free-kick high past Harper.
When Newcastle’s classy Spanish left back hobbled off before half time, Everton sensed they could capitalise further.The home side were forced to re-jig and move Danny Simpson from midfield to right back, and Arteta started to cause them more and more problems. Perhaps a temporary return to a wide role for him makes sense.Everton had the misfortune of losing Neville to a hamstring injury after five minutes of the second half, but still should have killed the game on the counter attack.First Louis Saha, who worked hard and held the ball up well all day, missed a flurry of chances, and then his strike partner Jermaine Beckford was unlucky not to score.The man who turned up late for the FA Cup debacle last Tuesday turned smartly in the box and drew another fine save from Harper with a flashing drive across the face of goal. He stung Harper’s palms minutes later too, and Arteta started to punish Newcastle creating several openings that substitute Victor Anichebe duly squandered.The striker collected a six figure sum in damages from Newcastle last week because of Kevin Nolan’s costly horror tackle on him two years ago, and acrimony clearly remains as the pair tussled near the end.Anichebe may have received his compensation for that incident, but he and his team-mates must now make their own reparations to the supporters they have let down this season, culminating with that FA Cup exit.The Blues are six points behind Liverpool with a game in hand, over-taking the Reds must become their new goal.This was the first step on the long road to atonement.
NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Harper, Coloccini, Williams, Taylor (Ferguson, 65), Enrique (Ameobi, 42), Tiote, Nolan (capt), Gutierrez, Best (Kuqi 84), Simpson, Lovenkrands. Not used: Guthrie, Perch, Krul, Richardson.
EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman (Coleman, 84) Neville (Heitinga, 52) (Capt), Rodwell, Arteta, Saha, Beckford (Anichebe, 68). Not used: Mucha, Bilyaletdinov, Coleman, Duffy, Baxter..
GOALS: Best (23); Osman (31), Jagielka (36)
CARDS: Nolan, Taylor
REFEREE: Howard Webb
ATTENDANCE: 50,128
Phil Jagielka looking for Everton FC to move up the gears
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 7 2011
PHIL JAGIELKA says Everton are determined to make amends for their poor season – as he admitted his first goal of the season could not have arrived at a better time. The England defender poked home his fourth goal in an Everton shirt during the first half of Everton’s 2-1 win at Newcastle on Saturday. And the close-range strike from a superb Leighton Baines delivery secure the three points which Jagielka acknowledges must herald an upturn in consistency for the Blues – starting by winning their game in hand against Birmingham on Wednesday. He said: “We just need to keep picking up points. It’s not been the best of seasons by any stretch of the imagination but if we finish well like we did last season hopefully the fans will have something to shout about. “We know Birmingham will be a hard game, hopefully we can put in a good performance and get three points. “It (his goal) has been a long time coming. I nearly missed it but thankfully it went in off the underside of the bar. “But all credit goes to the ball in from Bainesy, he made it easy enough for me to stick a leg out!” Jagielka believes the triumph was deserved for Everton’s defensive steel and threat on the counter attack. He said: “Ossie came back shortly after they’d scored and we gathered momentum and went 2-1 up. Towards the end it could have been three or four. “It’s typical Everton – when people start shovelling it forward we get the blocks in and win the headers. It was a fantastic team performance and we are more than happy with the three points.” Meanwhile Marouane Fellaini has denied claims attributed to his father, that Everton are to blame for the ankle injury that ended his season against Sunderland. In an interview with a Belgian newspaper Abdelatiff Fellaini was reported to have claimed that his son should not have started against Steve Bruce’s side because he was already carrying an injury. “I am aware of comments that have appeared in the media and all I can say is that I was fit to play against Sunderland,” said Fellaini. “I trained well the day before and I wouldn’t play in such an important game if I wasn’t ready for it and I wouldn’t be selected if I wasn’t fit enough.” It is the second season in succession that an injury has curtailed the in-form Fellaini’s campaign and he is dejected by the fresh set-back. “I am bitterly disappointed to have my season ended early but these things happen in football and I just have to work through it,” he said. “It happens and nobody is to blame.” The Blues lost another player, skipper Phil Neville to a hamstring injury, on Saturday as the 34-year-old limped off 51 minutes. Assistant manager Steve Round confirmed Neville had felt a slight problem and would have the severity of the injury assessed at Finch Farm today.
Everton FC players needed no motivation, insists assistant manager Steve Round
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 7 2011
ASSISTANT manager Steve Round admits Everton were at their lowest ebb following defeat to Reading – but was delighted with the fightback at Newcastle United. The Goodison Park outfit responded from crashing out of the FA Cup last week with a 2-1 victory at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon, the only time David Moyes’ men have secured consecutive wins in the Premier League since October. A first win at the home of Newcastle since 2000 moved Everton up to 10th in the standings as Round revealed there was little need for motivation from either himself or the manager ahead of the weekend’s match. First half goals from Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka overturned Leon Best’s opener and though Everton were worthy winners in the North East, Round admits he would have been calmed by a third strike. Second chances fell to a host of Moyes’ men but a mixture of fine goalkeeping from Steve Harper and some wayward finishing meant Round was nervous right until the final whistle. “It was the response we wanted from midweek, it was a result we needed to bounce back from,” said Round. “The players felt we’d let the supporters and the football club down by not progressing in the cup. But there was a real determination on Saturday to show to true Everton and get a win. “This was a big win in terms of bouncing back after midweek. The players were very low in midweek and got the motivation to go and win themselves. We didn’t really have to say anything at all to try and put it right. “We’ve got a run of fixtures coming up and want to see how many points that gets us. “The story of our season has been turning that final pass into the net. You always get the feeling on the bench that you need the third goal because you know what it is like when you come to a place like this. “The fans get behind them, they throw the ball in the box and it is always going to be difficult to hang on. We didn’t get the third goal but the pleasing thing was the way we created the chances.” Round was keen to heap praise on man-of-the-match Mikel Arteta who laid on Everton’s first strike for Osman before causing Newcastle trouble all afternoon in an unusual wide left position. “Mikel was outstanding,” said Round. “He was creative, elusive and his work ethic was outstanding. He was only a whisker away from maybe creating two more goals.“Mikel is effective wherever he plays, if he’s in that type of form. We made a conscious decision to move him to that side because we felt he’d get more room because of the way Newcastle play, and he did. It was a bonus for us with Joey Barton failing a fitness test because he had even more room down there. He came to the fore today and was outstanding.” Although Round insists Everton can not afford to look any further than the next match – Birmingham City at home on Wednesday night – the assistant manager suggests last season’s points total would be good enough for a place in Europe this time around. “The only goal is for us to win the next game and see where that takes us. It’s a strange league. Last season we got 61 points and that got us eighth. Sixty-one points this season will get you in the top six, even the top five. The goal really is just to win the next game and see how it goes.”
Dignity returns as Everton FC show their Dr Jekyll side
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 7 2011
AS Everton's turbulent season hit another high, supporters will no doubt be bracing themselves for the fall. Saturday's richly deserved victory over Newcastle United warrants celebration but Evertonians have suffered too many false dawns this campaign to get carried away. Having been tortured in midweek, the Goodison Park faithful must enjoy this victory for sure but will be preparing for the worst when Birmingham City roll into town on Wednesday night – it has been such an exasperating period of inconsistency. Such a mindset is a shame, but a sign of the times when an encouraging display is so often followed by something dismal. The weekend's win at St James' Park – one borne out of graft and determination – goes some way to helping Everton claw back dignity having plummeted to new lows against Reading, but the royal blue faithful will need to see much more before they fully forgive the FA Cup fall. With this in mind, Everton knew they would have to deliver something special to start appeasing the frustrations. Though the performance was a near ideal away offering – full of heart in defence and menace in attacking on the break – there are of course still limitations to Everton's play. But goals from a resurgent Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka – that garnered a first win at the home of Newcastle United since 2000, when Kevin Campbell struck the winner in a 1-0 triumph – certainly sweetened the deal as Everton looked to make amends. That season, Walter Smith's men finished 16th, fending off relegation with 42 points and watching Manchester City drop to the second tier of the English game. The hope of course remains David Moyes' men do not find themselves in such a perilous position at the end of this campaign, but Saturday did reinforce that expectations can not go a great deal higher for the time being. Life without Marouane Fellaini – and the use of Tim Cahill – was not terrifying but an eye opener and hammered home the assertions of Moyes just 24 hours previous – Everton are not in the position of strength they were 12 months ago. For now, and as painful as it is to swallow, ambitions may have to be modest, especially given the list of those on the Finch Farm injury list now includes captain Phil Neville. Neville's early second half withdrawal with a hamstring strain was the second knock he sustained on Saturday afternoon. The sides started the day with the dubious distinction of having committed more fouls than any other sides in the Premier League and the Everton skipper felt the full force of infringement number 373 from Newcastle as Cheik Tiote inadvertently left a rib shattering elbow in an aerial collision. Moyes was well aware the centre of midfield would be fearsome and for Mikel Arteta, being cajoled back to his best form, an afternoon in the company of the hard hitting Tiote could undo all his progress. Picked wide left, Arteta was afforded the luxury of time and space to weave a path of destruction through the home defence all game against make-shift right back Steven Taylor and it was left to Neville, in particular, to battle and marshal the runs of Kevin Nolan. When Neville left the game, the fear that Johnny Heitinga would not track the Newcastle captain with similar discipline were, fortunately, not allowed time to materialise. Arteta would set Osman up for the 31st minute equaliser when Everton caught Newcastle cold, swarmed forward and with ease worked room in the box. Osman side footed through Jose Enrique's legs and beyond Harper. The visitors had looked troubled having gone behind to Leon Best's close range header in the 23rd minute; the striker profiting from Nolan's saved shot, as well as ponderous defending. But having weathered the home advances, Everton equalised when Osman rounded off a move he started inside his own half. Five minutes later and Everton were in control. Baines' free-kick was wickedly delivered as Newcastle watched and Jagielka pounced with agility to make it 2-1. United's desire to find the equaliser left them vulnerable to Everton on the break and had it not been for Harper, Moyes' men would have won by a more handsome scoreline. First Jermaine Beckford was denied when his goalbound effort from the angle brought a fingertip save before substitute Seamus Coleman was frustrated at close range by a smothering stop with two minutes remaining. In between Everton spurned chances through Louis Saha, Victor Anichebe and Arteta as Newcastle looked ever more devoid of how to break through the axis of Jagielka and Sylvain Distin. Worthy winners, Everton secured consecutive wins in the Premier League for the first time since October, a statistic which tells you everything as to why Everton fans will go into Wednesday night that touch wary.
Everton FC's Phil Neville doubtful for Birmingham clash
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 7 2011
EVERTON will monitor the fitness of Phil Neville after the captain limped off against Newcastle United. Playing in central midfield, Neville was forced off after 52 minutes at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon with a hamstring strain, replaced by Johnny Heitinga. The extent of Neville’s injury is not yet known but the former England international underwent assessment at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground yesterday. Neville is likely to miss Wednesday night’s match at home to Birmingham City given the nature of his injury, adding to a growing list of players on the treatment table. The captain was used alongside Jack Rodwell at the heart of Everton’s midfield on Saturday with Marouane Fellaini out for the remainder of the campaign and Tim Cahill nursing a foot injury. Meanwhile, ahead of the visit of recently crowned Carling Cup winners Birmingham, defender Phil Jagielka is confident Everton can make it three Premier League wins in a row – but is under no illusions the second city side present a stern test. The England defender put Everton ahead at the weekend, converting Leighton Baines’ free-kick into the area – a first goal since October 2008. “It has been a long time coming. I nearly missed it but thankfully it went in off the underside of the bar,” said Jagielka of his agile finish. “But all credit goes to the ball in from Bainesy, he made it easy enough for me to stick a leg out. “Ossie came back shortly after they’d scored and we gathered momentum and went 2-1 up. “Towards the end it could have been three or four. “It’s typical Everton – when people start shovelling it forward we get the blocks in and win the headers. It was a fantastic team performance and we are more than happy with the three points. “Things are looking up. “We just need to keep picking up points. It’s not been the best of seasons by any stretch of the imagination but if we finish well like we did last season hopefully the fans will have something to shout about. “We know Birmingham will be a hard game, hopefully we can put in a good performance and get three points.”
Newcastle United 1 Everton 2
by Lee Ryder, Evening Chronicle
Mar 7 2011
ONLY Newcastle United could fit a Europa League chase and some relegation flirtation into the same afternoon. That on/off feeling has been a recurring theme this season with Toon fans looking up the table and dreaming of a fairytale, but at times looking over their shoulders desperate to avoid a repeat of the horrific 2008/09 campaign. This week we are looking over our shoulders again.
But it was all looking so good when Leon Best planted his header past Tim Howard at the Gallowgate End. And for eight minutes at least we were allowed to dream about the possibilities of another foray into continental competition and the Toon Army on the march in Europe again with sixth spot within their grasp. What followed was a grim reality check as we were awoken from that dream and reminded of the truth – the current squad isn’t expansive enough to cope with a Europa League tilt.
If United did make it, it would be a sensational achievement. Dreams are one thing, but nightmares are another and, with six points between United and the final relegation spot, anything could still happen this season. Unfortunately, while Alan Pardew and John Carver have changed a lot of things for the better at St James’ Park, some things haven’t changed one bit – and won’t change until the summer. The current squad lacks depth and when key figures are missing, such as Joey Barton, or when certain players fail to show, such as Jose Enrique, Newcastle struggle to make ends meet.
All season the one thing United have been without is a quality winger to provide service for their frontline. Without key technician Barton once again, the Magpies lacked a player with the know-how to unlock a Premier League defence. Once a player that United would have moved out for a knockdown fee, this was a taste of what life without the charismatic Scouser will be like.
The Magpies were unconvincing down their right-hand side on Saturday and Everton took full advantage with a series of bombardments. Pardew teamed Steven Taylor at right-back with Danny Simpson as a shield in front of him to cope with the overlapping runs of Leighton Baines. You can’t blame the manager for trying, but it proved dysfunctional and once Simpson switched to left-back, Peter Lovenkrands also found it tough going. As for the left-hand side, well, it took until the introduction of Shane Ferguson before Everton even broke into a real sweat, despite being opened up for Best’s sixth goal of the season on 23 minutes. Then there was Mikel Arteta . . . Before the game the classy Spaniard had been pinpointed as the dangerman, but his rampaging performance was too big an ask for the black-and-whites. Arteta had already forced a top-class save out of Steve Harper at the Leazes End with a rifled effort at goal. There was no saviour as Arteta and Osman sliced open the Toon defence eight minutes after Best’s opener. At that stage, you could argue that United had been good value for their lead after just edging the early exchanges. Failure to build on that lead, with Best flashing a decent chance wide with his head, cost Newcastle dear. One goal was never going to be enough to win this one. Arteta’s neat demonstration of how to peel off his marker down the left and supply Osman with an equaliser was painful to watch for the United faithful. But not quite as painful as the Sunday League defending that followed. In recent weeks the United back four have been excellent as a unit with Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson looking a class act.
But they went AWOL when Osman’s tame shot found its way through a bundle of bodies and left Harper unsighted and rooted to the spot. Where was the tackle? By then, the need for calm was in the chilly Tyneside air, but Arteta had other ideas. If the defending for the equaliser had been dozy, the Mags hit the snooze button again for the second. Four minutes after the leveller, Cheick Tiote was forced to foul the Spaniard to hand Baines a written invitation to curl in one of his masterpieces from a dead ball. It was invitation he would be facing their own goal, Newcastle’s defenders just didn’t deal with the set- piece which would have left Pardew fuming. The story of the game after that was United trying and failing to snatch a point after they chased what ended up being a lost cause. Williamson missed from close range before the break, but Everton looked the more likely to adding to the scoresheet. Jermaine Beckford was denied by Harper with another brilliant stop in the second half and, had ex-Toon striker Louis Saha not been hopeless in front of goal, then the scoreline could easily have been even more painful. For all their efforts, with Shola Ameobi making a couple of weaving runs, United couldn’t carve out a chance that would have banked a handy point.
By the end, Newcastle looked well and truly depleted as Williamson was shoved into the attack and joined by sub Shefki Kuqi with the lack of service glaringly obvious. As Barton and Dan Gosling watched from the bench and Stephen Ireland and Hatem Ben Arfa took the game in from afar, Pardew will be hoping all of them will be back soon to provide the spark and creativity Newcastle are currently lacking. Let’s not get carried away, this was a setback, not a disaster. Everton were good on the day but certainly not unbeatable, had Newcastle offered more impetus. More impetus, fresh impetus or any impetus. It’s still just two defeats in the last 10 games for Newcastle, but one win from the last eight. Yes, United are in dire need of a victory if we’re to wave goodbye to the dreaded R-word, especially if they can’t improve what has been a poor home record. The next 12 days can be looked upon in two ways. Either a period to stew over the Everton defeat and scan the fixture list looking for where the required points to survive will come from. Or a chance for Pardew to regroup his players and work on getting the likes of Barton fit for the battle against Stoke. Should Newcastle rule Britannia on March 19, those anxieties will be eased. For now hopes AND fears live to fight another day.
RYDER'S VERDICT: A wasted opportunity to home in on Premier League safety.
FANS MAN OF THE MATCH: On a day when nothing much went right for United, it was Toon keeper Steve Harper who clinched your man of the match vote.
Sublime Mikel Arteta leaves Everton wondering what might have been
Louise Taylor at St James' Park The Guardian,
Monday 7 March 2011
Mikel Arteta was a class apart at St James' Park, dominating from the left side of midfield.
Sir Bobby Robson used to call them "blue‑chip players". They are the special talents blessed with the ability to not only win matches virtually single-handed but raise the game of assorted team-mates.
As Newcastle United's Steven Taylor can testify, Mikel Arteta is most definitely "blue chip". Quite apart from destroying Alan Pardew's right-back for the day, Arteta used his station wide on the left as a platform from which to dictate the bulk of Everton's attacking play. The Spaniard's shimmy-suffused promptings brought the best out of an impressive Leon Osman, leaving Pardew ruing the injuries which have sidelined his own catalytic individuals, Hatem Ben Arfa and Stephen Ireland.
Newcastle were also without Joey Barton on the right side of midfield and it would have been fascinating to see how Arteta might have fared had Barton been around to assist Taylor rather than Danny Simpson. Despite such handicaps, Pardew's side scored first, the rapidly improving Leon Best benefiting from the fallout following a free-kick to head his sixth goal in 10 games. Arteta ensured that lead lasted a mere eight minutes. A slick, defence bewildering one-two saw him use the outside of his right boot to clip a return cross that Osman swept beyond Steve Harper. Shortly afterwards Arteta won a free-kick on the edge of the area. A well-rehearsed set piece saw the ball curved in fiendishly by Leighton Baines before dropping for Phil Jagielka to half-volley home at the far post.
Although Best would see a second-half "equaliser" disallowed for a push on Jagielka, Everton deserved a win which, apart from partly atoning for an FA Cup exit to Reading last week, provoked puzzlement at their under-achievement for much of this campaign. David Moyes is presumably so fed up with attempting to explain it that he delegated media duties to his assistant Steve Round yet Newcastle, too, harbour a growing frustration. They have not won a home Premier League game which kicks off at 3pm on a Saturday since August 2008. "We've got to get that monkey off our back," Harper said. "It's an incredible statistic and the longer it goes on the more people are going talk about it. We need to put it to bed." Some people nursing a cheekbone fracture as nasty as Shola Ameobi's would have opted for prolonged rest but the Newcastle striker, freshly returned from the fitting of a facial mask in the United States, ruffled Jagielka and company after coming on as a substitute. "It was incredibly brave of Shola," Harper said. "It's a massive credit to him, it was a really fantastic thing to put himself on the line like that. The damage he suffered to his cheekbone was really bad so it's been a real effort. I didn't tell him he was crazy though; he's a local lad and he knows what it means to play for this club." If Arteta's extreme skill and Ameobi's sheer guts proved the afternoon's overriding themes it also contained the aggression encapsulated by the midfield clash between a struggling Cheik Tioté and the Everton substitute John Heitinga. Then there was the antipathy between another visiting substitute, Victor Anichebe and Kevin Nolan. At one point that feuding pair had to be separated by Howard Webb before receiving a booking apiece. More positively, St James' found itself treated to an unexpectedly encouraging cameo from the young left-back Shane Ferguson, who stepped off the bench to accomplished effect in the second half.
While Ferguson's time in the sun is still to come, this was a day when, courtesy of Arteta's contribution, Everton glimpsed a patch of blue sky through the clouds shrouding their season.
Man of the match Mikel Arteta (Everton)
Birmingham City: Injuries mount for Blues ahead of Everton game
by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
Mar 7 2011
Alex McLeish said that he expected much better of Birmingham City in the West Bromwich Albion derby. The 3-1 loss was all the more depressing for the manner of the goals Blues conceded.
"First-half was OK without us really getting a huge tempo up or big momentum. We had one or two fleeting chances. "Curtis Davies making his debut, I thought he did very well first-half and in the second-half the goals started to come - but unfortunately not for us. "The way we defended those goals was very, very difficult to take. Schooboy stuff. We did have enforced changes, that doesn't help. "When you have five changes from the guys that won the Carling Cup the week before, it doesn't necessarily follow that it's going to be for the better, although we were looking for more
inspiration than we saw. "We’d heard all these clichés over the last week like 'after the Lord Mayor’s Show’ and we’re aware of them and I said it’s possible we could lose the game - but I thought we lost it in a second rate manner. "There were some tired legs as well and we slotted one or two players in to try and get a positive result, but we never really got enough inspiration in the forward areas. "It was always going to be a hard test but we just didn’t come up to speed in terms of what I expect and the standards I expect." Liam Ridgewell had to have a pre-game injection in his groin to try and get him through. And McLeish revealed that Nikola Zigic could not be wheeled on from the substitutes bench because of a groin niggle too. "Ridgewell came in during the warm-up and said he was struggling with his groin. We patched him up, gave injection, and that's why we took him off near the end, we didn't want to expose him any longer. “Zigic had a groin strain as well, we obviously thought about using him [as a substitute] - that’s why I had the doctor at the dug out - and he said it was too much of a risk to put him on." Barry Ferguson, Craig Gardner, Martin Jiranek and Aleksandr Hleb were all missing for Blues and were doubts for the Wednesday game at Everton, said McLeish. Ferguson fractured his ribs at Wembley and McLeish said: "Barry's had this before when I was at Rangers. There can be things done to alleviate it, in terms of an injection. "Barry, the doctor and I were discussing it Saturday because he hates missing matches. "Of course he is a key component, just like Fabregas is a talisman to Arsenal, Rooney for Man United. We all have key players. "I'm not going to force the player into doing it. His welfare comes first and it must come from him if he makes the decision [to have the injection]."
Everton FC fan on racism rap over ‘French’ heckle of Louis Saha
by Emily Gosden, Liverpool Echo
EVERTON FC fan is to appear in court for an allegedly racist shout at Louis Saha.
David Sibson, 57, was thrown out of Goodison Park after shouting that the striker was “a useless French lazy b******”. Mr Sibson has been summonsed to appear before North Liverpool magistrates on March 24 for a public order offence, including alleged racially aggravated harassment. Police investigated after other fans complained about Mr Sibson’s conduct at a match. No complaint was made by Mr Saha or Everton FC, but the club reportedly confiscated his season ticket. Mr Sibson, of Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, was reported to have said: “I’m facing a criminal prosecution just for calling a Frenchman French. If that is racist then I suppose I’m guilty.” A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “The allegations are wider than alleged comments made about a footballer, but that is evidence that will be heard at court." Everton FC’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Ian Snodin: Don’t blame Everton FC striker Jermaine Beckford for motorway late show
Liverpool Echo
Mar 8 2011
JERMAINE BECKFORD wasn’t the only Evertonian embroiled in motorway mayhem last Tuesday.
At least Beckford made it to Goodison. I was stuck in the same M62 pile-up after picking up my son at Leeds United’s training ground at 4.30pm. When I saw the signs saying that Junction 12 was closed I feared the worst. The East Lancs Road was just as clogged so I had no other option but to turn round and head home to watch the match on TV. That’s not the only reason I have some sympathy with Beckford. Like Jermaine, I also preferred to spend time at home ahead of a match.
It was just a personal preference. I felt happier and more relaxed. Some players liked to go to a hotel to have a couple of hours’ sleep in the afternoon, but I wasn’t one for sleeping before a game, so I’d go home. Back then I lived in Southport, but there were still a couple of occasions when I ran the risk of incurring a hefty fine by getting stuck in rush hour traffic. I know some fans have criticised Beckford’s preparations, but for me there wasn’t much more he could have done. He will be mortified and will no doubt have received an almighty rollocking. That should be the end of it.
Leon Osman will do for me, every time
MIKEL ARTETA’S return to form was hailed on Saturday – and rightly so. But people shouldn’t lose sight of the influence Leon Osman had on Everton’s display too. Ossie is always full of energy, has great feet and is a real unsung hero. But his most important quality for me is that when he’s having a poor game – which isn’t very often – he refuses to hide. It’s the easiest thing in the world to go missing during a football match. If you wanted to you could play a whole match and not touch the ball if you were so minded. That’s not something Ossie would ever do. Ossie will do for me every time.
Mark Clattenburg was spot on to award THAT penalty MARK CLATTENBURG has been receiving dog’s abuse for the penalty he awarded against Blackburn on Saturday. I was delighted to see a spot-kick awarded and I wish more referees would be as strong as Clattenburg was. A pet hate of mine is the amount of wrestling, grappling and shirt-pulling that defenders get away with nowadays in the penalty box. Blackburn moaned afterwards that if Clattenburg was going to award penalties for offences like that, there would be 10 penalties given every match. I’d say ‘so be it’ – if that’s what it takes to stop defenders wrestling with strikers. When I was playing, if a centre-forward like Graeme Sharp was being manhandled like that he would use his elbows to divert the defender’s attentions. Video evidence means that strikers can’t get away with using their elbows any more (unless you’re Wayne Rooney!), but why should defenders be able to get away with wrestling? Mark Clattenburg’s decision might have been a little harsh, but it was the right one.
Ian Snodin: Back to back Premier League wins for Everton FC are long overdue
Liverpool Echo
Mar 8 2011
THE visit of lowly Birmingham City to Goodison Park on a cold Wednesday night in March isn’t likely to have too many impartial observers licking their lips in anticipation. But that should not underestimate the importance of this clash, or the following fixture against Fulham, to Everton’s season. If the Blues beat Birmingham in the match postponed from Boxing Day we move up to eighth place in the table, just three points behind sixth placed Liverpool. That’s a gap which can be easily made up. And catching the Reds has to be a motivating force for what remains of an intensely frustrating season. For that to happen we simply must build on Saturday’s excellent win at Newcastle. Ironically the only other occasion that we’ve put back to back League wins together this season was after we won at Birmingham in October. The Birmingham we faced that autumn afternoon was a different proposition to the side which currently finds itself in the relegation zone – albeit with a couple of games in hand. That day Birmingham were defending a long unbeaten home record and an Everton away win was considered a huge achievement. But on Saturday I wasn’t surprised that West Bromwich Albion went to St Andrew’s and won so comfortably.
Birmingham’s wonderful achievement at Wembley against Arsenal was clearly a huge distraction and there was also a civic presentation planned for the Sunday. With all that going on it was no surprise that Alex McLeish’s men took their eye off the ball a little. But that’s gone now and Birmingham’s focus will be back on their relegation scrap. Everton can expect a reaction tomorrow.
Birmingham have pace up front with Jerome and Martins, and they also have height if Zigic is selected. But if Everton can start the match at a decent tempo there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have the quality to get that long awaited successive victory. We’re a little short on numbers in central midfield at the moment, with Phil Neville possibly joining Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill on the sidelines. But it’s a sign of the squad strength that we have players of the calibre of Jack Rodwell and Johnny Heitinga, who both finished the match at Newcastle in the centre, and Mikel Arteta who was pushed out to the flanks on Tyneside but can easily slot back onto centre stage again if required.
Whoever plays, collecting three points on the night is the most important objective. That would then set up another important afternoon against Fulham. But first things first, beating Birmingham tomorrow is crucial.
* ST JAMES’ PARK can be a tough place to go in any season.
So the quality of Everton’s performance on Saturday should not be underestimated. Newcastle have had no problems finding the net this season, as they proved again by taking an early lead.Newcastle went ahead but after such a dismal display in the FA Cup a few days earlier it spoke volumes for the character of the players involved that they were able to put that setback behind them and secure a come from behind success.
Everton FC to offer Sylvain Distin a new deal at Goodison Park
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 8 2011
EVERTON are ready to offer defender Sylvain Distin a new deal. The 33-year-old, a £5million signing from Portsmouth in 2009, is currently contracted until the end of next season. However, the Blues are keen to retain the services of a player who has been ever-present this season. Boss David Moyes said: “A new deal is something we will look at in the summer. “Sylvain has played all the games, he trains all the time and that is a big thing. He has been an excellent signing.” Everton go hunting a hat-trick of Premier League victories for only the second time this year tomorrow – but Leon Osman believes making up to the Goodison fans for last week’s FA Cup exit is even more important.
Everton’s last trio of League wins came in January – a run of victories which was punctuated by an FA Cup disappointment against tomorrow’s visitors Birmingham. “It is important that we put it right,” said Osman. “It was good to go up to Newcastle and do it and now it would be nice to do it in front of the home fans as well.” Everton last celebrated three League wins in a row in January, when Manchester City, Sunderland and Wigan were beaten. The Blues have just enjoyed defeats of Sunderland and Newcastle – and now entertain the Carling Cup winners at Goodison Park. And Evertonians will be hoping that Mikel Arteta can build on the form he showed in both those games, where he created a goal in each clash. On Saturday Osman was the beneficiary, after Jermaine Beckford against Sunderland, and Osman added: “Mikel was playing wider and further up the pitch and he was very effective. “I managed to get the ball out to him and he picked me out in the box for the goal. “We like to get the ball to Mikel, he is one of our top players and the higher up the pitch he is, the better. “The victory showed a lot of character. “We were unfortunate to lose a goal the way we did but it galvanised us and we gathered together and showed a lot of character. “Moving up the table is what we are aiming for, we haven't had the greatest season but we are trying to put that right but if we take our eye of the ball for one second we will be punished.”
Pre-match preview: Everton FC v Birmingham City
Mar 8 2011
To be played at Goodison Park on Wednesday February 9, kick off 8pm
Everton's last five games
March 5: Premier League: Newcastle 1 Everton 2
March 1: FA Cup - Everton 0 Reading 1
Feb 26: Premier League - Everton 2 Sunderland 0
Feb 19: FA Cup - Chelsea 1 Everton 1
Feb 13: Premier League - Bolton 2 Everton 0
Birmingham's last five games
March 5: Premier League: Birmingham 1 West Brom 3
Feb 27: Carling Cup Final: Arsenal 1 Birmingham 2
Feb 19: FA Cup - Birmingham 3 Sheffield Wednesday 0
Feb 15: Premier League: Birmingham 0 Newcastle 2
Feb 12: Premier League: Birmingham 1 Stoke 0
Previous meetings
P 122 W 61 D 35 L 26 F 222 A 152
Selected meetings
20 Dec 2009 - Everton 1 Birmingham 1
The (Mersey) Blues unfortunate home run continued as they racked up an eight home game without a win. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov opened the score early on with a thunderous drive and Louis Saha had a second incorrectly ruled out shortly afterwards before Sebastian Larsson equalised for the visitors. Everton enjoyed a string of opportunites to regain the lead in the second half but could not find a way past Joe Hart.
3 Nov 2007 - Everton 3 Birmingham 1
Everton staged a grandstand finish to snatch all three points in stoppage time when it looked like the Midlanders had done enough to earn a point. Yakubu had put Everton in front after only ten minutes but, after chances to kill the game off had gone begging, Olivier Kapo levelled matters with only ten minutes remaining. It was Birmingham-born Lee Carsley who came to the home side's rescue as the game ticked past ninety minutes, cracking a powerful strike into the Gwladys Street net and substitute James Vaughan erased any doubt as to the destination of the points by cooly adding a third.
31 August 1985 Everton 4 Birmingham 1
Gary Lineker scored his Everton goals at Goodison Park - and his first hat-trick for the club as Howard Kendall's champions comfortably saw off their newly-promoted visitors, Trevor Steven adding the other Blues goal. Lineker was again on target when Everton won 2-0 at St Andrews the following January.
Ones to watch
Everton
Mikel Arteta has shown signs of returning to better form in the last two league wins and will be hoping to continue in the same vein. Sylvain Distin has been offered a new deal by Everton - his status as an ever-present this season shows his reliability. Leon Osman was on the scoresheet in the weekend at Newcastle and had a big influence on an important Blues win.
Birmingham
Nikola Zigic is hard to miss - the 6 foot 7 inch hitman scored Birmingham's opener in the Carling Cup win at Wembley and Everton will have to find a way to combat his aerial prowess. Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson remain a combative presence in midfield while Ben Foster and Roger Johnson have provided stability for the Midlanders' rearguard.
Latest betting odds
Everton - 4/7
Draw - 3/1
Birmingham City - 11/2
ACADEMY FOOTBALL: Connor Grant’s debut goal helps Everton under-18s secure a point and maintain advantage at the top
by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 8 2011
DESPITE taking the lead through Connor Grant, Everton under-18s had to settle for a point in their top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City at Finch Farm on Saturday. Neil Dewsnip’s side maintain their four-point lead over City at the top of the FA Premier Academy League Group C table following the 1-1 draw. Everton took the lead after 20 minutes in at Finch Farm when winger Femi Orenuga pulled the ball back for Grant to score on his U18s debut. But City hit back 15 minutes later somewhat fortuitously. Keeper James Fitzgibbon, who had kept a clean sheet on his debut the previous weekend, saved the first effort, before the rebound cleared off the line. Unfortunately it fell perfectly for the incoming City striker who managed to squeeze the ball home. Johan Hammar went close with a header, but at the other end Everton Fitzgibbon saved well either side of half-time.
Hallam Hope twice went close to a winner late one. The keeper denied him the first time and then he slipped as he was about to shoot. Dewsnip said: “It was a very competitive game. It was a big game and from their point of view, they desperately wanted – needed – to win. They had a very strong team and we are pleased with both the performance and result. “We were very challenged in we had six missing due to a reserve game on Tuesday, ironically against Manchester City. Overall they would probably feel they were disappointed they haven‘t won the game, but we are delighted given the circumstances we didn‘t lose. Mentally it was a really good performance by us.”
Everton will be carry on their title pursuit this Saturday at Sheffield Wednesday (kick-off 11am).
EVERTON UNDER-18s: Fitzgibbon, Higgins, Murphy, Hammar, Bidwell, Orenuga, Donegan, Grant, Dobie (Johns 60), Hope, Forrester. Subs: Long, Roberts, Dyer, Thomas.
Everton FC latest: Ever-present Sylvain Distin poised for new contract talks
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 8 2011
EVERTON are poised to open talks with Sylvain Distin over a new contract for the French defender.
Distin has been a mainstay in the Goodison defence since being signed for £5.3million from Portsmouth in August 2009. The 33-year-old will enter the final 12 months of his contract in the summer, with Everton manager David Moyes keen to extend the centre-back’s commitment to the club. And Goodison officials are expected to sit down at the end of the season and table a new deal for the former Newcastle United and Manchester City defender. Having followed the home win over Sunderland with Saturday’s 2-1 triumph at Newcastle United, Moyes’s men are aiming for a hat-trick of top-flight wins for the first time in 14 months when they host Birmingham tomorrow. And Leon Osman, who netted at St James’ Park at the weekend, admits the encounter provides a chance to make amends for their Cup shocker against Reading. “It is important that we put it right,” said Osman. “It was good to go up to Newcastle and do it and now it would be nice to do it in front of the home fans as well. “It showed a lot of character (to win at Newcastle). We were unfortunate to lose a goal the way we did but it galvanised us and we gathered together and showed a lot of character.
“Moving up the table is what we are aiming for, we haven’t had the greatest season but we are trying to put that right.” Osman’s goal was created by Mikel Arteta, who enjoyed arguably his best performance of the season employed on the left of midfield. “Mikel was playing wider and further up the pitch and he was very effective,” added Osman. “I managed to get the ball out to him and he picked me out in the box for the goal. “We like to get the ball to Mikel, he is one of our top players and the higher up the pitch he is, the better.”
Everton FC fan faces racism charge after Louis Saha heckle
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 8 2011
AN EVERTON FC fan is to appear in court for an allegedly racist heckle towards player Louis Saha.
David Sibson, 57, was thrown out of Goodison Park after shouting that the striker was “a useless French lazy b******”. Mr Sibson, of Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, has been summonsed to appear before North Liverpool magistrates on March 24 for a public order offence, including alleged racially aggravated harassment. Police investigated after other fans complained about Mr Sibson’s conduct at a match. No complaint was made by Mr Saha or Everton FC, but the club reportedly confiscated his season ticket. Everton FC’s spokesperson has declined to comment on the allegation.
Mark Lawrenson: David Moyes must be sick of the Everton FC schizophrenia
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 8 2011
EVERTON’S win at Newcastle United was hugely welcome after the FA Cup shocker against Reading.
But it served only to underline why David Moyes must be tearing his hair out at his schizophrenic side.Frustrating is not the word. But this was a good reaction to the midweek loss and a good result.
Central to the victory on Tyneside – Everton’s first league win at Newcastle in more than a decade – was the performance of Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard has not had a good season but the tactical tweak that saw him on the left of midfield perhaps helped release him from some of the responsibilities of playing in a central role. He looked more like the Arteta of old, free to cut in off the flank where, for players of his undoubted ability, the whole game can open up for you. He revelled in it. It’s the old chestnut I know, but results such as Saturday’s, and the contrast of good results against the top teams and underachievement against the minnows, underlines that the squad still needs investment. The defeat to Reading once against led to the inevitable latest round of whispers and rumours that Moyes was contemplating his future. No-one can argue he hasn’t done a really, really good job, and few could have done what he has in such circumstances. The board certainly appreciate what they have got. But with another summer of wheeling and dealing with precious little funds could be seen as an insult to Moyes. Surely after more than nine years, he deserves to be given some extra funds to take a chance in the transfer market? But look at it from the board’s point of view. If they are going to hand the manager £15m they don’t really have, they are going to want a return for that investment. Will it guarantee Champions League football? Probably not. Would you want to spend £15m just to finish two places higher? You’d say no, and no-one could really argue against it. But I think Moyes deserves some extra backing because I believe with a few new players, Everton could be a threat next season.
Everton v BIRMINGHAM: McLeish to run the rule over Zigic as Jiranek returns
The Daily Mail
8th March 2011
Birmingham defender Martin Jiranek is set to return for the Barclays Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening. The Czech Republic international was unavailable for the 3-1 home reversal against West Brom at the weekend with a thigh injury. Midfield duo of Barry Ferguson (broken rib) and Craig Gardner (calf) are still sidelined with the injuries suffered during the Carling Cup final win over Arsenal. Late check: Striker Nikola Zigic could return to action for Birmingham at Goodison Park blues boss Alex McLeish will run a late fitness check over striker Nikola Zigic who missed the Baggies game with a groin problem, while defender Liam Ridgewell is expected to play despite needing an injection to ease a groin injury minutes before the kick-off against West Brom. Provisional squad: Foster, Carr, Jiranek, Johnson, Davies, Ridgewell, Beausejour, Larsson, Bowyer, Fahey, Bentley, Jerome, Martins, Zigic, Doyle, Taylor, Murphy, Phillips, Parnaby, Mutch.
Moyes relieved Everton missed out on Europe
By Chris Brereton
March 8 2010
Everton manager David Moyes wants to lead them back into Europe - but is glad they missed out this season. A campaign that oozed promise back in August has fallen on its backside, but Saturday’s away win over Newcastle proved Everton can still turn it on from time to time. If they beat Birmingham tonight, it will be their third straight home league win. That would help restore some belief that Everton could still make a late dash for a Europa League spot - especially as the top half of the table is so tight. However, Moyes has revealed that his side's form has been so poor at times this term he is actually pleased they did not qualify last season. “We would love the opportunity to be back in and as a club we need it - financially, we could do with it as well," he said. “I have watched the Europa League but because our own form has been so bad in the Premier League, I have said at times: ‘Thank goodness we have not got an Europa League game to concentrate on.’ That is how I have felt because our form has been bad. “Maybe if I had been in Europe, the cup runs could have helped us. At the start of the season, we had quite a few players who needed games but we didn’t have the games to give them.” Just as Moyes knows a couple of wins could bring back to life those European dreams, he is also aware that the same number of losses will again send the Toffees tumbling. “You could be 10th or 11th but find yourself back down in 15th or 16th if you lose two games," he said. "I don’t think anyone is saying it is over.”
Everton FC reserves lose 3-1 to Manchester City FC reserves
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 9 2011
EVERTON Reserves were left to rue a host of missed chances as they lost 3-1 to Manchester City last night. The Toffees took the lead in the first minute through Conor McAleny. But despite dominating for most of the game, goals from Andrea Mancini, Donal McDermott and Omar Eladellaoui gave City the points. EVERTON RESERVES: Roberts, Nsiala, Garbutt, Kinsella, Duffy, Mustafi, Forshaw, Akpan, McAleny, Baxter (Hope 78), Craig (Forrester 82). Subs: Fitzgibbon, Barrow, Lundstram.
Hats off to Birmingham says Everton FC’s Jack Rodwell
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 9 2011
Everton FC star Jack RodwellJACK RODWELL has admitted he was impressed by Birmingham’s cup success but wants to deepen their relegation worries. That 2-1 win over the Gunners secured the club’s first trophy since 1963, but they were brought back to reality by a 3-1 home defeat to West Brom on Saturday which saw them slip into the bottom three. Rodwell said: “We won’t be taking liberties – we’ve just got to give it our all. I thought Birmingham played really well in the Carling Cup final – they had a game plan and they stuck to it. “I don’t think Arsenal turned up on the day but it was a good win for Birmingham, they took their chances and won. “Hats off to them, but we won’t be taking anything like that into consideration. We want to win – it’s as simple as that.” Like his manager, Rodwell is looking upwards after the triumph at St James’s Park. “The league has been a lot different to what we’re used to,” he added. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time, get a good three points against Birmingham, play well, and see where it takes us. A couple of good wins now and we’ll be back in the mix of things.” Birmingham defender Martin Jiranek is set to return after missing the West Brom game with a thigh injury. Barry Ferguson (broken rib) and Craig Gardner (calf) are still sidelined and Alex McLeish will run a late fitness check over striker Nikola Zigic. Defender Liam Ridgewell is expected to play despite needing an injection to ease a groin injury minutes before the kick-off against West Brom.
Everton FC defender Tony Hibbert to become goal-less record holder
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 9 2011
Everton FC Tony Hibbert - record-breaker?IF Tony Hibbert runs out under the Goodison floodlights tonight, the defender is likely to set an intriguing and perhaps unwanted Everton record. The 30-year-old will be making his 209th league appearance for the Toffees – and is yet to breaking his scoring duck. That means experienced Hibbert, who has played 278 games in total for the Blues, overtakes John (Jock) McDonald who played a total of 224 games during the 1920’s without hitting the back of the net. Evertonian Gary Donnelly, from Halewood, wrote to the ECHO sports desk to explain why the veteran right-back, who David Moyes has described as blue-blooded, is set for that unglamorous place in the royal blue record books. ‘If asked who has scored the most league goals in a season, every schoolboy (even those of a Red persuasion) would be able to tell you the answer is Dixie Dean who scored 60 goals in season 1927/8,’ he wrote. ‘If asked who has played the most games without ever scoring for Everton, then I would suggest that until this week you would have been faced with an eerie silence as the answer was John (Jock) McDonald who played a total of 224 games during the 1920s (208 in the league and 16 in the FA Cup). ‘I use the word ‘was’ because tonight if Tony Hibbert is selected and does not score then this would be his 209th league start without scoring a goal. Tony has actually played 278 games for Everton without a goal, broken down as follows. ‘A direct comparison with Jock McDonald using only league and cup games (the only ones Jock would have played) shows that Tony is already two ahead with 226 league and cup games, however tonight ‘the most league games without a goal trophy’ could become his as well. To put this record into perspective, even Philip (shoot) Neville has mustered three goals and would be modest enough to admit that two of these were complete flukes! ‘The fans do not chant ‘shoot’ when Tony is attacking with the ball as past experience has taught them that the bloke sitting in row J behind the goal has to date been in more danger then the goal net bulging. ‘Tony’s lack of goals was of course immortalised by the large banner behind the goal at the 2009 Cup Final versus Chelsea which read simply ‘Tony Hibbert scores, we riot’. ‘Tony made his debut for Everton against West Ham on March 31 2000 so is shortly coming up to his 11th anniversary without finding the net. What would his goal celebration be like? We might never find out. ‘Back to Jock McDonald, a rugged Scot who played full-back (both left and right hand side) for Everton from 1920 until 1927 without scoring. This was of course in the days when defenders would be hung, drawn and quartered if they even thought about crossing the halfway line. ‘This is evidenced by the fact that Jock’s main defenders in arms were David Raitt (131 appearances in total), Duggie Livingston (100) and Dickie Downs (97) and yes, you’ve guessed it – a grand total of 552 games and not a single goal between them! ‘The irony of this story, is that Jock left Everton in August 1927 to ply his trade for a few more years at New Brighton in the Third Division (North), whilst a certain Mr Dean went on to score 60 goals in the same season which saw Everton win their third league title. ‘Returning to Tony Hibbert and just a final thought. ‘If you had put a fiver on him for every game that he has started then you would by now be £1,270 out of pocket. Does anyone fancy a fiver on Hibbo tonight?’
Everton FC boss David Moyes urges his side to banish their inconsistency and target a top six finish
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 9 2011
David Moyes eyeing sixth spot for the BluesDAVID MOYES has not given-up on Everton securing a top six finish in the Premier League despite the inconsistency that has dogged their season.
The Blues boss wants his players to scrap for a potential place in the Europa League, starting with victory over Birmingham City tonight. Everton take on Carling Cup winners Birmingham without skipper Phil Neville, but in the knowledge that a third successive league victory will take them into eighth place, just three points behind Liverpool. Moyes’s men go into the Goodison Park clash on the back of a win at Newcastle, which followed the FA Cup defeat by second tier Reading and highlighted their unpredictable fortunes. Moyes said: “I am going to try and do it. I am not sure if it is realistic or not. But we will try to get as high up as we can. “I want the players to show how good they are and go on a decent run and get a bit of consistency. “We want to stay away from the bottom end. Certainly if we get another win or two then it will make sure we can’t get pulled back into that. But we have still got a bit of work to do. “We have won three out of our last four Premier League games so we are doing okay.” “Our players are always good at bouncing back and showing it matters to them. I think the resolve has always been there. “It has been in the make-up over the years. But we do not want to be winning one game and losing one.” Victor Anichebe is doubtful with a knock while Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini are again ruled out through injury.
But Birmingham find themselves in the relegation zone after they lost to local rivals and fellow strugglers West Brom at St Andrews. That setback came following their shock Carling Cup victory against Arsenal at Wembley the previous weekend. Moyes believes the Blues may be suffering from “second season syndrome”. “They had a great year after coming up and sometimes it can happen,” said the Everton boss, who expects a side fashioned by fellow Scot Alex McLeish to be hard to beat.
“But they are doing great in the cups. They did well to get a marvellous result against Arsenal. That shows you the level of the Premier League and how tough it is. “However we have got to go and try and continue our relatively good league form.”
Everton FC reserves lose 3-1 to Manchester City FC reserves
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 9 2011
EVERTON Reserves were left to rue a host of missed chances as they lost 3-1 to Manchester City last night. Everton took the lead in the first minute through Conor McAleny, but despite dominating, goals from Andrea Mancini, Donal McDermott and Omar Eladellaoui gave City the points. McAleny gave Everton a dream start when he headed home from Adam Forshaw’s cross. But City equalised on eight minutes when, after Chris Chantler's shot was blocked, Mancini, the son of City manager Roberto, curled home past Connor Roberts. McAleny, Shane Duffy and Jose Baxter all went close for Everton. But City took the lead on 28 minutes when McDermott cut in from the left and fired past Roberts. Nathan Craig had four chances to put Everton in front, Baxter and Hope Akpan and subsitute Anton Forrester also went close and Forshaw hit the bar. But City sealed the points when substitute Eladellaoui's scored.
EVERTON RESERVES: Roberts, Nsiala, Garbutt, Kinsella, Duffy, Mustafi, Forshaw, Akpan, McAleny, Baxter (Hope 78), Craig (Forrester 82). Subs: Fitzgibbon, Barrow, Lundstram.
Everton FC v Birmingham: Why Jack Rodwell wants another hangover
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 9 2011
NOT too long ago, there was a question for which there could only have been one serious answer.
Asked to name a young, Scottish, flame-headed manager in the Premier League most likely to end his team’s long wait for silverware, the response would have been immediate. Not least with additional caveat the club’s colours had to be blue and white. Yet as David Moyes saw his latest hopes of a trophy crash and burn with the dismal FA Cup home defeat to Reading last week, the Everton manager had already been beaten to the target by compatriot Alex McLeish. Birmingham City’s shock Carling Cup triumph over Arsenal at Wembley 11 days ago was proof the honours need not be dominated by the usual suspects. And it’s why Moyes will be forgiven feeling a pang of jealousy as he greets McLeish ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash between the teams at Goodison. With Birmingham also still involved in the FA Cup – they face Bolton Wanderers in the quarter-finals at the weekend – Everton’s followers might want to change places with this evening’s travelling army. However, the league table, which Moyes maintains is the priority, paints an altogether different picture, with Birmingham ensconced in the drop zone while Everton could move within three points of the top six with victory. There are some good omens for Moyes. In 12 Premier League meetings against fellow Scots, McLeish has yet to register a single victory – drawing six and losing six. Everton have not lost at home to Birmingham in the league since 1957, although the Midlanders did win at Goodison in last season’s FA Cup. And it was at St Andrews earlier this season that Moyes’s men grabbed their first win of the campaign to move out of the relegation zone from which they have remained clear. Birmingham suffered a post-Wembley hangover at the weekend when they were beaten 3-1 at home by local rivals West Bromwich Albion and dropped to 18th place. Everton will hope to compound those relegation worries, with Jack Rodwell warning the Midlanders they cannot afford to savour their Carling Cup win for much longer. “We won’t be taking liberties – we’ve just got to give it our all,” says the midfielder. “I thought Birmingham played really well in the Carling Cup final. They had a game-plan and they stuck to it. “I don’t think Arsenal turned up on the day but it was a good win for Birmingham, they took their chances and won. Hats off to them, but we won’t be taking anything like that into consideration. “We want to win – it’s as simple as that.” Everton’s weekend win at Newcastle United has injected fresh hope into the squad they can still finish a difficult campaign with something of a flourish. The 2-1 St James’ Park triumph moved Moyes’s men into the top half of the table, and Rodwell admits it makes a welcome change for Everton to be looking ambitiously up rather than nervously over their shoulders. “The league has been a lot different to what we’re used to,” he adds. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time, get a good three points against Birmingham, play well, and see where it takes us. “A couple of good wins now and we’ll be back in the mix of things.” The weekend saw Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert start a Premier League game together for the first time since the home defeat to Newcastle in September.
And Everton assistant manager Steve Round expects the local pair to play a huge part during the remaining two-and-a-half months of the campaign. Osman scored the equaliser at St James’s Park and, with both Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill absent, Round is confident Osman will fill the midfield breach. “Ossie’s terrific he really is, I’ve got the utmost respect for him, he’s a great guy to have around the place and a terrific player,” he says. “He’s one of the unsung heroes that goes with Everton, he’s got the spirit and the fight and he’s an integral part of our team. “You know when the chips are down and you’re up against it that he’ll come to the fore and we’re expecting him to do that over the next 11 games or so.” Hibbert made only his second Premier League start since ovember at Newcastle as Phil Neville, who misses out this evening through injury, moved into the centre of midfield. And Round is expecting the 30-year-old right-back to have an increased involvement over the coming weeks. “Tony Hibbert is another one that has been very unfortunate not to play more, but Phil Neville has been playing very well,” he adds. “But I’m sure over the coming weeks he’ll feature more and when he does he’ll be ready because he’s a terrific professional, he does his work on the training field and when he’s called upon he’ll be ready.”
Everton FC latest: Ambitious David Moyes sets Liverpool FC as target
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 9 2011
DAVID MOYES has set his Everton players a target for the rest of the season – overhaul Liverpool and give themselves a chance of a return to Europe. The Goodison outfit can cut the gap on their sixth-placed neighbours to three points if they defeat Birmingham City at home in tonight’s rearranged Premier League encounter. Victory would give Moyes’s men their first hat-trick of top-flight triumphs in more than a year. Although Birmingham’s surprise Carling Cup triumph over Arsenal last month has taken one of England’s three automatic Europa League qualification places, sixth place would suffice provided either Birmingham, Arsenal, Manchester United or Manchester City win the FA Cup. And a bullish Moyes, whose team have finished inside the top six in four of the last six seasons, said: “I am going to try and do it. I don’t know if it is realistic or not but we are going to try and make a run for as high up as we can. “We want to try and stay away from the bottom end and if we can, get another win or two and then we will make sure we can’t get pulled back into that, but we have work to do. “We have won three out of our last four Premier League games so we are doing okay.” Four of Everton’s next five games are at home, with six of the final 10 fixtures at Goodison. Having lost just three of their last 25 league games on their own turf, Moyes admits that advantage could prove crucial during the run-in to what has been a difficult campaign.
But the Scot acknowledges his team must address the inconsistency that has seen them lose in the FA Cup to Reading and then beat Newcastle United in their last two games. “We have got to go and try and continue our relatively good Premier League form,” said the Everton manager. “The players have been good at bouncing back and showing that it matters to them and they did that at Newcastle. “I think the resolve has always been there. It has been in the make-up over the years. But we do not want to be winning one game and losing one. “What I want the players to do is show how good they are and go on a decent run and get a bit of consistency.” Skipper Phil Neville will miss the match after he suffered a hamstring injury at the weekend, with John Heitinga poised to deputise. Victor Anichebe is doubtful with a knock while Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini are again ruled out through injury. Opponents Birmingham City find themselves in the relegation zone after they lost to local rivals and fellow strugglers West Brom at St Andrew’s. That setback came following their shock Carling Cup victory against Arsenal at Wembley the previous weekend. And Moyes believes the Midlanders may be suffering from “second season syndrome”. “They had a great year after coming up and sometimes it can happen,” said the Everton manager. “But they are doing great in the cups. They did well to get a marvellous result against Arsenal. That shows you the level of the Premier League and how tough it is. “However we have got to go and try and continue our relatively good league form.”
Everton 1 Birmingham 1: John Heitinga earns Everton a point
by Merseyside Sport, Liverpool Echo
Mar 9 2011
JOHN HEITINGA earned Everton a point after they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Birmingham at Goodison Park. The point helped move Birmingham out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone. The visitors opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Jean Beausejour’s header, which Tim Howard got a hand to but could not keep out. John Heitinga levelled 10 minutes before the interval, making the most of a failed clearance from a corner by firing in a fierce side-footed effort that left Ben Foster with no chance. The home side looked by far the more likely to break the deadlock in the second period but could not find a winner as Alex McLeish’s team secured a point which takes them up to 17th in the table, with West Ham dropping into the bottom three. Everton made the first foray forward in the third minute and Mikel Arteta - named skipper for the night in the absence of hamstring victim Phil Neville - might have shot when he reached the edge of the box but passed the ball to Louis Saha, who lost control. Birmingham then went close as Cameron Jerome got a header to Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick, Howard doing well to push the effort away. Arteta’s involvement came to an abrupt end soon after when he appeared to sustain a hamstring problem of his own while in a chase with Larsson. Toffees boss David Moyes brought on Seamus Coleman for the Spanish midfielder and Phil Jagielka took over the captaincy, while the visitors were also forced into an early substitution as David Bentley came off for David Murphy. Everton enjoyed a spell of pressure, with Leon Osman heading a Tony Hibbert cross into the turf for Foster to catch and Jermaine Beckford stinging the Blues goalkeeper’s palms. Osman was next to bring a save out of Foster with a rising drive, but a minute later Birmingham had the lead. Young midfielder Jordon Mutch swung in a cross and Beausejour beat Hibbert to it with a header that Howard clipped with his glove but could not prevent from crossing the line. Everton looked to hit back, but Beckford could only send the ball over the bar with his back to goal having met a Jack Rodwell delivery. The former Leeds striker then failed to connect with Coleman’s through-ball, which instead bounced off Stephen Carr towards goal but Foster was on hand to avert the danger. The hosts continued to press and found their reward in the 35th minute as Heitinga rifled in the equaliser. Jerome made a hash of clearing Osman’s corner and the ball fell to Heitinga, who swept it into the roof of the net from outside the area. There was no sign of any let-up from Everton as Rodwell drilled a low effort into the arms of Foster, who then caught a diving header from Coleman. At the other end, Jerome twisted and turned but his shot across goal went wide and Lee Bowyer struck an attempt at Howard just before half-time. Everton were quick to settle after the restart and might have had a penalty claim when Foster seemed to clatter Coleman as he came out to punch away a cross, although play continued. Moments later Saha’s pleas Coleman then cut into the area to unleash an effort that was well off target, but once again the home side were in the ascendancy. A slip by Roger Johnson let in Saha, but the Frenchman chose to turn rather than shoot early and the effort he did get away cannoned off Mutch. Play switched and Mutch was allowed the space to shoot wide from distance, but it was Beckford who then found himself in another good position, only to hit his shot into Foster’s body. McLeish sent on Nikola Zigic for Jerome to provide fresh attacking impetus and the Serbian teed up Murphy, who horribly sliced his attempt at goal. Moyes then also made a change up front, replacing Beckford with Victor Anichebe, before Osman tried a spectacular curling effort which was helped over the bar by Foster. Anichebe managed to shoot on the turn as he we was falling towards the end, but it did little to trouble Foster and the game finished all square.
Everton FC 1-1 Birmingham City: Greg O'Keeffe sees the Blues fall from a great Heit
Liverpool Echo
Mar 10 2011
Tempers flare between John Heitinga and Lee BowyerTOO many draws, not enough quality up front and a penchant for conceding silly goals – sound familiar? That’s actually the summarised frustrations of Birmingham City fans this season, a campaign when the Midlanders have won the League Cup, but the litany of complaints will ring just as true for Blues of a royal hue. Indeed those flaws conspired again to prevent Everton from surging up the Premier League table into eighth spot, and cutting the gap between them and sixth-placed Liverpool to just three points. Instead, they drew a terse affair at Goodison when a lack of fire-power finesse hampered them almost as much as another sloppily conceded goal. David Moyes may have been speaking under a cloud of sheer misery when he said his side are not good enough to go on a winning streak after their FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading, but shorn of key men in Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill and now Mikel Arteta he had a point. Everton have not won three consecutive games since January 2009. So when Arteta, so crucial to that victory at St James’s Park at the weekend, departed nursing a hamstring injury with this game in its infancy, the Blues’ hopes were badly dented. Deployed in an advanced left-flank position again, the Spaniard had already created the game’s first chance, bursting forward and playing in Louis Saha who was foiled by astute defending. Then Everton were only spared going behind by a typically excellent Tim Howard save. Sebastian Larsson’s free kick from the right was met by Cameron Jerome, and the striker’s header seemed to be heading in after deflecting off Saha.
That moment of alarm was nothing compared to the set-back suffered next. Arteta went sprinting after a pass and pulled up in agony, gripping his right ham-string. He never looked capable of continuing and limped off in discomfort, to neatly sum-up Everton’s recent luck. The away dug-out had little time to savour the removal of their main threat, as midfielder David Bentley also needed to be replaced after a similarly innocuous off the ball injury. Everton refused to let the blow deflate them. First Leon Osman tested Ben Foster with a downward header from Tony Hibbert’s cross, then Jermaine Beckford brought a smart save from the former England keeper with a low drive after he out-stripped Birmingham’s central defenders for pace. But the Blues have been unable to erase a nasty habit of conceding early at Goodison this season, which hands well-organised visitors something to cling onto. So it happened, when Jordon Mutch whipped over a cross and Beausejour leapt above Hibbert to score with a bullet header. It was a slap in the face for the Blues, and Seamus Coleman felt it keenly when Hibbert then smashed a clearance into his face from five yards. To compound his misery the Irishman was next denied a credible penalty claim, when he was shoved over in the box by David Murphy. Nobody in Goodison Park was surprised when Peter Walton failed to point to the spot. It is 28 Premier League games and counting without a penalty for Everton. Then Coleman, again, nearly created the equaliser. The 23-year-old chipped a deft ball into Beckford’s path, but the former Leeds man swiped at thin air with the back of the net looming. The Blues’ patient pressure was rewarded though. Leon Osman curled a corner into the area which was only half cleared. The ball rolled out to John Heitinga who picked his spot, and side-footed a searing effort from 20 yards into the top right-hand corner The Dutchman had waited 59 games for his first Everton goal, and it was worth every minute. Heitinga has had fluctuating fortunes during his time on Merseyside, and was only in the side due to Phil Neville’s absence, but it was the finish of a man who lacks no self belief. Say what you will about the World Cup finalist, but you can never accuse him of being short on self confidence. He has yearned to score since his debut, and celebrated with relish. Even if he heads for pastures new in the summer, it was a strike to be recalled fondly.
Sensing their opportunity, Everton went close again, the industrious Coleman again being denied by Foster from a diving header. The Toffees were at least crafting solid chances against a well-drilled opponent, where previously their approach play would have fizzled out ad infinitum. They started the second half on the front foot again, forcing a procession of corners and were denied another potential spot kick when Ridgewell wrestled Saha to the ground from one of them. Aware of Birmingham’s impenetrable central banks of four, the Blues were aiming to capitalise from the flanks where Leighton Baines was typically threatening as he linked neatly with Osman. Frustratingly Louis Saha was having an off-day and fluffed a gilt-edged chance by dithering after being played in by Hibbert. His strike-partner Beckford was faring slightly better, and tested Foster from a tight angle after twisting and turning in the area. But the visitors had long since settled for a point, and although they offered very little except the occasional counter-attack, their commitment to men behind the ball presented a headache to Moyes’ men. Everton have struggled when asked to break down teams using similar tactics since Wolves came to Goodison back in August. Yet they tried to stay true to their finer passing instincts. Baines and Osman again combined wonderfully for the latter to force Foster into a finger tip save with a curling strike as the clock ticked down. Ultimately Big Eck’s men had put in a big defensive shift, and few could argue they did not deserve their point.
It was sub-zero and freezing when this fixture was postponed over Christmas. Everton’s ambition, and those Goodison pipes, have thawed a little since, but inconsistency is yet to melt away. Until they do, any hopes of gate-crashing the top six will be futile.
Why Corrie star and Everton FC fan Andrew Lancel is a Blue over the moon to work with idol Bob Latchford
by Dawn Collinson, Liverpool Echo
Mar 10 2011
YOU should never meet your heroes, that’s what Insider’s always been told. But actor Andrew Lancel would beg to differ because he couldn’t be happier to be working alongside his boyhood idol. Andrew, currently on screen as Corrie’s predatory businessman Frank Foster, is a massive Blues fan.
So he’s been thrilled to link-up in an off-pitch, off-screen partnership with Everton legend Bob Latchford. The 40-year-old actor tells Insider: “I’m in Liverpool on Thursday at an event to promote The Everton Collection Charitable Trust, which is the world's greatest collection of football memorabilia. “I’ll be at the Novotel on Hanover Street filming some footage for a time capsule and Bob is coming over from Germany where he lives now to do it too, so I’ll be interviewing him for that. “I’m a really big Blue, I go to games home and away, and Bob was my first ever football hero. Through Everton, we’ve known each other for quite a while now because we both do stuff for the collection but I’m still a huge fan. “My fantasy football league team is actually called Latchford United after him.” Andrew, who spent seven years pounding the telly beat on The Bill as DI Neil Manson, says he’s no longer quite as star-struck as he first was. “I got it out of the way early on,” he laughs. “I told him what he meant to me as a kid growing up, but still when he calls me I’m like ‘it’s Bob Latchford ... ringing me up’.
Loss of Mikel Arteta a 'big blow' for Everton FC manager David Moyes
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 10 2011
DOWNCAST David Moyes admitted his side will struggle for creativity after yet another injury set-back when Mikel Arteta limped off during the draw with Birmingham City. The Blues were denied the services of their play-maker after only nine minutes of last night’s Premier League clash when the Spaniard had to be replaced due to a hamstring injury. And Moyes, who watched his side fail to cut the gap on sixth-placed Liverpool to three points by beating League Cup winners Birmingham, said he is running out of options. He said: “We’ve got what we’ve got now and you saw that tonight. (If I had other options) I would have turned to them. “It looks like a hamstring injury but I’ve not had a chat with the medical team yet to see what they think. “It was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity and I knew that without him we’d struggle to create too much. “I thought Leon Osman did well but otherwise we didn’t make much happen. I don’t know if it was a turning point in the game but it was a big moment for us, when you lose someone as important as him.
"But they lost David Bentley and he’s an important player for them as well.” Moyes’s men moved up to ninth in the table, a point behind Sunderland, and the Scot denied that inconsistency is proving too costly to his side’s ambitions. He said: “We’ve actually had seven points out of nine, so I’d say that’s quite consistent. “But it has been the thing we have said a lot this season. When it has come to us to make the moment count, we haven’t been able to produce. “I thought we controlled bits of the game without really hurting them and making too many clear opportunities. If anybody was going to win it was going to be us. We just didn’t show enough in the final third to get the goal.”
The Toffees’ equaliser came courtesy of a spectacular side-footed strike by John Heitinga, and Moyes said he was not surprised by the quality of the finish. He said: “It was a great goal from John Heitinga. A side foot into the top corner. A really good goal and it looked like we’d have to score a goal like that because we had a lot of chances, but we either weren’t pulling the trigger or we were getting denied by Foster. “John has got great technique. The quality of the strike doesn’t take me by surprise because he’s got a great strike, and is good with both feet. “He’s a centre half most of the time but he’s a good technician with the ball and showed that with his finish. “But we gave them a goal start and we were always playing catch-up.”
Everton FC 1 Birmingham CIty 1 - tables turned on David Moyes's men
by David Prentice, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 10 2011
WOLVES, Wigan, West Ham, West Brom and now Birmingham are the fistful of teams currently fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League. But it’s not just a battle to beat the drop which unites the bottom five. Every one has also come away from Goodison Park this season with some reward. Birmingham were the latest last night, when the problems Everton face in breaking down resolute visitors were thrown into cruel focus by yet another devastating injury. Already missing the colossal influence of Marouane Fellaini, Phil Neville and Tim Cahill, Goodison collectively groaned after just seven minutes when Mikel Arteta pulled up sharply in obvious agony clutching his right hamstring. The Spanish playmaker had just enjoyed his best performance of the season at St James’ Park four days earlier, but he now looks set for an extended period on the sidelines. And without his creative catalyst Everton laboured to break down a resolute Birmingham side desperate for points to climb out of the Premier League’s drop zone. Johnny Heitinga did so once, with a gloriously controlled shot after 34 minutes. But his first goal for the club was only enough to claim a point after yet another defensive lapse had allowed Jean Beausejour to open the scoring 18 minutes earlier. It was trouble with the plumbing which caused this fixture to be postponed on Boxing Day.
But both teams were left with that sinking feeling last night. Birmingham’s battle to beat the drop was enhanced by just a solitary point and Everton’s hopes of climbing onto the coat tails of Liverpool and reaching the heady heights of eighth place were damaged by another frustrating Goodison stalemate. Birmingham’s approach was clear the moment the team sheets landed. Three strikers were named on their substitutes’ bench – the proven experience of Kevin Phillips together with Carling Cup final hero Obafemi Martins and giant Serb Nikola Zigic – while Jerome was the lone striker in the starting line-up with instruction to use his pace to lead any Birmingham counter-attacks. But he did so impressively. Everton did threaten first when Arteta tried to slip Louis Saha through in the second minute but the Frenchman couldn’t dig the ball out from his feet. But the warning signs from the visitors were evident barely seconds later. Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick from the right was met by Jerome’s head and Howard had to fling himself impressively to his left to make a flying one-handed parry. After Seamus Coleman had replaced Arteta – at the same time as Birmingham were forced to replace their own creative star David Bentley with David Murphy – Jermaine Beckford turned Johnson 40 yards from goal, ran positively and shot low only for Wembley hero Ben Foster to produce a diving save. But in the tit for tat pattern the game had started in Birmingham threatened next and the visitors made their chance pay. Jordon Mutch found far too much space to turn and chip a cross into the Everton penalty area, where Beausejour found himself with a run on Tony Hibbert and towered over the full-back before planting a header which, despite Howard’s best efforts, had too much power and looped into the Gwladys Street net. Everton’s reply wasn’t exactly an all-out cavalry charge, butBeckford did pass up a wonderfully inviting opportunity after 31 minutes. Coleman raced down the right and scooped a superbly inventive pass over the Birmingham rearguard where Beckford was lurking. But as the striker tried to swing and volley as the ball dropped over his head he missed it completely and the visitors breathed a sigh of relief while Goodison groaned. Heitinga, not a man accustomed to goal-scoring celebrations throughout his 59 match Everton career – in fact the sum total of his goalscoring efforts as an Evertonian was one successfully converted penalty in the shoot-out at Chelsea – showed his striking team-mate exactly how to do it after 34 minutes. Leon Osman’s corner struck Jerome on the shins and rolled invitingly to the edge of the penalty area where the Dutchman lay in wait. But rather than smash the ball, the midfielder side-footed it gloriously into the top corner, inches above the head of Lee Bowyer who had been left guarding the goalpost. Despite his proximity, so precise was the strike the midfielder had no chance of reaching it. For older Evertonians, think Glenn Hoddle in his prime. Blues of more recent vintage should perhaps imagine Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. The closest Heitinga had previously come to a regulation goal was when he demanded the responsibility for a penalty kick in the Carling Cup tie against Huddersfield earlier this season. He fluffed that chance. But last night his celebrations at the sweetest of strikes were prolonged and deserved. Before the quality of the strike could go to Heitinga’s head, though, he was left flat on his back seemingly unconscious after an awkward aerial collision. There was a worrying moment or two while Everton’s phsyio team tended to the Dutchman, but fortunately he was able to continue after treatment. Everton looked more purposeful after the break, but the closest they came to a second goal was when Saha guided a header over the bar from close range. The striker claimed, with some justification, his efforts had been impeded by Liam Ridgewell tugging illegally at his shirt but referee Peter Walton didn’t want to know. While Birmingham’s approach was less ambitious, their defending was just as resolute and Everton had to work hard to chisel any kind of opening, and when they did fashion a chance they needed greater ruthlessness than that shown by Saha in the 63rd minute. The striker looked fortunate to get away with an apparent shove on Johnson which left the Birmingham defender on the floor and gave Saha a run, albeit at a difficult angle, at Foster’s goal. The Frenchman checked inside Mutch to give himself a clearer sight of goal but when he did fire left-footed the covering defender was able to block. Everton had hoped Alex McLeish’s side might prove to be amenable visitors. The Toffees haven’t lost at home in the league to Birmingham since 1957 – although the memory of last season’s FA Cup exit at Goodison Park to the second city Blues still festers – and earlier this season Moyes’ men grabbed their first win of the campaign at St Andrew’s. But Birmingham’s defending was resolute and when Beckford’s willing running gave him the hint of an opening in the 69th minute there was the reliable Ben Foster to pluck the shot out of the air.
With Jerome starting to tire Alex McLeish gave Everton’s defenders a different challenge to worry about with the introduction of six feet seven inch Serbian Nikola Zigic. And with only 13 minutes remaining David Moyes also decided on a fresh pair of legs up front when he introduced Victor Anichebe for Beckford. Before the newcomer could touch the ball Osman forced Foster into a tip over with a curling shot from 20 yards, but the resulting corner produced nothing but a free-kick for the visitors and an opportunity to clear their lines. Everton’s pressure was growing along with their corner tally, but Foster was still not being asked to make too many difficult saves. With a minute remaining Leighton Baines had a glimmer of a chance from a free-kick in only a slightly wider position to that from which he produced his Stamford Bridge heroics. But his fierce effort flew straight into the defensive wall. It summed up another thoroughly frustrating night for the Blues.
I can’t replace Mikel Arteta’s creativity, admits Everton FC boss David Moyes
by David Prentice, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 10 2011
DAVID MOYES admitted last night that he has run out of options to solve a growing creative crisis at Goodison Park – as Mikel Arteta’s long-awaited return to form was cruelly cut short by a hamstring injury. The little Spaniard pulled up in agony just seven minutes into last night’s frustrating draw with Birmingham. And with Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill and Phil Neville already sidelined, the Everton manager admitted his hands were tied to try and improve on a goals return of just six goals in their last six matches. Moyes said: “There aren’t any other creative players we can turn to otherwise I would have turned to them, we’ve got what we’ve got. “We don’t know the extent of Mikel’s injury yet, but obviously it’s a hamstring. “And losing him was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity. I knew if we didn’t have him we were going to be struggling to create too much. “Leon Osman had a go, but otherwise we were struggling to make things happen.” Arteta pulled up in agony as he sprinted down the left flank. After creating a goal at Newcastle last weekend, and another on his previous Premier League appearance at Goodison Park against Sunderland, it was a crushing blow. “I don’t know if it was a turning point in the game but it was certainly a big moment for us when you lose such a big player,” added Moyes. “But they also lost David Bentley and he’s an important player for them as well. “But it was frustrating. “We didn’t play well enough to win the game. We had a few half chances but that was it.” After conceding an early goal to Cameron Jerome, the Blues had to rely on a wonderfully controlled shot from 20 yards by Johnny Heitinga in the 34th minute to salvage a draw. But Moyes explained that the Dutchman’s first Everton goal in his 59th appearance for the club did not take him by surprise. “No, it didn’t take me by surprise,” he added “because he has great technique. He’s a really good striker of the ball and he’s very good with both feet. “He’s a really good technician with the ball and he showed that tonight with his finish, but he plays centre-half most of the time. It was a really good goal. It was almost a sidefoot into the top corner. “It looked like we were going to need to score a type of goal like that. “There were a few opportunities where we were getting into a few areas where we didn’t quite the pull the trigger and Foster made a couple of good saves as well.” Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was satisfied with his side’s resolute performance. “A battling point is an apt way to describe it,” he declared. “We showed that tremendous resilience that we have but we didn’t have enough efforts at Everton’s goal in the second half. But sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion. “It will be about who keeps their composure over the next few weeks but we asked the boys to concentrate solely on this game and they did just that.” Everton have a 10-day gap between fixtures now before they entertain Fulham at Goodison Park a week on Saturday.
Premier League: Everton 1 Birmingham City 1 - full-time report
Mar 10 2011
Birmingham Post
Birmingham City moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after holding Everton to a draw at Goodison Park. Blues opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Jean Beausejour's header, but John Heitinga levelled 10 minutes before the interval, by firing in a fierce effort after a poor clearance from a corner. The home side looked by far the more likely to break the deadlock in the second period but could not find a winner as Alex McLeish's team secured a point which takes them up to 17th in the table, with West Ham dropping into the bottom three. Everton made the first foray forward in the third minute and Mikel Arteta - named skipper for the night in the absence of hamstring victim Phil Neville - might have shot when he reached the edge of the box but passed the ball to Louis Saha, who lost control. Birmingham then went close as Cameron Jerome got a header to Sebastian Larsson's free-kick, Howard doing well to push the effort away. Arteta's involvement came to an abrupt end soon after when he appeared to sustain a hamstring problem of his own while in a chase with Larsson. Toffees boss David Moyes brought on Seamus Coleman for the Spanish midfielder and Phil Jagielka took over the captaincy, while the visitors were also forced into an early substitution as David Bentley came off for David Murphy. Everton enjoyed a spell of pressure, with Leon Osman heading a Tony Hibbert cross into the turf for Foster to catch and Jermaine Beckford stinging the Blues goalkeeper's palms. Osman was next to bring a save out of Foster with a rising drive, but a minute later Birmingham had the lead. Young midfielder Jordon Mutch swung in a cross and Beausejour beat Hibbert to it with a header that Howard clipped with his glove but could not prevent from crossing the line. Everton looked to hit back, but Beckford could only send the ball over the bar with his back to goal having met a Jack Rodwell delivery. The former Leeds striker then failed to connect with Coleman's through-ball, which instead bounced off Stephen Carr towards goal but Foster was on hand to avert the danger. The hosts continued to press and found their reward in the 35th minute as Heitinga rifled in the equaliser. Jerome made a hash of clearing Osman's corner and the ball fell to Heitinga, who swept it into the roof of the net from outside the area.
There was no sign of any let-up from Everton as Rodwell drilled a low effort into the arms of Foster, who then caught a diving header from Coleman. At the other end, Jerome twisted and turned but his shot across goal went wide and Lee Bowyer struck an attempt at Howard just before half-time.
Everton were quick to settle after the restart and might have had a penalty claim when Foster seemed to clatter Coleman as he came out to punch away a cross, although play continued.
Moments later Saha's pleas that he was being held by Liam Ridgewell as he nodded a corner over the bar were to no avail. Coleman then cut into the area to unleash an effort that was well off target, but once again the home side were in the ascendancy. A slip by Roger Johnson let in Saha, but the Frenchman chose to turn rather than shoot early and the effort he did get away cannoned off Mutch. Play switched and Mutch was allowed the space to shoot wide from distance, but it was Beckford who then found himself in another good position, only to hit his shot into Foster's body.
McLeish sent on Nikola Zigic for Jerome to provide fresh attacking impetus and the Serbian teed up Murphy, who horribly sliced his attempt at goal. Moyes then also made a change up front, replacing Beckford with Victor Anichebe, before Osman tried a spectacular curling effort which was helped over the bar by Foster. Anichebe managed to shoot on the turn as he we was falling towards the end, but it did little to trouble Foster and the game finished all square.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines Heitinga (Bilyaletdinov 86), Osman, Arteta (Coleman 9) Rodwell, Saha, Beckford (Anichebe 78).
Subs not used: Mucha, Mustafi, Duffy, Baxter.
Booked: Heitinga.
Birmingham City: Foster, Carr, Ridgewell, Johnson, Jiranek Bentley (Murphy 8), Larsson, Bowyer, Mutch, Beausejour Jerome (Zigic 73).
Subs not used: Doyle, Phillips, Martins, Parnaby, Davies.
Booked: Mutch, Ridgewell, Murphy.
Attendance: 33,974
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
Everton 1 Birmingham City 1: Colin Tattum's big match verdict and player stats
Birmingham Mail
Mar 10 2011
IN the end it was tough going, but nothing has come easy to Blues or any team in an unpredictable Premier League this season, including their Goodison Park hosts. A determined rearguard action was required in the second half to hold off Everton and take a point that moves Blues out of the relegation zone. It could have been better – Jean Beausejour put them ahead in the 17th minute – but it could also have been worse. Everton equalised shortly before half-time and exacted great pressure thereafter. Blues though reminded everyone, and themselves, perhaps, of the defensive doggedness that has often bailed them out when they are unable to get anything going at the other end. They ultimately frustrated Everton after a bright and promising start, and this was more about avoiding defeat than trying to make it an end-to-end slug-out. It’s now 13 draws for Blues in their 28 games, and that tells its own story of a campaign of struggle. Depleted because of injury, and with further evidence of weariness in the wake of the Carling Cup exertions, Alex McLeish will have been satisfied by a share of things. Early on, in the ninth minute, there was the unusual coincidence of both teams having to make enforced changes at the same time. Mikel Arteta pulled up sharply clutching his hamstring just as David Murphy was stripping off to replace David Bentley, who signalled to the bench that his groin was causing trouble. The reshuffle meant that Blues moved Beausejour from wide on the left of midfield to a more central role in the middle three, with the task of getting up to provide Cameron Jerome with the first wave of support. Blues five strung across the park gave them a decent foothold and they instantly looked much happier on a lush pitch knowing that the ball would run true when it was passed around. It would have been interesting to see how Bentley might have fared with the roaming brief, but Beausejour is no stranger to playing off the front in such manner, for his club and country. And Beausejour brought an added bonus of scoring the opening goal, to boost Blues morale after the disappointing Wembley homecoming defeat to Albion. Jordon Mutch, in for the injured Keith Fahey, lofted a cross from the right into the area and Beausejour stood his ground as Tony Hibbert clambered all over his back to steer it expertly past Tim Howard. Everton grew in stature as the first-half went on and in the 32nd minute Jermaine Beckford took a swipe at Seamus Coleman’s clever lob over the defence, missed the volley, and although the ball rebounded off Stephen Carr’s chest towards the goal line, Ben Foster scampered back to snaffle it up. Three minutes later Everton got on level terms when John Heitinga scored a sweet goal, a rising sidefooter that was too venomous and precise even for Lee Bowyer, as it cleared his head as he jumped up by the post. It came from a corner that was won when Carr was hassled on the ball.
Leon Osman’s kick swung over to the far side of the area where Jerome tried to clear but got his shape wrong and watched as the ball bounced off his heel and rolled 20 yards out. It was so inviting for Heitinga, but he still had much to do with such a crowd of bodies in his way. However, he struck a true shot that arrowed into the top corner. Coleman brought a good save out of Foster with a diving header and by the changeover, Blues had lost much of their effectiveness. There was also the bizarre sight of referee Peter Walton miming a booking for Mutch as he had apparently forgotten his yellow card. Mutch performed with an edge but also intelligent poise on his second Premier League start; it was an impressive performance. In the 64th minute he produced one superb block that stopped Louis Saha from firing a goal after he cut back on to his left foot for a better, and closer, angle.
Everton had the lion’s share of possession in the second-half and for long spells Blues struggled to keep hold of the ball. That meant more and more pressure was being brought to bear on them, with Everton’s busy footballers taxing their legs and minds. After Nikola Zigic’s introduction in the 74th minute, Blues adjusted by moving Beausejour to the left flank and Murphy inside. And, as a threat, there was little to really endanger Everton. Blues attacks were isolated and lacked conviction. It became more a case of repelling Everton’s strenuous efforts to find another goal, and they did just that with great heart and discipline to leave Merseyside with a valuable point.
EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Heitinga (Bilyaletdinov 87), Osman, Arteta (Coleman 9), Rodwell, Saha, Beckford (Anichebe 78). Not used: Mucha, Mustafi, Duffy, Baxter.
BLUES (4-5-1): Foster 7, Carr 6, Ridgewell 6, Johnson 6, Jiranek 7, Bentley 5 (Murphy 9, 6), Larsson 6, Bowyer 6, HMutch 7, Beausejour 7, Jerome 5 (Zigic, 73). Not used: Doyle, Phillips, Martins, Parnaby, Davies.
Referee: Peter Walton (Northants).
Birmingham City: Alex McLeish salutes his team after Goodison Park draw
By Colin Tattum
Birmingham Mail
Mar 10 2011
Alex McLeish saluted his Birmingham City team's true grit after they secured a share of the spoils at Everton. The 1-1 draw took them out of the Premier League relegation zone and McLeish said more of the same would serve them well in the coming weeks. The result came at a cost, though, with David Bentley going off injured and Keith Fahey ruled out before the match, so both joining a mounting casualty list. "It was a battling point, that's an apt way to describe it," said Blues. "It was ugly at times, but I felt we deserved a point. "We started very bright in the game, culminating in the opening goal. "Losing David Bentley upset things and the game plan a wee bit but, at the same time, Everton lost one of their key men in Mikel Arteta. "We had to battle and the players showed that tremendous resilience they have. "We never really got enough efforts at Everton's goal second-half, but to get the draw was important." "Bentley came in before the warm-up finished saying he felt a twinge in his groin," McLeish reported. "The medics - the physios and the doctor - got to work on him and he felt he could start. But clearly he was not OK, so it will be a scan for him." Jordon Mutch replaced Fahey, and produced a mature performance that delighted McLeish. "Young Jordon did well. He came in at the 11th hour when Fahey pulled out with a tight hamstring. "We don't think it's too serious, but it was enough for us to be concerned about him doing more damage and having him out for longer. "Jordon, he's quite confident about his ability, and he said Tuesday that he was ready for me any time I needed him. He was training extra, doing extra work. "I said he'd get the call if people didn't make it and he came in and had a really good game. "He was intelligent. We asked him to do a role in midfield, to get back into the box and be an extra body in front of the back four."
Jean Beausejour headed Blues into the lead and McLeish commended him for adapting to a change in requirement once Bentley had to be withdrawn, in the ninth minute. Beausejour became the advanced midfielder through the middle, behind lone striker Cameron Jerome. "Beausejour did well. He played off the front man to good effect. "If you felt it was a strange decision, the diligence we did on him, we watched him play that role against the Spanish in the World Cup for Chile.
"He played against Sergio Busquets, the Barcelona player, and had a decent game so we knew he wasn't a stranger to the role and he worked really hard to get back in and try and help us flood the midfield. "We tried to get a little bit of territory in there but we never had the composure in terms of the passing second-half. But sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion." "I'd like to move a lot further away from the bottom three," McLeish added. "And it will be who keeps their composure over the next few weeks. "We asked the boys to concentrate on this game and this game only, and they gave a very solid rearguard performance." Everton's equaliser left McLeish annoyed, as Blues gave away a corner and didn't defend it with the care and purpose they did others on the night. "Needless. Again, we conceded a goal which we could have prevented, although I suppose Everton could say the same thing. "We were handling everything really well and it was a shame we never dealt with the situation that led to the corner. "Stevie Carr was on the ball and looking for options and he's not really seeing anything up front which allowed Leon Osman to close him down.
"From the corner Stevie would think 'well we just have to defend this' but I'm sure he was horrified when the ball bounced off Cameron Jerome to [to John Heitinga] but to be fair to the lad he's taken it well. Lee Bowyer on the line just kind of clipped it with his head before it went into the top corner."
PNE keen to extend Turner’s loan spell from Everton
Thursday 10 March 2011
Lancashire Evening Post
Phil Brown is looking to keep Iain Turner at Deepdale for the rest of the season. The goalkeeper missed Tuesday night’s home defeat to Leeds United with a hip injury. His month’s loan from Everton runs out this weekend, when North End are without a game. And Brown will be having talks with his Toffees counterpart David Moyes about keeping Turner at Deepdale until the end of the campaign. Brown told the Evening Post: “I’ve got to have a couple of conversations with the people who matter. “Obviously, Iain will be the first one. “He is very keen to play some football, and this is the longest run of games he’s had in any division or team. “Iain has really enjoyed himself, and enjoyed working with Andrew Lonergan and our goalkeeping coach Darren Ward. “I’ve got to have a conversation with his parent club Everton, in particular his manager David Moyes. “We’ll have those discussions and see where it takes us.” Brown first swooped for 27-year-old Turner early last month as he sought to bring in competition for Lonergan. He made his PNE debut in the 1-0 defeat at Hull City, and played six games in a row. Against Norwich last Saturday, Turner saved a second-half penalty from Wes Hoolahan. But he also picked up an injury late in that game which ruled him out of the Leeds match. Said Brown: “Iain jarred his hip in a clash with Grant Holt in the last couple of minutes on Saturday. “It was a bit too much of a risk to play him against Leeds.” Turner is one of seven loan players currently on the Deepdale staff. North End can only name five of them in a matchday squad. The latest temporary arrival was Ricardo Gardner, on a month’s stay from Bolton.
At the moment, Brown isn’t having too much difficulty juggling their use. Amine Linganzi is still recovering after hernia surgery, his return expected within the next couple of weeks. Leon Cort was sidelined against Leeds having strained his hamstring in the Norwich game. While Brown seeks to sort out the goalkeeping situation, at the other end of the pitch he has seen plenty of promise in the Iain Hume-Chris Brown forward line. They started together on Tuesday night, with Eddie Johnson moved out to the right wing. Loanees Nathan Ellington and Leon Clarke were on the bench, the Duke replacing Brown in the 62nd minute. Brown said: “I thought Chris playing alongside Iain was a big plus. “Chris got 30 minutes and a goal at Norwich, then 60 minutes in midweek. “I think those two are a decent combination – they are a threat. “You want your strikers to bring something different to the table, and we’ve missed Chris. “He’s experienced at this level, has good size and stature, and can score a goal. “Once he gets his injury problems behind him, psychologically, the lad can play at this level.”
Mikel Arteta injury blow for Everton
10 Mar 2011 The Telegraph
Arteta had to be substituted within the first 10 minutes of the Premier League match at Goodison Park having sustained an apparent hamstring problem while in a chase with Sebastian Larsson.
The Spanish midfielder has been in impressive form of late and was named captain for the game in the absence of another hamstring victim Phil Neville, but soon had to pass the armband over to Phil Jagielka. When asked about Arteta, Everton manager David Moyes - who also has Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill in the treatment room - said: "It looks like a hamstring injury. "It's too early to say - I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks." Birmingham took a 17th-minute lead through Jean Beausejour's header but John Heitinga fired in an equaliser from outside the box 10 minutes before the interval and Everton looked by far the more likely side to find a winner in the second half. They were unable to do so, though, and Moyes admitted the loss of Arteta so early in the match was a major setback. "It was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity and I knew that if we didn't have him, we would be struggling to create too much," Moyes said. "Leon Osman did, but we were struggling otherwise really to make anything happen." Everton dominated possession for most of the contest but Moyes felt his team did not show enough to deserve all three points. "It was a bit frustrating," Moyes said. "We didn't play well enough probably to win the game, but we had a few half-chances." The result saw Birmingham move out of the Premier League relegation zone by leapfrogging West Ham into 17th place and Alex McLeish praised his side's resilience. "I think that is an apt way to describe it - a battling point," McLeish said. "We started very brightly and got the opening goal. Then the players showed that tremendous resilience that they have." He added: "We tried to be a little bit more predatory, but we never really had the composure in terms of the passing in the second half. "But sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion." Birmingham have plenty of injuries to contend with themselves and last night McLeish was forced to withdraw David Bentley due to a groin problem around the same time as Arteta came off. "He came in before the warm-up was finished saying that he felt a twinge but felt he could start, but clearly he wasn't okay," McLeish said. "So it will probably be a scan for him and we'll know the extent on Friday."
EVERTON 1 BIRMINGHAM 1: JOHNNY" HEITINGA FINALLY SCALES HEITS
10th March 2011 By Kevin Francis
Daily Star
JOHNNY HEITINGA got his first goal for Everton to deny Birmingham a desperately-needed win.
Dutch defender Heitinga had never scored before for the Toffees, but boss David Moyes will be delighted he chose last night to get off the mark. Heitinga’s 35th-minute strike cancelled out Birmingham’s opener from Jean Beausejour. Beausejour’s goal gave Alex McLeish’s strugglers real hope of climbing away from the bottom three. In the end a draw means they move out of the relegation zone – but only on goal difference from West Ham. Birmingham were rewarded for their attacking prowess with a goal in the 17th minute. A well-flighted cross from Jordon Mutch was met by Beausejour, who outjumped Tony Hibbert. The Chilean directed a powerful header past goalkeeper Tim Howard for his second goal in successive matches. It was a bitter blow for Everton whose mounting injury list gained another unwanted addition when Mikel Arteta had to be helped off the pitch after just six minutes. The Merseysiders were already without Marouane Fellaini and Phil Neville and the loss of inspirational midfielder Arteta was another blow. He pulled up sharply while running for the ball after appearing to suffer a hamstring injury in his right leg. It looked a bad one, too, with Seamus Coleman immediately coming off the substitutes’ bench. Birmingham were also forced into an early change, with David Bentley being replaced by David Murphy during the same stoppage. But Everton did not let the loss of Arteta affect them too much and fought their way back into the game with some really adventurous play. It paid off, too, when Heitinga scored a scorcher of a goal – his first in his two-year spell at Goodison. He sent in a rising shot from the edge of the penalty area and, despite an attempted headed clearance from Lee Bowyer, it found the back of the net. It certainly got Everton back into a game in which the visitors, who do not score that many in the Premier League, frequently threatened. One early opportunity came when Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick was met by Cameron Jerome’s header, which deflected off Louis Saha, forcing a low save from Howard. Leon Osman was denied by Ben Foster before Jermaine Beckford saw his low drive held by the goalkeeper after bursting away from Mutch. Osman also cut in from the left past Bowyer and had a curling effort held by Foster. Jack Rodwell was frequently on the attack for Everton and, after one foraging run down the left, clipped in a cross that was lifted over the bar by Beckford. It was certainly a game in which both teams put the emphasis on attack with Birmingham throwing everything they could at Everton. They had one great chance near half-time when Jerome latched on to Larsson’s superb pass but dragged his shot wide. Everton felt they had grounds for a penalty when Coleman was brought down in the area by Murphy. But their appeals were turned down with Coleman being penalised for handball. Everton came desperately close after Coleman headed goalwards, only to see keeper Foster do really well to save the effort. They pushed forward in the second half with more chances being created and Louis Saha figuring more frequently.
Saha came close to connecting with Osman’s corner, but was bundled away by Liam Ridgewell.
Moyes fears long lay-off for midfielder Arteta as hamstring woe adds to Everton injury tollBy
10th March 2011
Daily Mail
Mikel Arteta could be facing several weeks on the sidelines after becoming the latest player to join Everton's casualty list in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Birmingham. Arteta had to be substituted within the first 10 minutes of the Barclays Premier League match at Goodison Park having sustained an apparent hamstring problem while in a chase with Sebastian Larsson. The Spanish midfielder has been in impressive form of late and was named captain for the game in the absence of another hamstring victim Phil Neville, but soon had to pass the armband over to Phil Jagielka. Pain game: Arteta pulls up with a hamstring injury during the draw with Birmingham when asked about Arteta, Toffees boss David Moyes - who also has Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill in the treatment room - told the club's official website: 'It looks like a hamstring injury. 'It's too early to say - I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks.' Birmingham took a 17th-minute lead through Jean Beausejour's header but John Heitinga rifled in an equaliser from outside the box 10 minutes before the interval and Everton looked by far the more likely side to find a winner in the second half.
They were unable to do so, though, and Moyes admitted the loss of Arteta so early in the match was a major setback. Sideline spell: Everton boss fears the Spanish midfielder could now be out for weeks It was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity and I knew that if we didn't have him, we would be struggling to create too much,' Moyes said. 'Leon Osman did, but we were struggling otherwise really to make anything happen.' Everton dominated possession for most of the contest but Moyes felt his team did not show enough to deserve all three points. 'It was a bit frustrating,' Moyes said. 'We didn't play well enough probably to win the game, but we had a few chances.
Everton 1 Birmingham City 1: Heitinga the hero but ref
10th March 2011
Daily Mail
There is a check list of essentials every referee should go through before taking to the field, as Peter Walton discovered to his cost at Goodison Park last night. alton's preparation was found to be less than meticulous midway through the first half, when 19-year-old midfielder Jordon Mutch's enthusiasm got the better of him and he committed a foul that was deemed worthy of a booking.
It was as Walton reached for his pocket that his faux pas came to light. He had forgotten his cards.
Which colour is that, ref? Peter Walton is forced to show an imaginary yellow the red-faced Northampton official fished around in an empty top pocket for a moment or two before wagging an admonishing finger at the Birmingham youngster and waving him away. Just 24 hours after Swiss referee Massimo Busacca caused uproar over his use of both cards, to dismiss Arsenal's Robin Van Persie against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, Walton caused widespread bemusement over his inability to use either. The fourth official came to Walton's rescue, appearing by the touchline and handing him the missing items during a break in play in the 40th minute, and it later transpired Mutch's transgression had, indeed, earned him a caution. Rocket man: Everton's John Heitinga scores the equaliser While Walton's inexplicable lapse may have been a cause of mirth, there was little for Everton manager David Moyes to smile about after his side failed to build on Saturday's impressive win at Newcastle and skipper Mikel Arteta picked up a hamstring injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season. The Everton midfielder was sprinting down the left flank in only the seventh minute when he pulled up suddenly, clutching the back of his right thigh and signalling to the bench that he was in trouble. Such was the seriousness of his injury that, even with the aid of two helpers, it took him the best part of two minutes to complete a pain-filled trek across the pitch to the players' tunnel. No chance: Ben Foster and Lee Bowyer can't keep out John Heitinga's strike
There were a few muted boos at the final whistle, but Moyes was more concerned about Arteta's prospects of playing again this season. He said: 'We don't know the extent of the damage yet, but it is a hamstring and it has to be a worry. It's too early to say - I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks.' If the sight of their inspirational playmaker being helped off in obvious distress was enough to reduce Goodison to stunned silence, the sombre mood was hardly helped by television shots of him sitting alongside Tim Cahill, with crutches at his side, in the directors' box during the second half. Lift off: Jean Beausejour heads home for Birmingham City It was a measure of Birmingham's stout resistance that clear-cut chances, in the second period in particular, were kept to a minimum, as Alex McLeish's side clung on for a point that lifted them out of the bottom three. 'I think it would be fairly apt to describe that as a battling point,' said McLeish.' 'We started very brightly, but losing David Bentley to a groin problem upset things a bit. I just thought the players showed tremendous resilience to stick at it like that and make sure we came away with a point.'
Birmingham had lost Bentley at the same time as Arteta's withdrawal when they went ahead in the 17th minute, as Jean Beausejour rose above Tony Hibbert to plant a header past Tim Howard, from Mutch's cross for only his second Barclays Premier League goal.
MATCH FACTS
Everton (4-4-2): Howard 6; Hibbert 6, Jagielka 7, Distin 6, Baines 7; Osman 7, Arteta 6 (Coleman 9, 7), Heitinga 7 (Bilyaletdinov 87), Rodwell 6; Saha 6, Beckford 6 (Anichebe 78). Subs not used: Mucha, Mustafi, Duffy, Baxter. Booked: Heitinga.
Birmingham (4-5-1): Foster 7; Carr 6, Johnson 8, Jiranek 6, Ridgewell 6; Bentley 6 (Murphy 9, 6), Larsson 7, Mutch 7, Bowyer 6, Beausejour 7; Jerome 6 (Zigic 73, 6). Subs not used: Doyle, Phillips, Martins, Parnaby, Davies.
Booked: Ridgewell, Murphy, Mutch.
Man of the match: Roger Johnson.
Referee: Peter Walton 5.
It was to be Birmingham's only real scoring opportunity, as Everton gradually wrested control from them. Jermaine Beckford and Leon Osman both tested Ben Foster with crisp, rising drives, and Everton were level in the 35th minute, as John Heitinga finally registered his first Everton goal in his 59th match for the club. Osman's corner cleared every attempt to get a head on it and struck Cameron Jerome on the shin before rolling out to the lurking Heitinga, just outside the area.
Keeping his head down and taking careful aim, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder unleashed a first-time drive that just squeezed through the space between Lee Bowyer's forehead on the line and the bar. Substitute Seamus Coleman, a livewire as usual on the right flank, met a Leighton Baines cross with a header that Foster clutched low to his left just before half-time. That should have been the signal for a rousing second half and a resounding win. Instead, signs of distinct promise came to nothing. Everton's season in a nutshell.
Mikel Arteta faces weeks out for Everton
By Phil Medlicott, PA
Thursday, 10 March 2011
The Independant
Mikel Arteta could be facing several weeks on the sidelines after becoming the latest player to join Everton's casualty list in last night's 1-1 draw with Birmingham. Arteta had to be substituted within the first 10 minutes of the Barclays Premier League match at Goodison Park having sustained an apparent hamstring problem while in a chase with Sebastian Larsson. The Spanish midfielder has been in impressive form of late and was named captain for the game in the absence of another hamstring victim Phil Neville, but soon had to pass the armband over to Phil Jagielka. When asked about Arteta, Toffees boss David Moyes - who also has Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill in the treatment room - told www.evertonfc.com: "It looks like a hamstring injury. "It's too early to say - I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks." Birmingham took a 17th-minute lead through Jean Beausejour's header but John Heitinga rifled in an equaliser from outside the box 10 minutes before the interval and Everton looked by far the more likely side to find a winner in the second half. They were unable to do so, though, and Moyes admitted the loss of Arteta so early in the match was a major setback. "It was a big blow for us because we needed some creativity and I knew that if we didn't have him, we would be struggling to create too much," Moyes said. "Leon Osman did, but we were struggling otherwise really to make anything happen." Everton dominated possession for most of the contest but Moyes felt his team did not show enough to deserve all three points. "It was a bit frustrating," Moyes said. "We didn't play well enough probably to win the game, but we had a few half-chances." The result saw Birmingham move out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone by leapfrogging West Ham into 17th place and Blues boss Alex McLeish praised his side's resilience. "I think that is an apt way to describe it - a battling point," McLeish said. "We started very brightly and got the opening goal. Then the players showed that tremendous resilience that they have." He added: "We tried to be a little bit more predatory, but we never really had the composure in terms of the passing in the second half. "But sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion." Birmingham have plenty of injuries to contend with themselves and last night McLeish was forced to withdraw David Bentley due to a groin problem around the same time as Arteta came off. "He came in before the warm-up was finished saying that he felt a twinge but felt he could start, but clearly he wasn't okay," McLeish said. "So it will probably be a scan for him and we'll know the extent on Friday.”
Everton 1-1 Birmingham
Thursday 10 March 2011
by Mike Wilton at Goodison Park
Morning Star
League Cup winners Birmingham crawled away from the relegation zone after their resilient side, plagued with injuries, earned a vital point on the road. But the point is only little consolation, as after only seven minutes were played, Birmingham midfielder David Bentley went off with a groin injury, leaving the visitors with little creativity. Luckily for the Blues, however, in the same minute, Everton also lost the newly invigorated Mikel Arteta with a hamstring problem, leaving both teams short of inspiration. It took a lapse from the Everton defence for Birmingham to break through in the 17th minute, Jean Beausejour headed in Jordon Mutch's cross, beating Tim Howard despite the United States stopper getting a hand on the ball. But it could be said the the keeper's positioning was less than ideal, and Beausejour was under little pressure. Everton, already without Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini, struggled after the loss of Arteta, and it needed a wonder strike from John Heitinga to level the match. Leon Osman's persistence won the hosts a corner, which the midfielder took himself. His cross came off Blues forward Cameron Jerome, and Heitinga struck it from the edge of the box into the top corner for his first goal for the club after 59 apperances. Everton dominated throughout the second half, but never caused Ben Foster any real problems in the Birmingham goal. Yet a first league win in 43 years for Birmingham at Goodison was never on the cards, as they rarely broke into the Everton half. The injuries to each sides’ key midfielders was surely the catalyst for the frustrations of both managers, as both of their game plans went out the window. "I don't know if it was a turning point in the game," said Everton boss David Moyes. "But it was a big moment for us when you lose someone as big as him." But the Scot knew that, at least, Birmingham had the same problem. "Maybe it was a kicking strain he (Bentley) picked up before the game, but I don't know how long he'll be out for," said Blues manager Alex McLeish. But Moyes's compatriot McLeish was thrilled by the brave battle his team escaped from unscathed, following a second-half onslaught from their hosts. "We had to battle and my players showed the tremendous resilience we have,” McLeish said. "I would like to be a lot further from the bottom three than we are though." Birmingham climb out of the bottom three courtesy of a slightly better goal difference than West Ham, but remain a game in hand on all the surrounding teams. Everton's slim hopes of sixth place now look much bleaker, as a five-point gap to rivals Liverpool looks too much for a side with little in midfield cover for their injured trio, and even relegation remains a possibility, such is the compactness of the league this season.
Everton 1-1 Birmingham: McLeish men dig in to climb out of drop zone
By James Nursey
March10 2011 Daily Mirror
Birmingham's Carling Cup heroes produced another gritty display to move out of the bottom three, as Ben Foster excelled again. Blues' joy at stunning Arsenal at Wembley two weeks ago was offset by a dire 3-1 home loss to West Brom in the Premier League on Saturday. But Alex McLeish's men turned in a trademark dogged display last night at Goodison Park to frustrate the hosts and boost their own survival hopes. Everton dominated and should have won after Johnny Heitinga's superb 35th-minute equaliser cancelled out Jean Beausejour's early opener. But David Moyes' side found keeper Foster in outstanding form and Birmingham held out for a vital point as Everton's inconsistencies, which saw them lose at home to Championship Reading in the FA Cup and then win at Newcastle, resurfaced. Everton were booed off at the final whistle as the home fans' frustrations boiled over. The Toffees have not beaten any of the teams in the bottom five of the top-flight at Goodison this season. Blues will not be complaining though as they climbed out of the relegation zone, above West Ham on goal difference. They produced another organised showing, using the 4-5-1 formation that succeeded against the Gunners. Foster, man-of-the-match when Brum won 2-1 at Wembley thanks to Obafemi Martins' late winner, denied the home side on several occasions. City youngster Jordan Mutch was also brilliant as he made just his second Premier League start, in place of the crocked Keith Fahey. Mutch went into referee Peter Walton's book in the first half but the official had misplaced his yellow card, so waved an imaginary one! "It was a battling point," said boss McLeish, whose side host Bolton at home in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. "The players showed that tremendous resilience that they have. "Sometimes you need to get points in an ugly fashion. We asked the boys to concentrate on this game only and they gave good solid performance. "I don't think Ben had anything spectacular to do but he was in the right positions. Now I'd like to move a lot further away from the bottom three because it is a battle." Birmingham started the brighter and home keeper Tim Howard was called upon for a save in the fourth minute. Sebastian Larsson's free-kick from the right was met by Cameron Jerome's header, which deflected off Louis Saha, but Howard palmed it wide. Both teams were forced into quick changes as David Bentley hobbled off for the visitors and Everton lost captain Mikel Arteta to a pulled hamstring. Moyes' men responded better to the respective set-backs as they then piled on the pressure. Foster made a smart save from Leon Osman's header and then dived low to his right to push away a low shot from outside the box by Jermaine Beckford. Osman also tried his luck from long-range with a right-foot effort which Foster did well to hold. It was the visitors who took the lead in the 17th minute, against the run of play. Ex-trainee Mutch, 19, delivered the cross and Beausejour headed in from six yards for his third goal in four games after out-jumping Tony Hibbert. Beckford had an even clearer sight of goal from sub Seamus Coleman's lofted pass but failed to connect at all when well placed. Nevertheless, the home side's pressure paid off when Stephen Carr was harried into conceding a corner and Osman's delivery was poorly cleared by Jerome. The ball fell to Heitinga outside the area and he curled a brilliant right-foot shot into the top corner, clearing Lee Bowyer as he stood on the line. It was the Dutch international's first goal for Everton since joining from Atletico Madrid in August 2009, and his team deserved at least a point from this one. Moyes, whose side are ninth, said: "We didn't play well enough to win the game. It was a big blow losing Mikel because he provides creativity." Everton: Howard 6, Hibbert 6, Distin 6, Jagielka 6, Baines 7, Osman 7, Heitinga 7 (Bilyaletdinov 86, 6), Arteta 6 (Coleman 9, 6), Rodwell 6, Saha 6, Beckford 5 (Anichebe 77, 6). Birmingham: Foster 9, Carr 6, Johnson 7, Jiranek 8, Ridgewell 7, Larsson 6, Bowyer 6, Mutch 8, Beausejour 7, Bentley 6 (Murphy 8, 6), Jerome 6 (Zigic 73, 6) Anorak stat: Box-to-box midfielder Mutch scored five goals while on loan at Championship Watford from August to December. Man of the match: Ben Foster. Had another blinder for Birmingham. Villain of the match: Jermaine Beckford. Missed several good chances and had a poor first touch. Referee: Peter Walton 6. Attendance: 33,974
Next up: Everton v Fulham, Premier League, Saturday March 19. Birmingham v Bolton, FA Cup, Saturday.
Everton 1 Birmingham City 1
March 10, 2011 The Sun
By DAVID FACEY
JOHNNY HEITINGA'S stunning first goal for Everton prevented Birmingham pulling off a smash and grab raid. The Dutch midfielder curled home a glorious effort into the top corner in the 35th minute on his 47th appearance since joining from Atletico Madrid 20 months ago. And it cancelled out Jean Beausejour's early header, which was still enough to help struggling Brum claw their way out of the bottom three. The Chilean midfielder failed to find the net in his first 15 appearances for the Blues, but struck for the third time in four outings. But boss Alex McLeish was left to reflect the precious point came at a cost. Big Eck was cursing Birmingham's mounting injury problems before the game - midfielder Keith Fahey was the latest player ruled out - and things looked even more grim when David Bentley was led off after just eight minutes. He was replaced by David Murphy and just 15 seconds later Everton were also forced to bring on Seamus Coleman, with Mikel Arteta hobbling off clutching a hamstring. Everton finally came to life when Leon Osman sent a header straight at Ben Foster from a Coleman cross and Jermaine Beckford gave Roger Johnson the slip before forcing the Blues keeper into a good low save. But it was McLeish's men who broke the deadlock, taking advantage of a sleepy home defence to take the lead on 17 minutes. There was not a hint of urgency from the Everton defenders as Jordon Mutch sent a cross in towards the penalty spot and Beausejour stole in between Sylvain Distin and Tony Hibbert to head home. Everton refused to be daunted by the setback and threw everything at their opponents. Jack Rodwell was emerging as the most creative midfielder on view and his jinking run down the left flank almost put Beckford in. But he could not swivel enough to hit the target and missed the ball completely when Coleman flicked the ball over Johnson's head into his path. Coleman clearly decided he was better off having a go himself and he appealed loudly when he burst into the box and was bundled over by Murphy. But the Everton players knew their fate without having to look at ref Peter Walton. They are the only Premier League team not to have been awarded a single penalty this season and that remained unchanged. But another unenviable run was ended in spectacular style as Heitinga levelled. He pounced when Cameron Jerome's mis-hit clearance barely reached the edge of the penalty box and curled a superb shot into the top corner of Foster's net. It was certainly a goal worth waiting for and the Dutchman tried his luck several more times later on, without ever looking likely to produce the same result. Birmingham were finding themselves increasingly pinned back. Coleman continued to cause problems, but his shooting failed to match his endeavour as he sent a long-range effort flashing wide. Louis Saha's radar was also off as he failed to trouble Foster with a header and a speculative shot, but he should have done better when he was given a clear run at goal midway through the second half. Murphy furiously claimed he had been bundled over by the Everton striker as they chased a long ball, but Walton waved play on and Saha charged into the box. But instead of going for goal first time he dragged the ball back past the chasing Mutch, who recovered quickly to block the weak shot.
DREAM TEAM
STAR MAN - JOHNNY HEITINGA (Everton)
EVERTON: Howard 6, Hibbert 6, Jagielka 6, Distin 5, Baines 6, Rodwell 7, Heitinga 8 (Bilyaletdinov 5), Arteta 5 (Coleman 6), Osman 6, Beckford 6 (Anichebe 5), Saha 5. Subs not used: Mucha, Mustafi, Duffy, Baxter. Booked: Heitinga.
BIRMINGHAM: Foster 7, Carr 6, Johnson 6, Ridgewell 5, Jiranek 6, Mutch 7, Bowyer 5, Larsson 6, Bentley 5 (Murphy 5), Beausejour 7, Jerome 5 (Zigic 5). Subs not used: Doyle, Phillips, Martins, Parnaby, Davies. Booked: Mutch, Ridgewell, Murphy.
Everton FC letters: Blues have to start closing down opponents better
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
WHY do we stand off players and let them pass/cross the ball at will? The one against Birmingham City on Wednesday evening was not the first unchallenged centre that’s cost us a goal this season. If we play the ball in front of players i.e. Seamus Coleman and Jermaine Beckford we may get a bit more movement. Why didn’t we switch Coleman when Mikel Arteta went off? Stephen Carr is hardly quick and has penalty written all over him. Blue I CANNOT believe we gave Victor Anichebe a five-year contract.
DAY_EFC
MY view from the Park End on Wednesday night: Mikel Arteta: Hamstring injury after eight minutes – you have to question how well he’d warmed up. Leon Osman: Man-of-the-match. If only he was a bit bigger. The sight of him stood next to Nikola Zigic was comical. Jack Rodwell: All the talent in the world but no heart, no spine. Whereas Osman would look to get on the ball and drive at Birmingham, Rodwell was looking to play it safe and spread it sideways. Dinyar Bilyaletdinov: The fact David Moyes chose to put on a right full-back ahead of him when the left-sided attacking midfielder went off speaks volumes. Start packing. Victor Anichebe. Why?
Staygold
WE need to win these 'homers'. Another two coming up against Fulham and Aston Villa but yet again the injury list gets longer – just as Arteta was finding his best form too. And when is Jermaine Beckford going to stop hitting the goalie when it's easier to score? Another two points thrown away.
blooper
REGARDING the new deal being offered to Sylvain Distin – good on him! He has worked hard for us and showed some excellence over the last few months. He deserves a new contract if he wants to stay, and he scores goals too.
finalayson
SYLVAIN DISTIN is definitely my Everton senior player of the year, with Seamus Coleman my best newcomer of the year. Distin has played some outstanding games for us – and thankfully he has because he has saved us so many times!
REGARDING last Saturday’s win at Newcastle United, it’s a pity the players didn’t show the same level of commitment against Reading in the FA Cup. The win at St James’ Park just papers over the cracks. With no money to spend and vultures circling our best players, I struggle to see a future for us.
Tim_Cahill
IT WAS a superb performance and three excellent points against Newcastle United – not bad from a manager with a net spend of £750k during his tenure. I would rather support this inconsistent club than teams like Sunderland and their highly-paid mercenaries who were a disgrace. As for Reading, they played well and we had an off night – that’s football.
copper363636
IT WAS a great result against Newcastle United and a relief that we didn't roll over after going one down. I was gutted when that happened as Newcastle had done nothing until then. We have been too easy to score against at times this season. Still, credit where it's due – we were the better team at St James’ Park and deserved the win. Another win or maybe two and we are safe.
TopBalcony
Former Everton FC hero Peter Reid to auction losing FA Cup final medal in aid of cash-strapped Plymouth Argyle
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
FORMER Everton hero Peter Reid is set to auction his 1986 FA Cup runners-up medal to aid his financially-stricken current club. The popular ex-Goodison midfielder received the medal after the Blues were defeated 3-1 by rivals Liverpool at Wembley, and will sell it to the highest bidder to help keep Plymouth Argyle afloat. Reid, who was a key part of the Everton side that won the League and European Cup Winners’ Cup a season before their defeat by Liverpool, made the decision ahead of a grand auction, where he will also be guest speaker. The plans were announced by Argyle’s acting chairman and chief executive Peter Ridsdale as part of a raft of “urgent” after the club were docked 10 points by the football league for going into administration. Argyle hauled themselves off the foot of the npower League One table with a 1-0 victory over Swindon Town this week, and Reid has been tipped by pundits to save them from the drop. But he admitted his sadness yesterday after 15 club employees were made redundant due to the ongoing problems.
Everton FC jury: Blues fans on the results against Newcastle & Birmingham that sum up their side's season
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
Tony Scott: The difference between Everton FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC since 2009 is ambition of the board WATCHING the most inconsistent team this season is one thing – but describing it is another. I think the combined cost of the entire 18-man Everton squad on Wednesday came to about the same as our Red neighbours have just spent on one player. Is it any coincidence that the six teams that are at the top of the league are the ones who spend the most money?
Finally, congratulations to Tottenham. I dislike Spurs like most Blues fans do but that’s mostly through jealousy wishing it could be us one day. Just two years ago we finished 12 points above Tottenham. So while we watched a dire 1-1 draw which keeps us six points above relegation, Spurs were going through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The difference between Everton and Tottenham since 2009 is ambition of the board. Richard Knights: Another frustrating result in a frustrating season for Everton FC FOLLOWING Wednesday’s draw with Birmingham – on the positive side it’s our best run of games in the Premier League for a while. Aside from clutching at straws, another frustrating night in a frustrating season. We had so much possession after the interval but couldn’t make the breakthrough – the final ball, a bit of guile and that stroke of luck. It’s tight in the lower half of the table, but let’s just say that if Brum get relegated it won’t be a loss – totally negative, niggling fouls, time-wasting, lump the ball up the pitch. Meanwhile the ‘sale’ of the club and the much needed new investment rumbles away in the background like a grumbling appendix.
With the season ticket renewal letters hitting the doormat, we were told in a news report last week that three (unnamed) American investors are ‘interested’. Who are they? Bernie Madoff? John D Rockefeller? Walt Disney? Answers on a postcard to Bill Kenwright...
ANOTHER game, another injury!
Every game an Everton player seems to get injured – if we get any more knocks David Moyes will have to play! The squad is getting thinner and thinner now; we are struggling without our key players in Fellaini, Cahill and now Arteta. A disappointing draw against Birmingham on Wednesday night, but it keeps our mini unbeaten league run going. The three local lads in Hibbert, Osman and Baines played very well and always kept going to try to get the winning goal. It is now time for Jack Rodwell to step up and prove that he is a top player – no more sideways passes. He needs to run at teams and have more shots – maybe this run in the team will do him good. We need to try to end the season on a high and get higher up the league table. Debbie Smaje: What an absolute waste of time Everton FC’s 2010-11 season has been WELL, what an absolute waste of time this season has been – and all summed up by Wednesday’s total non-event of a game. No imagination, no determination, no drive, just happy to see time out, get to the end of the season as soon as possible and perform when we feel like it. If we hadn’t put in the same kind of performance all season, we might have still had something to play for. If we hadn’t played like that against Reading, we’d have an FA Cup quarter-final to look forward to this weekend. Now with Arteta looking as though he’ll be missing for a while, the injuries are starting to pile up now. Osman played well against Birmingham and has done recently, but there just isn’t enough creation in that midfield. Hopefully the injuries will at last be a chance for Bily to get a run in the team, because he just hasn’t had one this season.
David Prentice: When the clock stopped dead on Everton FC’s season
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
WITH apologies to WH Auden – although if you call a piece of work Funeral Blues you’ve surely got to expect a football reference some day. Stop all the clocks, cut off the Finch Farm telephone.
Prevent the training ground dog from barking with a juicy bone. Silence the Gwladys Street crowd and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead. Scribbling on the sky the message, this season’s Dead. It died at precisely seven minutes past eight on Wednesday night. The 2010/11 campaign, a season which started with such high hopes, ended for Everton the moment Mikel Arteta pulled up in agony clutching his right leg.
There may be nine games to go, 27 points to play for, almost a quarter of a campaign remaining – but optimism that Everton can actually win, say, more than half of them has now gone. And that means mid-table mediocrity beckons. The quest for an unlikely Europa League spot next season looks forlorn. To somehow haul themselves up the tightest Premier League table for years Everton need to win more matches – and the departure of Arteta has just taken away their best chance of doing that. the manager, with the kind of searing honesty which may not be appreciated in the Goodison Road ticket office, admitted as much. “There are situations where we are not good enough to win games,” he declared even before Wednesday night. Then after another damaging home draw he added: “There are no other creative players I can turn to. We’ve got what we’ve got.” Arteta’s influence, or lack of it, has been integral to Everton’s season. While he struggled for form, Everton struggled to break down an increasing number of ordinary but organised visitors to Goodison. Wigan, West Ham, Wolves, West Brom and now Birmingham have all left Goodison Park this season with some reward – the bottom five in fact. But just as Arteta started to spark, so to, did Everton’s season. He created a goal against Blackpool with a long awaited first assist of the season, and Everton celebrated only their second home win in three months. He produced a dazzling dart, shimmy and pass to create another against Sunderland. Everton won again. Then at Newcastle he showed that his confidence was restored as well as his form as he dictated from start to finish – and created another goal. Of course, Everton won. But now he’s gone. Possibly for the rest of the season. And with those other enormous influences Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill and Phil Neville all sidelined, it augurs badly for what remains of the season. The die-hards will still roll up at Goodison for the five home games which remain. But a club which needs every penny it can generate – and more – needs full-houses if David Moyes is going to receive any funds to add a little more flair and creativity to his squad this summer. The early indications are that he won’t. So how do you inject some interest into a season which has died on its backside? The introduction of youngsters always used to be one option. Supporters love to see the eagerness and freshness of youth, the chance to run the rule over a teenager who might develop into a first team regular. Except Ross Barkley is currently recovering from a broken leg and there’s nobody else ready for that considerable step up. A reshuffle of the playing resources was another – give Bilyaletdinov a run behind a lone striker maybe, or be totally cavalier and go 4-3-3. Except Everton are still too close to the bottom three to take those kind of risks. So there’s nothing, barring pride, to play for. And quite how that impacts on the Goodison gates against Fulham, Villa and Blackburn remains to be seen. An attendance of 33,000 on Wednesday night was solid, although how many of those fans were supporters who had bought tickets for the original clash on Boxing Day was uncertain. What’s clear is that the next home game against Fulham, in eight days time, will be a hard sell. This all might seem an unrelentingly bleak outlook, especially after some of the harrowing pre-Moyes run-ins to a season Evertonians had to endure, where the club’s Premier League status was at stake. The consolation was that those campaigns still had a sense of purpose, the matches meant something. There’s only pride remaining after Wednesday night. As Auden might have gasped when he saw a hamstrung Arteta pull up clutching his leg: “Nothing now can ever come to any good.” Certainly not from 2010/11.
Howard Kendall: I wouldn’t swap Everton FC's Victor Anichebe for Nikola Zigic
by Howard Kendall, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
THERE was a notable difference about Everton’s approach play in their draw with Birmingham at Goodison Park. Whereas so often their play in the final third has been over-wrought and ineffective, they were getting the ball into the box well enough and it was the striking options where the quality was lacking overall. Of course, losing Mikel Arteta early in the game with a hamstring injury was a massive blow, because you need a player like him when you’re trying to unlock a defence as well-organised and tough as Birmingham’s. Even without his first choice back four, Alex McLeish sent out a very resilient team and in the end they deserved their point for such a stubborn performance.
I noted that Victor Anichebe’s introduction only received a very muted response from the home crowd, and it’s understandable that Everton fans still need some convincing after the problems with his contract. It’s fair to say he has yet to be fully accepted by the Goodison faithful. But the lad apologised for that, signed his deal and needs to be supported now and given the benefit of the doubt. I would certainly rather have Victor in my team than Nikola Zigic, a striker who signed for the best part of £8m. Everton don’t have an abundance of striking options, so David Moyes will want to stick with him, give him confidence and get him scoring goals which is the main thing. Victor cost nothing because he came through the youth ranks and needs to be nurtured. I felt for Jermaine Beckford on Wednesday night too, because he played decently and plugged away without getting any luck.
Jack Rodwell is that good he can play anywhere
AS I WAS taking in the game from the stands on Wednesday, a well-known footballing figure asked me what I thought was Jack Rodwell’s best position. My reply was that he can play anywhere. I truly rate him that highly. I am increasingly impressed with his footballing brain, the speed of his feet, his athleticism and his overall game. He has only recently managed to get a regular start in the Blues midfield because of injuries elsewhere. But for me he would be one of my first names on the team-sheet along with Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Tim Howard. It’s easy to forget how young Jack Rodwell is because he has been around for a while. The lad is just 19 and he rarely looks anything but supremely comfortable in the Premier League. I think very highly of young Seamus Coleman as well, and think he’s been very unlucky to be on the bench recently. With such promising young players, it’s not all gloom and doom around Goodison by any means. Everton should not worry about the Europa League and instead focus on finishing above Liverpool – although a European finish will attract signings.
Peter Reid is the right man to work miracles and save Plymouth Argyle’s season
I SPOKE TO Peter Reid this week and he was telling me all about his current club Plymouth Argyle’s plight, being docked 10 points by the football league for going into administration. They were rock bottom but have bounced back and beaten Swindon Town 1-0 to drag themselves off the foot of the table, which is quite an achievement given their circumstances. It doesn’t surprise me because Reidy won’t let anyone wallow in the misery. He’s the ideal man to have around that club and his offer of his 1986 FA Cup final losers’ medal for auction to help them proves that. They can even stay up. I disagree with clubs being docked points during a season, it would be fairer to do it the following season. At least the club has a chance to plan their strategy then.
Everton FC goalkeeper Tim Howard says Leighton Baines and his back four colleagues are in a class of their own
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
AN ELOQUENT and considered speaker, Tim Howard is rarely lost for words. But when asked to summarise the influence of Leighton Baines on Everton’s performances, the USA international is momentarily stumped. “There are not enough accolades when you talk about how good he is,” says the 32-year-old, who think the whole back four have been Everton’s top players this season. Howard believes that Baines, who has the fourth most assists of any other Premier League player this season, is the single most important driving force behind Everton’s play. The fact that only Nani, Andrey Arshavin and Wayne Rooney have created more goals for their clubs than the Toffees left-back serves to underline Howard’s sense of amazement at his ability. “He makes this team go. From left-back he is our most consistent player going forward and defending. “You know he will be 8/10 every single week bar none. You know where he’s going to be. “The guy is a steady defender and you can always rely on him in that sense, but he really makes the team go from an offensive stand point.” Howard, who is as enthusiastic an individual in football as you are likely to meet, makes special mention of Baines’s top class attitude. “It’s his energy and enthusiasm. He sets the benchmark so high for himself that we expect such a lot from him,” says Howard. Everton might have conceded more goals this season than usual, especially with such a solid back four, but Howard still has the utmost belief in the defenders who usually line up in front of him. “Phil Neville has all the experience and beings a calmness to the pitch,” he says. “ That calmness oozes out. He infuses the team with it.” Howard is even more effusive when discussing Everton’s England central defender Phil Jagielka. “Jags is the guy that I have said, with no disrespect to any other player I have played with, but if I had to pick one player I would always pick him. “He is a die for the team kind of guy. Jags is not afraid to do anything, any block, or any chance to put his head in. “He will stick his body in the way and sacrifice himself for the team. “Sylvain Distin too has done a fantastic job since he came here. He has been a rock and a strong presence always. “He’s another experienced player and he’s no nonsense. He is quick and can jump. All the qualities of a top centre half he has. You see him there every game.” David Moyes clearly agrees with his goalkeeper’s assessment of Distin, and has hinted at a new contract for the formidable Frenchman in the summer. But before he gets side-tracked with the business of tying existing players to new deals, the Everton boss will be preoccupied with somehow salvaging what has become a disappointing season. Ever the optimist, Howard believes the top six is still achievable. “There is still the chance,” he says. “It’s easier to wrap our heads around once we are in the top half of the table where we should be as a club, and we are within touching distance so it doesn’t feel insurmountable. “We are so hard on ourselves and the manager is so hard on us. We are his team and we are a reflection of him. Like us he wears it.
“Every single guy here he has signed or given a new contract to, He has belief in us as a squad and expects so much of us.” Howard says it is harder than ever to win games in the Premier League.
“Teams are figuring out how to survive in the top flight and how to beat the bigger teams and stay in games. There are more clubs with money too, there are about 10 sides who spend big.”
Everton FC's Leon Osman rues Blues’ inability to break down teams at home
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 11 2011
LEON OSMAN believes Everton’s failure to overcome defensively-minded visitors to Goodison this season has cost them dearly. The Blues midfielder admits his team-mates have struggled when the onus has been placed on them to break down sides primarily set up to avoid defeat. Wednesday’s 1-1 stalemate with Birmingham City was the Toffees’ sixth home draw of the season, and the 29-year-old says they must figure out how to beat teams that ‘park the bus’ against them. He said: “Teams have come here and basically camped in front of goal, it’s been a new obstacle for us to try and manoeuvre this year. “Teams are literally coming and trying to park the bus and it’s up to us to break them down. “On occasions we’ve managed to do that, like against Sunderland, but on other occasions we’ve been frustrated. “We’ve had a number of draws we thought we’d possibly win but it’s difficult when teams come and play for the draw.” Osman stressed his frustration at the injury to Mikel Arteta, yesterday confirmed as a grade two hamstring tear, which in similar cases has sidelined players for between three and four weeks. Arteta pulled up with a hamstring injury and Osman said: “It was disappointing. He was our captain and he was just beginning to find his feet form wise. “He played really well in the last game and it was really disappointing to lose him so early. “But we’re a team here and a squad, we have players here to take his place and I thought Seamus (Coleman) came on and did really well.” Meanwhile, John Heitinga said he was satisfied with his goalscoring contribution against the Midlanders, and confirmed he has not given up on the Blues qualifying for Europe. The Dutchman has waited 59 games to score for Everton, and his well-taken effort cancelled out Jean Beausejour’s 18th minute header. He said: “It was not a bad goal, I am happy with the goal and I’m happy that it was the equaliser for the team. “Overall we were the better team, but we didn’t create many chances so 1-1 was a fair score. “I wanted to score in the far corner, I didn’t hit the ball too hard and I was lucky that the ball went in the top corner and the defender couldn’t head it away.” Everton moved up to ninth in the Premier League table but missed the chance to cut the gap on Liverpool in sixth to three points. “After the game we were all disappointed,” Heitinga added. “But going to have a good go for Europe.”
Everton FC midfielder Mikel Arteta facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with hamstring injury
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post 11th March 2011
MIKEL ARTETA is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines after scans revealed the Everton midfielder has suffered a torn hamstring. Arteta limped off after just nine minutes of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Birmingham City at Goodison. And Everton yesterday confirmed the 28-year-old has suffered a grade two tear of his hamstring, ruling the player out for between four and six weeks. With Marouane Fellaini out for the season and Tim Cahill nursing a foot injury, the loss of Arteta is a major setback for Goodison manager David Moyes ahead of the run-in to the end of the campaign.
And it is a bitter blow for the player himself, who has struggled for form this season but showed a significant improvement during last weekend’s 2-1 win at Newcastle United. The injury means Arteta will definitely miss next Saturday’s visit of Fulham, as well as the home clash against Aston Villa on April 2 and the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers the following week. And the Spaniard may also have to sit out the Goodison encounter with Blackburn Rovers and the journey to Manchester United later in the month. The draw with Birmingham thwarted Everton their first hat-trick of Premier League wins for more than a year while denting hopes of closing in on a top-six berth.
But goalscorer John Heitinga said: “After the game we were all disappointed because we knew if we won we’d have gone up in the ranking list. “But overall there’s nine games left and we’re going to have a good go for Europe.” Heitinga’s fine strike was his first in 59 games for the club since signing from Atletico Madrid in August 2009. And the Dutchman added: “It was not a bad goal, I am happy with the goal and I’m happy that it was the equaliser for the team. “Overall we were the better team, but we didn’t create many chances so 1-1 was a fair score if you saw the game. “I wanted to score in the far corner, I didn’t hit the ball too hard and I was lucky that the ball went in the top corner and the defender couldn’t head it away.” Meanwhile, Victor Anichebe has been called up to the Nigeria squad for their latest African Cup of Nations qualifier. The Super Eagles face Ethiopia on March 27, with Anichebe joining Joseph Yobo, currently on loan from Everton to Fenerbahce, in the 24-man squad
Barry Horne: Time the FA stood up to FIFA ‘dictator’ Sepp Blatter
Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
LAST week, in the wake of, amongst other things, a drug scandal, refereeing controversies and on and off-field violence, I suggested it was time for one of our leading football bodies to stand up and take a lead in sorting things out. I was, therefore, delighted to read earlier in the week that the English FA were not willing to support Sepp Blatter’s attempts to run for a fourth term.How disappointing then that the FA, only days later, sought to backtrack from their comments and issued what amounted to a grovelling apology.It doesn’t matter that Mohamed Bin Hammam is playing a very cute political game and dithering over whether or not to challenge Blatter. I don’t see why our FA, one of the oldest and most powerful in the world, should be treading on egg shells around a man who is ‘supposed’ to be democratically elected.I say ‘supposed’ because he acts unilaterally and behaves like a dictator.I am not a politician nor can I pretend to know how politicking works, but it would seem that the same political timidity must have cost us dearly in the World Cup bid process.
Sepp Blatter clearly couldn’t take a dimmer view of the home associations, so why not stand up to him? Why not take him on and find out just how many people feel the same way?
Royal Blue: Lancashire cricket and Tesco ground redevelopment scheme gets the go-ahead
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
PROOF that, given the right circumstances, ground redevelopment in partnership with retail and local authority can work.Lancashire County Cricket Club are celebrating after the news they can go ahead with the re-development of their Old Trafford ground, which will include a retail development centred around, what else, but a Tesco.Bermuda-based Derwent Holdings, owners of the nearby White City non-food retail park, appealed to the high Court against the council’s approval of plans to re-develop Old Trafford – sound familiar?The High Court rejected the case against the £70m investment plan and it’s all go.Matthew Magee, Tesco corporate affairs manager, commented: “We’re pleased with the decision. It’s been a very long and exhaustive process leading to this decision.“Our new store in Stretford will be a flagship store and bring hundreds of new jobs for Greater Manchester. We’re very proud to be part of the development which will help bring Test Match cricket back to the North West.”The development will bring investment into parts of Trafford which suffer from low levels of economic activity and employment.A different kettle of fish from Kirkby? Definitely. Still vaguely depressing? Indeed.
Royal Blue: Everton FC squad head to New York City for morale building break
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
MOTORISTS in Halewood should watch out for large bales of tumble weed over the weekend, particularly near the Blues Finch Farm training ground.That’s because the complex will be practically empty, after David Moyes and the first team squad jetted off to New York for a five-day morale building trip.It’s a bit different from the usual sun-seeking La Manga golfing jaunt of other Premier League clubs, and a tad more exotic than the Lake District – Moyes’ previous chosen destination to encourage team-bonding.Let’s hope the city that never sleeps can give Everton’s inconsistent form a timely wake-up call.
Everton FC legend Dave Hickson ready for Goodison comeback after hospital stay
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
EVERTON legend Dave Hickson has vowed he will be back at Goodison Park for the visit of Fulham next weekend – after spending more than a month in Chester Hospital.The 82-year-old, who made 243 appearances for the Blues and still works at the ground on matchdays, was admitted to hospital with a blood disorder after the victory over Blackpool on February 5.He came out this week and declared: “I’ll be back at Goodison for the Fulham match but I think I’ll only be watching this one rather than working!“But I’ll be back working again as soon as I can. The blood disorder caused problems with my ankles which meant I couldn’t walk around properly. They wanted me to use a zimmer but I told them ‘you can take that away’ I’ll be fine on my own.”Hickson’s courage and endeavour is legendary.He famously returned to the field during an FA Cup fifth round tie against Manchester United in 1953 after suffering a serious head wound and losing a quantity of blood.
He scored the winning goal – one of 111 he registered during his Everton career.He is one of the few players to have also played for all three major Merseyside clubs, Everton, Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers.But he once claimed in an interview: “I would have broke every bone in my body for any other club, but I would have died for this club.”That claim almost became a self-fulfilling prophecy when on November 24 2007, Hickson suffered a suspected heart attack while on duty before Everton’s Premier League match against Sunderland.Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright, who idolised Hickson as a player, aborted plans to watch the game after travelling up from London and rode in an ambulance with his close friend.
Barry Horne: Everton’s inconsistent season has left me feeling blue
Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
ALL season I have tried to view events in and around Everton Football Club with a positive perspective. I have tried to view the future as optimistically as possible and I have always written supportively of the current regime.But while a place in next season’s Europa League is still a tantalising possibility, the fact that we continue to struggle to put any sort of form or results together means that even I am not expecting to be dusting down my passport for next season.I would guess that if you scoured the newspapers and the hours of television and radio reports, the adjectives most frequently used this season about Everton would be ‘unpredictable’ followed closely by ‘inconsistent.’The last six games have seen two dreadful lows at the Reebok and in the FA Cup, interspersed with a season’s high at Stamford Bridge and a sparkling performance at St James’ Park. Yet the Goodison faithful who again turned out in good numbers on a cold and windy Wednesday night travelled more in hope than expectation of seeing a repeat of Saturday’s trouncing of Newcastle.A comfortable victory against a Birmingham side with the Carling Cup win still at the forefront of their minds, half an eye on a winnable FA Cup quarter-final this afternoon and a squad suffering from an injury list the likes of which David Moyes will be only too familiar with, should have been eminently achievable.Ultimately Everton, as they had against Reading, completely failed to negotiate an organised team of hard working but unexceptional footballers.My fears from last week that the season could peter out into a long drawn out and difficult final quarter unfortunately look like being the case, unless all the inconsistencies I spoke about earlier can be forgotten and some points can be rattled up very quickly against struggling opposition.
Royal Blue: Everton legend Bob Latchford gets behind The Everton Collection
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
EVERTON icon Bob Latchford has thrown his cap behind the Everton Collection. The striking legend who was called up a dozen times for his country in the 1970s has donated his first cap to the prestigious collection.On Merseyside this week for the visit of his former club Birmingham to Goodison Park, he met up with chair of The Everton Collection Charitable Trust Lord Grantchester to hand over his cherished cap.“It is very special to me because it was my first cap for my country,” said Latchford. “But at the end of the day the Collection is of far greater significance.“There’s a greater good, if you like. It’s not just little old me. I’m just part of it.“It’s cultural history at its best and I’m just privileged to be part of it.“It’s what we are leaving behind for our children and our children’s children in a hundred years time so of course it’s important.“It’s an organic thing and it will continue to grow.“I have to be honest and say I’m not big on keeping hold of things anyway.. “I’ve given most of my stuff away over the years, although sometimes you look back and wish you’d kept one or two things.“I got a tankard for being part of the team that were runners-up in the League Cup final in 1977, but I honestly couldn’t tell you where it is!“I think it might be with my brother back in Scotland but I’m not sure.“If it had been a winner’s medal, though, I’m sure I’d know exactly where it was!”
Latchford can recall in vivid detail, however, the night he stepped out for England for the first of his 12 caps in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley against Italy.“I remember lining up in the tunnel before we walked out in front of 100,000 and I was scared out of my wits,” he smiled. “It was a World Cup qualifier so it was very important. I was up front alongside Kevin Keegan, and I always said KK and Trevor Francis were the best players I ever played alongside – Trevor for pure natural ability and Kevin for what he made himself into.”Keegan opened the scoring that night and Trevor Brooking completed a 2-0 victory, but England still failed to reach the World Cup finals in Argentina missing out on goal difference to the Italians.There are numerous international artefacts in The Everton Collection, including a Tommy Lawton jersey clearly worn on a rainy day, where the dye from the dark blue England shorts have run into the shirt!The Everton Collection is owned by The Everton Collection Charitable Trust and is housed at Liverpool Record Office, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Trust is an independent charity, chaired by Lord Grantchester and run by a board of trustees of Everton fans and senior heritage specialists.The Trust was formally set up with a Trust Deed on the 11th May 2005 and registered with the Charities Commission (Registered Charity 1109480). Objectives in the deed include advancing the education of the public in the history and social impact of Everton Football Club through the acquisition, preservation, maintenance and display (either directly or in partnership with others) of memorabilia and other artefacts linked to the Club.With Heritage Lottery funding, the Trust purchased the David France Collection on the 31st December 2007. To secure the Collection, Everton FC gifted the Club's own archive to the Trust on the 7th December 2007.In 2008 the David France Collection was integrated with the Everton FC archive to form The Everton Collection.Visit The Everton Collection website for more information and details on how you can offer your support. www.evertoncollection.org. Uk
Mikel Arteta’s infuriating injury loss sparks memories of other Everton FC flair men
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
Birmingham MIKEL ARTETA’S current injury plight could have snuffed out Everton’s brightest creative flame for a crucial period in their season.The depressing sight of the Spaniard hobbling off the Goodison pitch last Wednesday was enough to chill the hearts of watching Evertonians.After a season when he has largely struggled to capture his best form, the 28-year-old’s most recent performances had suggested that the man Bill Kenwright once compared to Alex Young, was back.A star turn against Sunderland, followed by an even more sparkling destruction of Newcastle United hinted that it was only a matter of time before the song dedicated to ‘The best little Spaniard we know’ echoed around Goodison once more.Everton supporters have been fed on a rich diet of thrilling creative players over the decades, men who have possessed the guile and ability to produce a goal out of nothing, often feeding the legendary status of that other noble Goodison breed; Number Nines.To lift blue spirits, the ECHO decided to revisit the memories of some of the performers who shone on the Merseyside stage.ALAN BALL: Grown men battled back tears when Harry Catterick sold Alan Ball in 1971.A World Cup hero with Alf Ramsey’s England in 1966, Everton secured Ball’s mercurial talent from Blackpool for a fee of £110,000 shortly after the Wembley victory, at the time the costliest fee in British football. He became part of the legendary midfield ‘Holy Trinity’, with Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey, that helped Everton to the league championship in 1969/70.Ball had a fiery temperament and an eye-popping array of skills that meant he was ever popular among the fans.He combined courage, confidence, and a burning desire to win, with a fine touch on the ball and an eye for goal.Sadly just two years after the success of the championship-winning season Catterick sold him to Arsenal for £220,000.KEVIN SHEEDY: Quiet and under-stated in person, Kevin Sheedy’s renowned left foot spoke loudly enough for him.Making the rare move from Anfield to Goodison in a £100,000 deal as a raw youngster in 1982, the Wales-born player was frustrated at the lack of chances under Bob Paisley.It proved to be one of the smartest deals Howard Kendall ever made.Sheedy’s potential became astounding performances, as he made the role on the left side of that legendary Eighties side his own.The Republic of Ireland international could pass the ball smoothly and accurately and his tally of a goal almost every three games was testament to his attacking ability.Sheedy excelled at set-pieces, lethal from 30 yards with amazing regularity, but his career was hampered by injuries which prevented him from reaching his complete potential.He scored the third goal against Rapid Vienna in the 1985 Cup Winners’ Cup final and was a vital cog in the Everton side that cruised to the 1986/87 title.ALEX YOUNG: The man who inspired the School of Science tag,Alex “The Golden Vision” Young joined Everton in November 1960 from Hearts in a £55,000 deal.In the Championship winning season of 1962-63, Young scored in all three of the opening games, all wins, and ended the season with 22 goals.Arguably the greatest Scottish player ever to sign for Everton, and a major influence in the team which over-turned Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup Final of 1966, Young’s ability seemed to make him float across the pitch.
His blond hair made him a distinctive figure, and earned him the name of “The Golden Vision”.
Young was one of the classiest post-war Everton players, and the Goodison fans worshipped him as the greatest.When it emerged that Young suffered from unusually soft feet which were often sore and bleeding after games, the ECHO was deluged with letters from fans suggesting ailments for their idol, including paddling on Crosby beach three times a day to rubbing them with a potato.A true blue convert, he once said: “Even though I left Everton 35 years ago – and even though I started my career at Hearts in Scotland, I still regard myself as an Evertonian.”DAVE THOMAS: A £200,000 signing from Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 1977, Dave Thomas provided the platform for Bob Latchford to fire home 30 league goals in the 1977/78 season as the Blues finished third.
He helped the side to finish fourth the following campaign, before a £420, 000 move to Wolves in October 1979. Famously, the talented winger never wore shin pads – even in the tough-tackling 70s.
ANDREI KANCHELSKIS: An impressive £5m transfer coup from Manchester United for Joe Royle in 1995, Russian winger Kanchelskis was a real flair man.He bagged his first Everton goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield, and went on to net 14 that season and become a firm fans’ favourite, often cutting in from the flanks to pepper the opposition goal with shots.His second season was plagued by injury and poor form, and he joined Fiorentina in January 1997.
Everton FC chairman Bill Kenwright would not stand in David Moyes’s way if Man United came calling
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 12 2011
BILL KENWRIGHT admits he would allow David Moyes to decide his own future if Manchester United asked him to become their manager.The Everton chairman has indicated he would not stand in the Scot’s way if the Red Devils asked him to replace Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.Moyes will celebrate his ninth anniversary as manager of Everton when Fulham arrive at Goodison Park next weekend.And Kenwright admits there have been difficult times for the ambitious manager he hired from Preston North End in 2002.Moyes, who has won the manager of the year award three times and steered the Toffees to UEFA Champions League qualification, is often named as a potential successor to Ferguson when he decides to step down from his post.And Kenwright says he would leave the dilemma in Moyes’ hands if it ever happened, although he insists the Toffees boss remains ever loyal to the Blue cause.He said: “I know the stories about Manchester United, one of, if not the biggest club in the world.“If that day ever came then he would have to make a decision, but I also know how committed he is to the cause of this football club.“Not just for the next week, or the next two weeks, but what this club is all about. This club means an awful lot to him.“It's not been an easy nine years for a man that wants to win, for a club that wants to win, but it's been nine years when he has given everything to advance this football club and take it forward.“Our track record in the last five years is an average of seventh position; well I'm sure that wasn't the case before he arrived.” Meanwhile, Jack Rodwell has bemoaned his bad luck with injuries this season, as he celebrated turning 20.He said: “I have been a little bit unlucky with a few injuries. I got the ankle injury and then a muscular injury but that is life, that’s football, and I am fit now and hopefully I can stay fit and play every game until the end of the season.”A start against Fulham next weekend would be his 50th for the Club, while he has a total of 85 first team appearances to date.“It is probably more than I expected at this stage,” said the England U-21 star. “But it is a good number to have reached – 49 starts at the age of 20 is not bad and hopefully I will get that 50th before too long.“I am happy with that and hopefully I can play the next 50 in a lot shorter space of time. I am still a young lad so I know time is on my side.Academy manager Ray Hall paid tribute to the talent he helped nurture from the age of six.He said: “I was impressed with everything really. His technical qualities, his athletic qualities and also his maturity – even at a young age. I was first aware of him at six but started taking a lot more interest in his development from about 10 or 11.“He stood out in a different way to the way in which a Wayne Rooney did because of his position. He was predominantly a defender and played as a centre back and he played back there all the way through probably until his under-17 year.“He has had great support from his family, friends and the club which is important and he has got a strong mental approach.“He has a maturity beyond his years. People take things for granted because he has been around the first team for so long.”
Burnley star's Manchester United pals helped him through Everton talk
Saturday 12th March 2011 (Lancashire Telegraph)
By Suzanne Geldard Burnley FC reporter
CHRIS Eagles has revealed how he took advice from former Manchester United team-mates to deal with transfer window speculation surrounding his future. The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a January move to Everton, which he admits was a distraction. The winger turned to Old Trafford pals Wes Brown and Ryan Giggs for help in blocking it out so he didn’t take his eye off the ball at Burnley. Eagles is bracing himself for the rumour mill to start up again at the end of the season. But he insists he is happy that his immediate future is at Turf Moor, where he is focused on getting back into the Premier League with the Clarets. “Wes is one of my close mates and I’m always seeing him, and if I still see Ryan now I talk to him about things,” said Eagles. “They talk to me about what’s going on and in January I needed people to talk to. Really they’re they only people who are involved in football who I could speak to as friends. “They just said to keep doing what I’m doing because they follow the results still.” Eleven-goal Eagles has gone on to lead the scoring pack at Turf Moor, along with summer signing Chris Iwelumo, since the transfer window closed. And he admitted he feels happier now that he knows where he stands, after being given greater attacking responsibility under new manager Eddie Howe. “We got a new manager in and I didn’t know what Eddie was like and I didn’t know what was happening with Everton. It was a bit of an up and down situation,” he said. “To be honest it was a nice distraction having teams talking about you. But I wanted it to pass and for us to carry on our form as a team. “I’m expecting there to be more talks and discussions between clubs, but at the moment I’m concentrating on Burnley and my one aim is to get Burnley back up there for the squad and the fans, because the fans here have been brilliant.”
FERGUSON CLOSE IN ON RODWELL
March 12th 2011 The Sun
By NEIL CUSTIS
ALEX FERGUSON has reached an agreement in principle to sign Everton whizkid Jack Rodwell for £25million. revealed in SunSport, Manchester United made a move to land the Goodison midfielder in January. But the Merseysiders asked them to come back in the summer as he was so vital to them for the rest of the season. They also told United their initial £15m offer was nowhere near enough. Rodwell, 20 yesterday, is one of the most sought-after Premier League youngsters and signed a new five-year Everton deal only last May. But United chief Ferguson is so keen to land him he has persuaded the club's owners, the Glazer family, to up their offer substantially at the end of the season. United have committed another £15m to a double swoop for Aston Villa forward Ashley Young, 25, and their 21-year-old defender Ciaran Clark.
Everton women suffer 'double defeat' to Arsenal• Arsenal take revenge on Everton with 2-0 FA Cup win
• Everton must win Champions League final to qualify
Tony Leighton Guardian.
Sunday 13 March 2011
Everton manager, Mo Marley, had a miserable Sunday afternoon as her team suffered the "double whammy" of losing in 90 minutes both their FA Cup crown and contention for a place in next season's Champions League. Arsenal, beaten 3-2 by the Merseysiders in last season's FA Cup final, gained revenge with a 2-0 fifth‑round win whose consequences stretch wider than prematurely ending their closest rivals' defence of England's most revered domestic trophy. The Football Association's decision to award next season's two Champions League places to the current campaign's FA Cup finalists, this due to the forthcoming inaugural Super League season not finishing until the end of September, meant that when the country's top two teams were drawn against each other in the FA Cup it meant Euro sudden death for one of them. "It's so, so disappointing," said Marley, whose team have performed well in this season's Champions League and are set to face the German team Duisburg in the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday. "I've no complaints about our defeat to Arsenal, they took the game to us and our quality under pressure was poor. "But to lose our chance of a Champions League place next season on the result of a single match, that's a double whammy that's hard to take. If two Super League clubs get to the FA Cup final they'll have got into Europe by winning only three matches – I don't see how you can merit that." Everton would now have to win the European trophy to qualify for next season's Champions League. Everton were one of four Super League clubs that went out of the FA Cup on the day that the top‑flight teams enter the competition. Chelsea lost 1-0 to Doncaster in an all-WSL tie but Birmingham and Lincoln fell to shock defeats by Premier League sides Barnet and Sunderland respectively. By contrast there were comfortable wins for Bristol, 8-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, and Liverpool who beat Charlton 5-0.
Defiant, hopeful, realistic and regretful – the many sides of Franny Jeffers
By Richard Wilson
Sunday, 13 March 2011
The Independent
There are only small consolations left for Francis Jeffers, footnotes in a career that has mostly been a slow dwindling of hope. He knows the story well enough, so that after signing for Motherwell in the final hours of the January transfer window, he addressed again the nature of his time in the game: Everton, Arsenal, England, then the fretfulness of waning opportunities. He talks of holding on to his enjoyment of the game, the simple pleasures of training, playing, interacting with his team-mates. Jeffers knows that he cannot leave behind the £8m transfer fee that Arsène Wenger paid, or the description that the Frenchman coined of him being a "fox in the box". They have to be endured, along with the sense that he has lost something – promise, certainly, and maybe the intrigue of a talent that seemed sharp and refined – but not abandoned his faith. His career is reduced now to seeking meaning, or even comfort, from every training session and match, as though the idea of any higher purpose has been discarded. Jeffers spent the final two months of last year in Australia playing as a guest for Newcastle Jets, and there were offers from the Major League Soccer in the United States, but the chance to move to Scotland seemed like a way to deny the further diminishment of his career. "When you go to America, they are not as passionate, are they?" Jeffers says. "Here, the fans turn out, they want to see the team play well and give it their all. I'm not the type of lad who would want to go somewhere to wind down. I've had injuries, so I'm not going to go anywhere and think, 'I'm here on my pension'. That's not what I'm about." So how do we judge him? In the decline of his transfer fees, from £8m to £2.6m to £700,000 to nothing? Or in his goals: 20 in 60 games for Everton, then only 25 since he left Goodison in 2001? Or in comparison with Wayne Rooney: they both went to the same school, De La Salle in Croxteth, both made their Everton debuts at 16, and both made their senior England debut in the same game, against Australia in 2003, but then that was Jeffers' solitary cap (and goal), while Rooney's move to Manchester United only confirmed the brilliant range of his talent, and he now has 69 England appearances to his name.
The Jeffers who is sitting in a hospitality lounge at Fir Park seems removed from these distinctions. His thin, pallid face seems on the verge of melancholy but his narrow eyes are keen and restless and there is a defiance to his slim frame. He is unburdened, and this chance in the Scottish Premier League, where he once spent a futile spell on loan at Rangers, came as a late reprieve. His career will remain a source of regret, but also something that he has come to terms with. "I've had some good times, playing for England and all that, but the thing that keeps creeping up is that I was not as successful as I should have been," he says. "People say I should've stayed [at Everton] but would my career have been different? I'd just had an ankle operation so I didn't play too many games in my first year with Arsenal. I struggled to get my head round playing in Carling Cup ties and making the odd appearance from the bench. It was difficult to take when you're young and want to impress."
Injuries have curtailed so much of Jeffers' career – particularly recurring ankle problems – that he should be aggrieved by his misfortunes. But then there have been times when his impatience has caused rifts with managers, while his spell at Sheffield Wednesday was disrupted by a red card for headbutting an opponent. At 30, he is not a troubled figure, just accepting. He has brought some insightful movement and technique to Motherwell's forward line and has already scored once for the club, but it remains a temporary arrangement until the end of the season. It is as if teams are uncertain about the trust they can place in Jeffers, or at least the reliability of his fitness. There have been moments, too, when he has known that doubt himself. "I've got to be honest, I didn't think I would get back from my last injury, because I missed out on a year's football," he says. "I went to five or six different surgeons who said they couldn't find the problem. In the end, it was only a simple little operation that I needed, and that makes you [savour playing]." He is resourceful, Jeffers, and an earnest, generous soul. He has accumulated dismay, but also a sense of realism; he has come to an understanding that you take whatever you encounter, and try to hold on to your own spirit. "All of my family go to work every day. I turn up, do a bit of training then go home," he says. "I'm very blessed in that respect, and that's what I have to look at."
Joleon Lescott hopes to establish himself in City's defense in the absense of Kolo Toure
Mar 13 2011 by Steve Bates, The People
The big centre-back has struggled to live up to his £24million price tag since moving to Eastlands from Everton 18 months ago, with City boss Roberto Mancini opting instead for Toure and Vincent Kompany. But with the Ivory Coast star’s immediate future in the balance following a failed drugs test, Lescott has been handed the opportunity to cement his place. And he’s determined to make it impossible for Mancini to leave him out. The 28-year-old reckons City fans are about see the real Joleon Lescott – after clear-the-air talks with Mancini. “I wasn’t satisfied with the way things were working out for me and that’s why I went to see the manager,” said Lescott, who has started City’s last six games. “I was frustrated because I felt I had done nothing wrong and deserved to be playing. I tried to be professional about it and that’s why I spoke to the manager. There was no showdown or anything like that, but I was disappointed and I wanted some assurances because there had been some games when an opportunity arose and he picked someone else. “I wasn’t aggressive about it. I just wanted to know what I needed to do to get back into the team. I wanted to know if I’d done something the manager wasn’t happy with, just so I didn’t do it again. “We spoke, in fact we’ve had a few chats this season, and I took on board what he said. Hopefully I am doing exactly what he wants because I’m in the team again. “When you play for a big club, if an opportunity to impress comes along you have to take it. I understood that. But it didn’t make it any easier not to become frustrated. “When a player in your position is showing exceptional form it can get you down because you can’t see when the next opportunity is going to arise. “Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure were playing really well and I could see why the manager stuck with the partnership.
“I wasn’t trying to rock the boat by going to see the manager. I felt it was the professional thing to do because the conversations we had were all constructive. Faith “The manager is a good listener and he just told me to keep going and take my chance when it came along. I respected what he said.” The former Goodison Park defender reckons City fans are now beginning to see why the club shelled out £24m for him “I’ve had a decent run of games, I’m playing pretty well, and I’d like to think the fans are starting to see why City paid so much money for me,” he said. “I want to repay the club for the faith they’ve shown in me, but when you’re not in the team you become an easy target for the critics and there’s nothing you can do about it. “I was shocked to get my chance in the derby against Manchester United, but I like to think I’ve grabbed it with both hands and can stay in the team for the rest of the season.” Lescott’s return to form is timely for City, who still have three trophies in their sights despite Thursday’s disappointing result in Kiev. Lescott faces Reading in the FA Cup sixth round today – and he knows City can’t afford the kind of dodgy display they gave against Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday. “This is a big week for the club, with the Cup game against Reading and the return against Kiev. Losing the first leg was a blow but we’ve got to get that out of our system now because an FA Cup quarter-final is a big opportunity. “Reading will pose a different threat to Kiev. They will be confident after beating Everton and we will give them the respect they deserve.”
Defiant, hopeful, realistic and regretful – the many sides of Franny Jeffers
By Richard Wilson
Sunday, 13 March 2011 The Independent
There are only small consolations left for Francis Jeffers, footnotes in a career that has mostly been a slow dwindling of hope. He knows the story well enough, so that after signing for Motherwell in the final hours of the January transfer window, he addressed again the nature of his time in the game: Everton, Arsenal, England, then the fretfulness of waning opportunities. He talks of holding on to his enjoyment of the game, the simple pleasures of training, playing, interacting with his team-mates. Jeffers knows that he cannot leave behind the £8m transfer fee that Arsène Wenger paid, or the description that the Frenchman coined of him being a "fox in the box". They have to be endured, along with the sense that he has lost something – promise, certainly, and maybe the intrigue of a talent that seemed sharp and refined – but not abandoned his faith. His career is reduced now to seeking meaning, or even comfort, from every training session and match, as though the idea of any higher purpose has been discarded. Jeffers spent the final two months of last year in Australia playing as a guest for Newcastle Jets, and there were offers from the Major League Soccer in the United States, but the chance to move to Scotland seemed like a way to deny the further diminishment of his career. "When you go to America, they are not as passionate, are they?" Jeffers says. "Here, the fans turn out, they want to see the team play well and give it their all. I'm not the type of lad who would want to go somewhere to wind down. I've had injuries, so I'm not going to go anywhere and think, 'I'm here on my pension'. That's not what I'm about." So how do we judge him? In the decline of his transfer fees, from £8m to £2.6m to £700,000 to nothing? Or in his goals: 20 in 60 games for Everton, then only 25 since he left Goodison in 2001? Or in comparison with Wayne Rooney: they both went to the same school, De La Salle in Croxteth, both made their Everton debuts at 16, and both made their senior England debut in the same game, against Australia in 2003, but then that was Jeffers' solitary cap (and goal), while Rooney's move to Manchester United only confirmed the brilliant range of his talent, and he now has 69 England appearances to his name.
The Jeffers who is sitting in a hospitality lounge at Fir Park seems removed from these distinctions. His thin, pallid face seems on the verge of melancholy but his narrow eyes are keen and restless and there is a defiance to his slim frame. He is unburdened, and this chance in the Scottish Premier League, where he once spent a futile spell on loan at Rangers, came as a late reprieve. His career will remain a source of regret, but also something that he has come to terms with. "I've had some good times, playing for England and all that, but the thing that keeps creeping up is that I was not as successful as I should have been," he says. "People say I should've stayed [at Everton] but would my career have been different? I'd just had an ankle operation so I didn't play too many games in my first year with Arsenal. I struggled to get my head round playing in Carling Cup ties and making the odd appearance from the bench. It was difficult to take when you're young and want to impress."
Injuries have curtailed so much of Jeffers' career – particularly recurring ankle problems – that he should be aggrieved by his misfortunes. But then there have been times when his impatience has caused rifts with managers, while his spell at Sheffield Wednesday was disrupted by a red card for headbutting an opponent. At 30, he is not a troubled figure, just accepting. He has brought some insightful movement and technique to Motherwell's forward line and has already scored once for the club, but it remains a temporary arrangement until the end of the season. It is as if teams are uncertain about the trust they can place in Jeffers, or at least the reliability of his fitness. There have been moments, too, when he has known that doubt himself. "I've got to be honest, I didn't think I would get back from my last injury, because I missed out on a year's football," he says. "I went to five or six different surgeons who said they couldn't find the problem. In the end, it was only a simple little operation that I needed, and that makes you [savour playing]." He is resourceful, Jeffers, and an earnest, generous soul. He has accumulated dismay, but also a sense of realism; he has come to an understanding that you take whatever you encounter, and try to hold on to your own spirit. "All of my family go to work every day. I turn up, do a bit of training then go home," he says. "I'm very blessed in that respect, and that's what I have to look at."
Everton FC Ladies crash out of FA Cup after Arsenal defeat
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 14 2011
EVERTON Ladies are out of the FA Women’s Cup after a 2-0 defeat by arch rivals Arsenal.
Presented with a dramatic fifth round tie, the Blues faced the team they beat in dramatic fashion to lift the trophy last May. But despite producing a display packed with passion the Toffees’ first domestic outing since that triumph ended in disappointment. Arsenal won thanks to second half goals from Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman.A foul by Blues’ left back Rachel Unitt just six minutes into the tie gifted the Gunners a free-kick on the edge of the box, but Everton were well-organised and Unitt was perfectly placed to head Yankey’s effort to safety.Natasha Dowie’s surging run earned the hosts a free-kick early in the second half, and Byrne had to be at her best to deny Toni Duggan after the striker headed Handley’s delivery towards goal. But when play swung down the other end it was the visitors who made the breakthrough.Fern Whelan was forced to clear under pressure and, unfortunately for the defender, Yankey was there to pick up the pieces and slot home.Dowie continued to pester the Gunners down the right, while Fara Williams’ diving header came close to restoring parity.Yet with the tie delicately poised, it was the Londoners who broke through again as Chapman caught Brown off her line and sent the ball looping over her head to make it 2-0 on 74 minutes.Everton look to bounce back in the Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg on Thursday against Germany’s FCR 2001 Duisburg at the Halton Stadium, Widnes (7pm).
Everton FC look to gain some reward from season
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 14 2011
IT IS the last meaningful way for Everton to save their season - but European qualification represents an increasingly unlikely prospect.Last Wednesday’s Goodison draw with Birmingham City saw a missed opportunity for the Blues to move within three points of rivals Liverpool, who currently occupy sixth spot.And even finishing sixth could be futile, after the weekend’s FA Cup draw meant the finalists – either Stoke or Bolton – are most likely to bag the final qualifying spot.Only if Manchester City were triumphant at Wembley while also finishing fifth, would a Europa League slot go to the team that finishes sixth.To even be in with a shout, the Toffees would have to embark on a run of consistency to overtake the other sides jostling for that prize, something they have been unable to do so far this season.Yet finishing as high as possible in the table will be essential in order for David Moyes to boost a tight summer transfer budget with each step up the Premier League table becoming more lucrative to the tune of £800,000.Their previous two back to back wins in the Premier League, against Sunderland and Newcastle United, were the first since January 2009.Moyes’s men know that has to change, and the remaining nine fixtures represent a test of their physical and mental will to prevent a season which started with such optimism being deemed a failure.That run-in features a trio of games against sides who could still be fighting for the title; Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea along with Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn who will be scrapping for their Premier League lives.Still, in theory at least the Blues have not given up, and a tight league table remains their lifeline.John Heitinga re-iterated that Europe was still on the agenda last week, saying: “We were all disappointed because we knew if we won we’d have gone up in the ranking list, but overall there are nine games left and we’re going to have a good go for Europe,” while Moyes had previously said the club’s aim was still to gatecrash the Euro berths. The ECHO assessed the form of Everton’s remaining opponents, and predicts whether the boys in blue have any chance of needing their passports up to date next season.
FULHAM (Saturday, March 19. Goodison Park)
Only two points behind the Blues but nevertheless unlikely to mount a top-six bid themselves. This is a genuine must-win.Mark Hughes’s side have won only one of their last six away fixtures, but have drawn three.Everton struggle with well-drilled, stubborn opponents who come to Goodison for a point, so they must hope the Cottagers aim for more. Failing that, Moyes must find the right formula to unlock a fairly solid defence with limited creative resources, as Mikel Arteta is likely to still be sidelined.
ASTON VILLA (Saturday, April 2. Goodison Park)
Villa were unlucky to lose at Bolton recently but have struggled on the road under Gerrard Houllier this term.With only pride to realistically play for, Everton should surely have the greater hunger than the Midlanders, who trail them by four points.But in Darren Bent, the Villains have something their opponents don’t – a consistent goalscorer. Less likely to park the bus at Goodison but more likely to carry an attacking threat. Everton’s own strikers must be on top form.
WOLVES (Saturday, April 9. Molyneux)
Mick McCarthy’s side may be 19th in the table, but they have a fighting chance of staying up and fight they certainly will.Injured midfielder Stephen Hunt expects to be back for the game, and the Black Country struggles can take heart from having won two of their last three home games.Moyes will be hopeful of having Arteta back from a hamstring injury by then, and must hope he can help provide the creative spark to sink a tough side fighting for their top flight status.
BLACKBURN ROVERS (Saturday, April 16. Goodison Park)
Rovers have an increasing look of late relegation candidates, and rookie boss Steve Kean will be aware that he may be managing for his Ewood Park future under new owners Venky’s.Regardless, this is another winnable game for the Toffees who must take heart from Rovers woeful away record this season (five losses in their last six), and snatch a vital three points at Goodison.
MANCHESTER UNITED (Saturday, April 23. Old Trafford)
The toughest of tough tasks. Everton have not won at Old Trafford since 1992, so must turn back the tide of history and upset a side who may still be going toe to toe with Arsenal in the title race.Perhaps a game when Moyes would be pleased with a draw, United have the league’s top scorer Dimitar Berbatov in their ranks, and are unbeaten at home all season.
WIGAN ATHLETIC (Saturday, April 30. DW Stadium)
Another that simply must yield three points. Rock bottom and leaking goals, Roberto Martinez’s men appear beyond hope – although a couple of wins between now and then could change all that. The Blues must compound their misery.
MANCHESTER CITY (Saturday, May 7. Goodison Park)
The mega-rich of Eastlands have not fared well against the Toffees lately. But they will be determined to turn that record around with Champions League qualification the prize, and Moyes will need the leadership of hopefully fit and firing skipper Phil Neville more than ever to try and do the double over Roberto Mancini’s side this season. A tough one.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Saturday, May 14. Hawthornes)
Roy Hodgson has a score to settle with the Blues after they made his wretched spell as Liverpool manager worse with a comfortable Goodison derby defeat. Indifferent at home, the Baggies will represent an achievable and crucial scalp for Everton – who have their own score top settle after a 4-1 drubbing at Goodison this season.
CHELSEA (Saturday, May 22. Goodison Park)
The reigning champions are likely to have a say in the destination of this season’s title. Although Everton’s Euro hopes could be academic by then, they have beaten Chelsea at Goodison recently (February 2010), and knocked them out of the FA Cup, so Carlo Ancelotti’s men seem a less formidable prospect than they once were. But with Fernando Torres and David Luiz likely to have settled by then, it will be far from easy for the Blues to win if they need the points to seal sixth spot.
Everton FC youngster Seamus Coleman can match Leighton Baines as top Premier League full back, says Steve Round
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 14 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN can emulate Leighton Baines and become one of the best attacking full-backs in the league, says Everton assistant boss Steve Round.A string of dynamic performances on the right of midfield have established Coleman as a first-team regular at Goodison Park this season.The 22-year-old’s impressive form earned him the club’s player-of-the-month award for November and a full international debut. And Round feels the Irishman will achieve big things in the future, probably as an attack-minded right back.He said: “Leighton is a good role model for Seamus and the challenge now is for him to try and emulate Leighton, to try and get those consistent performances and become a real regular in Everton’s first team. “So far we are all very pleased with him.“We have changed his position a little bit and pushed him further forward to play right midfield.“That has focused on his attacking play which at the moment is his strength.“He still needs to build up his defensive qualities. “We have seen him switch off a couple of times, a little bit of naivety but all that will change and I think he will become a very talented right-back.“If he continues to learn and develop at the rate he has done then I think we will have a terrific player on our hands and, for the money we have spent, 50-60k for a player who is going to be worth millions, it is great business for Everton.”Meanwhile, Leon Osman re-iterated his desire to play anywhere for the Everton cause.With the Blues midfield options depleted by injury, David Moyes has relied on the veteran’s versatility.And Osman’s fifth consecutive start last Wednesday was his longest run in Moyes’ starting line-up this term.The 29-year-old, who impressed in his last three outings, said: “I am enjoying playing.“I am glad to be back in the team and I am enjoying my football.“As I have always said I am happy to play anywhere in the team and am prepared to roll my sleeves up and put a shift in.”Round was keen to praise Osman after the win at St James’s Park and the midfielder added: “It is nice to hear things like that and I feel I am playing well but I would have swapped it all for three points against Birmingham.”
Everton FC's Seamus Coleman urged to follow Leighton Baines' lead to get first-team football
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 14 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN has been urged to follow the example of Leighton Baines as the Irishman eyes a first-team recall.Coleman has made a significant impact since arriving from Republic of Ireland side Sligo Rovers two years ago.The 22-year-old defender has been a regular this season in an unaccustomed right midfield role, scoring five goals in 33 appearances.Nevertheless, Everton assistant manager Steve Round believes Coleman will ultimately blossom into an attack-minded right-back.And Round insists there is no better inspiration than the man on the opposite flank of the Goodison defence.“Leighton is a good role model for Seamus and the challenge now is for him to try and emulate Leighton, to try and get those consistent performances and become a real regular in Everton’s first team,” said Round.“So far we are all very pleased with him. We have changed his position a little bit and pushed him further forward to play right midfield. That has focused on his attacking play which at the moment is his strength.“He still needs to build up his defensive qualities. We have seen him switch off a couple of times, a little bit of naivety but all that will change and I think he will become a very talented right-back.“If he continues to learn and develop at the rate he has done then I think we will have a terrific player on our hands and, for the money we have spent, 50-60,000 for a player who is going to be worth millions, it is great business for Everton.”Coleman has started Everton’s last two games from the bench but, with Mikel Arteta sidelined by a hamstring tear, will be vying for a starting role ahead of Saturday’s Premier League visit of Fulham.With Marouane Fellaini out for the season and Tim Cahill hampered by a foot problem, the return to form and fitness of Leon Osman has been timely for David Moyes. Osman made his fifth consecutive start in last Wednesday’s home 1-1 draw against Birmingham City, his longest such sequence this season. And the 29-year-old said: “I am enjoying playing. I am glad to be back in the team and I am enjoying my football.“As I have always said, I am happy to play anywhere in the team and am prepared to roll my sleeves up and put a shift in.”Meanwhile, Burnley midfielder Chris Eagles has issued a thinly-veiled message for Everton to renew their interest in the summer.Goodison manager Moyes was linked with a move for the 25-year-old in January only for the player to decide to stay at Turf Moor under new manager Eddie Howe.But Eagles has now dropped a heavy hint he would be prepared to leave in the summer.“We got a new manager in and I didn’t know what Eddie was like and I didn’t know what was happening with Everton,” he said. “It was a bit of an up and down situation.“To be honest it was a nice distraction having teams talking about you. But I wanted it to pass and for us to carry on our form as a team.“I’m expecting there to be more talks and discussions between clubs, but at the moment I’m concentrating on Burnley and my one aim is to get Burnley back up there for the squad and the fans, because the fans here have been brilliant.”
Study shows that Liverpool is top city for football talent
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 14 2011
THE PREMIER LEAGUE has not exactly been a golden age for either Liverpool or Everton.While the Anfield outfit have twice finished runners-up since the rebranding of the top flight in 1992, the best their Goodison neighbours have managed during the last 19 years is fourth place.It’s a far cry from the 1980s when Merseyside ruled the roost. But there is one league table in which the city can still claim to be champions.A recent study has discovered the city of Liverpool has produced more top-flight footballers than any other English provincial city during the Premier League era.The tally of 62 players who have gone on to appear in the elite division of English football betters the 55 from second-placed Birmingham and the 42 who have come from down the East Lancs Road in Manchester.Players such as former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, Everton defender Tony Hibbert, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Newcastle United midfielder Kevin Nolan are among those to have emerged from the city.Boffins at the Cambridge-based website TrueKnowledge.com, who use specially-designed software to search the internet for questions asked by users, analysed the 1,383 English-born players who have appeared in the Premier League.Merseyside was ranked third when statistics for counties were assessed, producing 6.59 players per 100,000 of its population, which was less than North Yorkshire (7.69) and leaders County Durham (8.70).Liverpool may have lost to Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals yesterday, but there is still plenty of encouragement in the Academy ranks on both sides of Stanley Park.Everton are top of the FA Premier Academy League Group C division with their neighbours in fourth, 10 points behind with three games in hand and a goal difference of 21 which is two more than Everton and considerably better than everyone else in the 10-team North West section.And Everton Academy coach Neil Dewsnip says: “It is great that the two teams are at the top of their section. It is good for both clubs and the city.“Hopefully it will carry on to the end of the season. It is not quite the first teams, but it is still good for everyone.”On Liverpool having produced the most Premier League players, Dewsnip adds: “It is massive pat on the back to the raw quality here. And also a good sign for both clubs and Tranmere as well.“Football is a big part of life here and it is great to see so many doing well. They don’t all make it here, but it shows they get a good grounding and can go elsewhere and still do well.”The study was headed by TrueKnowledge programmer and Liverpool fan Matthew Mason in response to a conversation with his colleagues one day.And he agrees with Dewsnip that the fact football plays such a central role in Liverpool city life largely explains why so many footballers emerge from its boundaries, support passed down through the generations.“That has got a lot to do with it,” says Mason. “If you are a big football fan yourself it has got to be your dreams to have your kids playing for your team.” Of the idea for the survey, he adds: “It started when we were having a discussion about where the hotbeds of footballing talent were in England.“I am pleased with the result. I am not too sure that Liverpool can lay much claim to any sort of victory at the moment, but we will take anything we can get.”To ensure a fair comparison, only footballers born within the boundaries of the City of Liverpool were included in its total, and not those from neighbouring Merseyside boroughs such as Sefton, St Helens or Knowsley, which meant the likes of Kirkby-born Leighton Baines and Billinge-born Leon Osman did not count towards the city’s total.Surprisingly, Liverpool’s Scouse heartbeat of Jamie Carragher (born in Bootle, which is in Sefton) and Steven Gerrard (born in Whiston and brought up in Huyton, both of which are in Knowsley) are also not included in the city’s 62-player count.But the same strict boundary rules were applied to Manchester and Birmingham, and were why London – with a population of more than seven million – was broken down into boroughs, the leading of which is Lambeth.The research also discovered those English counties in the bottom half of the country’s median weekly wage table more often than not produced the most Premier League footballers.County Durham is one of England’s poorest counties with a median weekly wage of £419.90 – only Cornwall, with £408.60, has a lower figure – Merseyside’s is £452.60.The exceptions are London and Berkshire, which have both produced a large proportion of top-flight footballers and have higher median weekly wages of £598.20 and £569 respectively.Simon Chadwick, professor of sport business strategy and marketing at Coventry University, believes there could be two main reasons for Berkshire’s appearance in the top 10 – despite npower Championship side Reading, who have spent just two years in the English football’s top-flight in their 140-year history, being the county’s only professional football club.“One explanation for this could be that football has much broader appeal and reach than might have been the case in previous decades,” says Chadwick.“It may nevertheless may also indicate that Premier League football is becoming a career option and a sport that is potentially appealing much more to a middle-class audience.“As such, one might conclude that the socio-demographic composition of Premier League players has changed somewhat over the last two decades.”Without putting any restrictions on the data, London (322 players) comes out as the county where most Premier League players have been born, with Greater Manchester (115) second and West Midlands (96) third.And Trueknowledge.com founder, William Tunstall-Pedoe, says: “If our data helps Premier League scouts uncover the next generation of Rooneys, Gerrards and Beckhams and years from now England win the World Cup thanks in some small part to our data, it would be fantastic.”
Arsenal force Everton Ladies out of FA Women’s Cup
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 14 2011
EVERTON Ladies are out of the FA Women's Cup after a 2-0 defeat by arch rivals Arsenal.Presented with a dramatic fifth round tie, the Blues faced the team they beat in dramatic fashion to lift the trophy last May.But despite producing a display packed with passion the Toffees’ first domestic outing since that cup triumph ended in disappointment.Arsenal headed back to London triumphant courtesy of second half goals from Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman.
Magaye Gueye hits late winner for Everton FC reserves at Aston Villa
Liverpool Echo
Mar 15 2011
MAGAYE GUEYE struck deep into stoppage time to hand Everton reserves the three points at Villa last night. The Toffees took the lead with the game’s first meaningful attack on 13 minutes, as Apostolos Vellios was well placed to bundle home Gueye’s cutback from close range despite Habib Beye’s attempt to scramble it clear. It was Gueye who continued to be the away side’s best outlet, with his left wing cross only cleared as far as Jose Baxter who sliced wide from 20 yards. But, from there on in, Villa seized control and equalised in the 34th minute as second string debutant Juan Serrano fired home from close range. The hosts continued to pile on the pressure in the remainder of the first half but Everton then pressed harder for a winner in the second. And Gueye latched on to a through ball from Baxter in the third minute of stoppage time before rounding Parish and finishing from the tightest of angles.
EVERTON RESERVES: Roberts, Nsiala, Garbutt, Kinsella, Duffy, Mustafi, McAleny (Forshaw 67), Akpan, Vellios (Craig 85), Baxter, Gueye. Subs: Fizgibbon, Forrester, Barrow.
Ian Snodin: Everton FC star Jack Rodwell must take games by the scruff of the neck
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 15 2011
IF selected, Jack Rodwell will earn his 50th start for Everton on Saturday night – a milestone for the young lad. With Mikel Arteta being out of the side injured, I hope it will mean Jack gets a run of games until the end of the season. I hope Jack will be able to rediscover the form he showed last year and can take over the Mikel mantle – we need him to start performing and start creating for Everton. If the lad is going to become a full England international and a well known Premier League player then he needs to step up to the plate from now and take charge of every game. I believe he is well capable of doing so, he's an athletic lad and a great kid who can take games by the scruff of the neck and show people what he is all about. I would love him to start next season in an Everton shirt. I'm sure Jack feels the same because he has been with this club since he was a young boy and would want at least another season with us. Of course, there are increasing rumours of clubs with European football on the cards for next season, showing interest in him. Although that will be tempting, I believe we'll see Jack in the royal blue for the next campaign. However, if we are to put ourselves in the shoes of the manager or board then an offer of say £20m for Rodwell would be very tempting indeed. With David Moyes unsure if he will have anything to spend in the summer then such an offer would certainly need serious consideration. The unfortunate truth is the manager will probably have to look at which members of the current squad he could possibly sell to make funds available. Rodwell could come high on the list because of the interest generating in the lad, he has so much potential after all. Hopefully though Jack will not want to leave. Leon Osman can fill the Arteta void LOSING Mikel Arteta is a massive blow for Everton. Unfortunately I was not at Newcastle United the other week but I've heard from people there – and not just Evertonians – how good Mikel was on the day. I've seen flashes of how great he looked when I watched Match of the Day. Former Newcastle full-back John Beresford told me Mikel was immense that afternoon and didn't realise how good a player he was until he saw him live. He has not had the best season when he's been playing a more central role but when he was selected out wide, he was unbelievable.
Leon Osman is a player I believe can shoulder some of the creative responsibility while Mikel’s on the sidelines. Ossie was my man of the match against Birmingham and is the type of player who never gives in, regardless of what sort of game he may be having. It was Ossie’s determination which won the corner from which John Heitinga scored on Wednesday. He’s a great kid and I really like his family so hope he can keep his form for the rest of the season. Birmingham City performance not that bad I DON’T actually believe the performance against Birmingham City was that bad, we just needed that little bit of luck and we were unfortunate at times. It is also very difficult when you are without Arteta who went off after 10 minutes, we could not break them down. Cameron Jerome was up front on his own and they just sat with a rigid midfield five and the back four were hard to break down. They were delighted with the point and before the game that is how they said they would play. I feel we need a couple of wins just to get rid of any thought relegation could be on the cards. Realistically I can’t even begin to think about being in the bottom four. A couple of wins in the next few matches would extinguish any thoughts of us having to scrap for points near the end of the season. Europe is a bit too far off now but I hope the players don’t think like that. If they have got any pride then they’ll go out every game, whether there is anything on the line or not, and try and win the game because they are playing for Everton. They also get paid really, really well.
Fulham will come to win against Everton
I EXPECT Fulham to be what every other team are when they come to Goodison Park on Saturday evening – hard to beat. And with the added factor of injuries in our squad to players such as Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini, which are massive blows by the way, from now until the end of the season every game is going to be tough. For weeks now, in the run up to games with Birmingham City, I’ve always said I can see us getting three points here. I’m just going to stop saying it because every game now is going to be tough. If we get a win it will be seen as a bonus. Fulham are a well organised side and have a strong back four. They have conceded just 15 goals away from home in the Premier League this season which is the second best in the division. I didn’t rate Brede Hangeland a couple of seasons ago but I think he has done particularly well this year. He is a big lad and Mark Hughes has done well with this side. He uses Damien Duff really well on the counter attack and because of that I don’t believe Fulham will come to us to hang on for a point. They’ll come forward and when they have chance to attack, they’ll do it with bodies and with pace.
Shamrock Scousers: Everton FC hero Peter Farrell’s promotion vow
by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Echo
Mar 15 2011
PETER FARRELL kept a promise to himself and to Evertonians that continues to have an impact at Goodison more than half a century after he made it. The hugely popular Irishman was heartbroken about being captain of the Everton side relegated from the First Division in 1950/51 and pledged to lead them back to the top flight. He did just that in the 1953/54 campaign, when the Blues finished runners-up behind Leicester City. Team-mate Dave Hickson recalled Farrell’s determination to put Everton back where they belonged. “I was in the army when Everton were relegated and joined them as a Division Two team,” Hickson explained. “Peter Farrell was the captain and there was never a bigger Evertonian than him. "I think he felt partly responsible for the relegation and he was so happy when we were promoted again.” Everton have not dropped outside the top flight ever since and the tough but quietly spoken Farrell is among the most fondly remembered of past players. Farrell said after promotion was achieved: “We have no star man. Our success has been due to all-round work as a team and with such a great bunch of colleagues, my job as captain has been made easy.” Farrell was born in Dalkey near Dublin in 1922, but his father was a Liverpudlian who crossed the Irish Sea to work and raise a family. Farrell played his football with Shamrock Rovers during the years of the Second World War and joined Everton in 1946. He was part of a £10,000 double signing with Shamrock team- mate Tommy Eglington who also became a highly regarded player at Goodison. Eglington was a forward, Farrell one of the finest wing halves to emerge from Irish football. Both would play more than 400 games for the Blues and move on to Tranmere. Farrell’s first goal at Goodison was not scored for Everton, however, but for an Irish side that beat England 2-0. Thus Ireland became the first overseas team to beat England on English soil.
Farrell was made captain in the 1948/49 season and two years later Everton slid towards the drop after losing 12 of their opening 18 games. A draw in the final fixture at Sheffield Wednesday would have kept them up but they were beaten 6-0. Wednesday also went down. Hickson, the centre forward from Ellesmere Port, remembers Everton went back up on the strength of a powerful record at Goodison. “I think we only lost a couple of games that season and there were some big wins,” said Hickson. “An incredible match with Plymouth which we won 8-4, just three days after we’d beaten Brentford 6-1!” Farrell made his last appearance for Everton against Bolton in the final game of the 1956/57 season. The following October he moved across the Mersey in a £2,500 deal to become player-manager of Tranmere Rovers, where he once again teamed up with Eglington.
Farrell was a success at Prenton Park. Many Rovers fans reckon the football played by Farrell’s teams, with its influence drawn from the Everton “School of Science”, was the best ever seen at Prenton Park. The Wirral public lapped it up. Average home attendances during Farrell’s time as manager rose to just under 12,000 in one season, a club record. Farrell left Tranmere in 1960 and went on to manage Sligo Rovers and St Patricks Athletic in Ireland and Holyhead Town in North Wales. He later set up an insurance business in the Dublin area. He died in Dalkey in 1999.
Everton FC’s Jack Rodwell called up for England Under-21s
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 15 2011
JACK RODWELL has been called up for an England under-21 double header later this month – just a month after he was injured during his last international call-up. With Everton midfielders Marouane Fellaini, Mikel Arteta, Phil Neville and Tim Cahill all currently injured, boss David Moyes will anxiously await the safe return of Rodwell from clashes against Denmark on Thursday March 24 and Iceland at Preston’s Deepdale Stadium on Monday, March 28. For England boss Stuart Pearce the double-header is an important tune up ahead of this summer’s UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Denmark. “Now’s the time for all of the players to impress in the minds of the coaching staff that they want to be the ones stepping on to the plane,” said Pearce. “At the end of this meet-up I need to be able to make some final decisions about my squad – and I will. “Both of the teams we’ll face will be in the Championship in June so there can be no better warm-up opportunity for us and there will be no underestimating anyone on our part, and I expect the opposition will be thinking much the same about us.” Rodwell limped out of his last international, a friendly in Italy, after just 12 minutes with a groin injury. The problem meant he missed a defeat at Bolton and the FA Cup shoot-out success at Chelsea before making a quicker than anticipated return as a substitute in the home victory over Sunderland. Seamus Coleman, meanwhile, will also be on international duty that weekend after being called up for Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland squad to face Macedonia on March 26 and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay three days later. Coleman made his first senior appearance for his country in last month’s 3-0 win over Wales. Both games take place at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
REPUBLIC of IRELAND squad: Westwood (Coventry City), Randolph (Motherwell), Forde (Millwall), Foley (Wolves), O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Clark (Aston Villa), Coleman (Everton), Dunne (Aston Villa), St Ledger (Preston North End), Kelly (Fulham), O'Dea (Celtic), Kilbane (Huddersfield Town), Wilson (Stoke City), Gibson (Manchester Utd), Whelan (Stoke City), Green (Derby County), Lawrence (Portsmouth), McCarthy (Wigan), McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Treacy (Preston North End), Andrews (Blackburn), Fahey (Birmingham City), Duff (Fulham), Keane (West Ham), Walters (Stoke City), Doyle (Wolves), Long (Reading), Best (Newcastle), Keogh (Bristol City).
ENGLAND Under-21 squad: Frankie Fielding (Derby County - loan from Blackburn Rovers), Scott Loach (Watford), Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town), Alex McCarthy (Reading); Nathan Baker (Aston Villa), Joe Bennett (Middlesbrough), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Bristol City - loan from Tottenham), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Ben Mee (Leicester City - loan from Manchester City), Kyle Naughton (Leicester City - loan from Tottenham), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), James Tomkins (West Ham United), Kyle Walker (Aston Villa - loan from Tottenham); Marc Albrighton (Aston Villa), Jack Cork (Burnley - loan from Chelsea), Tom Cleverley (Wigan Athletic - loan from Man Utd), Mark Davies (Bolton Wanderers), Jordan Henderson (Sunderland), Henri Lansbury (Norwich City - loan from Arsenal), Josh McEachran (Chelsea), Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers), Jack Rodwell (Everton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Scott Sinclair (Swansea City); Nathan Delfouneso (Burnley - loan from Aston Villa), Gary Hooper (Celtic), Daniel Sturridge (Bolton Wanderers - loan from Chelsea), Danny Welbeck (Sunderland - loan from Man Utd), Connor Wickham (Ipswich Town).
Everton FC manager David Moyes seeks strategy talks with board
By Greg O'Keeffe
Mar 15 2011
David Moyes eyeing sixth spot for the BluesDAVID Moyes wants talks with Everton’s board this summer to decide whether their strategy is "workable". The Blues boss wants to ascertain how financial restraints will effect his hopes of strengthening a squad that has largely underwhelmed this season. Moyes knows that without plans for a new stadium and a new owner, he will have limited funds. And Moyes says he will have to assess whether the board’s vision is one he can make work, as he also faces the task of staving off growing interest in rising midfield star Jack Rodwell, and tying Marouane Fellaini to a new contract. The Scot, who celebrated nine years in charge at Goodison Park today, said: "At the end of the season, it’s important we find a route to go forward. "The chairman and the people on the board will listen to my views and they’ll need to tell me what the strategy is for the club. "I will see if what they are talking about is workable." Moyes is determined to keep hold of Rodwell despite mounting reported interest from Manchester United and Manchester City, but concedes he may have to sell. Reports over the weekend claimed United had already agreed a £25m deal in principle to sign the England Under-21 star, but Moyes will strongly resist a deal. He cited Wayne Rooney’s exit from Goodison Park in 2004 as an example, intimating he would have liked to retain the home-grown youngster at the club. He said: "I am reluctant (to sell Rodwell) because I'm trying to build a football team not dismantle one. "I just couldn't imagine Liverpool really wanting to sell one of their own, Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, too easily.
"They have always done everything to keep them. It is the same with me. I wanted to keep Wayne. I also want to keep Jack. "I am reluctant to sell my best players. "I don't see that as being good for any manager, but I also understand that there may be financial situations which might mean that has to be the case."
Everton FC latest: Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman earn international recognition
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 15 2011
JACK RODWELL will hope for better fortune after earning another call-up to the England under-21 squad. Rodwell is among the 31-man squad named by U21s coach Stuart Pearce ahead of the country’s friendly double header against Denmark and Iceland later this month. The 20-year-old’s most recent international involvement was abruptly cut short when he suffered a groin injury early in the first half of February’s defeat in Italy. It sidelined Rodwell for almost three weeks, with David Moyes keeping his fingers crossed the midfielder emerges unscathed ahead of the Premier League run-in. Pearce has challenged his squad to impress him as he starts thinking about the group that he wishes to take to this summer’s UEFA U21 Championships. “There are one or two fresh faces but in the main the majority of the players are well known to us and have been involved in the qualifying for the tournament,” said Pearce. “Now’s the time for all of the players to impress in the minds of the coaching staff that they want to be the ones stepping on to the plane. At the end of this meet-up I need to be able to make some final decisions about my squad - and I will. “Both of the teams we’ll face will be in the Championships in June so there can be no better warm-up opportunity for us and there will be no underestimating anyone on our part, and I expect the opposition will be thinking much the same about us.” Seamus Coleman, meanwhile, could reach another landmark this season should he receive his first taste of competitive action for the Republic of Ireland. Coleman has been included by Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni in a 29-strong party to face Macedonia in their Euro 2012 qualifier on March 26, with the Irish also having a friendly against Uruguay three days later.
The Everton man made his first senior appearance for his country in last month’s 3-0 win over Wales at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, which will also host the two forthcoming internationals. Trapattoni said: “Macedonia is a big match for us in our aim to qualify for Euro 2012. “Playing at home in the Aviva Stadium is important and we will be keen to build on our recent home performance against Wales.
“Three days later we will take on Uruguay who have announced a full-strength squad to come to Dublin, including (Diego) Forlan and (Luis) Suarez. This will be a very good challenge for our players, particularly after Uruguay's strong performance in South Africa last summer.”
ACADEMY FOOTBALL: Six of the best keeps Everton under-18s ahead of the rest
by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 15 2011
LEADERS Everton under-18s scored a superb 6-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the Group C table in the FA Academy Premier League. Goals from Anton Forrester (2), John Lundstram, Hallam Hope, Adam Thomas and Danny Murphy secured the stunning victory.
With second and third-placed Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers both drawing, Everton now have a healthy cushion on their nearest challengers. On Saturday coach Neil Dewsnip was delighted with side’s performance. The only down was losing Jake Bidwell midway through the first half with a nasty head injury. But after that is was all positive. Forrester opened up the scoring after being set up by Luke Dobie. It was soon 2-0 when Lundstram fired in following a quick break with Ryan Higgins supplying the ball for the midfielder. Manchester-born striker Hope scored Everton’s third just after the break. Then substitute Thomas raced through on goal to fire in the fourth. Forrester scored his second and Everton’s fifth, rounding the keeper to slot home. Murphy completing the rout when he headed in from Tom Donegan's free-kick. Dewsnip was naturally delighted and he said: “How often do you score six away from home? A fantastic effort from the lads, we were excellent.” Everton will carry on their title pursuit this Saturday at Middlesbrough (kick-off 11am).
With a six-point lead, Everton are in a healthy position and neighbours Liverpool could prove to be the chief rivals. Liverpool, in fourth, didn’t play due to their involvement in the FA Youth Cup. They are 10 points behind, although they do have four games in hand. And there could possibly be a Mersey shoot-out to finish top of Group C. But Everton are in pole position. Dewsnip said: “We will keep going. It would be great for both clubs and the city if we were both going for it. We have a small squad and with players playing in the reserves, we will be challenged in that way..”
EVERTON UNDER-18s: Fitzgibbon, Higgins, Murphy, Hammar, Bidwell, Orenuga, Donegan, Grant, Dobie (Johns 60), Hope, Forrester. Subs: Long, Roberts, Dyer, Thomas.
Mark Lawrenson: Why Everton FC should be on cloud nine having David Moyes
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 15 2011
DAVID MOYES celebrates his ninth anniversary as Everton manager today with his future once again dominating the headlines. In an interview last week, Goodison owner Bill Kenwright suggested he would not stand in Moyes’s way should Manchester United come knocking when they eventually look to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. Those comments have caused quite a stir among Everton supporters, but my reading of them is straightforward. Kenwright clearly understands the restrictions that are being placed on the manager in terms of transfer funds, and sympathises with him. But the chairman is also being realistic in believing that, right now, Everton simply cannot afford to compete with those clubs with far greater financial clout. Kenwright knows it is difficult. He knows that he is lucky to have a manager with the patience and ambition of Moyes, as well as the understanding of the financial situation. What’s worrying for many fans, though, is that Kenwright is talking of Manchester United just as it appears the Old Trafford side are preparing a summer move for Jack Rodwell. Rooney has already made that switch, and while Moyes does not want to lose the youngster, basic economics indicate he might not have much choice in the matter. This speculation over players is something that has crept into the game over the past few decades.
When I was playing, it just never happened. Nowadays, managers get asked questions all the time about whether they would be interested in a certain player, whereas in the past it was an unwritten rule you never spoke about an opposing player. But in the days of 24-hour rolling sports news channels, the airtime needs to be filled somehow. Football business itself has changed dramatically. The move of Rooney set the precedent, Joleon Lescott followed and Tottenham Hotspur wanted to take Phil Neville as well as Steven Pienaar. Clubs with more money will always be interested in your players if they improve their team, and that is not going to change until Everton get more investment. Moyes has done a really good job in his nine years. He’s all different manner of constraints for much of his reign, but the proof of his transfer acumen is that the majority of players he has bought have improved under his leadership. Some supporters might not be happy with his cautious nature, but I’d tell them to be careful what they wish for. They probably wouldn’t have wished for a 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham City last week, nor the injury to Mikel Arteta.
It’s why when, you look at the signings Moyes has made, many of them are versatile players. They’ve had to be. He cannot have the benefit of specialists in many positions, as Everton cannot afford it.
Therein lies the story. All around the country, almost everyone says what a good manager Moyes is. But his problem is he wouldn’t get into one of the top five clubs as they are all being well looked after. Moyes must feel it’s brick wall time. He will probably have never entertained managing another club, but now maybe he is. However, no-one can doubt his commitment to Everton. His desire to be a success at Goodison remains as strong as it did back on March 15 2002.
Everton FC chase Bolton Wanderers striker target
By Pat McGatt.
Tue 15 Mar 2011 13:00, Lancashire Click
Everton FC chase Bolton Wanderers striker target According to reports Bolton Wanderers target Nils Petersen is interesting Everton FC. The People claims Toffees boss David Moyes is considering making a move for the marksman. Petersen has also been linked with Bolton Wanderers in the past. The 22-year-old former youth international plays for second division side FC Energie Cottbus.
The player is reportedly available for around £3 million
Moyes set for summer strategy talks with Everton chiefs
15/03/11 DailyMirror
Everton manager David Moyes will hold talks with the club's board this summer to ascertain whether their strategy is "workable". Moyes has been working on a smaller budget than many of his Barclays Premier League counterparts over recent years and chairman Bill Kenwright has made no secret of his desire to attract fresh investment to take the club forward. But with no deal imminent, Moyes will continue to operate under the same constraints while also attempting to stave off growing interest in rising midfield star Jack Rodwell. Moyes, who will celebrate nine years in charge at Goodison Park this weekend, said: "At the end of the season, it's important we find a route to go forward. "The chairman and the people on the board will listen to my views and they'll need to tell me what the strategy is for the club. "I will see if what they are talking about is workable."
“Embarrassed” David Moyes still has the hunger to succeed at Everton FC
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 16 2011
0ShareIT was the image that set alarm bells ringing among even the most optimistic of Evertonians. As their team slumped to a dreadful 2-0 reverse at Bolton Wanderers last month, the camera panned to a disbelieving David Moyes in the visiting dugout. Disappointed, disillusioned and seemingly beyond despair, the Goodison manager was sat slumped in his seat, the weight of carrying a misfiring, underachieving side hanging heavily on his shoulders. That, though, was only a momentary reflection and not an indication of Moyes having ran out of patience. Yes, he admits there was a “real dullness” inside him when reflecting on a season in which even Sir Alex Ferguson had expected a top-four challenge from Everton. But although also “embarrassed” by some of the insipid performances posted by his team during recent months, the Scot’s motivation and desire to be a success at Goodison remain as strong as ever. “It annoys me that my enthusiasm has become a talking point,” says Moyes. “If I sit down for a minute or look fed up for a second too much is read into it. “You react to situations. That’s the job, isn’t it? I think my inner drive and ambition to succeed haven’t waned or changed. “I have been embarrassed at times that my team haven’t done as well as they should. I take the responsibility for that. At times, I thought, ‘Surely we can’t play as badly as that’. “I hope our training is varied enough. I’m conscious that I’m the one who has to come every day and make sure the players are alive. “That’s why I admire people in the job for so long. Has Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger’s voice been heard too much? Or are they just really good managers? “I could quite easily go to Arsene and Alex and ask how they do it. Both are very competitive, but they also want to help younger managers.” It seems slightly contrary that the third-longest serving manager in the Premier League – his nine years and one day at Goodison are surpassed only by Ferguson and Wenger – still regards himself among the younger members of his profession. But of the other 19 top-flight managers, only five – Mark Hughes, Steve Kean, Roberto Martinez, Owen Coyle and Roberto Mancini – are younger than Moyes, who is 48 next month. During his time at Goodison, Everton have qualified for Europe four times and also reached an FA Cup final, while earlier this season he became fourth man – after Ferguson, Wenger and Harry Redknapp – to clock up 500 Premier League points. Moyes has also won the LMA Manager of the Year award three times and has earned eight Manager of the Month awards, a figure bettered only by Ferguson and Wenger. However, his hopes of winning silverware for Everton have been continually hampered by the ongoing financial restraints imposed by the club’s board. Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has long maintained the club needs fresh investment and would happily stand aside should it transpire. The lack of such investors, though, has been of great concern to supporters who contend Kenwright is overly reticent to give up control at Goodison. But Moyes insists there no firm bids have been tabled for Everton. “I don’t find it strange because I understand the situation,” he said. “If someone had come in to buy Everton and Bill Kenwright is asking for too much money that would undoubtedly have been leaked to the press. “Look at the names linked with other clubs? It isn’t the case at Everton because it hasn’t happened. “The chairman tells me everything that is going on. There have been one or two enquiries but nobody has ever come in and said, ‘Here you go, there’s a deal, let’s do it’.”
Blue Watch: Everton's inability to break down stubborn defences still irks
by Gary Porter, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 16 2011
0ShareMUCH OF the pre-match talk inside Goodison on last Wednesday night centred round which Everton were likely to show up. Away victories over Chelsea and Newcastle following shambolic showings against Bolton and Reading have epitomised the erratic nature of a frustrating season. But the Blues are in danger of becoming predictable, as the draw with Birmingham proved. In fairness this wasn’t the woeful Everton that had slumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of Championship opposition, but it was an all too familiar display from the Blues. Our inability to overcome struggling sides who put 10 men behind the ball and challenge us to try and break them down provides painful viewing. The sight of Mikel Arteta, who had returned to his magical best last weekend, limping off after just seven minutes didn’t help matters. But let’s be honest, even when we’ve had the Spaniard playing alongside the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar prior to his January exit, the outcome has been the same when we’ve faced teams content on parking the bus. There were some positives to salvage from the game though. Heitinga’s stunning strike at least earned us a deserved share of the spoils after the defence had performed their usual disappearing act to gift the visitors the lead. Leon Osman often comes in for some unwarranted stick from the stands but he probed gallantly all night in a bid to breach the Birmingham rearguard, and it was his sheer determination to retrieve a lost cause that won the corner resulting in Heitinga’s equaliser. In recent weeks, Seamus Coleman has hit a dip in form having made a real impact this season with his direct style and fearless attitude but he was back to his menacing best. When he gets on the ball and charges enthusiastically at the full back he can single-handedly lift the crowd. The only thing he was lacking, tellingly, was an end product. Which brings us back to where we started. If David Moyes remains serious about a late surge for the top six – I suspect he was merely trying to put a brave face on a campaign that appears to be all but over – then we’re going to have to find a way of breaking sides down at Goodison and fast. In all likelihood we’re destined for mid-table mediocrity this term, but we do have a run of games coming up, prior to the trip to Old Trafford, that are winnable on paper. That doesn’t mean much when you’re Everton I know, but like Moyes maybe I’m also trying to convince myself that we can somehow breathe life into a season that has simply failed to get going.
David Moyes says Everton FC are not overpriced
Liverpool Echo
Mar 16 2011
DAVID Moyes insists Bill Kenwright is not pricing Everton out of a takeover. The Blues boss denied that the chairman’s valuation for the club is deterring potential new owners, and claimed he is kept well-informed about the hunt for a billionaire custodian. Speaking after the anniversary of his ninth year in charge at Goodison Park, the three time Premier League manager of the year, said: “I don’t find it strange because I understand the situation. “If someone had come in to buy Everton and Bill Kenwright is asking for too much money that would undoubtedly have been leaked to the press. “Look at the names linked with other clubs? It isn’t the case at Everton because it hasn’t happened. “The chairman tells me everything that is going on. There have been one or two enquiries but nobody has ever come in and said, ‘Here you go, there’s a deal, let’s do it’.” Moyes believes his side’s disappointing form this season is a result of the club finally being unable to defy it’s tight finances with performances on the pitch.” But the Scot, who faces a struggle to retain the services of coveted midfielders Jack Rodwell and Marouane Fellaini this summer, admits he wants post-season talks with the club’s board to examine their strategy for progress, and ability to find fresh funds to strengthen his team. He said: “At the end of the season, it’s important we find a route to go forward. The chairman and the people on the board will listen to my views and they’ll need to tell me what the strategy is for the club. “I will see if what they are talking about is workable. “At the moment I’m thinking, ‘What solutions are there for Everton?’ “If I was a fresh manager coming into Everton today, I have the ideas I think can help us. “We’ve had stability here. I don’t think we’ve put ourselves financially in jeopardy and we’ve not put ourselves in jeopardy at the bottom of the league. “This year is the first year where maybe we don’t look as strong in both departments and the team on the pitch have not covered things up.”
Everton FC's David Moyes annoyed when his enthusiasm is questioned
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 16 2011
IT WAS the eve of Valentine’s Day – but there was very little heart on display as Everton floundered to a 2-0 defeat at Bolton last month. Although subsequent lows – that FA Cup exit, courtesy of Reading, superceded the slump at the Reebok – there was a sense that Everton’s season was in trouble. Just when recent history has showed that David Moyes’ men embark on a scintillating New Year finish to their campaign, they looked punch-drunk and listless. The TV cameras, desperate for a shot to hang their coverage on, zoomed into an image of Moyes, seemingly crest-fallen and fading in his appetite for the slog. Yet the Toffees’ manager, who accepts the season’s faltering progress has galled him, is incensed at the notion of his hunger ever dimming. “It annoys me that my enthusiasm has become a talking point,” he says. “If I sit down for a minute or look fed up for a second too much is read into it. “You react to situations. That’s the job, isn’t it? I think my inner drive and ambition to succeed haven’t waned or changed.” The Scot has little time also for the suggestion that his players have become too familiar with his methods, after those famously intense means have led the club to the Champions League qualifiers, consistent European football and an FA Cup final. “I hope our training is varied enough,” he says. “I’m conscious that I’m the one who has to come every day and make sure the players are alive. That’s why I admire people in the job for so long. “Has Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger’s voice been heard too much? Or are they just really good managers? “I could quite easily go to Arsene and Alex and ask how they do it. Both are very competitive, but they also want to help younger managers.” Moyes, who yesterday passed the nine year mark in charge at Goodison, knows he could well face Ferguson’s competitive spirit in the summer as a potential tug-of-war begins over Jack Rodwell, but maintains he does not want to sell the young star. Equally he is loathe to lose Marouane Fellaini, who he will hope to secure on a new deal after the season concludes, although he accepts that realism could force his hand on Rodwell at least. “I am reluctant because I’m trying to build a football team not dismantle one,” said Moyes. “Torres wanted to leave, Liverpool held out for the best price and reinvested the money. “I just couldn’t imagine Liverpool really wanting to sell one of their own, Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, too easily. “They have always done everything to keep them. It is the same with me, I wanted to keep Wayne. I also want to keep Jack.”
Young Everton defender Shane Duffy in Ireland under-21 squad
Liverpool Echo Mar 16 2011
EVERTON defender Shane Duffy has been named in a 17-man Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for next Friday’s friendly clash with Portugal in Agueda. Under-21s boss Noel King has also handed first call-ups to Coventry keeper Michael Quirke and Preston midfielder Adam Barton. There is a place too for Arsenal midfielder Conor Henderson, who was handed a senior debut for the Gunners in their FA Cup fifth round replay with Leyton Orient earlier this last month. King said: “This friendly against Portugal is a key element to our preparation for the European Champion- ships, which begin on September 1 at home to Hungary in Sligo. “We have made a number of changes to the squad, purely to look at as many of our players as possible ahead of the campaign. “While we would like to bring every player into the squad, it is not possible and just because there are a number of key players not included in this group, it does not mean we are not still looking at them. “Portugal are a talented side and include players such as Manchester United star Bebe, and their recent 3-1 victory over Sweden proves that they will be a big test for us. “After the Portugal match, we have one remaining friendly against in August, which means that we will have to take every available opportunity to fine-tune our preparation.” SQUAD: Ian McLoughlin (Stockport), Michael Quirke (Coventry), Richie Towell (Hibernian), Shane Duffy (Everton), Gavin Gunning (Motherwell), Shane O’Connor (Ipswich), Rob Kiernan (Wycombe), Damian McCrory (Dagenham & Redbridge), Adam Barton (Preston), Mark Connolly (Bolton), Conor Henderson (Arsenal), Jamie Devitt (Hull), Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace), Conor Clifford (Chelsea), James Collins (Shrewsbury), Joe Mason (Plymouth), Paddy Madden (Carlisle).
Everton FC latest: Hands off my best players, blasts David Moyes
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 16 2011
DAVID MOYES admits he is reluctant to cash in on any of Everton’s most prized assets to help finance his summer transfer moves. But the Goodison manager acknowledges the Premier League’s leading clubs are hovering around the likes of Jack Rodwell and Marouane Fellaini. Rodwell was a £20million target for Manchester United last year until the 20-year-old signed a new five-year deal at Everton.
Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to return with another offer for Rodwell when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season, while fellow midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been a long-term interest of Chelsea. And while Moyes accepts Everton’s fiscal position leaves them vulnerable to big-money offers, he will fight tooth and nail to prevent any major departures. “I am reluctant to sell my best players,” said the Goodison manager. “I don’t see that as being good for any manager, but I also understand that there may be financial situations which might mean that has to be the case.” Neighbours Liverpool have shown with the sale of Fernando Torres in January that the departure of a key player can kickstart a squad rebuilding programme. But Moyes said: “I am reluctant (to sell top players) because I’m trying to build a football team not dismantle one. Torres wanted to leave, Liverpool held out for the best price and reinvested the money. “I just couldn’t imagine Liverpool really wanting to sell one of their own, Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, too easily. “They have always done everything to keep them. It is the same with me, I wanted to keep Wayne (Rooney). I also want to keep Jack.” Moyes will hold discussions with chairman Bill Kenwright and the Everton board in the coming months to ascertain plans for summer. But the Goodison manager is confident the club remains on a sound footing even if results this season have not been as good as had been expected. “At the end of the season, it’s important we find a route to go forward,” said Moyes.
“The chairman and the people on the board will listen to my views and they’ll need to tell me what the strategy is for the club. “I will see if what they are talking about is workable.” Moyes added: “At the moment I’m thinking, ‘What solutions are there for Everton?’. If I was a fresh manager coming into Everton today, I have the ideas I think can help us. “We’ve had stability here. I don’t think we’ve put ourselves financially in jeopardy and we’ve not put ourselves in jeopardy at the bottom of the league. “This year is the first year where maybe we don’t look as strong in both departments and the team on the pitch have not covered things up.”
DAVID MOYES: I WON’T BE CHEATED ON JACK RODWELL
17th March 2011 By Paul Brown
Daily Mirror
DAVID MOYES last night warned Manchester United to forget about landing Jack Rodwell on the cheap. Starsport understands United are close to agreeing a £25m deal for Jack Rodwell, who came through Everton’s youth system. David Moyes wants top price for the England Under-21 international and likened his situation to that of Fernando Torres at Liverpool. The Everton boss said: “I am reluctant to sell Rodwell because I’m trying to build a football team, not dismantle one. I just couldn’t imagine Liverpool really wanting to sell one of their own, Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, too easily. “They have always done everything to keep them. “It is the same with me. I wanted to keep Wayne Rooney. I also want to keep Jack. “Torres wanted to leave, Liverpool held out for the best price and reinvested the money. “I am reluctant to sell my best players. I don’t see that as being good for any manager. “But I also understand that there may be financial situations which might mean that has to be the case.” Rodwell signed a five-year contract in the summer but his sale could generate much-needed transfer funds at Goodison Park. Moyes, who celebrated nine years in charge of Everton this week, will hold talks with the board this summer over the future of the club. He said: “At the end of the season, it’s important we find a route to go forward. “The chairman and the people on the board will listen to my views and they’ll need to tell me what the strategy is for the club. “I will see if what they are talking about is workable.”
Everton FC jury: Blues fans give their views
Mar 17 2011
I, like many other Evertonians, have written off this season and I’m looking ahead to the 2011/12 season. No cup runs, no Europe to aim for and I think we’ll be fine relegation-wise. What is a worry though, is that this summer does not look as though its going to offer up very much – in terms of transfers coming in anyway. There is a worry that Arsenal, Chelsea and Utd will sniff around Jagielka, Fellaini and Rodwell again and with not much to offer our star players, I am worried that we can’t fend them off any longer. But I’m tired of ‘Blues’ whining about how Kenwright should go. To be replaced by who? Its not as thought they’re battering the doors down to invest! The fact is, nobody wants to invest. Too many rumours and ‘well I heard...’ stories doing the rounds as per usual.
Carl Arnold, Kirkby
What has been a consistent feature with Everton this season is their inconsistency. But more worrying is the extended injury list, specifically of key players when in terms of points the Toffees are still close to the relegation zone. In the remaining games Everton must show the same attacking impetus as per the Newcastle game, but in doing so they need to use the whole width of the pitch and hold the ball up better in the final attacking third. One way to achieve this as per the Lpool Echo’s column a few weeks ago,"the defensive dilemma",the Toffees could realistically install a 3-5-2 formation with Heitinga as sweeper with Coleman/Baines as wing backs, releasing Osman to his more favoured central role. Furthermore Liverpool have used this tactic to good effect in certain games.The return of Yakubu from Leicester would improve Everton’s hold up play, as this aspect of his game is more adept than Saha and Beckford. A top ten finish is a very realistic goal, but top six will be a target too far.
David, Aintree
If I had a manager of David Moyes’ ability, I would be moving heaven and earth to keep him, not inviting the likes of Manchester United to come in and make an offer.
R Tandy, Netherley
If we lose Rodwell and Fellaini in the summer, and with players like Cahill and Neville a year older, then where are we heading? We were almost at the point of really breaking through again when we got to the cup final etc, but unless the board get their act together we could just end up being happy with mid-table again. Next season is important, but this summer is massive for us, it could be a turning point either way.
Ringo1
I think David Moyes is right to seek talks and develop some sort of strategy that reflects the position the club is in. Despite some good results and performances this season, perhaps the expectations and hype at the start were never going to be lived up to – this is actually a pretty average season and not the disaster it’s being portrayed as. The well documented lack of a cutting edge has led to too many draws at home and a lot of teams now have a viable game plan to deal with the way we play.
There is a need for a rethink but keep it in perspective.
Miketheblue
Mikel Arteta’s injury is the perfect opportunity for Jose Baxter to step forward. Give the boy a chance with a full game in his proper position.
Devondave
Five young-guns who can help revitalise Everton FC’s season
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 17 2011
AN INFUSION of young blood could yet revitalise Everton’s ailing season. David Moyes has a proven track record for giving youth a chance and with his side’s hopes of top six football receding he could freshen-up his team selection by turning to his crop of emerging talents. The Blues boss, along with academy chief Ray Hall and reserves coaches Andy Holden and Alan Stubbs, has overseen the development of an impressive group of talented youngsters at Finch Farm. And while Moyes will still treat each remaining Premier League game as must-win, an injury ravaged first team squad could see some of those players promoted to the fringe of the first team. Moyes has already handed a spot on the bench to Ross Barkley, Shane Duffy, Jose Baxter and Magaye Gueye this season and all four – along with January signing Apostolos Vellios – could get further chances to shine before the season ends.
SHANE DUFFY
Age: 19
Position: Central defender
AT 6ft 3ins, Duffy (right) would be a commanding presence at the heart of any defence and the Derry-born teenager has been rewarded for his maturing displays for Alan Stubbs’ reserve side with recent places on the first team bench. This week he won his first Republic of Ireland U-21 call-up, to cap a satisfying year since a brush with death 12 months ago when he suffered a horrific freak injury that required life-saving surgery on his first link up with Ireland’s youth set-up. Strong in the tackle and dependable in the air, Shane is considered a ball-playing defender who actually made his senior Blues debut as a replacement for Sylvain Distin during a 1-0 win against AEK Athens in Greece last season. He then made his full home debut in December’s 1-0 defeat to BATE Borisov. The overall feeling in the Blue camp is that Duffy would let nobody down if called to replace either Phil Jagielka or Sylvain Distin.
MAGAYE GUEYE
Age: 20
Position: Winger/Forward
Gueye joined Everton last summer on a five-year deal from Strasbourg for £750,000, and showed flashes of his exciting ability on pre-season tour in Australia. The France Under-21 star scored his first goal in a Blue shirt in the 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar, and has featured on the first team bench a number of times this season, after Moyes called him his “secret weapon”. Capable of crossing accurately on his left foot, he already has two assists to his name against Huddersfield in the Carling Cup and Scunthorpe in the FA Cup. Gueye could yet be handed a chance to shine in the absence of Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar. First he must prove to David Moyes that he is up to the rigorous physical demands of the Premier League and understands the defensive responsibilities of a wide man in the top flight.
ROSS BARKLEY
Age: 17
Position: Midfield/defence
Still recovering from a double leg break suffered on duty for England’s U-17 side, Barkley (right) is considered one of the hottest home-grown Premier League prospects. Finch Farm coaches have not ruled Barkley out of returning to training before the season ends, which would be a remarkable achieve- ment given his injury only occurred in October. The versatile box to box midfielder is unlikely to be fit enough to play for the senior team during the remainder of this campaign, but seeing him back in training would provide a boost to Moyes – who faces a struggle to hold onto Jack Rodwell this summer. Barkley is viewed by many as the successor to Rodwell and the cream of the academy crop.
JOSE BAXTER
Age: 19
Position: Midfield/attack
Once Everton’s youngest ever player, aged just 16 and 191 days, Baxter (above) has made it onto the pitch a few times for the first team this season, after becoming a regular name on Moyes’ substitute bench. The Bootle-born attacker has been with Everton since he was a six-year-old and Moyes showed his belief in his abilities by preferring not to loan him out over the new year as injuries depleted his senior squad. It is easy to forget Baxter is still developing, but he looks set for further deserved opportunities to show what he can do.
APOSTOLOS VELLIOS
Age: 19
Position: striker
The Greek 6ft 3in hit-man has already scored twice for Everton’s reserves since signing from Iraklis in January for £750,000. He has already notched seven goals for his country’s U-21 side, and that eye for goal has already impressed coaches at Finch Farm. Wanted by Bologna, AEK Athens and Olympiakos, the Blues had to move quickly to get their man in the last transfer window, and the 19-year-old has linked-up well with Gueye for the second string. His height and athleticism could offer Moyes another option should he decided to experiment during the run-in.
Louis Saha’s injury misfortune has prevented Everton FC breaking into top four says John Collins
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 17 2011
Louis Saha celebrates against BlackpoolLOUIS SAHA’S injury misfortune has cost Everton a top four spot this season, according to former Blue John Collins. The ex Scotland midfielder, who spent two years at Goodison Park, believes that a lack of goals from the talented Frenchman has been the reason his former club have struggled to live up to expectations during this campaign. Collins played with Saha at Fulham, Everton’s opponents on Saturday, and rates him as a complete centre forward.
A succession of injuries in the first half of the season affected Saha’s form, before he started to find the net regularly in the new year. But then injury struck again, with the 32-year-old missing most of February after scoring four against Blackpool. Collins said: “He is so unlucky, and it has been a real shame for Everton because I do believe if he had stayed fit he would have scored the goals that would have taken them up to challenging the top group of four or five teams. It is a shame for the club, as they have not had that goalscorer who can turn those draws into victories.” “It is nothing to do with Louis’ professionalism – he has just been so unlucky. “He looks after his body and does all the right things, he has just had rotten luck. I was fortunate to have played with him at Fulham and I had phone calls from Manchester United asking me about Louis and I couldn’t speak highly enough of him. “Louis is skilful, good in the air, can hold it up and can get away and finish, but in football you need to be fit to prove to people that you can do it on the pitch.” Collins believes Saturday’s clash with Mark Hughes’ side will be close despite the Toffees 100% home record in the Premier League against the Cottagers. “I think it will be a tough game for Everton,” he added. “Fulham’s away form has not been good for a number of years, but they have got some good players.
“Bobby Zamora is coming back from injury and I think it will be a very close game. Fulham will come and have a go, I don’t think they will play for a 0-0. I think it will be a good game to watch for the fans and a full house I am sure. “The fans will get behind Everton who need the three points to kick on but every team needs the three points at this stage of the season, all the games are six-pointers.
“I remember when I was at Fulham we won at Craven Cottage but lost at Goodison so obviously the home team has an advantage, the home crowd are pushing you on and it does make a big difference. “The crowd at Goodison gives you energy and that is what Everton will need. “I think one or two of the fans are a little bit frustrated but that is when the real supporters have to stick with the team that is when the players need them.”
A St Patrick's XI: Liverpool FC and Everton FC stars from the Emerald Isle
Dan Kay
Mar 17 2011
IN honour of St Patrick's Day, here's an Irish XI of footballers who have graced Anfield and Goodison down the years
Goalkeeper
Elisha Scott, LFC 1912-1934
Belfast-born Scott signed for Liverpool from Linfield as a 17-year-old after Everton decided that he was too young for them and went on to be regarded as one of the finest ever Anfield keepers.
He was a major part of the back-to-back Championship winning teams of 1922 and 1923, missing just 3 games of the first title and none in the second. Despite losing some of his career to the First World War, Scott played 468 times for Liverpool and enjoyed a legendary rivalry with record-breaking Everton striker Dixie Dean - one tale regarding their friendship that has gone down in folklore is when the two passed each other in the street one day and Dean nodded hello, only to see Scott dive down onto the floor as if to save an imaginary header!
Defenders
Seamus Coleman, EFC 2009 to date
Coleman joined Everton from Sligo Rovers for a bargain £60,000 and has gone on to become one of the shining lights in the Blues squad since. After making his debut in a Europa League tie at Benfica, his first Goodison appearance saw him play an influential part in helping Everton gain a point from two goals down against Spurs in December 2009 and, after a successful loan spell at Blackpool in the spring of 2010, Coleman has become a regular in the Everton team this season, initially at right-back and more recently marauding down the flank in a right-midfield role. He made his full Republic of Ireland debut against Wales in February 2011.
Mark Lawrenson, LFC 1981-88
Although born in Preston, Lawrenson qualified for the Republic of Ireland due to his mother having been born in Waterford and won 39 caps for his adopted country. He arrived at Anfield for a club record £900,000 from Brighton in 1981 and went on to form one of the best defensive partnerships Anfield has ever seen with Alan Hansen, scoring 18 goals in 356 appearances for the club and winning five league championship, one European Cup, one FA Cup and three League Cup medals.
Richard Dunne, EFC 1996-2000
Having come through the ranks at Home Farm, Tallaght-born Dunne joined Everton as a 15-year-old schoolboy and was part of the successful 1996 FA Youth Cup squad along with Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman. He made his debut under caretaker manager Dave Watson in the Goodison derby of April 1997 and was briefly the youngest Everton player to appear in a derby until Michael Ball came on as a sub in the same game. Dunne made 60 appearances for the Blues before joining Manchester City for £3m in October 2000, making his full Republic of Ireland debut against Greece earlier that year.
Steve Staunton, LFC 1986-91 and 98-00
Staunton was signed for Liverpool from his hometown club of Dundalk for £20,000 in September 1986 and made his debut against Spurs two years later. His versatility saw him played in a variety of roles across defence and midfield - he even scored a hat-trick in a League Cup tie against Wigan in 1989 - but after picking up league and FA Cup winners medals, he was sold to Aston Villa by Graeme Souness in September 1991. After playing over 200 games for the Midlanders, Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier brought him back to Anfield in the summer of 1998 where he played another 44 games over two seasons, memorably going in goal and making a fine save from Nick Barmby after Sander Westerveld had been sent off in the Anfield derby of September 1999, before moving back to Villa.
Staunton made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland against Tunisia in 1988 and went on to become the first Irishman to win 100 caps for his country, representing them in the World Cups of 1994 and 2002 - he also had a brief spell managing the Republic in 2006/07.
MIDFIELDERS
Steve Heighway, LFC 1970-81
Although he grew up in England, Heighway was born in Dublin and signed for Liverpool in 1970 while completing a degree in economics at the University of Warwick. A flying winger with an eye for goal, Heighway became a fixture in the all-conquering Reds side of the 1970s, scoring 76 goals in 475 appearances and picking up five League title, three European Cup, two UEFA Cup and one FA Cup winners medals whilst winning 32 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Peter Farrell, EFC 1946-57
Dalkey-born Farrell joined Everton at the same time as fellow Irishman Tommy Eglington and both went on to enjoy distinguished Goodison careers. Farrell was club captain when the Blues last suffered relegation in 1951 but vowed to get the club back to the top flight and was as good as his word, helping secure promotion three years later - in the words of the inimitable Dave Hickson, "there was never a bigger Evertonian". He played over 450 games for the club, scoring 18 goals, before joining Tranmere Rovers in 1957. He also represented Ireland, in their various guises of the era, 35 times times.
Ronnie Whelan, LFC 1979-94
Dublin-born Whelan signed in at Anfield in 1979 and, after serving his apprenticeship in the reserves before making his debut two years later, went on to become one of the unsung heros of the Liverpool side of the 1980s. He had a nack of scoring vital goals - baggng crucial strikes in successive League Cup final victories in1982 and 1983 - as well as possessing a steely but assured touch in midfield. He captained the side to the 1989 FA Cup final victory - also picking up a winners medal in 1986 whilst missing through injury the 1992 final his late semi-final equaliser against Portsmouth helped to secure Liverpool's place in - along with six League title, one European Cup and three League Cup gongs. He finished with 73 goals in 493 games for the club, picking up 53 caps for his country and scoring a famous goal against Russia in the 1988 European Championships
Kevin Sheedy, EFC 1982-92
Sheedy actually began his Merseyside football career with Liverpool, making nine appearances between 1978 and 1982 after joining from Hereford United, but having crossed Stanley Park for £100,000, he went on to become a legendary figure in the Everton side of the mid-late 1980s.
His cultured left-foot and dead-ball expertise made him a potent weapon in Howard Kendall's side which picked up two league titles and the European Cup Winners Cup, Sheedy himself scoring the clinching goal against Rapid Vienna in the Rotterdam final of 1985. He totalled 97 goals in 357 games in Royal Blue and, although born in Wales, won 46 caps for the Republic of Ireland by virtue of his father having been born in County Clare.
Billy Bingham, EFC 1961-63
Belfast-born Bingham arrived at Everton from Luton Town in 1961 and played his part in Harry Catterick's first title-winning side of 1962-63, scoring 26 goals in 98 appearances during his two-year career at Goodison. He returned to Everton as manager between 1973 and 1977 and also managed Northern Ireland, for whom he won 56 caps, between 1980 and 1993, leading them to a famous World Cup win over hosts Spain in 1982 and also qualifying for the 1986 finals in Mexico.
John Aldridge, LFC 1987-89
Although born in Garston, Aldridge qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland thanks to Irish relatives and, after taking 20 matches to score his first international goal, scored 19 goals in 69 games for his adopted country. A lifelong Kopite, he arrived at Anfield aged 28 following a goal-laden career in the lower leagues with Newport County and Oxford United and immediately transferred his scoring prowess to the top flight, racking up 63 goals in just 104 games for the club, winning a League title and FA Cup winners medal in the process. After scoring 40 goals in 75 appearances for Real Sociedad on leaving Anfield, he joined Tranmere Rovers and added another 174 goals (in 287 games) to his goalscoring ledger, before going on to manage the Birkenhead club to a series of Cup giant-killing exploits.
Pre-match preview: Everton FC v Fulham
Mar 17 2011
To be played at Goodison Park on Saturday 19 March 2010 at Goodison Park, kick off 5.30pm
Everton's last five games
March 9: Premier League: Everton 1 Birmingham 1
March 5: Premier League: Newcastle 1 Everton 2
March 1: FA Cup - Everton 0 Reading 1
Feb 26: Premier League - Everton 2 Sunderland 0
Feb 19: FA Cup - Chelsea 1 Everton 1
Fulham's last five games
March 5: Premier League: Fulham 3 Blackburn 2
Feb 27: Premier League: Man City 1 Fulham 1
Feb 20: FA Cup: Fulham 0 Bolton 1
Feb 14: Premier League: Fulham 0 Chelsea 0
Feb 5: Premier League: Aston Villa 2 Fulham 2
Previous meetings
P 52 W 22 D 12 L 18 F 76 A 56
Selected matches
25 April 2010 - Everton 2 Fulham 1
Mikel Arteta kept Everton's slim hopes of European qualification alive with converting a late, late penalty to give David Moyes' side all three points. Fulham were inbetween two legs of a Europa League semi-final against Hamburg and were outplayed for much of the first half by Everton but took the lead on the stoke of half-time when Erik Nevland capitalised on a rare error from Leighton Baines to slot home. The Blues levelled soon after the break when substitute Victor Anichebe pressured Chris Smalling into putting through his own goal following a cross by Mikel Arteta and Everton's second half pressure paid off in the end with Phil Dowd adjudged Chris Baird's challenge on Tim Vahill to be illegal giving Arteta the chance to win it from the spot.
16 March 2002 - Everton 2 Fulham 1
David Moyes' first game in charge of Everton saw the Blues hold on to three vital points after playing more than an hour with ten men. The new manager's reign was barely half a minute old when David Unsworth rocketed a shot beyond Edwin van der Sar and the Scotsman, brought in from Preston North End to replace fellow countryman Walter Smith after an abject FA Cup exit at Middlesbrough, was looking at a dream debut when Duncan Ferguson doubled the Blues' lead after only 12 minutes. Thomas Gravesen however picked up two yellow cards from referee Graham Barber and was dismissed before the half hour mark and when Steed Malbranque pulled a goal back shortly after half time, the tension was cranked up for 34,639 present at Goodison. Stout defending backed up by passionate support from the stands saw the Blues home though to secure a vital three points in the battle against relegation.
11 May 1963 - Everton 4 Fulham 1
Everton FC 1962-63 Roy Vernon and Ron Yeats shake hands before the start of the derby at Goodison Park in September 1962 The big freeze in 1963, which Harry Catterick took advantage of the sign Tony Kay and Alex 'Chico' Scott Roy Vernon of Everton rounds the Fulham keeper Macedo to score Everton's first goal in the title decider Everton FC players Brian Labone, Tony Kay, Alex 'Chico' Scott and Jimmy Gabriel celebrate after beating Fulham in 1963 to win the league Everton went into their final game of the season knowing a victory would seal the club's first league championship since 1939. In front of more than 60,000 fans, the Blues dominated Fulham from the first whistle. Roy Vernon netted twice with Scott scoring another inside 28 minutes to make Fulham's reply immaterial. Vernon went on to complete his hat-trick after half time. Writing in the Liverpool Echo, Michael Charters wondered if there had been an occasion to match it. "Old timers say there has been nothing like it since Dixie Dean broke the goalscoring record in 1928 in the last match of the season on the same pitch. "It was a privilage to be at the historic ground again, this time to see Everton win the championship. If the Pier Head pidgeons were disturbed by the noise I would not be surprised." He added: "It was one big, happy family - the sort of feeling one gets but rarely and only sport can provide on these great occasions. One felt there was a mutual feeling of appreciation between the players and supporters. "On one side, the satisfaction of a hard job well done and finished with a flourish; on the other, genuine acknowledgement of the team's performances over a long, hard grind of 42 tough matches."
Current Fulham striker Andy Johnson scored 22 goals in 64 games for Everton between 2006 and 2008 - his finest moment came in the Goodison derby of September 2006 when his two goals helped the Blues to the biggest win against Liverpool for 42 years
Quick quiz
1 Who scored his first goal for Everton with a late winner against Fulham at Goodison in November 2008?
2 Who scored a hat-trick for the Blues in the previous season's Goodison fixture?
3 Name the veteran Blues defender who scored in Everton's 4-1 win over Fulham on Good Friday 2007?
4 Which Scottish international joined Fulham from Everton in 2000?
5 Who Blues legend scored on his Everton debut against Fulham in August 1966?
Ones to watch
Everton
Phil Neville should be available following the hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s home draw with Birmingham and Louis Saha will also be hoping to figure against his former team. John Heitinga scored his first goal for the club in the last game against Birmingham and will be hoping for a strong finish to the season while Victor Anichebe has been a robust presence coming from the substitutes bench in recent games.
Fulham
Bobby Zamora, whose goalscoring exploits last season put him on the verge of the England team, is back to full fitness now and scored Fulham's winner in their last match against Blackburn from the penalty spot. His link up with ex-Everton striker Andy Johnson will keep the Blues defence on their toes. Breda Hangelaand is rated as one of the defenders in the Premier League outside one of the supposed top clubs with Gael Kakuta, whose signing for Chelsea caused much controversy a couple of years ago, is currently loan at the Cottagers is a forward with much promise.
Latest betting odds
Everton – EVS
Draw - 9/4
Fulham - 10/3
Quiz answers
1 Louis Saha, 2 Yakubu, 3 Alan Stubbs, 4 John Collins, 5 Alan Ball
Everton FC hope to have skipper Phil Neville back for Fulham test
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 17 2011
EVERTON are hopeful Phil Neville will return to bolster their charge for a top-six finish this weekend.
Neville sat out the home draw against Birmingham City last Wednesday after suffering a hamstring strain during the win at Newcastle United four days earlier. The Goodison skipper has since undergone treatment at Finch Farm to prevent any long-term absence. And now David Moyes will target Neville being available for Saturday’s visit of Fulham where victory could move Everton up to seventh place and two points behind neighbours Liverpool. Fulham have never won a league match at Goodison with Everton boasting a 100% home record against the Cottagers during the Premier League era. And Tony Hibbert, who could again deputise for Neville at right-back should the skipper not recover in time, believes Moyes’s men can take heart from that record. “It should be a good game,” said Hibbert. “It probably does help a bit when you know you have a good record against a team. “It gives you that added confidence but we all know nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League. “We need a result – we need to kick on now. “ We have been saying it for a while and I am tired of saying it and hearing it. “It won’t be easy as they are getting players back and will have a good team out.” Everton could come up against a former player in Andy Johnson, who has returned to the Fulham line-up in recent times after a long battle with injury. “AJ is back fit again and that is good to see,” added Hibbert. “He is a great lad to be with and the pace he has is frightening.
“He is sharp and can finish as well so we will have to be wary of him.” Meanwhile, Shane Duffy has been called-up to the Republic of Ireland’s under-21 squad for their forthcoming match against Portugal. Duffy has been named in manager Noel King’s 17-man squad for the friendly fixture in Agueda, which takes place next Friday, March 25.
Everton v Fulham
By Jacob Murtagh
Mar 17 2011 The Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicles
BOBBY Zamora will have to settle for a place on the bench for Saturday's trip to Goodison Park.
The England striker was a super-sub in the last-gasp win against Blackburn Rovers a fortnight ago, but isn't ready to play 90 minutes yet according to boss Mark Hughes. Dickson Etuhu returned to training today and should be available after shaking off a hamstring problem, but Steve Sidwell (knee) is still out. Philippe Senderos is set to return to full training next week after suffering stiffness in his hamstring.
HULL CITY: Everton youngster joins Tigers on loan
March 17, 2011 Hull and East Riding
HULL City manager Nigel Pearson has this afternoon confirmed the capture of Everton midfielder Hope Akpan on loan. The 19-year-old central midfielder is regarded as one of the Toffee's most promising stars by coaching staff at Goodison Park. Although he has joined the club today, he will not be considered for the Tigers' clash with Norwich on Saturday. Pearson said: "We're going to have a look at him between now and the end of the season."
Everton Ladies lose 3-1 to Duisberg in UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg
by Paul Snowdon, Liverpool Echo
Mar 18 2011
EVERTON Ladies’ hopes of making the final four in the UEFA Women’s Champions League was dealt a big blow last night.Mo Marley’s side fell to a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Duisberg at the Stobart Stadium Halton.After a goalless opening period, the German visitors took the lead through a strike from Kozue Ando seven minutes into the second-half.Alexandra Popp then added a second just before the hour, but a Natasha Dowie goal brought the Ladies back into the tie barely 60 seconds later.However, Popp then netted her second five minutes later to give her side a 3-1 advantage ahead of next week’s second-leg.
Howard Kendall: Phil Neville is setting the example as usual for Everton FC
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 18 2011
EVERTON have too many professional, committed players to not approach each game until now and the end of the season at anything less than 100 per cent.There is always the fear when you’re a coach and a target, like the top six, starts to look unlikely that your team will find excuses not to push themselves.But you only have to look at Phil Neville and how desperate he is to get back from his hamstring injury to see that’s far from the case at Everton.As usual the skipper is setting the example that the rest of the players must follow, and if he returns for the Fulham game as predicted it will be a welcome boost to David Moyes’ hopes of three points.Until it’s mathematically impossible Everton must carry on striving, like they would if it was a relegation scenario.It will be good to see Andrew Johnson back at Goodison Park when the Cottagers arrive on Saturday.He never lacked effort and will be well received by the Everton fans, but the Blues’ back four will have to watch out for his pace and habit of winning penalties. They might not have had one in the league themselves this season, but spot-kicks are always a concern with AJ’s pace.
Howard Kendall: My fears that Everton FC could become a selling club
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 18 2011
WHEN I was in management I would send my scouts to watch teams who I saw as selling clubs.You’d always hope that clubs which didn’t have a lot of money would be likely to sell their better players, so naturally you’d try and take advantage of the situation. That’s just the way it works. So it was with a heavy heart that I have read the growing speculation regarding Jack Rodwell, a player everyone knows I am a huge fan of, who is now being linked with everyone from Manchester United and Chelsea, to Manchester City and even Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. Of course the majority of the headlines lately have centred around Alex Ferguson’s interest and there have even been one or two reports suggesting a deal has already been thrashed out. I’m not sure that’s the case by any means, but nevertheless it’s worrying.You get the impression rivals are sizing Everton up and thinking they will have to sell a couple of players this summer. There are some clubs who you just know won’t part with their better players, and they have the financial luxury to offer them better deals and get them signed up – but Everton might not find that easy.Let’s hope the financial situation changes and the club can avoid being perceived as a club with top players who can have their heads turned by the likes of United.But that in itself is difficult.Wayne Rooney and Joleon Lescott asked to leave – they weren’t necessarily sold.Either way the ramifications for the fans of losing Rodwell and maybe Marouane Fellaini would be significant.
David Unsworth on how Everton FC boss David Moyes changed his football outlook nine years ago
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 18 2011
David Unsworth celebrates scoring in David Moyes's first gameNINE years have passed, but David Unsworth remembers the first time he met David Moyes like it was yesterday.The defender wasn’t just meeting his new gaffer, but the custodian of the club he had supported since childhood.And, he insists, from that first meeting on a chilly morning at Everton’s former Bellefield training ground, he was never the same.Unsworth, now a coach himself at Preston North End, is a fervent Moyes disciple – and says he knew from that initial session that the Toffees had landed themselves a priceless leader.Fate has aligned some neat symmetry for Moyes’s ninth anniversary. Tomorrow’s opponents Fulham were his first, and Unsworth recalls that winning start vividly.“He came in on a Friday before the Fulham game and as we were walking over to the training pitch the whole session had been set up and planned out in front of us,” says the popular ex-player.“David knew a lot about Fulham because they’d recently been promoted and he managed Preston against them in the Championship.“He knew about their players in such detail, and was so prepared. That session was fantastic. We came away with a spring in our step.“He had a strict game plan and we had a brilliant session and afterwards in the changing room we were all saying ‘Wow, this guy knows his stuff.’“We didn’t know a lot about him but he made a quick impression.”The man known as Rhino to team-mates and fans scored the first goal of Moyes’ reign 30 seconds into that game, and believes the Scot’s tutelage helped him improve rapidly.“The game took care of itself after that,” he says. “I remember him coming onto the pitch and the crowd almost took the roof off the stadium. The club was obviously ready for a change of manager, and he came to give them something to shout about.“I became more of an attacking left-back under him. I got forward more often because he loved his full-backs to attack and it was something he always wanted me to do.“He expects his players to conform to a strict game plan and that’s quite right – we are still talking about him nine years after he first walked into the place so he is doing something very right.”Unsworth admits that Moyes is an intense boss who expects his players to replicate his ultra-dedicated approach.“He does put high demands on players,” he says. “I don't think any Everton player under David would say he has been allowed to do what he wants in training.“He’s a workaholic and puts everything into it, so he expects the same from his players.“Every training session, every weights session over the years I was there, he always ensured you did your best.“There were no easy days. It’s a fantastic drive that I have tried to take into my own coaching career.“I had the privilege of working with Alan Irvine at Preston too and he kept the same thing going.”Unsworth believes Moyes has earned respect due to his no-nonsense, competitive outlook, but his ex-boss has a rarely seen lighter side.“People don’t see the relationships he has around the club, or with his players,” he says. “But I have never heard of a player who worked under him that didn’t enjoy his time.“Yes, he makes you work hard but so he should. You are a professional footballer. The days of turning up for a game of five-a-side at training, then off to the pub after lunch are long gone.“The fans and the media see the end product at 3pm on a match day. It’s big business, serious stuff.“We can’t all be Ian Holloway, but we had some good times and great laughs.”The England international reckons Moyes has more than just nationality in common with Alex Ferguson. “He is a respected manager now. He has been given time to build an aura, in the same way Sir Alex Ferguson has done at Manchester United,” he says.“If you let him down or you’re below par, you accept being dropped or any other punishment.“When David comes into the changing room everyone sits up and takes notice. He comes onto the training pitch and the training level goes up by 20 per cent because the manager is there.”Unsworth has tried to incorporate some of the Scot’s methods into his own flourishing career.“I love the way he works,” he says. “I used to jot stuff down that David did all the time when I was a player. I’d ask him why we’d be doing things in a certain way.“He is out every single night of the week watching games and constantly planning. That’s something I’ve tried to do as well. He doesn’t stand still. He is forever learning as a coach.“You always hope that good people and good managers get the chance for longevity, especially at a club you love.“I hoped he would get the time he deserved to succeed and nine years later he has done, and is still doing a fabulous job.“He has thrived under occasionally difficult circumstances, and under financial restraints that other clubs the same size haven’t got. For that he deserves all the accolades.”
Everton FC star Seamus Coleman hopes to prove he needs no further rest by helping the Blues overcome Fulham
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 18 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN is determined to show that he needs no further rest by shining against Fulham on Saturday. The Ireland international was rested by David Moyes for the Blues’ last two fixtures after starting 16 games in a row.And although the 22-year-old took his manager’s decision in his stride, he has been working extra hard in training to ensure it was a brief spell out of action.He said: “I played a lot of games and the manager decided to take me out and I have no complaints about that. Hopefully I have worked hard in training and convinced him to put me back in. I’ll always remember my first start and that was against Fulham, playing right midfield, I have been lucky and played a lot of games since then. “I remember the manager telling me I was starting and that was a great feeling. I was a bit nervous because playing for Everton in the Premier League is a big thing and hopefully I can go on and play a lot more games for the club.”Coleman eschewed St Patrick’s Day celebrations yesterday to focus on preparation for Saturday evening’s clash with the Cottagers.He said: “Growing up, St Patrick’s Day was great and I would always go to the parades and events like that.“It is a big Irish thing and I think over here in Liverpool they make a big deal of it. I think it is a big thing for anyone who has any sort of Irish blood in them.” Coleman was actually pitched back into action 10 minutes into the match against Birmingham at Goodison following an injury to Mikel Arteta. And he has his fingers crossed that he will be there from the start to play against his boyhood hero Damien Duff. The Fulham winger has won 84 caps for the Republic of Ireland, and stood out for Coleman as a youngster. “When I was a kid, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane were the players me and my friends looked up to,” he said. “The 2002 World Cup was fantastic, they were superb and had a great tournament.“He (Duff) is a top player and seems to be close to his best. He has been a good player for Fulham this season, scoring goals and he will be a threat.”Meanwhile, 19-year-old midfielder Hope Akpan has joined Hull City on loan until the end of the season.The Championship club have an option to sign the academy schooled player on a permanent deal in the summer.Tigers boss Nigel Pearson said: “We do have options to make the deal permanent. It’ll be a good addition to the squad.”Akpan is a product of the Toffees’ youth system, and has made one appearance for the Everton first team, as a sub in the Europa League tie against BATE Borisov in December 2009.
David Moyes says Jack Rodwell £25million Man United deal rumours are 'rubbish'
By Greg O'Keeffe
Mar 18 2011
Moyes today rubbished rumours that Manchester United have already agreed a £25m summer deal for Jack Rodwell. The Everton boss branded reports that the 20-year-old midfielder will make the switch to Old Trafford after the season ends as "rubbish."Moyes also denied that Everton's tight finances make them vulnerable to big-money bids for their best players in the summer, insisting Rodwell only signed a five-year-deal last year.He said: "We are not vulnerable. I have heard the stories about Jack and they are a load of rubbish. "We have a great working relationship with Manchester United. The chairman has a relationship with David Gill and I have with Sir Alex. "To say that a deal is already done for Jack is completely untrue and I don't know where those stories have come from."
Everton midfielder Seamus Coleman ready to fight for his place as he warns of Fulham’s Irish threat
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 18 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN is determined to win back his starting role for Everton tomorrow – as he warned of the Irish threat from Fulham.Having started 16 games in a row, Coleman was rested to the bench for the victory at Newcastle United and the home draw against Birmingham City earlier this month.
Coleman, though, was pressed back into action just nine minutes into the Midlanders’ visit following an injury to Mikel Arteta.With the Spaniard out for a month with a hamstring tear, Marouane Fellaini missing for the rest of the season, Tim Cahill having been absent for three weeks with a foot problem and Phil Neville nursing his own hamstring concern, Everton manager David Moyes is running short of midfielders. And that should open the way for Coleman to return to the starting line-up against the team he made his full Premier League debut against at Craven Cottage in September. “I played a lot of games and the manager decided to take me out and I have no complaints about that,” said Coleman. “Hopefully I have worked hard in training and convinced him to put me back in. I’ll always remember my first start and that was against Fulham, playing right midfield, I have been lucky and played a lot of games since then. “I remember the manager telling me I was starting and that was a great feeling. I was a bit nervous because playing for Everton in the Premier League is a big thing and hopefully I can go on and play a lot more games for the club.”
Coleman could find himself in direct opposition with international team-mate Damien Duff tomorrow, and the Everton man is wary of the threat posed by the winger. “When I was a kid, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane were the players me and my friends looked up to,” he added. “The 2002 World Cup was fantastic, they were superb and had a great tournament. He (Duff) is a top player and seems to be close to his best. He has been a good player for Fulham this season, scoring goals and he will be a threat.” Despite his injury, Cahill has been named in the Australia squad for their friendly in Germany on March 29 in Mönchengladbach with the 31-year-old expected to recover in time. Tim Howard has been named in the USA squad for friendlies against Argentina and Paraguay later this month, while goalkeeper Iain Turner – currently out on loan to Preston North End – has been named in the Scotland squad to face Brazil at the Emirates Stadium on March 27. Meanwhile, npower Championship side Hull City have signed Everton’s reserve midfielder Hope Akpan on loan until the end of the season, with an option to sign the 19-year-old on a permanent deal in the summer. “We do have options to make the deal permanent should we feel that it’s right,” said Hull manager Nigel Pearson. “We’ve got an agreement in place, and hopefully it’ll be a good addition to the squad.” Akpan has made one appearance for the Everton first team as a substitute in the Europa League tie against BATE Borisov in December 2009.
Everton FC Ladies lose 3-1 to Duisberg in UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg
by Paul Snowdon, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 18 2011
EVERTON Ladies have it all to do if they are to make the last four of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Mo Marley’s side fell to a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Duisberg at the Stobart Stadium, Halton last night. Alexandra Popp netted twice and Kozue Ando hit the other for the visitors. Natasha Dowie (pictured) scored Everton’s goal.
Royal Blue: Why Everton FC boss David Moyes could accept Jack Rodwell's sale for the right price
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011.
DAVID MOYES has made all the right noises about why he wants to keep hold of Jack Rodwell this summer. The Everton manager’s first piece of business after the end of last season was to ensure Rodwell signed a five-year-deal, even though Manchester United were rumoured to be willing to pay around £20m. Now with Alex Ferguson expected to rekindle his interest this summer, Moyes has set out his stance once again: 'I’m trying to build a team, not dismantle one. I am reluctant to sell my best players. “I don't see that as being good for any manager, but I also understand that there maybe financial situations which might mean that has to be the case.” Of course it is his remarkably frank conclusion that perhaps gives a truer insight into Everton’s position on the 20-year-old’s availability this summer. It does not take a linguistic expert to read between this particular set of lines. If stories of bids near the £25m mark materialise from fiction into fact, it would be more surprising if those suitors are rejected than accepted. Consider this season. Rodwell sparkled on pre-season tour in Australia, looking every inch the imminent star. It is a status that has been thrust on his broad shoulders since he first appeared for the Blues aged 16 against AZ in Alkmaar. It was set to be a pivotal campaign for the England U-21 midfielder, one in which he sealed his place in Everton’s first team and showed the world he is far more than just potential and platitudes. Unfortunately, a bad foot injury against Aston Villa before August was even over was not the most welcome of starts. That niggly bit of misfortune cast a shadow over the first half of the season for Rodwell, and even when he started to regain fitness his route back into the first team was blocked by the considerable frame of Marouane Fellaini. With the Belgian playing the best football of his career, and Tim Cahill ticking over in the goal-scoring charts as the fifth man in midfield, the bench seemed Rodwell’s way into Premier League action in the short-term. An unusual situation for a young player lauded as a future England international, coveted by United, Manchester City, Chelsea and, if you believe a few frantic Sunday newspaper reports, even Real Madrid. But Rodwell’s lack of first team opportunities – until Fellaini’s season ending ankle nightmare – hints at one of the reasons why Moyes may sanction a sale. Although his ability is undisputed, Rodwell is not an automatic selection for the Toffees, and he has struggled to make a sustained impact on games even in his recent spell of starts albeit displaying his immaculate feet, touch and composure on the ball. Moyes knows, however, that he is unlikely to have a fearsome transfer war-chest this summer, as he plots how to resurrect a squad that some fear has gone stale. He also realises, that while his board are unlikely to force him into a sale – Wayne Rooney and Joleon Lescott both wanted to go and forced moves which were accepted for considerable fees – he is likely to have to sell to buy. He knows one more thing with complete certainty. Everton badly needed a striker with the potential to score 20 plus goals a season last summer, and they need one more than ever this time around. Players like that don't come cheap. £25m would possibly find him a hit-man capable of exploiting the creative powers of Mikel Arteta and another midfielder creator to complement the Spaniard and compensate for the loss of Steven Pienaar, which Everton are obviously still feeling. There’s one final thing £25m could help with. That amount of money could enable Moyes to put together the right sort of lavish deal that could convince Marouane Fellaini, his father, and his agent, that his future should remain on Merseyside even if he craves the Champions League. It’s why David Moyes made that caveat in his otherwise bullish rebuttal of the Rodwell rumours. He knows, deep down, that he may still have to shake the youngster’s hand in farewell. Tony Hibbert looks forward to seeing old pal Andy Johnson again HE MIGHT have struggled with a few too many injuries during his Goodison career, but Andy Johnson’s searing pace up front would still be a useful asset to the current Everton side. Fit again AJ is likely to line up in the Fulham side that visits Walton today, and Tony Hibbert will be glad to see his old pal again. “AJ is back fit again and that is good to see,” said Hibbert. “He is a great lad to be with and the pace he has is frightening. He is sharp and can finish as well so we will have to be wary of him. “He was a great lad when he was here, a good pro, and it was just one of those things that he moved on. “He has had a bad injury but is back now so hopefully for him he can stay fit and get a good run of football. “It should be a good game. It probably does help a bit when you know you have a good record against a team.“It gives you that added confidence but we all know nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League. “We need a result – we need to kick on now. We have been saying it for a while and I am tired of saying it and hearing it. It won’t be easy as they are getting players back and will have a good team out. “Mark Hughes was here when I was here and I trained with him. He has gone on to be a good manager at a number of clubs.” Moyes has no time for a Cheltenham flutter DAVID MOYES might have bought a stake in a race horse, Desert Cry, recently – but the Everton boss has been too busy planning his side’s Premier League revival to have a flutter on the Cheltenham festival. If he had though, a cursory glance at the race card showed a few coincidence bets he may have fancied. There was ‘Final Approach’, to mirror his side’s key nine remaining games, ‘Premier Dane’ as a nod to the Denmark star Tommy Gravesen who was sent off in his first ever game as Everton boss against Fulham, or even ‘Get Me Out of Here’ which could have summed up his mood after the FA Cup exit to Reading.
Barry Horne: Nine years on and David Moyes is still an Everton FC success
Mar 19 2011
I WAS at David Moyes’ first game as Everton manager nine years ago, when David Unsworth scored one of his few goals from open play within seconds of the kick-off to give the new manager a dream start. Nine years later they play Fulham again – once again with nine matches of the season remaining – in a game which will hopefully see a typically strong finish to what has been a very, very frustrating season. After nine years I still struggle to comprehend why some Evertonians have not unreservedly embraced Moyes and given full credit for what he has done. From a distance it is, perhaps, a surprise that such a long serving manager has not had tangible success in the form of a piece of silverware for the boardroom. But a great success he has undoubtedly been. Look at our final league positions and European qualifications, as well as an FA Cup final appearance – although I must concede that our cup performances have been tinged with disappointments – and you would have to say we have improved considerably. I have said on many occasions previously that Moyes’ greatest success, however, has been the management of the club in terms of the finances, and increasing beyond recognition the value of the playing squad. But for me, just as is important is the make up and demeanour of the players he has enlisted. Everton’s players do not roll around the pitch feigning injury, they do not get stretchered off then run back on seconds later and they do not harangue referees. They are players you would be proud to be associated with – proper blokes – and that comes from the manager. There is a received wisdom in football that you can ‘stay at a club for too long.’ But another old saying which has a ring of truth about it is that very often you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone. LIKE most sayings, the one that a leopard never changes its spots has an element of truth. El Hadji Diouf’s ‘persecution’ has followed him to Scotland where his presence in Old Firm derbies was always going to be a recipe for disaster. Similarly Mario Balotelli continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons and I’m not talking about his inability to put a bib on. Managers have to weigh up the pros and cons of taking on such mavericks and decide if the potential hassle is worth the returns on the pitch. Eric Cantona is a clear example of where it was, while the jury might be out on Craig Bellamy – but I think Roberto Mancini, on the evidence thus far, may regret his decision to take on a youngster who fell out so spectacularly with someone whose judgement should be always taken into account . . . Jose Mourinho. * ALEX FERGUSON has accepted a five-match touchline ban this week, while cleverly reiter- ating the accusations which got him into trouble in th first place! Sir Alex’s touchline ban is not such a big deal. He can be with the team before, after and at half-time, whereas a UEFA ban is far more problematical for a manager. Whatever you think of UEFA, they do get the job done. The Premier League has the same relationship with its sponsors and the same authority to protect the interests of its stakeholders as UEFA, yet Sir Alex still rides roughshod over the press without any censure. Why I was so thrilled to see Nani play against Marseille
I WAS delighted to see Nani take to the pitch clearly injury free against Marseille in midweek – not out of any particular interest in his well-being, but more because it gave me peace of mind. Having covered a cracking match at Anfield where he was injured I was doubted my own judgement afterwards at making a seriously wrong call on live television. Yes, Jamie Carragher’s challenge was badly timed and far from pretty, but my immediate thought was that Nani was well enough to jump up and chase the referee and try to persuade him into showing a red card. His fully fit appearance 10 days later suggests my initial reaction to question the severity of his injury wasn’t far wide of the mark.
Everton FC v Fulham: David Moyes on how he eradicated ‘survival was enough’ mind-set
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
Everton FC manager David Moyes enjoys a smileTWO years into his Everton reign David Moyes discovered an ugly truth about the team he had inherited. The Blues boss had already impressed upon supporters his agenda of dedication and hard work, but some of his squad it seemed had a mental blind spot when it came to maintaining their vigour once the club was safe from relegation. It was a mindset that likely caused Moyes to shudder. It was also an ingrained approach that the Everton boss believed cost his side a top 10 finish in that second season, when they ultimately slumped to 17th in the table. Moyes went on to bring in winners – men like Tim Cahill and Phil Neville – who he could mould in his image. Now the Scot is hoping both will be back today to ensure his current squad maintain the focus which has seen European qualification become the norm over recent years, even if it may not be on the agenda this time around. “We’re not alright yet that’s for sure,” he says. “I think for the group of players and their pride they have to show they are good players. You can’t just turn that on and off they have to show they can get as high up the league as they possibly can. “They are both two of the players who have been the distance with me and know what’s expected and what’s required. They are great to have back, both really influential players. “I don’t see any players going about here thinking this is done. I remember when I first took over here and I used to think Everton got themselves safe and that was it. That was my recollection of the early years. “I think one year we got about 40 points by Easter and we had six or seven games left and never won one in the last period. We finished up getting beaten by Man City. That made me think at that time that just avoiding relegation was in the mentality, that was enough. “It was one of the things I felt had to change, because avoiding relegation wasn’t good enough. If we had won four of those last half dozen games we could have finished in the top half of the league so we actually dropped from there down and ended up finishing 17th. “It’s something which I hope we’ve eradicated from the club.” Everton now have two forthcoming home game, against Fulham and Aston Villa, which Moyes believes will determine whether a glimmer of hope remains that they could finish in the top six. “I think the top six will be a really hard call for us but we’ve got two home games coming up,” he says. “Those games will probably decide whether we can make that. If we won both it would be possible, if not it will be really difficult.” Today’s game against Fulham mirrors Moyes’s first on Merseyside, a 2-0 victory over the same opponents. That was nine years ago this week, and the Blues boss admits the job has become more difficult because of the money now in the game but accepts he just has to find other ways of competing. “It has got more difficult but that is not the be-all and end-all,” he said. “My job is just to try to get a winning team on the Saturday and let other people worry about the money. “Most managers have to work in the realms of a tight budget. I would like the money but everyone would. “But I have had the chance to control the club, they have given me the opportunity to make decisions how I want to do things and many managers don’t get that. “I hope after nine years people would think there has been an improvement because we have not been able to do it with the support of an American billionaire or a sheikh.” But even though he is firmly entrenched at Everton Moyes admits he has had moments when still gets unsettled. “Most Saturday nights you lose you don’t know if you are ever going to get through to Sunday,” he joked.
Everton FC star Phil Jagielka signs a new four year deal with the Blues
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
PHIL JAGIELKA has provided Everton with a welcome boost by signing a new four-year-deal – as David Moyes insisted he will not be forced into selling Jack Rodwell this summer. The contract keeps England star Jagielka at Goodison until 2015, and will ward off any renewed interest in the 28-year-old from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. Jagielka is expected to retain his place at the heart of the Blues defence against Fulham this afternoon, and Moyes will be delighted to have secured his services on an improved deal as he slammed rumours that Rodwell has already agreed a summer exit to Manchester United. He said: “I don’t know where all the talk has come from that something has been done with Man United. "We have a great working relationship with Manchester United. "David Gill knows the chairman well and I know Sir Alex Ferguson well. “I can tell you that anyone who is writing that in the paper is writing untruths. "Whoever wrote that should come and see me. “I speak in a straightforward manner with journalists and whoever wrote that should come and tell me that is the case. If anybody wants to disprove me then they should do so. Nothing has happened and there has been no contact.” Jagielka’s new contract is effectively a lucrative one-year extension of his previous deal that was set to expire in 2014. “I am really pleased,” he said. “We had talks a while ago and I knew it would only be a case of getting it signed and sealed and you can tell by the smile on my face that I am absolutely delighted to commit my future to Everton. “I had a little while left on my last one but it is obviously nice to get a new one. "I can concentrate on the football and hopefully there are exciting times ahead for me and the Club.” Jagielka returned to the starting line-up after injury last month, and scored a penalty in the FA Cup shootout win over Chelsea. The defender, who arrived from Sheffield United in 2007, was the club’s player of the season in 2008/09 despite suffering a serious knee injury in the second part of the campaign. But he returned just over 12 months ago and was quickly back to his best, narrowly missing an England World Cup place, although he is set for another call-up this weekend. Moyes was also hoping for further good news today, in the form of captain Phil Neville and midfielder Tim Cahill passing late fitness tests. The pair both have a chance of returning to face Mark Hughes’s side, after Neville missed the last match against Birmingham with a hamstring injury while Cahill has not played since February 26 because of a foot problem.
Barry Horne: Maverick footballers who never change their spots
Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
LIKE most sayings, the one that a leopard never changes its spots has an element of truth. El Hadji Diouf’s ‘persecution’ has followed him to Scotland where his presence in Old Firm derbies was always going to be a recipe for disaster. Similarly Mario Balotelli continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons and I’m not talking about his inability to put a bib on. Managers have to weigh up the pros and cons of taking on such mavericks and decide if the potential hassle is worth the returns on the pitch. Eric Cantona is a clear example of where it was, while the jury might be out on Craig Bellamy – but I think Roberto Mancini, on the evidence thus far, may regret his decision to take on a youngster who fell out so spectacularly with someone whose judgement should be always taken into account . . . Jose Mourinho. l ALEX FERGUSON has accepted a five-match touchline ban this week, while cleverly reiter- ating the accusations which got him into trouble in th first place! Sir Alex’s touchline ban is not such a big deal. He can be with the team before, after and at half-time, whereas a UEFA ban is far more problematical for a manager. Whatever you think of UEFA, they do get the job done. The Premier League has the same relationship with its sponsors and the same authority to protect the interests of its stakeholders as UEFA, yet Sir Alex still rides roughshod over the press without any censure.
Everton FC boss has no time for a Cheltenham flutter
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
DAVID MOYES might have bought a stake in a race horse, Desert Cry, recently – but the Everton boss has been too busy planning his side’s Premier League revival to have a flutter on the Cheltenham festival. If he had though, a cursory glance at the race card showed a few coincidence bets he may have fancied. There was ‘Final Approach’, to mirror his side’s key nine remaining games, ‘Premier Dane’ as a nod to the Denmark star Tommy Gravesen who was sent off in his first ever game as Everton boss against Fulham, or even ‘Get Me Out of Here’ which could have summed up his mood after the FA Cup exit to Reading.
Everton FC defender Tony Hibbert looks forward to seeing old pal Andy Johnson again
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
HE MIGHT have struggled with a few too many injuries during his Goodison career, but Andy Johnson’s searing pace up front would still be a useful asset to the current Everton side.Fit again AJ is likely to line up in the Fulham side that visits Walton today, and Tony Hibbert will be glad to see his old pal again.“AJ is back fit again and that is good to see,” said Hibbert. “He is a great lad to be with and the pace he has is frightening. He is sharp and can finish as well so we will have to be wary of him.“He was a great lad when he was here, a good pro, and it was just one of those things that he moved on.“He has had a bad injury but is back now so hopefully for him he can stay fit and get a good run of football.“It should be a good game. It probably does help a bit when you know you have a good record against a team.“It gives you that added confidence but we all know nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League.“We need a result – we need to kick on now. We have been saying it for a while and I am tired of saying it and hearing it. It won’t be easy as they are getting players back and will have a good team out. “Mark Hughes was here when I was here and I trained with him. He has gone on to be a good manager at a number of clubs.”
Andy Johnson out to show former club Everton what they're missing
By Jacob Murtagh (Fulham Cronicles)
Mar 19 2011
ANDY Johnson is desperate to show Everton what they're missing tomorrow. So says Fulham boss Mark Hughes, as the Whites look for their first-ever Premier League point at Goodison Park.AJ made 70 appearances on Merseyside, scoring 15 goals, before a £10.5million move to Craven Cottage in 2008.And Hughes says the striker is fired up for the return to his old club.He said: "He's an ex-player and looking forward to going back."Players think about going back and want to show people they have moved on and improved."That's the attitude players will show."
EVERTON V FULHAM LIVE
ABOVE: Everton v Fulham 19th March 2011
The Daily Star
EVERTON captain Phil Neville (hamstring) and midfield man Tim Cahill (foot) have a chance of returning. Mikel Arteta (hamstring) is still missing while Marouane Fellaini has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Forward Victor Anichebe should be included in the squad. FULHAM’S Dickson Etuhu is a doubt with a hamstring strain, while the game comes too soon for Steve Sidwell (knee). Bobby Zamora will continue his comeback from the bench, but Philippe Senderos has suffered another Achilles setback.
Last season: Everton 2 Fulham 1. Top scorers: Tim Cahill (Everton) 9; Clint Dempsey (Fulham) 9. Referee: Michael Oliver.
EVERTON v FULHAM
BIG MATCH FACTS AND STATS
SportingPreview 19 March 2011
Everton have not had any players booked in six of their last eight Premier League games against Fulham and only one in the each of the other two.
• Everton have won their last 17 home league games against Fulham and all nine in the Premier League era.
• Fulham have won only one of their last 32 Premier League away games.
• Fulham have never won a league game at Goodison Park (D4, L18). They have lost on their last 17 trips, which is the longest ever top-flight run of one club losing at a particular ground. Their last point at Everton came in a goalless draw in September 1959.
• Fulham's last win on Merseyside was a 4-1 win at Tranmere in a second-tier match in March 2001.
• The home side in this fixture has won 17 of their 19 Premier League encounters - the only away win was Everton's 2-0 victory at Craven Cottage in May 2009.
• Everton have drawn 13 league matches this season - only Fulham (14) have had more.
• The Londoners have only lost one of their last nine Premier League matches, but that came on Merseyside against Liverpool.
• If the Premier League only counted the second half of games this season, Fulham would be fourth with 45 points.
• Fulham have conceded a league-low proportion of their goals in the second half of Premier League games this term (39%).
• The Toffees have won only one of eight league matches against London opposition this season (D5, L2). That victory was 2-1 at home against Tottenham in January.
• The last five goals scored by David Moyes's side have come in the first half of their matches. Four of them have been between the 30th and 40th minute.
• Everton have used 21 players this season - the fewest in the division.
• If selected, Louis Saha will be appearing in his 250th Premier League game.
• Mark Hughes has won only one of his last nine league matches against David Moyes - Manchester City's 2-1 win at Goodison Park in April 2009. In total, he has won two of his 11 Premier League matches against him, losing on four occasions.
• Fulham have won only one of their 14 matches against teams currently in the top half of the table - a 1-0 home win against Newcastle in February.
• The club have picked up 16 points from 10 league matches in 2011 - only Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have taken more points during this period.
• Damien Duff is one goal away from scoring 50 in the Premier League. He can become the third Irishman to reach this milestone after Robbie Keane (122 goals) and Niall Quinn (58).
Everton 2-1 Fulham
by Phil Kirkbride at Goodison Park, Liverpool Echo
Mar 19 2011
EVERTON moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after victory over Fulham Goals either side of half-time from Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha ensured the Blues marked David Moyes' ninth anniversary as manager in the way it started - with victory over the Craven Cottage side.
Clint Dempsey's excellently worked goal just past the hour mark changed the atmosphere around Goodison Park this evening but the home side did enough to hold onto their lead and climb to within two points of Liverpool in the standings. The 2-1 win - the same scoreline with which Moyes kicked off his Goodison reign - was Everton's third home win in four matches but they were made to work for it as Fulham showed second half spirit to keep hopes of grabbing a point alive. Everton's evening was soured somewhat when Saha was stretchered off with what appeared to be a shin injury; one causing him obvious pain. The game was fast living up to its billing as misplaced pass after misplaced pass conjured a particularly drab first half. Only the crunching tackles of Jack Rodwell and Phil Neville could rouse the supporters during the early exchanges. Louis Saha's on target header, cleared off the line by Carlos Salcidio, offered hope of improvements before Rodwell nodded Leighton Baines' corner on goal only for it to be comfortably saved by an otherwise untroubled Mark Schwarzer. However there was nothing the Fulham goalkeeper could do about the opening goal, forged by the a rare moment of skill to enliven the weary support. Jinking beyond Danny Murphy to engineer space in the area, Osman clipped a ball to the back post for the awaiting Coleman to nod home with accuracy. Fulham were determined to stick with their rigid formation but Everton's second goal left them chasing the game. Baines laid off free-kick won by Rodwell's surging run, and Saha lashed home through the wall and at least one pair of Fulham legs. Damien Duff stung the palms of home stopper Tim Howard in a rare effort on goal from Mark Hughes' side Hughes waited just under quarter of an hour before tinkering with his side's formation, bringing on Bobby Zamora to bolster his ailing attack. The former West Ham United forward gave Fulham the direction they had been lacking and allowed Duff to become a presence in the game for the first time. Unsurprisingly the pair combined to set up Dempsey to side foot beyond Howard from the edge of the area. Fulham had tipped the balance of the game as they dominated large spells of the second period as Everton became ragged. Fortunately the Blues' back four remained strong enough to repel the Londoner's advances and Phil Jagielka almost settled any lingering nerves in the 82nd minute when his header was cleared off the line by Salcido. Late substitute Jermaine Beckford wasted a fine chance when put in over the top, but with Osman waiting free in the area, the former Leeds man shot tamely at Schwarzer.
EVERTON (4-4-1-1) Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Neville (c), Rodwell (Bilyaletdinov 77), Osman, Cahill (Heitinga 68), Saha (Beckford 88). Not used: Mucha, Gueye, Anichebe, Baxter.
Goals: Coleman (38) Saha (48)
Cautions: Osman, Hibbert
FULHAM (4-4-2) Schwarzer, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird, Salcido, Duff (Kakuta 75), Murphy (c), Etuhu (Zamora 60), Dempsey, Johnson (Gudjohnson 84), Dembele. Not used: Srockdale, Kelly, Greening, Davies.
Goals: (Dempsey 62)
Att: 33, 239
Referee: Mr M Oliver
Clint Dempsey sets US scoring record in England
Buffalo News
March 19, 2011,
LONDON (AP) - Clint Dempsey became the first American to score 10 goals during a Premier League season, but could not prevent Fulham from losing 2-1 at Everton. Another U.S. player, midfielder Stuart Holden, sustained a deep knee gash during Bolton's 1-0 loss to first-place Manchester United on Saturday. Dempsey struck a powerful low shot from the edge of the penalty area, beating U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 62nd minute. Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha had earlier put Everton in front and the home team held on. Dempsey topped the American mark set by Brian McBride, who scored nine times for Fulham in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. Dempsey might no longer be joined by Holden next week in Cary, N.C.. The Americans will be preparing to play Argentina in an exhibition game March 26 in East Rutherford, N.J., and Paraguay three days later in Nashville, Tenn.
Saha strikes but Everton fail to sparkle
The Sunday Guardian
By Chris Brereton at Goodison Park
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Nine years and 418 games ago this week, Everton manager David Moyes opened his Goodison Park managerial career with a home victory over Fulham. Many things have changed in the intervening years but the sense of unpredictability and frustration that surely comes with following his side remains as potent as ever. "It's a dangerous result, 2-0," Moyes said after watching his side take that lead and then do their best to throw it away. "It was a good victory and we had to grind it out. We let them back into it a little from 2-0, I don't know if we came off the gas or if Fulham upped their game. Two goals up and cruising to 2-1 and hanging on. Everton love to make it difficult for their fans and no more so than in this encounter. Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha gave them a comfortable looking lead and all seemed well with the world. And then, from nowhere, Clint Dempsey halved the deficit and Everton became nervous, although they just about did enough to deserve it. Saha, a former Craven Cottage resident, looked bright and sharp from the off, Leon Osman probed on the peripheries while Coleman's burgeoning talent was also ably displayed. A Saha header was knocked off the line by Carlos Salcido but Everton finally broke Fulham's resistance before the interval as Coleman headed a superb Osman cross past Mark Schwarzer to calm the home fans' concerns. If that unsteadied Fulham, Everton's second four minutes after the restart threw their afternoon entirely off its axis. Or so it appeared. Saha fired a low free-kick from 25 yards that Fulham's defensive wall helpfully did its best to avoid and the effort left Schwarzer unsighted and helpless. That appeared to be that but Dempsey's beautifully-taken left-foot eff
Dempsey reacted quickest in front of an Everton defence that had slush in its veins but further chances were squandered – and Saha was carried off after a nasty looking fall. Again, some things never change. "We are disappointed really," Fulham manager Mark Hughes said.
Attendance: 33,239 Referee: Michael Oliver Man of the match: Coleman Match rating: 6/10
EVERTON 2 - FULHAM 1: LOUIS SAHA GIVES DAVID MOYES HIS PARTY GIFT
Sunday March 20,2011
The Sunday and Daily Express
IT took a while for David Moyes’ anniversary party to get going. But Louis Saha made sure that everything turned out all right in the end. Saha’s free-kick proved decisive as Moyes marked nine years in charge at Goodison Park with exactly the same result that began his reign in March 2002.
On that day, Saha was playing up front for Fulham as Everton’s manager enjoyed a 2-1 home win.
The years in between have been full of ups and downs for Moyes – with the highs including a couple of memorable European runs and an FA Cup final appearance. Things haven’t been quite so rosy this season, which has fizzled out thanks to an inability to finish teams off and injuries to key players.
Last night, after Seamus Coleman’s header had given Everton a half-time lead, Saha’s free-kick against his former club looked to have set up a comfortable win. But Clint Dempsey’s goal just past the hour mark made for a jittery finish. And it was a painful finish for Saha, stretchered off after falling awkwardly in a collision with Brede Hangeland. Moyes can ill-afford another injury, having already lost Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini to long-term setbacks. Moyes said: “Louis landed heavily on his ankle. We’ll get him X-rayed and see how he is. “We’re missing a lot of key players. We had to grind it out.” But the Everton manager was at least able to celebrate a victory which should end any lingering talk of relegation trouble. You can’t say the same for Fulham, who sit just three points above the relegation zone. Their manager Mark Hughes, linked with Bayern Munich in the week, could be forgiven for having envious thoughts of a move to Germany. He said: “We gave ourselves too much to do. We were too passive in the first half.” It was 24 minutes before there was so much as a shot on target, with a Saha effort blocked by Chris Baird. That was the prelude to a decent spell of Everton pressure, which culminated in their first goal. Leon Osman turned away from Danny Murphy on the left to create space for a cross, and Coleman escaped the attentions of Carlos Salcido to head in at the far post. Fulham, up to that point, had shown about as much life as the Michael Jackson statue that owner Mohamed Al Fayed wants to put up at Craven Cottage. They did, though, start to show signs of improvement in the closing stages of the half. Dempsey cut into the Everton area from the left, and might have equalised but for Phil Neville’s block. Hughes might have hoped his team would build on that in the second half. That hope was quickly extinguished. Dickson Etuhu fouled Jack Rodwell on the edge of the area and when Baines touched the ball short, Saha’s shot went straight through the wall – as Danny Murphy appeared to move – leaving Mark Schwarzer unsighted and helpless. Hughes brought on Bobby Zamora in an attempt to inject some life into his flailing side. And within a couple of minutes, it did the trick. The striker, back after five months out with a broken leg, laid off Damien Duff’s right-wing cross for Dempsey to drive in from the edge of the area. Fulham had plenty of pressure, but Tim Howard was largely untroubled. The visitors, who have now lost 18 successive league games at Goodison, didn’t spoil the party. Moyes will have been glad of that.
EVERTON 2 FULHAM 1
20th March 2011 By Gary Carter
Sunday Star
LOUIS SAHA finished off former club Fulham to ensure David Moyes had a happy ninth anniversary as Everton manager. But the gloss was taken off the celebrations when Louis Saha ended the match on a stretcher. And you have to fear for the Cottagers, who seemingly strolled through much of this match without a care in the world. The game may not have been a classic but Saha’s thunderous free-kick that wrapped up the points lit up Goodison Park. It looked like it was all over as soon as Seamus Coleman expertly headed Leon Osman’s cross past Mark Schwarzer on 35 minutes.
Fulham were awful – almost as bad as their record Yet they made sure the Everton fans bit their nails to the quick after Clint Dempsey pulled one back. If they had completed the turnaround though it would have been a travesty after the opening hour. They looked like a side in the ultimate comfort zone, not one just three points above the drop. Manager Mark Hughes this week distanced himself from the job at Bayern Munich – but admitted the link was ‘flattering’. If the interest is genuine it must be a no-brainer. Many more displays like this and there is every chance of them being sucked into the Championship. It was fitting that on the ninth anniversary of Moyes’ reign at Goodison Park that Everton faced Fulham – the side he started it all against with a 2-1 win. Undoubtedly, the club has moved forward but, just like then, the need for progression is clear.
Everton knew a win would take them to that supposed magical 40-point barrier. But there is still plenty to think about at Goodison Park – not least whether the investment that would allow Moyes to take them forward and challenge more regularly will be made available. And with Fulham coming to Merseyside on the back of 18 straight defeats at Goodison Park confidence was high.
You would not have known that both sides had something to play for from the opening 10 minutes though. Both defences should be given credit. Brede Hangeland looked immense and Chris Baird blocked Saha’s half-chance while Sylvain Distin was equally good. The first real effort came on 28 minutes, when Saha should have done better with a header from Leighton Baines’ corner.
He was relatively free four yards out but Carlos Salcido cleared with ease. If the Toffees’ attack was blunt, then Fulham’s was impotent. Hughes’ men did not appear too bothered though as they aimlessly passed the ball. Coleman’s header shattered their calm and meant they now had to come out and attack. But their quality up front was illustrated when Salcido fired in a superb cross and no striker got near it. Hughes looked a man who had just ripped into his side. After the terrible defending that allowed Saha Everton’s second, it was a wonder he did not explode. The Frenchman’s strike was excellent but the ball shouldn’t have gone through the wall after Jack Rodwell’s surging run was ended by Dickson Etuhu. Hughes threw on Bobby Zamora and he made an instant impact, laying off Damien Duff’s pass to Dempsey, whose left-foot shot arrowed into the corner. The happy ending was tarnished for Moyes and Everton though, as Saha was carried off.
Moyes said: “We let them get back into the game. We went two-nil up and I don’t know if we ran out of energy or whether Fulham upped their game but they got back in it. “When they got their goal it was tough but with the players we had out, we had to grind out a result.
EVERTON: Howard 6; Hibbert 7, Distin 8, Jagielka 6, Baines 7; Coleman 8, Neville 7, Rodwell 7 (Bilyaletdinov 77th), Osman 6; Cahill 6 (Heitinga (69th) 6), Saha 7 (Beckford 88th)
FULHAM: Schwarzer 7; Baird 6, Hangeland 7, Hughes 6, Salcido 7; Duff 6 (Kakuta 75th), Etuhu 5 (Zamora (60th) 7), Murphy 7, Dempsey 7; Dembele 6, Johnson 6 (Gudjohnsen 84th)
STAR MAN: Seamus Coleman Ref: M Oliver
Yanks Abroad: Dempsey Sets a Record; Holden Hurt
By JACK BELL
The New York Times
March 20 2011
Clint Dempsey, left, after scoring in Fulham’s 2-1 loss at Everton on Saturday.Perhaps it was the prospect of a statue of Michael Jackson that is soon to be erected outside Craven Cottage. Perhaps it was nothing of the sort. To a growing list of distinction during his career in the English Premier League, Clint Dempsey added one more Saturday in Liverpool. His goal during Fulham’s 2-1 loss to Everton makes him the first American to score 10 goals in perhaps the best soccer league in the world. To add a bit of spice to Dempsey’s afternoon, he scored the goal against a United States national team teammate, goalkeeper Tim Howard. Howard and Dempsey are now heading for Cary, N.C., where they will begin training with the national team for Saturday’s match against Lionel Messi and Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. A few days later, the team will be in Tennessee to play Paraguay in Nashville in another international friendly match.
Everton 2-1 Fulham: Familar story of the Blues
Mar 20 2011 by Andrew Collomosse, The People
DAVID MOYES celebrated nine years at the Goodison helm this week and guess who were Everton’s opponents on that March day back in 2002? That’s right, Fulham. And the scoreline when Moyes made his bow? You’ve guessed it ... 2-1 to Everton. So who says the fickle hand of fate does not play its part in football, even in the hard-nosed world of the Premier League? But, unfortunately for Moyes and the home fans, this was no champagne celebration party. Everton just did enough to creep past the finishing post against a determined Fulham side who have never won a league match at Goodison and have lost their last 18 games there on the bounce. A 35th-minute header by Seamus Coleman and a second from Fulham old boy Louis Saha four minutes after the restart appeared to put Everton in the comfort zone. But the 59th-minute introduction of frontman Bobby Zamora transformed the visitors and they pulled one back through the impressive Clint Dempsey two minutes later. It looked as if Fulham might finally end their miserable sequence. But Everton hung on to pass the magical 40 points mark and move into eighth place, leaving Fulham looking anxiously over their shoulders. Fulham boss Mark Hughes said: “Everton were pegging us back and we didn’t really have an outlet. But we were much more aggressive in the second half and created a number of chances that might have gone in on another day.” Moyes was happy to see a repeat of his first-match scoreline, saying: “It was a similar sort of game and 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline because in this league there’s never going to be an easy win. “I don’t know whether 40 points will be enough for safety but, hopefully, we’ll pick up a few more before the end of the season.”
Everton were the first to threaten after a lacklustre start. Leighton Baines, a constant threat on the left, crossed for Saha, who saw his 27th-minute header cleared off the line by Carlos Salcido.
Fault But eight minutes later Everton hit the jackpot when Baines found Leon Osman on the left and Coleman took advantage of sloppy marking to head in at the far post. The Fulham rearguard was again at fault after the interval when Baines slipped a 25-yard free-kick to Saha, whose shot flew through the defensive wall to give Mark Schwarzer no chance. But the floodgates did not open and the arrival of Zamora, watched by England boss Fabio Capello, for Dickson Etuhu sparked a Fulham revival that brought Dempsey’s goal two minutes later. Damien Duff’s cross was laid off by Zamora into Dempsey’s path and he drilled home a 20-yard shot.
Leighton Baines 'lined up for shock Everton to Liverpool transfer'
Sunday March 20 2011-03-20 The Metro
Leighton Baines is being targeted for a shock £10 million summer transfer to Liverpool, according to a report. Leighton Baines may make the short move to Liverpool (PA) It was thought Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish and director of football strategy Damien Comolli had settled on Newcastle United's Jose Enrique as their preferred choice, but it now seems they will be looking a bit closer to home.
According to the News of the World, their new target is Everton's Leighton Baines. The 26-year-old England international has impressed with his attacking play and set-pieces this term, and has been credited with 11 assists in the Premier League. Dalglish and Comolli are said to believe Baines can plug the gap defensively and also provide the crosses needed to get the best out of £35 million striker Andy Carroll. Everton would be reluctant to sell one of their best players to their local rivals for fear of a backlash from fans, but the club's financial position means they may have to give serious consideration to a £10 million bid. With supply for Carroll a key issue for Liverpool, the Sunday Mirror reports they are also lining up a bid for Aston Villa's Ashley Young. The England winger looks certain to leave Villa Park in the summer after refusing to enter into negotiations about a new contract, but Liverpool will face strong competition from Manchester United for his signature.
BAINES SHOCK LINK TO LIVERPOOL
March 20, 2011. The News Of The World
Liverpool will make an audacious £10million move to sign Everton's Leighton Baines. In a plan which will inflame passions on Merseyside, Anfield director of football Damien Comolli has identified the Goodison man as a top summer target. Everton are sure to resist fiercely any efforts from their arch-rivals to tempt Baines across Stanley Park. It would be the most controversial deal between the neighbours since Nick Barmby's switch 11 years ago. Liverpool are desperate to recruit a high-class left-back having offloaded Paul Konchesky, failed to re-sign Steven Warnock in January and been forced to play Glen Johnson in emergencies. They also want ammunition from the flanks to supply £35m target man Andy Carroll, and Liverpool's scouts recognise Baines as one of the best crossers of a ball in the Premier League. Scouser Baines, 26, was wanted by Bayern Munich in January, but he is settled on Merseyside. He is one of several Everton players being eyed by Europe's wealthiest clubs this summer, with Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell also likely to be targets. The financial uncertainty at Everton, and ongoing speculation about whether David Moyes may lose patience and quit, has been playing on the mind of several players. Everton were buoyed last week when Phil Jagielka committed himself to a new contract. That was intended to send a message that the club's most valuable assets will not be allowed to leave. But Moyes will hope his board can attract the investment needed to fend off bids for other stars including Baines.
Saha strikes but Everton fail to sparkle
Everton 2 Fulham 1
By Chris Brereton at Goodison Park
Sunday, 20 March 2011 (The Independent)
Nine years and 418 games ago this week, Everton manager David Moyes opened his Goodison Park managerial career with a home victory over Fulham. Many things have changed in the intervening years but the sense of unpredictability and frustration that surely comes with following his side remains as potent as ever. "It's a dangerous result, 2-0," Moyes said after watching his side take that lead and then do their best to throw it away. "It was a good victory and we had to grind it out. We let them back into it a little from 2-0, I don't know if we came off the gas or if Fulham upped their game. "When they got the goal it was tough, they had a lot of the ball and we had to dig in, but with the players we had out there in that situation we knew we could do that." Two goals up and cruising to 2-1 and hanging on. Everton love to make it difficult for their fans and no more so than in this encounter. Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha gave them a comfortable looking lead and all seemed well with the world. And then, from nowhere, Clint Dempsey halved the deficit and Everton became nervous, although they just about did enough to deserve it. Saha, a former Craven Cottage resident, looked bright and sharp from the off, Leon Osman probed on the peripheries while Coleman's burgeoning talent was also ably displayed. A Saha header was knocked off the line by Carlos Salcido but Everton finally broke Fulham's resistance before the interval as Coleman headed a superb Osman cross past Mark Schwarzer to calm the home fans' concerns. If that unsteadied Fulham, Everton's second four minutes after the restart threw their afternoon entirely off its axis. Or so it appeared. Saha fired a low free-kick from 25 yards that Fulham's defensive wall helpfully did its best to avoid and the effort left Schwarzer unsighted and helpless. That appeared to be that but Dempsey's beautifully-taken left-foot effort just after the hour mark exacerbated the idea that Everton struggle to finish off games. Dempsey reacted quickest in front of an Everton defence that had slush in its veins but further chances were squandered – and Saha was carried off after a nasty looking fall. Again, some things never change. "We are disappointed really," Fulham manager Mark Hughes said.
Attendance: 33,239
Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: Coleman
Match rating: 6/10
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Everton 2 Fulham 1: match report
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between Everton and Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday March 19. (Sunday Telegraph)
EVERTON2 - 1
FTFULHAM Saturday, March 19 17:30
Premier League
Goodison ParkColeman (36)Saha (49) (HT 1-0)
ATT: 33,239 Dempsey (62)
Pumped up: Louis Saha (right) celebrates after scoring Everton's second goal during against Fulham
Nine years and 418 games on, the opponents, the outcome and the score were all the same. The effect, though, was entirely different. Fulham were the first team David Moyes faced as Everton manager when he arrived at Goodison Park in 2002. His team won that game 2-1, too. But that was an Everton with relegation to avoid, a future to fight for, a status to preserve. This is an Everton with no such inspiration. Victory here, thanks to goals from Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha, might have propelled the Scot’s side to eighth in the Premier League, within touching distance of Liverpool, but bragging rights only mean so much. Everton are in no danger of relegation, and require a miracle to reach Europe. “Most years we have been looking up, rather than down,” said Moyes. This season, they are left with nothing but navel-gazing. They may be left without Saha, too. The striker was carried off in agony in the dying stages and due to have an X-ray on an injured ankle. That will not help Moyes indulge the delusion of Europe. Everton do, indeed, have a slim chance of reaching the Europa League, but require Manchester City to win the FA Cup, finish outside the Champions League places and the moon to spend much of April in Aquarius. After Coleman’s expertly-placed header, it was Saha’s fierce free-kick which enabled that dream – fantasy – to persist, the Frenchman whistling an effort through Fulham’s wall to put the hosts two goals ahead immediately after the break. Clint Dempsey’s low shot threatened to give the hosts a rather hairier conclusion than they might have desired, but Fulham, even with Bobby Zamora’s introduction, could offer little more than a fleeting threat.
EVERTON 2 - FULHAM 1: LOUIS SAHA GIVES DAVID MOYES HIS PARTY GIFT
Seamus Coleman’s header had given Everton a half-time lead
Sunday March 20,2011
By Mike Whalley Have your say(0)
IT took a while for David Moyes’ anniversary party to get going. But Louis Saha made sure that everything turned out all right in the end.
Saha’s free-kick proved decisive as Moyes marked nine years in charge at Goodison Park with exactly the same result that began his reign in March 2002.
On that day, Saha was playing up front for Fulham as Everton’s manager enjoyed a 2-1 home win.
The years in between have been full of ups and downs for Moyes – with the highs including a couple of memorable European runs and an FA Cup final appearance.
Things haven’t been quite so rosy this season, which has fizzled out thanks to an inability to finish teams off and injuries to key players.
Last night, after Seamus Coleman’s header had given Everton a half-time lead, Saha’s free-kick against his former club looked to have set up a comfortable win.
But Clint Dempsey’s goal just past the hour mark made for a jittery finish. And it was a painful finish for Saha, stretchered off after falling awkwardly in a collision with Brede Hangeland.
Everton 2 - Fulham 1
The Sunday Telegraph 20th march 2011-03-20
Moyes can ill-afford another injury, having already lost Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini to long-term setbacks.Moyes said: “Louis landed heavily on his ankle. We’ll get him X-rayed and see how he is.“We’re missing a lot of key players. We had to grind it out.”But the Everton manager was at least able to celebrate a victory which should end any lingering talk of relegation trouble.You can’t say the same for Fulham, who sit just three points above the relegation zone.Their manager Mark Hughes, linked with Bayern Munich in the week, could be forgiven for having envious thoughts of a move to Germany.He said: “We gave ourselves too much to do. We were too passive in the first half.”It was 24 minutes before there was so much as a shot on target, with a Saha effort blocked by Chris Baird.That was the prelude to a decent spell of Everton pressure, which culminated in their first goal.Leon Osman turned away from Danny Murphy on the left to create space for a cross, and Coleman escaped the attentions of Carlos Salcido to head in at the far post.Fulham, up to that point, had shown about as much life as the Michael Jackson statue that owner Mohamed Al Fayed wants to put up at Craven Cottage.They did, though, start to show signs of improvement in the closing stages of the half. Dempsey cut into the Everton area from the left, and might have equalised but for Phil Neville’s block.Hughes might have hoped his team would build on that in the second half. That hope was quickly extinguished.Dickson Etuhu fouled Jack Rodwell on the edge of the area and when Baines touched the ball short, Saha’s shot went straight through the wall – as Danny Murphy appeared to move – leaving Mark Schwarzer unsighted and helpless. Hughes brought on Bobby Zamora in an attempt to inject some life into his flailing side. And within a couple of minutes, it did the trick.The striker, back after five months out with a broken leg, laid off Damien Duff’s right-wing cross for Dempsey to drive in from the edge of the area. Fulham had plenty of pressure, but Tim Howard was largely untroubled. The visitors, who have now lost 18 successive league games at Goodison, didn’t spoil the party. Moyes will have been glad of that.
Nev calls for true grit
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo Mar 21 2011
PHIL NEVILLE wants Everton to follow Tony Hibbert’s example and show they have the true grit to save their season.. The Blues skipper was impressed with a determined defensive performance from Hibbert which helped ensure a nervy 2-1 victory over Fulham at Goodison on Saturday, and hopes the right-back’s attitude is infectious.Neville, who lasted the entire game on his return to the side from injury, insists Everton may have to sacrifice style for efficiency in order to carry on climbing up the Premier League table.Victory over Mark Hughes’s men moved the Toffees up to eighth, and Neville says grinding out results is all that matters.He said: “The teams around us are all scrapping too, and maybe we have to go back to three or four years ago when we had to grind out results. This club is ingrained in that kind of spirit and that’s what the manager wants from us now.“Tony Hibbert epitomised that. He was dogged as ever and he’s a great defender. It was a special day for him because this is his 10th year at the club. He is an unsung hero in the dressing room but epitomises everything we’ll need in the next eight games.“He’s an out and out defender. I thought he was outstanding against Newcastle and Birmingham too. When the manager looked at the situation three or four games ago I think he decided he needed reliable, tried and trusted players.“Tony Hibbert is well respected at this club, I don’t think he realises how highly sometimes.“The crowd respect him, and the amount of time he’s spent here justifies that. Him and Ossie have been setting the tone for our more dogged appearances.”Neville says that Everton can still capitalise on rife inconsistency elsewhere in the table, if they can manage to find some uniformity in their own results.He said: “The thing with the league this year is that there have been so many times when we’ve thought we can push into the top half and make inroads into the top seven and we’ve always faltered.“Now we’re eighth and the gaffer said in the dressing room afterwards that we need to remember that even at 2-0, there hasn’t been a game all season which is all finished at that stage.“The way it’s going this year anything can happen, and I think you’re going to see another eight games like against Fulham.We’ve just got to finish as high as possible. There are eight games left and I don’t think one team from that middle section have put a run together yet. We aim to be above Bolton, Sunderland and Liverpool. If we finish in front of Liverpool and don’t achieve anything, that’s still a failure for me.“We need to do the basics. That’s what the manager said after the Birmingham game and we did it against Fulham. On the quiet we’re developing a nice little run.” Meanwhile, Everton will hope to hear some good news today after Louis Saha has his latest injury assessed. The striker had to be stretchered off the field on Saturday, and will undergo tests at Finch Farm today to determine the severity of his problem. Saha, who scored Everton’s second goal, landed awkwardly on his ankle after challenging for a header four minutes from time.
David Moyes says Phil Jagielka can be a future England captain
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo Mar 21 2011
DAVID MOYES has urged Phil Jagielka to establish himself as a future captain of Everton – and prove he can be the cornerstone of a successful Blues line-up.
Jagielka was watched by England boss Fabio Capello on Saturday and will seek to add to his seven international caps in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Wales.
But Blues boss David Moyes believes the 28-year-old defender should be even more ambitious as his career reaches its prime.“Phil should be looking to cement himself in the England side, but I think he should be looking to cement himself as a future Everton captain as well,” said Moyes.“He’s got to now start wanting to be a leader because when Phil (Neville) goes I’ve got Mikel (Arteta), but he’s got to be one of those boys who I’m looking to in the future to take the group on again.“He should be looking to establish himself in England. He’s got great recovery, he has some weaknesses which can be shown up at times but in the main he has great recovery and great speed around the ball.“He’s one of the boys and he needs to improve a lot of things if he’s going to be right at the top, but overall I thought his performance today was excellent – as was Leighton Baines’. I thought the two of them did their jobs really well.”Both players were named in Fabio Capello’s England squads to face Wales this weekend, but Moyes believes that Jagielka just needs a little more self belief to establish himself as an England regular.“He doesn’t lack toughness, but he does need to drive himself on to be that person,” added Moyes. “What needs to come from Jags is that desire to say ‘I want to overhaul John Terry and all the players who are front of me just now.’“I would say to him ‘come on then, show you’ve got that about you.’ And if he does that then he will help Everton as well and that’s really important.“There may be a little bit of self-doubt. He needs to get back to training a bit more regularly than he has been as well, but he’s a real good game player.“You worry about some people who have missed quite a bit of training, but we’ve found he’s a real good game player.“That’s why some of the top clubs wanted Phil Jagielka and that’s why we were determined to keep him.”Jagielka signed an extension to his contract over the weekend and Moyes added: “The chairman and the club work hard to keep our best players and I know a lot has been said about who’s going where and who’s doing what but all our players in the main are on long contracts.“Steven Pienaar apart, there’s nobody there who’s easy pickings.“I think now when you look out there it’s very hard to pick good players up and maybe now you have to go to the players a little bit earlier than you did in the past and it’s something which, in the main, we’ve been pretty good at.”Jagielka was unlucky not to celebrate the contract extension with a goal during Everton’s 2-1 victory over Fulham on Saturday.His goalbound header was headed off the line by Carlos Salcido, which left Everton hanging on nervously to their slender lead.“The Premier League’s like that, even at 2-0,” said Moyes. “All season you’ve very rarely had matches where teams have won that comfortably.“But we stepped off it in the second half and looked like we’d run out of a wee bit of energy at times.“We needed the substitutions when we put them on. I thought they made a difference in small ways.“We dropped off and Danny Murphy started getting too much of the ball in the second half. We couldn’t get around them often enough and they dictated too much of the play.“But sometimes it’s a little bit easier to play when you’re two-nil down and they hadn’t caused us too many problems up until that period.“I think we should start to look up the table now. We’re eighth now, which is where we finished last season so we can say Everton at this present moment in time are where they finished last year, but we want to try and push forward and move up.”
Everton FC 2 Fulham 1: Greg O'Keeffe sees a Goodison deja-vu on David Moyes' Blues anniversary
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo Mar 21 2011
“He had earlier signalled a hamstring problem, but it might have been something else." DAVID MOYES sweats on the fitness of his striker Louis Saha who was stretchered off the pitch writhing in agony.“Everton were more aggressive towards us and dictated to us. We made up for that in the second half but just ran out of time.” MARK HUGHES rues his side’s poor first half display.
IT’S the baffling season of consistent inconsistency, but one thing at least remains cheerily predictable – Everton will always beat Fulham at Goodison Park.The Blues have taken three points every time the Londoners have visited Goodison in their previous 18 attempts - it’s quite clear that Merseyside is probably the Cottagers’ least favourite destination above all others.For David Moyes it was 2002 all over again. His hair might have been redder back when he took charge of that first Everton game, but his squad was indisputably weaker and yet the result was the same, a morale-boosting 2-1 win over the Cottagers.Nine years ago the points secured by that debut triumph ensured the Blues finished comfortably clear of relegation, and set the scene for the following season’s seventh-place finish.Seventh or higher is considered the norm these days, proof positive that Moyes’s time in charge has been a success.But whether he can guide his current side into the top six this season is another matter, and their chances will be easier to assess if Everton take the maximum points haul from their Goodison double-header.So far so good, although they had to cling on at times against Mark Hughes’s men when this season’s infuriatingly soft underbelly seemed set to prove costly again.Everton will have to maintain their focus and intensity better next weekend to see off Aston Villa too, but at least they finally proved capable of beating a well-organised side that defends stoically on their travels.Videos of the first half hour could be made available on the NHS as an insomnia cure.One of the pitch side hoardings read ‘Happy 40th Birthday Lorraine’, but the party didn’t get going until Everton finally built some attacking momentum near the break, and Leighton Baines sent a glorious cross over next for Rodwell to escape his marker and head straight at Mark Schwarzer. Surely Fabio Capello, who was watching from the director’s box, must now be beyond doubt that Everton’s left back belongs in the England fold?Largely the visitors defended in the manner to be expected of a side who have only conceded a miserly 15 goals away from home all season.Yet they added another to the list when Baines fooled everyone with a typically intelligent pass to Leon Osman, and the midfielder jinked into the area and crossed to the far post were an unmarked Coleman had crept past Carlos Salcido to score with a fine precision header.Their second goal came shortly after the interval. Jack Rodwell was fouled near to the left hand side of the area, and Baines nudged the ensuing free kick to Louis Saha who unleashed a tomahawk from his right boot that screamed through Danny Murphy’s legs in the wall, left Schwarzer with no chance, and almost broke the net.Everton looked set to win at a canter with the only remaining intrigue being the size of the scoreline. Fulham, it seemed, had truly run out of ideas with their game-plan in tatters.Seamus Coleman was providing Everton with a constant attacking threat, and with Tony Hibbert snapping into tackles and Osman using the ball intelligently the Blues were confidently thriving.Then Hughes replaced Dickson Etuhu with Bobby Zamora, and the striker made an almost immediate difference. It was his neat lay-off from a Damien Duff cross that allowed Clint Dempsey to curl the ball past Tim Howard from 20 yards.At least the ESPN executives probably breathed a sigh of relief as a genuine contest started to materialise.The Toffees endured a dodgy spell on the wrack then, as Fulham dominated possession and Danny Murphy saw too much of the ball.Then Saha was carried off in agony after falling awkwardly following an aerial challenge. A lengthy lay off for the striker at this stage of the season when Everton badly need his goals would be disastrous.But with the visitors pressing hard and Goodison fearing another capitulation, substitute Jermaine Beckford wasted a gilt-edged chance to seal the points. He latched onto a volleyed clearance and opted to shoot weakly in spite of Osman’s lung-busting supporting run that would have yielded a tap in.Fortunately, unlike the girl picked up by the TV cameras who came to the match with her rollers in, Beckford wasn’t made to regret it.Everton hung on, and made sure their manager could look back on his anniversary fondly.
EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Neville (capt), Osman, Rodwell (Bilyaletdinov, 77), Coleman, Cahill (Heitinga, 68) Saha (Beckford, 88). Not used: Mucha, Anichebe, Gueye, Baxter.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Schwarzer, Salcido, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird, Etuhu (Zamora, 60), Murphy (capt), Duff (Kakuta, 75), Dempsey, Dembele, Johnson (Gudjohnsen, 84). Not used: Stockdale, Kelly, Greening, Davies.
GOALS: Coleman (36), Saha (48), Dempsey (62)
CARDS: Booked – Osman, Hibbert
REFEREE: Mike Oliver (Northumberland).
ATTENDANCE: 33,239.
Phil Neville tells Everton FC’s players to follow Tony Hibbert’s true grit
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo Mar 21 2011
PHIL NEVILLE wants Everton to follow Tony Hibbert’s example and show they have the true grit to save their season.The Blues skipper was impressed with a determined defensive performance from Hibbert which helped ensure a nervy 2-1 victory over Fulham at Goodison on Saturday, and hopes the right-back’s attitude is infectious.Neville, who lasted the entire game on his return to the side from injury, insists Everton may have to sacrifice style for efficiency in order to carry on climbing up the Premier League table.Victory over Mark Hughes’s men moved the Toffees up to eighth, and Neville says grinding out results is all that matters in the remaining eight games.He said: “The teams around us are all scrapping too, and maybe we have to go back to three or four years ago when we had to grind out results. This club is ingrained in that kind of spirit and that’s what the manager wants from us now.“Tony Hibbert epitomised that. He was dogged as ever and he’s a great defender. It was a special day for him because this is his tenth year at the club. He is an unsung hero in the dressing room but epitomises everything we’ll need in the next eight games.“He’s an out and out defender. I thought he was outstanding against Newcastle and Birmingham too. When the manager looked at the situation three or four games ago I think he decided he needed reliable, tried and trusted players.“Tony Hibbert is well respected at this club, I don’t think he realises how highly sometimes.“The crowd respect him, and the amount of time he’s spent here justifies that. Him and Ossie have been setting the tone for our more dogged appearances.”Neville says that Everton can still capitalise on rife inconsistency elsewhere in the table, if they can manage to find some uniformity in their own results.He said: “The thing with the league this year is that there have been so many times when we’ve thought we can push into the top half and make inroads into the top seven and we’ve always faltered.“Now we’re eighth and the gaffer said in the dressing room afterwards that we need to remember that even at 2-0, there hasn’t been a game all season which is all finished at that stage.“The way it’s going this year anything can happen, and I think you’re going to see another eight games like against Fulham.We’ve just got to finish as high as possible. There are eight games left and I don’t think one team from that middle section have put a run together yet. We aim to be above Bolton, Sunderland and Liverpool. If we finish in front of Liverpool and don’t achieve anything, that’s still a failure for me.“We need to do the basics. That’s what the manager said after the Birmingham game and we did it against Fulham.On the quiet we’re developing a nice little run.”Meanwhile, Everton will hope to hear some good news today after Louis Saha has his latest injury assessed. The striker had to be stretchered off the field on Saturday, and will undergo tests at Finch Farm today to determine the severity of his problem. Saha, who scored Everton’s second goal, appeared to land awkwardly on his ankle after challenging for a header four minutes from time.
We’re moving in right direction but squad needs bolstering - Everton FC's Phil Jagielka
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post Mar 21 2011
PHIL JAGIELKA believes he has signed an improved deal with a club heading in the right direction – but still wants to see the Everton squad bolstered this summer.The defender put pen to paper on a new four-year deal at Goodison Park last week which ties him to the team until 2015, replacing his old contract which had the 28-year-old at the Everton until 2014.Despite strong interest from Arsenal last summer, Jagielka felt the decision to stay with David Moyes’ men was the correct one and after committing his future, now wants to see the manager given the ability to strengthen the side for the next campaign.The England centre back produced an assured display in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fulham and has urged his side to put in a strong run until the end of the season, giving Everton a platform in which to build from for the 2011/12 season.“We haven’t got the biggest of squads so I don’t think there will be many out (in the summer) but we need some in to strengthen the squad,” said Jagielka.“I don’t see the club going backwards though and that is why I was happy to sign.“We hope this season is a blip, but last season wasn’t too good either.“Maybe it is a couple of years of mediocrity and maybe we need to freshen squad and team and hopefully the gaffer buys some players in the summer and we can have a good season.“The interest from Arsenal did not distract me. I am more than happy at Everton, everyone knows it has been a frustrating season.“I don’t think there are many players who can say they have had the best seasons other than maybe Bainesy (Leighton Baines) and Seamus (Coleman).“But I am looking forward to next season, we have a few more games to play to make sure we finish off strongly and in a decent league position.“We just have to keep going and pick up as many points as possible, the fans probably enjoyed the game on Saturday but we have not won many this season in front of them and I’d like to finish the season here strongly and get some confidence.”Jagielka, unsurprisingly, was named in Fabio Capello’s England squad last night ahead of games against Wales and Ghana on Saturday and Tuessday, respectively.Despite being picked for internationals with increased regularity, the former Sheffield United player is reluctant to consider himself good enough to demand a starting place in the national side.The Everton man drew praise from Capello following his display at the heart of England’s defence against Swtizerland in September, but was moved to an unfamiliar right back position against France in November.“It is hard for me to make such a bold statement as I need to cement myself in the team when you see the players who are competing for the position,” he offered.“If I see myself as a regular in the squad in the next three or four years then hopefully that will lead to plenty of more caps.“We will go from there but I wouldn’t be as stupid to say that I will be in the starting 11, there are a lot of good players out there.“It is always nice to get positive comments but when you are waiting three months for games to come round people get injured and others get fit. I missed the Montenegro game and I would have loved to have carried on the role I had where I’d started three games.“I do see this week as an opportunity, but so will the other lads who have played more recently.“They will be higher up the pecking order than me and it is case of me going there and doing what I can and then waiting to see what team Mr Capello picks for Wales and then the friendly game.”
Everton FC 2 Fulham 1: Anniversary gift just right for David Moyes
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post Mar 21 2011
But on the ninth anniversary of his reign, manager David Moyes got the three points he wished for.It was a low key bash at Goodison Park on a sleepy Saturday evening, the dross only lit up by rare moments of sparkle to conjure Everton’s goals and consequently a lead they would not relinquish.Fulham threatened to gatecrash after the break when the second goal of the game forced them to show an ounce of adventure resulting in Clint Dempsey’s expertly-worked strike, but Moyes’s men would not let him down.Victory takes the fluctuating fortunes of Everton’s season back up into eighth in the table, again re-igniting that dim flame of hope supporters carry that the European ship has yet to sail.Talk of relegation one week, then Europe the next, Everton’s inconsistent 2010-11 campaign has left their prospects blurred, but the fading weekend light revealed something positive.But the years will have made Moyes wary of getting carried away and his side are unlikely to have reacted with such extremities after any game this term.Qualification for the Europa League remains a steep hill to climb and Everton may be wise to enjoy the 10th straight Premier League win at Goodison over Fulham and hope for a strong run to close out the season.Also, with 40 points to their name, relegation should now be firmly out of the question for Moyes’s team.Indeed, this match had for long spells lived up to its billing.The frustrating form of the home side matched against a team designed to stifle, equalled a game weighed down by lethargy.Moyes’s first game in charge at Goodison coincidentally came against the Cottagers and also resulted in a 2-1 win. His debut was lit up by a goal within 30 seconds – but there was little danger of such excitement this time around.Fulham came into the match with the second meanest away defence in the league but also the second bluntest attack on the road.Unsurprisingly, they lacked adventure, so little in fact they appeared to have Mark Hughes, their manager, bored stiff.The onus was on Moyes’s men but with Tim Cahill returning from a foot injury, the manager felt obliged to accommodate his Australian player and so reverted Everton to a 4-5-1 formation.Reliably effective away from home and against the powerhouses of the division, the system left Everton lacking against Fulham and set-pieces were proving the most effective method of testing goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.Louis Saha’s on-target header, cleared off the line by Carlos Salcido, offered hope of improvements before Jack Rodwell nodded Leighton Baines’s corner on goal only for it to be comfortably saved by an otherwise untroubled keeper.It was always going to require a flash of skill out of context with the dour first half an hour to alter the pattern and following the probes of Baines, Leon Osman answered the call, as he has done so effectively in recent weeks.There was nothing Schwarzer could do about the opening goal, forged by the a rare moment of skill to enliven the weary support as Osman collected Baines’ reverse pass then jinked beyond Danny Murphy with fancy feet to engineer space in the area.The resurgent playmaker clipped a ball to the back post for the waiting Seamus Coleman to nod home with accuracy into the far corner.Fulham were determined to stick with their rigid formation but Everton’s second goal left them with little option but to change.Baines laid-off a free-kick, won by Rodwell’s surging run, and Saha lashed the ball home through the wall and through at least one pair of Fulham legs before nestling into the back of the net three minutes after the restart.Hughes waited just under 15 minutes before tinkering with his side’s formation, bringing on Bobby Zamora to bolster his ailing attack.The former West Ham United forward gave Fulham the direction they had been lacking and allowed Duff to become a presence in the game for the first time.The pair combined to set up Dempsey, allowing the American to side-foot beyond Tim Howard from the edge of the area.Fulham had tipped the balance of the game as they dominated large spells of the second period as Everton became ragged and dropped deep under the pressure.Fortunately, the Blues’ back four remained strong enough to repel the London side’s advances and Phil Jagielka almost settled any lingering nerves in the 82nd minute when his header was cleared off the line by Salcido.Late substitute Jermaine Beckford wasted a fine chance when put in, but with Osman waiting free in the area, the former Leeds United man shot tamely at Schwarzer.Beckford replaced the injured Saha who was stretchered off with two minutes remaining clutching his shin. Although the Frenchman looked in considerable pain, suggestions after the match were that Saha was not too badly injured.The occasion of Moyes’s anniversary went off without major incident, but perhaps it’s the way he would have wanted.
Manager David Moyes thinks Phil Jagielka has the qualities to become Everton FC captain
by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post Mar 21 2011
Manager David Moyes thinks Phil Jagielka has the qualities to become Everton captainDAVID MOYES believes Phil Jagielka has the qualities that will one day see him wear the Everton captain’s armband.The Goodison Park manager says the centre back must now build on another solid season with the Premier League side and emerge as one of the club’s leaders.Jagielka was last night selected for the England squad as the national side prepare for matches against Wales and Ghana with Moyes saying the Everton man needs to start showing the belief he can cement a starting place.Such international progress will have positive effects for Jagielka’s club form, according to Moyes and the Goodison manager says Everton had no hesitation in offering the defender an improved contract last week.“He should also look at himself being a future Everton captain,” said Moyes.“He agrees that he has got to start being a leader. We have got Phil (Neville) and Mikel (Arteta) but he is one of the ones who should be looking to take the group on.“He has got great recovery. He has got some weaknesses that can get shown up at times but he is great around the ball. He needs to improve a lot of things if he is going to get right to the very top. But overall I thought his performance was excellent. Leighton Baines too.“He needs to drive himself on to be that person. It has got to come from within. He has got to be the one who says ‘I want to overhaul John Terry and the others in front of me’. “That’s the bit I want to see come from him. If he does that, he’ll help Everton too.“Sometimes he suffers from self-doubt. He has got to get back to training more regularly. But he is a real good game player. That’s why some of those clubs wanted him last summer and why we were determined to keep him.”Moyes says the swift nature of negotiations with Jagielka - who signed a fresh four year contract last week - is the way Everton must conduct their business from now on.“In the main, we do keep the players we want at Everton,” he added.“The chairman and the club work hard to do that. All the players we want here are on long contracts. Now when you look around, it is very hard to pick good players up.“Maybe now you have got to go to the boys earlier than you would have done in the past. In the main we have got the business done quite quietly.”
We can be the top Mersey side
The Sun (21st March 2011)
PHIL NEVILLE wants Everton to prove they are the top team on Merseyside in the final two months of the season. David Moyes' men have clawed themselves back up to eighth in the table, five points behind Liverpool after a five-match unbeaten league run. That streak is even more impressive given the absence of key players like Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini through injury. Now skipper Neville feels they are in a position to push on in their remaining eight matches and finish above their local rivals. He said: "The thing with the league this year is that there have been so many times when we've thought we can push into the top half and make inroads into the top seven and we've always faltered. "Now we're eighth and the way it's going this year anything can happen. "We've just got to finish as high as possible. There are eight games left and I don't think one team from that middle section have put a run together yet. "We aim to be above Bolton, Sunderland and Liverpool. If we finish in front of Liverpool and don't achieve anything, that's still a failure for me." Neville believes the team have shown the kind of attitude in adversity which has allowed them to flourish in previous years. He added: "The teams around us are all scrapping too, and maybe we have to go back to three or four years ago when we had to grind out results. "This club is ingrained in that kind of spirit and that's what the manager wants from us now. "On the quiet we're developing a nice little run."
EVERTON 2 FULHAM 1: PHIL JAGIELKA NEEDING TO BE HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE HIS RIVALS
Monday March 21 2011 by Paul Joyce (The Express)
EVERTON 2 -- FULHAM 1
FABIO CAPELLO had left by the time Phil Jagielka craned his neck highest to repel one final attack from Fulham, but the England coach had probably already seen enough.Rio Ferdinand’s armband has already slipped from his grasp and by the time he returns to fitness, his place with the national team could be similarly under threat.It is not just John Terry who knows there is an opening this week in the absence of Ferdinand for England’s Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales, but those centre-backs anxious to step off the fringes and establish a new defensive order.Opportunity knocks and Everton manager David Moyes believes the onus is firmly on Jagielka to hammer loudest. If he does that, he will help Everton, too. He should be looking at himself as a future Everton captain
David Moyes
“He needs to drive himself on,” said Moyes. “He has to be the one who says, ‘I want to overhaul John Terry and the others in front of me’. If he does that, he will help Everton, too. He should be looking at himself as a future Everton captain.“Sometimes he suffers from self-doubt. He has some weaknesses that can be shown up at times and he needs to improve a lot of things to get to the very top. But he is a really good player.”Jagielka has already earned gushing praise from Capello, who labelled him the “driver” of his back four when, shorn of both Terry and Ferdinand, England began their campaign with wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland.
Yet a hamstring injury in the build-up to the Montenegro game in October excused Capello from making the difficult decision of whether to stick with Jagielka and his momentum has stalled since.
He was shoe-horned into an unfamiliar right-back role against France and Tottenham’s Michael Dawson, who was replaced after an hour by Bolton’s Gary Cahill, started in the win over Denmark last month.Jagielka is aware the competition is fierce but, fresh from signing a new contract until 2015, must meet the challenge. “It is hard to make a bold statement like I need to cement myself in the England team when you see the players who are competing for the position,” said Jagielka.
“If I am picked in the squad I do see this week as an opportunity, but so will the other lads who have played more recently. They will be higher up the pecking order and it is case of me doing what I can.”A resolute Jagielka helped Everton withstand Fulham’s revival and ensured the week of Moyes’ ninth anniversary at Goodison Park ended in the same scoreline against the same opposition as his first game in charge. Seamus Coleman dispatched a brilliant header and Louis Saha drilled home a free-kick before substitute Bobby Zamora’s instant impact allowed Clint Dempsey to halve Fulham’s deficit.After an enterprising cameo against Hungary at the start of the season, Zamora’s own England career has been stymied by a broken leg but Capello will have been impressed by what he saw on Saturday.“You saw the difference he makes,” said manager Mark Hughes after Fulham slumped to an 18th consecutive defeat on a ground they love to hate. “He gives a focal point to the attack and a physical presence we have lacked up there. “He’s not at a level he was before the injury but he will be. There’s no reason why he can’t even exceed it but we need him back and firing.”
Victory lifted Everton into eighth, level on goal difference with Bolton one place above them, and while that does not meet Moyes’ lofty pre-season expectations, most neutrals would have placed them there.Europe remains unlikely but Jagielka’s new contract does not betray a lack of ambition, rather a show of faith.“Maybe we need to freshen up in the summer but I don’t see us going backwards,” he said.
Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard 6; Hibbert 6, Jagielka 6, Distin 6, Baines 7; Coleman 8, Neville 6, ¬Rodwell 6 (Bilyaletdinov 77, 5), ¬Osman 7; Cahill 5 (Heitinga 69, 6); Saha 7 (Beckford 88). Booked: ¬Osman, Hibbert. Goals: Coleman 36, Saha 50.
Fulham (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer 6; Baird 6, Hughes 6, Hangeland 6, Salcido 6; Duff 6 (Kakuta 75, 5), Murphy 6, Etuhu 6 (Zamora 60, 7), Dempsey 7; Dembele 6; Johnson 6 (Gudjohnsen 83). Goal: Dempsey 62.
Referee: M Oliver (N’thumberland).
David Moyes believes veteran David Weir can be a coaching success back at Everton FC
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 22 2011
DAVID MOYES wants inspirational former Everton defender David Weir to boost his coaching staff. The Blues boss hopes that 40-year-old Weir would consider a Goodison return if he retires from playing this summer. Scotland national team veteran Weir is out of contract at Glasgow Rangers when the current campaign ends, and Moyes wants him to help inspire Everton’s rear-guard next season. He said: “I would love to have him back at Everton as part of my staff in the future, if he's interested. “He's a great professional and someone who all the players at Everton and Rangers should look up to.” Weir, who played under Moyes at Goodison Park before his switch to Ibrox in 2007, lifted Scotland’s Co-operative Insurance Cup on Sunday. And the veteran defender turned in an assured display throughout 120 minutes as Rangers just edged out Celtic 2-1 after extra time. “I thought last year he would probably call it a day,” said Moyes, who analysed the game for the BBC. “Nobody should ever be down on the Old Firm. They are two of the biggest clubs in the world. “He may only have 10 or 12 weeks to go as a player. But on that performance, he's doing great and I think Davie will know best when the time comes.” Meanwhile, the Everton manager has reassured France U-21 midfielder Magaye Gueye that he can still play a part in the Toffees’ run-in. The 20-year-old has not featured as much as he would have liked in recent months due to a hamstring injury and Moyes believes the misfortune has deprived him of a chance to make an impact from the bench. Gueye, who starred for the reserves in their win against Aston Villa last week, earned himself a recall to the first team squad against Fulham on Saturday. Moyes said: “He’ll come back onto the bench more. I’m sure he’d have featured somewhere in some of the games we’d played in the last month or so, even if it was off the bench but with his injury he missed that opportunity. “I need to build his fitness back up again. He is not ready to play in the Premier League but to come off the bench. He’s a talented boy but probably not ready to start games yet.”
Ian Snodin: Everton FC finally ready to break down stubborn Goodison visitors
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 22 2011
IT MIGHT not have been a thriller but victory was important at any costs against Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday. Two home games in a row absolutely must produce six points so our hopes of getting anywhere near the top six can still be kept alive. As with a lot of teams that have arrived at Goodison this season, Fulham had no intention of making it a good game, and so it was up to Everton once again to make things happen. It’s obvious that how we’ve succeeded in these type of games so far during this season is a large part of why the campaign hasn’t quite lived up to all our expectations. Mark Hughes’s men had a very good record of not conceding goals on their travels and they rolled up quite happy to sit there and defend, while looking for maybe an opportunity to hit us on the break with Andy Johnson’s pace or the impressive movement of Clint Dempsey. David Moyes’s side had the onus firmly on them to dictate the tempo and ultimately determine the outcome – so it was great to see them do just that – in the end! The people who decided it should be a tea-time TV game were probably tearing their hair out in the first half but then Everton scored thanks to a moment of sheer class involving three very impressive players. Leon Osman has got wonderful feet and did superbly well to get into the area and send over that great cross with his left peg, and then Seamus Coleman’s header was lovely technique. It was the way he calmly guided it past Mark Schwarzer who is a big, imposing goalkeeper, that caught my eye. The lad still had a lot to do when the cross came in, and so it was a lovely finish. The second goal was a cracking finish by Louis Saha and we’ll all be hoping his injury, suffered later on, isn’t going to mean a lengthy lay off because his goals will be essential. The venom with which he hit Everton’s second proved again what ability Louis has. When he’s fit and feeling sharp he is a world-class centre-forward and can be such a great asset. I suppose it’s inevitable that the opponents were going to get a spell in the game, but I was worried after Fulham scored because we’ve been there in a lot of home games this campaign and you start to fear that three points is going to become one inevitably. But Everton are actually starting to embark on a nice little run of results now, and if they can do the same against Aston Villa it will give them a real chance of catching up with Liverpool who are not far from touching distance.
Nobody at Goodison is feeling sorry for themselves, despite those injuries to Fellaini and Arteta, which is a great sign for the future.
Seamus Coleman may end up a full time wing man
BELIEVE me there will never be another player who represents better value for money than Seamus Coleman at Everton. It still amazes me that they managed to get hold of the lad for £60,000 – what a bit of business that was! He made Fulham’s back four sweat all afternoon on Saturday by running at them and with his goal showed he has developed a lovely knack of turning up at opportune moments at the far post. He’s a joy to watch, because there is none of the robot syndrome about him that sometimes creeps into the game of academy schooled modern players. They have been taught for years to do things the right way, play it square, not lose the ball etc. Now there’s nothing wrong with that per se, but Seamus just goes out there and plays with abandon which is what you want. When he gets the ball on the right flank the only thing that goes through his mind is getting at the opposition full back. Nobody knows what he’s going to do next, and that’s why he’s so exciting.
It’d be a shame if he lost that spark, and while a lot of people predict he’ll end up an attacking full back I’m not so sure. The lad has most of the assets you’d want for an out and out winger, and Everton’s flanks would be a duller without him. Phil Jagielka’s new deal is great news for Blues
IT WAS a big boost for everyone involved with Everton to see Phil Jagielka committing his future to the club last week. There would have been a good few clubs sniffing around him in the summer, particularly Arsenal, and this sends out a defiant message to those sides that the England man is going nowhere. Him and Sylvain Disitn have been tremendous virtually all season. Jags can definitely, as Moyes said, be Everton’s captain. He’s a bubbly fun lad around the training ground and leads by example on the pitch by putting his body on the line all the time. His blocks and interventions are perfectly timed and he represents another Moyes bargain without doubt.
Phil Neville doesn’t look anywhere near ready to relinquish his justly deserved club captain status anytime soon, but when he does I would expect Jags to be close to getting it. Sometimes he may not do a lot of talking on the pitch, and that might not be in his make-up but it’s not the be all and end all for a good skipper. The lads can look around and see Jags busting a gut for them and that will give them the lift in tight games, which is what a leader is all about.
Sian Massey showing no ill effects after her unwelcome spell in the spotlight THE biggest compliment I can pay to Sian Massey, who was one of the referee’s assistants at Goodison on Saturday, is that she went unnoticed. She did her job quietly and competently with no mistakes, and proved why she’s rated so highly by the FA. Just like the referee, the less you need to say about them after a game the better they have performed and Miss Massey got everything spot on. It looks like none of the controversy around Richard Keys and Andy Gray has affected her confidence which is good for the game.
The Ghosts of Bellefield part one: Football history in the making for Everton FC
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 22 2011
Everton FC's old training ground BellefieldTHE notebook is damp and decaying, but the message is still crystal clear. “Howard sacked. How’s your luck baldy?” It’s an irreverent entry in an old groundsman’s notebook left behind in the shell that was once the country’s most prestigious training facility. And it underlines that this was once a lively, bustling, raucous place of work – a training ground full of noise and banter. The entry was dated June 24, 1998, the day that Howard Kendall was relieved of his duties as Everton manager. Now it is March 2011 – and Bellefield is deserted. Everton ended a 61-year association with the training complex on October 9, 2007.
Since then the training ground has been locked, boarded up and left to decay. The immaculate training pitches – even the old ‘C’ team pitch nicknamed ‘Little Wembley’ – have become unkempt and overgrown. After a lengthy legal wrangle over planning, Everton were finally granted permission to sell the site to property developers Bellway Homes – and this week the demolition experts moved in to put a wrecking ball through the quaint building HQ and the once futuristic artificially turfed sports hall. But prior to its last act as a football training ground, Bellway Homes invited the Echo for a last nostalgic stroll around Bellefield – a site which for half-a-century and more resonated to the sound of footballers’ shouts, referees’ whistles and shrieks of laughter from practical jokers.
It was a building where plans for footballing domination were hatched, where transfer plans were hatched and carried out – and where preparation for some of the club’s greatest moments took place. It was even the training complex of choice for the reigning world champions, Brazil, in 1966.
But ‘Bellefield’ wasn’t originally a football incarnation. The name ‘Bellefield’ dates back to ancient maps of the West Derby area and the first building to bear its name was a merchant’s house owned by Edward Bates. A sinister looking Gothic mansion – not dissimilar to the Bates Mansion of Hitchcockian infamy – it was bought by Edward Bates in 1871 and stood at the head of what is now Bellefield Avenue. The sinister aspect of the house were entirely appropriate. Born in Halifax Yorkshire, Edward Bates was a notorious Victorian shipping merchant. Bellway Homes’ Regional Director, David Williams, spent months researching the history of the complex his company is about to redevelop, and is an expert on Bellefield’s early days. “Edward Bates was notorious for over-loading and overinsuring his ships in the pre-Plimsoll Line days,” he explained. “But as a result he became a multi-millionaire who made his fortune trading between Liverpool and Bombay. “He decided to enter the world of politics and contested the safe conservative seat of Plymouth which he won, before being thrown out of parliament for ‘voting irregularities’ in 1880 (he was found guilty of bribing voters). “For reasons which are not immediately apparent, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli then offered him the consolation of a Baronetcy. “Edward Bates became the first Baronet Bellefield in the county of Lancaster, and on his death in 1896 passed on the Bellefield house to son Edward, and in turn grandson Percy Bates. “Born in Liverpool Percy became a shipping magnate of considerable repute. “He rose to the heady heights of chairman of Cunard, director of the White Star Line and director of P and O – not to mention the man who helped develop The Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth ships.” It was under his ownership that Bellefield saw its first use as a sporting venue. While the old house ran into decline, employees of the White Star line were encouraged to use its grounds for recreational activities. A cricket pitch, bowling greens and tennis courts were constructed for company sports days in the 1920s and 1930s, before Liverpool building merchant William Tyson bought the land in 1935. He leased it to the Co-Op who, like the White Star line, used it for staff events. The outbreak of World War brought a temporary halt to Bellefield’s life as a sporting venue, but less than a year after the final bullet of the Second World War had been fired Everton Football Club were approached to use the facilities for the first time. Goodison Park had been severely damaged by Nazi bombs and the club was handed £5,000 from the War Damage Commission for necessary repair work. With Everton having previously conducted most of their training at Goodison, a fresh start seemed the natural option. For the next 20 years Everton players spent Tuesdays and Thursdays in West Derby, training at a makeshift sports ground.
Gradually characters like Alex Stevenson, Wally Fielding and Dave Hickson began to make the place feel like home as they marked their own place in its history by carrying out schoolboy pranks.
The in 1964 it was decided to move lock, stock and barrel to Bellefield as the entire first team squad transferred there permanently. Everton, under the stewardship of the Littlewoods millionaire John Moores, paid more than £25,000 for the land. Moores had a vision to restore Everton Football Club to the halcyon heights it had enjoyed when he was a young man – and like a forerunner of Roman Abramovich, money was no object. While Moores was breaking British record transfer fees to enlist the finest players in the country, he recognised the need for a comparable training complex for those artists to train on. And the modern Bellefield was born. The old cricket pavilion was pulled down and overall work was completed in the summer of 1966, with the new ground opened by Mr J Richards, the President of the Football League, on July 12. Everton would enter the new training complex as FA Cup holders, with two players in their ranks who had just lifted football’s ultimate honour – the World Cup. Ray Wilson was already an Evertonian when England beat West Germany at Wembley Stadium on July 30, 1966, Alan Ball signed for the Blues soon after. The pair – like Bellefield – became synonymous with a golden era for Everton Football Club.
Seamus Coleman should be Young Player of the Year - Everton FC boss David Moyes
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 22 2011
DAVID MOYES today paid tribute to the thrilling progress of Seamus Coleman which he believes should put the Irishman in contention for Young Player of the Year. Moyes is delighted at the 22-year-old’s improvement since becoming a regular first team star this term, and admitted he is reluctant to alter his fearless attacking instincts. The Everton boss still believes Coleman will revert to his natural full back position in time, but until then he wants the Donegal-born youngster to continue learning at the same impressive rate since making his debut in 2009. He said: “The level of where he has come from means he must be close to Young Player of the Year. He was sixty grand and one of the scouts picked him out from Ireland and he has come here. He’s done a brilliant job for us. “He’s been up and down but he’s going to be up and down but you don’t find an absolute diamond for that money. Its very rare that happens so there will be times when he doesn’t look completely comfortable. “One of his biggest strengths is his inhibitions carrying the ball and we say “why don’t you run at people” and you wont get him to be the best passer and keeper of the ball, but he’s given us something else and coming from deep will help him improve as a defender in years to come.” Moyes insists Coleman’s impact is all the more satisfying given his lack of footballing experience, with the star only turning fully professional five years ago with Irish Premier Leagus side Sligo Rovers. He said: “He’s had no real footballing experience at this level, or any level at all any very little full time training and very little technical work so we hope there is going to be more improvement. He’s a right-back playing one on and he might be better one on; we don’t know yet.
“We didn’t manage him to play so many games this season so he is well ahead of where we expected. Ive done very little coaching with him and positional play because we want him to improve his crossing and deliveries and getting on the ball. “We don’t want to tell him other things. When he goes back into the back four then there will be work to do in his positional sense and a bit more on defending.” Moyes also paid tribute to scout Mick Docherty who unearthed Coleman playing for Sligo, which led to Everton paying just £60,000 for him. Meanwhile, Blues defender Sylvain Distin says Everton are looking up after a third win in four games moved them up to eighth in the Premier League. The Toffees are still waiting for the verdict on Louis Saha’s injury, sustained against the Cottagers, but Distin is remaining upbeat. “When you look at it, we’re in a good position,” he said. “If you look at the teams above us there are six teams that have spent a lot of money and one or two teams about the same level. “Altogether we’re doing quite well, it’s really tight this season and one or two positive results can get you up into the top seven or eight and vice versa if you lose two or three.” Moyes’ side have lost just twice in 10 league games since the turn of the year and are beginning to find the consistency they have been striving for all season. He said: “We just need to be a bit more consistent and I think we’ve been doing that recently and all in all it’s more positive. “We’ve scored a few goals, but not kept enough clean sheets, but as a defender you always want to keep more clean sheets. “Once again if you look at the stats we’re definitely not in bad form, we got another three points against Fulham and we’re up to eighth which is good.”
Everton FC captain Phil Neville sets Liverpool as target
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 22 2011
EVERTON captain Phil Neville is targeting near-neighbours Liverpool in the final two months of the season. However, even if they were to finish above their city rivals in the Barclays Premier League the defender will not class that as success. The Toffees have clawed themselves back up to eighth in the table, five points behind Liverpool, after a five-match unbeaten league run which has been achieved despite injuries to key players like Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini.
Now Neville feels they are in a position to push on in their remaining eight matches. “The thing with the league this year is that there have been so many times when we’ve thought we can push into the top half and make inroads into the top seven and we’ve always faltered,” said the captain.
“Now we’re eighth and the way it’s going this year anything can happen. “We’ve just got to finish as high as possible. There are eight games left and I don’t think one team from that middle section have put a run together yet. “We aim to be above Bolton, Sunderland and Liverpool. If we finish in front of Liverpool and don’t achieve anything, that’s still a failure for me.” Neville believes the team have displayed the kind of attitude in adversity which has allowed them to flourish in previous years.
“The teams around us are all scrapping too, and maybe we have to go back to three or four years ago when we had to grind out results,” he said. “This club is ingrained in that kind of spirit and that’s what the manager wants from us now. “On the quiet we’re developing a nice little run.” Everton boss David Moyes, meanwhile, has revealed that the Goodison door is open for former defender David Weir to return to the club as a coach. Weir is still defying his advancing years with quality displays at the heart of the Rangers defence. On Sunday he added another medal to his haul of honours as he led the Ibrox outfit to a 2-1 CIS Insurance Cup win over Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Weir is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and Moyes said: “I would love to have him back at Everton as part of my staff in the future, if he's interested. “He’s a great professional and someone who all the players at Everton and Rangers should look up to. “I thought last year he would probably call it a day. “He may only have 10 or 12 weeks to go as a player. But on that performance, he’s doing great and I think Davie will know best when the time comes.” Weir made more than 200 appearances for the Blues after signing from Hearts in 1999 – most of them under Moyes.
Everton FC youngster Seamus Coleman can get even better, says David Moyes
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 22 2011
DAVID MOYES has championed Seamus Coleman’s claims to be the country’s Young Player of the Year. But the Blues boss is also keen to see the Irish 22-year-old progress his career, without losing the rawness which has endeared him to the Goodison faithful this season. Coleman scored his sixth goal of the season against Fulham on Saturday, and also earned the television’s man of the match award for his direct running and enterprising attacking play. Moyes, who picked up the Irishman for a bargain £60,000 from Sligo Rovers two years ago, declared afterwards: “He must be close to Young Player of the Year. “One of our scouts, Mick Docherty, picked him out from Ireland and he has come here and done a brilliant job for us. “He was up and down today but he’s going to be up and down. You don’t find an absolute diamond for that money. Its very rare that happens so there will be times when he doesn’t look completely comfortable. “But he’s had no real footballing experience at this level, or any level at all and very little full-time training and very little technical work, so we hope there is going to be more improvement. “He’s a right-back playing one on at the moment and he might be better one on; we don’t know yet.” Coleman has created as many goals as he has scored with his direct running at defenders and Moyes is keen that this quality is not coached out of the player as his career progresses. “One of his biggest strengths is his lack of inhibitions,” added Moyes. “He carries the ball and we say ‘why don’t you run at people?’ “You won’t get him to be the best passer and keeper of the ball, but he’s given us something else and coming from deep will help him improve as a defender in years to come. “We didn’t manage him to play so many games this season so he is well ahead of where we expected. “I’ve done very little coaching with him and positional play because we want him to improve his crossing and deliveries and getting on the ball.
“We don’t want to tell him other things. When he goes back into the back four then there will be work to do in his positional sense and a bit more on defending.” Saturday’s victory over Fulham lifted Everton to eighth place in the table, and captain Phil Neville hasn’t ruled out a late run to overhaul neighbours Liverpool and claim a top-six finish. “The thing with the league this year is that there have been so many times when we’ve thought we can push into the top half and make inroads into the top seven and we’ve always faltered,” he said. “Now we’re eighth and the gaffer said in the dressing room afterwards that we need to remember that even at 2-0, there hasn’t been a game all season which is all finished at that stage. The way it’s going this year anything can happen, and I think you’re going to see another eight games like against Fulham. “We’ve just got to finish as high as possible. There are eight games left and I don’t think one team from that middle section have put a run together yet. We aim to be above Bolton, Sunderland and Liverpool. If we finish in front of Liverpool and don’t achieve anything, that’s still a failure for me. “We need to do the basics. That’s what the manager said after the Birmingham game and we did it against Fulham. On the quiet we’re developing a nice little run.”
ACADEMY FOOTBALL: Late leveller denies Everton under-18s victory
by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 22 2011
A LATE equaliser forced Everton under-18s to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough on Saturday. Neil Dewsnip’s looked to be heading for another victory in their quest to finish top of the Group C table when they led 2-1 through an own goal and a John Lundstram effort with just two minutes left. But Boro’s late effort denied them. Middlesbrough had knocked Everton out of the Youth Cup earlier this year and they also took the lead on Saturday. Jordan Barrow has hit the bar with a lob, but then Everton defender Eric Dyer gave away a penalty after 20 minutes. The Boro forward made no mistake with his spot-kick. Lundstram, Hallam Hope – who also hit the bar from long range, and Anton Forrester all went close to an equaliser as Everton dominated the remainder of the first half. And it was Hope’s persistence that caused panic in the home defence and forced an own goal to help Everton draw level following Barrow‘s low cross. Then 10 minutes into the second half Lundstram fired Everton into the lead. Everton strike-duo Hope and Forrester both had chances to increase the lead but they were made to pay for their profligacy. With just two minutes remaining the hosts drew level. But in injury time Everton almost went back ahead when Tom Donegan forced a superb save from the home keeper after being set up by Lundstram and Forrester saw his follow-up cleared off the line. Dewsnip said: “We definitely should have won. We had numerous chances, obviously we scored a couple but we missed a lot which was disappointing.”
He added: “It was really frustrating. The lesson we have learned is that when you are playing well and dominating you have to take your chances and kill teams off because there is always the potential for a sting in the tail. That is what happened to us. Everton will bid to stay ahead of the chasing pack when they take on Sunderland at Finch Farm this Saturday (kick-off 11am).
EVERTON UNDER-18s: Fitzgibbon, Higgins, Murphy, Dyer, Toure, Barrow, Donegan, Lundstram, Thomas, Hope (Johns 70), Forrester. Subs: Heneghan, Harris, Waring.
Mark Lawrenson: Everton FC manager David Moyes real winner in £500m game
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 22 2011
IF ever proof were needed of what David Moyes has achieved at Everton, it came in the Chelsea v Manchester City game. A world record for combined transfer fees – over £500million – was on the pitch at the start of the game. Everton’s team that took to the field against Fulham cost them about £25million. Not much more than City paid for Joleon Lescott. That roughly means their spending power is a 10th of a top four side – and still fans have been disgruntled with the results and performances this season. Maybe those stats also back up many supporters’ frustrations about the lack of investment and the urgent need to bring in new backers. In the meantime, however, funds might have to be raised in a way that nobody at the club wants – but all is not lost. Liverpool started at Sunderland with a £57m strikeforce that shows what you can do when you sell a top player.
If Moyes has to go down that route and re-invest that cash, who would back against him coming up roses yet again given his track record?
The Ghosts of Bellefield: Part two of a journey into Everton FC history
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 23 2011
BELLEFIELD stood apart from other modern training grounds because of its intimacy. Recognised as one of the most modern and well equipped complexes of its type, it was still small. Consisting of a two-storey main complex, a sports hall with full sized artificial pitch and two full sized outside pitches together with a number of smaller training pitches, its compact nature meant that each visit entailed interaction with everyone there. And there was nowhere to hide – as manager Harry Catterick discovered to his cost. A large part of Bellefield’s appeal came from the characters who populated it. And there were few more colourful than Bernie Wright. Signed from Walsall in 1972, Bernie the Bolt, as he was affectionately known, was central to one of the most scandalously entertaining incidents to take place at the training ground. It was witnessed first hand by one of the youth team players of the era – a well known personality himself who prefers to relate the tale anonymously. “It was just before Christmas and all the first team players received a hamper from John Moores,” he explained. “Bernie came intro training one morning still worse for wear from the night before and spotted a hamper box which was left over. “He knocked the top off one of the whisky bottles and started to drink from it – except he’d broken the neck of the bottle and there was jagged glass everywhere. “Westy (Gordon West) was the only player big enough to have a word with him but the only way he could get him to stop drinking from the bottle was to pour what was left of the whisky into a milk bottle. “By now the coaching staff had heard of the commotion and came down to investigate, but when Stewart Imlach tried to tear a strip of Bernie, Bernie smacked him! “The lads had been winding Bernie up about why he was down to train with the reserves when he should have been with the first team and he decided to take matters into his own hands and go and have it out with Harry Catterick. “He charged up the stairs to seek out Catterick, but the boss had been tipped off by trainer Tommy Egglestone about what was going on and he locked his office door and headed down the spiral staircase! “While Bernie was pounding on his office door The Catt was making himself scarce in his car. “Bernie eventually walked out of the training ground, thumbed a lift on the back of a passing coal lorry and headed off down Queen’s Drive still swigging from the milk bottle full of whisky!” Colin Harvey recalled a lighter moment involving the big striker. “Bernie was a great lad,” he smiled. “He often got himself into some kinds of bother, but he mucked in with the lads and enjoyed a laugh. “He shouldn’t have done some of the things that he carried out back then, but he was a naive young lad and I think if he had his time again, maybe he would have been a bit different, especially so early on in his Everton career. “A lot of people said that Bernie didn’t have any skill but one day Bernie was shouting his mouth off about how good he was, so Alan Whittle challenged him to a skills test. “The challenge was that Bernie had to run two-and-a-half lengths of the pitch with the ball in the air, juggling it so that it didn’t touch the ground. “He had three chances to complete the task – which if you think about having to turn round with the ball after you’d completed one length, wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds. “Bernie did it, second go! It went down really well with the lads because a few players thought he would be able to do it and had fivers riding on him, which was a lot of money in those days. “All the lads were on the bank of the training pitch clapping and roaring. I’ve never seen Alan so quiet, though!” Like a real-life Tardis, a narrow entrance driveway to Bellefield, guarded by rows of semi-detached houses either side, opened up into one of football’s most celebrated training grounds. But an oasis of tranquility it rarely was – and some of the noises emanating from the training pitches came straight from the African jungle. Graham Stuart, a hugely popular player of the 1990s, explained: “Gonzo the kitman (Jimmy Martin) had been there for years and was top class, but the abuse he used to get was fearsome. “He’s got a parrot’s nose, a right old beak. All the players used to squawk at him when he walked on the pitch. We would squawk at him everywhere. Out of windows, on the bus, wherever . . . or scream ‘Who’s a pretty boy then!’ “Jimmy would go nuts, spinning round, threatening people. He must have threatened more than 60 people while I was there alone. Gary Ablett had the best squawk I have ever heard in my life. “Despite all the stick, deep down all the lads respected him deeply. You don’t give the amount of stick and abuse to people like Jimmy without secretly loving him. “He was part of the team. I actually roomed with him on an end-of-season trip to Marbella rather than room with one of the players. I regretted it afterwards, though. His snoring is a disgrace!”
Everton FC £9m retail development delayed until summer 2012
Mar 23 2011
EVERTON FC’S star £9m retail and hospitality development will now not open until the summer of 2012. The scheme is part of the club’s response to the need for it to grow its commercial revenues while it looks for a financially-viable way to build a new stadium. It was launched at a shareholders’ forum last August and the scheme received planning permission in November.The four-storey building – which will house a shop, museum, café, corporate hospitality and offices – was expected to be completed by this autumn but the opening date slipped to Christmas. However the club today said a decision had been taken to delay opening until summer 2012. The club say the complexities surrounding IT moves and office relocation make it sensible to avoid a mid-season move. Everton FC spokesman Ian Ross said: “This has been the acknowledged target date for some time as operationally it would have been difficult to open it mid-season. All of our partners are happy with the current timetable. “This is a complex project involving several partners which when completed will deliver a prestigious multi-use building, one which will unquestionably benefit both club and supporters.” Everton FC chief executive Robert Elstone said in a blog on the club’s website four weeks ago “We expect to start work soon as we wade through some complex legal matters.” Today Mr Ross denied legal issues were the cause of the schedule change.
Everton FC boss David Moyes is hoping USA summer tour can ensure next season is a success
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 23 2011
DAVID MOYES will take Everton back to the USA this summer hoping to put them on tack for a top six finish next season. The Blues have toured America in five of their last seven pre-seasons – and only finished outside of the top six after one of them. Now Moyes, who admits he would be happy to stay in charge at Goodison for another nine years, will return to his lucky destination as the first of two pre-season friendlies was announced against DC United in Washington on July 23. Moyes said: “We’re looking forward to going back to America. We’ve been a few times now and the facilities are always first class. “It will be one of our first games of the summer and it’s good that it will be against quality opposition.” The Toffees boss insisted he is more motivated than ever, after he capped his anniversary week with a win over Fulham on Saturday. He said: “I will always drive myself for more. I would never accept anything. If I had won the league twice I would say I want to win it three times.
“But I would hope that after nine years things have improved. I would like to think people’s perception of Everton has changed a bit. “I would happily stay another nine years. As long as the supporters don’t get sick of me – and I am sure a few have! “It is not fashionable to be a manager for nine years. It is more fashionable to change the manager round and maybe get someone in a bit more trendy. “Some people think that is the answer but if you look at it then it does not tend to be the case and the more successful clubs do have longevity with their managers.” Meanwhile, Yakubu has admitted he wants to make his current loan move at Leicester City permanent. The 28-year-old, who has scored four goals in 12 games on loan in the Midlands, helping the Foxes to the brink of the play-off places, said: “I would love to stay, really. I hope we get promotion. I want to be here and I know the club deserve to be in the Premier League.” However, the Nigerian insisted it was not an easy decision to leave Merseyside. “It was a big decision to leave Everton,” he said. “For me, it was not just about staying in the Premier League and playing 10 minutes or 15 minutes and sitting every week not playing, I was not enjoying it which is not good. You get paid but I love to be on the pitch, working hard and playing football.” Elsewhere, Jack Rodwell has withdrawn injured from the England Under-21 squad for friendlies against Denmark and Iceland this week, while his midfield colleague Marouane Fellaini insisted he is ignoring talk of a summer exit. The 23-year-old, who has been linked with Chelsea and Real Madrid, said: “I am nursing my ankle injury. I want to come back stronger from this injury next season. “I am not thinking about a transfer at the moment. I am thinking about getting fit. It has been a difficult year so far for me.”
Everton FC latest: Yakubu keen to make Leicester City move permanent
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 23 2011
YAKUBU has set his heart on a permanent move to Leicester City this summer – and admitted the lack of first-team football forced him to consider life away from Everton. The Nigeria international joined Leicester in January on loan until the end of the season and has played a key role in the Foxes’ push for the npower Championship play-off places. Yakubu has scored four goals in 12 appearances having for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side having netted just one for Everton during the first half of the campaign. The 28-year-old dropped down the striking pecking order at Goodison, making only eight starts before his temporary switch to Leicester. And Yakubu’s desire for regular action means he is determined to push through a transfer to the Walkers Stadium. “I would love to stay,” said the forward. “I hope we get promoted. I want to be here and I know the club want to be in the Premier League. “It was a big decision to leave Everton but I love to be on the pitch.” Everton turned down a £6million bid from West Ham United for Yakubu last summer but would most likely accept half that figure. However, with David Moyes tracking Leicester’s highly-rated midfielder Andy King, the Goodison outfit would entertain a swap deal. There could be a number of departures from the Everton squad during this summer’s transfer window as Moyes looks to generate funds for squad strengthening. The Goodison manager, though, is reluctant to part with any of his leading players, although reports in Spain have claimed Real Madrid could test that resolve with a £21.5million bid for Marouane Fellaini. Fellaini will miss the rest of the season as he recuperates from an ankle operation, and has distanced himself from such transfer speculation. “I am nursing my ankle injury,” said the Belgian. “I want to come back stronger from this injury next season. “I am not thinking about a transfer at the moment. I am thinking about getting fit. It has been a difficult year so far for me.” Meanwhile, Aston Villa director General Charles C Krulak has urged the Midlanders’ players to “kick the crap” out of Everton when they visit Goodison next month. Struggling Villa are just a point clear of the relegation zone after their weekend home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers with supporters having turned against manager Gerard Houllier. Villa’s next assignment after the international break is at Everton on April 2, with former US Marine Krulak stating the time has come for the players to stop apportioning blame and start fighting for their shirts. When my Marines put on their uniforms and the emblem of the Corps and went into battle and things got tough, they did not fight for their commander, they fought for their brothers-in-arms, the men wearing their uniform and emblem,” said Krulak. “When a player puts on a kit and wears the club badge, I would expect the same. What we need now is to quit pointing fingers and go out and kick the crap out of the next teams we play until the end of the season!”
Everton FC £9m retail development delayed until summer 2012
Mar 23 2011
EVERTON FC’S star £9m retail and hospitality development will now not open until the summer of 2012. The scheme is part of the club’s response to the need for it to grow its commercial revenues while it looks for a financially-viable way to build a new stadium. It was launched at a shareholders’ forum last August and the scheme received planning permission in November.The four-storey building – which will house a shop, museum, café, corporate hospitality and offices – was expected to be completed by this autumn but the opening date slipped to Christmas. However the club today said a decision had been taken to delay opening until summer 2012. The club say the complexities surrounding IT moves and office relocation make it sensible to avoid a mid-season move. Everton FC spokesman Ian Ross said: “This has been the acknowledged target date for some time as operationally it would have been difficult to open it mid-season. All of our partners are happy with the current timetable. “This is a complex project involving several partners which when completed will deliver a prestigious multi-use building, one which will unquestionably benefit both club and supporters.” Everton FC chief executive Robert Elstone said in a blog on the club’s website four weeks ago “We expect to start work soon as we wade through some complex legal matters.” Today Mr Ross denied legal issues were the cause of the schedule change.
Everton FC announce US pre-season tour will include Washington date
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 23 2011
Everton FC announce US pre-season tour will include Washington date
EVERTON are to tour the United States once again during pre-season after the club confirmed a friendly in Washington this summer. David Moyes’s will travel to the American capital city to face DC United on Saturday July 23, the first of what Everton hope will be two games as part of their warm-up programme stateside. The game will take place at the iconic RFK Stadium, the 46,000-capacity venue that was formerly home to the Washington Redskins and hosted games in the 1994 World Cup. It will be the sixth time in eight years Moyes has taken his players across the Atlantic after tours to Houston in 2004, Columbus and Dallas in 2006, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles in 2007, Chicago and Denver in 2008 and Seattle, Edmonton and Salt Lake City in 2009. “We’re looking forward to going back to America,” said the Goodison manager. “We’ve been a few times now and the facilities are always first-class. We’ve not yet been to Washington as a club so we’re really looking forward to the game against DC United. “It will be one of our first games of the summer and it’s good that it will be against quality opposition. The RFK is a terrific stadium and I am sure we’ll all enjoy the experience.” Kevin Payne, president & CEO of DC United, said: “DC United take pride in measuring our club against the best clubs worldwide. “In Everton, we have yet another world-class opponent visiting RFK Stadium. Our respect for their organisation is deep and we look forward to hosting them this summer.” Tim Howard faced DC United many times during his stay at New York Metro Stars, and said: “I’m really looking forward to playing at the RFK again. It’s a stadium I know well and DC United is a club I know well. “They’ve been successful in the States over the years and it will be great to play against them with Everton. It will be an important part of our pre-season preparation and it will be the type of tough test that we want. “I know the head coach, Ben Olsen, very well of course having played alongside him so many times for the national team and he was a great player who I am sure will be a terrific coach for DC. “There’s a lot of football still to be played here in the Premier League but I’m already looking forward to playing my pals at DC!” Meanwhile, Jack Rodwell has withdrawn from the England under-21s squad for their friendlies with Denmark and Iceland after picking up a knock in Everton’s 2-1 win over Fulham. The midfielder, who was substituted with 13 minutes remaining, has suffered from a series of injuries this season and played only six minutes of England U21’s friendly defeat in Italy last month. James Vaughan, who is currently on loan at npower Championship strugglers Crystal Palace, is expected to play some part for Stuart Pearce’s side.
Everton striker Louis Saha admits he is unlikely to play again this season after injuring ankle against Fulham
Louis Saha has admitted he may not play again this season after injuring his ankle in last weekend’s Premier League victory against Fulham, leaving Everton with just one fit senior forward for the remainder of the campaign.
March 23 2011 The Guardian
By Rory Smith
“I am on crutches at the moment,” the 32-year-old told L’Equipe. “I am not well. Am I going to be out for days, weeks, months? I do not know. But it will be difficult to play again by the end of the season. “I am getting fed up with it because it always happens when I am trying to start something. It is hard, but when I see what is happening in Japan, I do not want to complain. This year has been very frustrating, doing all the physical preparation and hurting myself in the process. “There have been many moments where I have wanted to drop everything, especially when I was at Manchester United, but fortunately I am surrounded by people that help me see the bright side of life.”
David Moyes will now have to mastermind a strong finish to a disappointing season with just Jermaine Beckford as a recognised striker. The Scot has increasingly been forced to use Tim Cahill in that role, though his midfield options are equally scarce, with Marouane Fellaini unlikely to play again this season and Mikel Arteta expected to be absent for as much as another month.
Everton Ladies exit Women’s Champions League at hands of Duisburg
Liverpool Echo
Mar 24 2011
EVERTON Ladies are out of the 2010/11 Women’s Champions League after a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Germany’s FCR 2001 Duisburg. Despite their best efforts to overturn their two-goal deficit from the first leg, Mo Marley’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat at Duisburg’s PCC Stadion yesterday afternoon. The ball rarely left the Duisburg half in the opening exchanges and a deep cross from Blues captain Jody Handley to Natasha Dowie on seven minutes was to be Everton’s first chance of the afternoon. But it was the Germans who took the lead through Simone Laudehr, who headed home at the far post from a whipped in cross. With limited chances early in the second period, the Blues’ first real shot of the half came on 63 minutes as Scott launched another long-rang strike at goal, but this time her effort spun narrowly wide. But the hosts went two up when they were awarded a penalty with ten minutes to go after an alleged push in the box from Fern Whelan, German international Inka Grings stepping up to score. The Blues finally found the net in the final minute of added time after a neat lay-off from Brooke Chaplen sent Gwen Harries one-on-one with the keeper which she was able to slot home with ease. With their European journey over, Everton will now turn their attention to the inaugural FA WSL which starts with a home match against Liverpool on April 14.
Everton FC fans letters: Blues must try to buy a midfield patroller
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 24 2011
A HARD-FOUGHT victory against a determined Fulham side, who based on possession, could have shared the points, but Everton’s stoicism prevailed, yielding a much needed three points. My man of the match, though, was Danny Murphy who patrolled the midfield superbly, and it is this type of player Everton need to be considered as a perennial top five outfit. The dissertations confirming Rodwell’s exit are for one unsettling on the player, but if Everton do receive £25m, then this money should be re-invested in a midfield patroller. The ideal player to complement and patrol alongside Fellaini would be Tom Huddlestone. Big, powerful, tremendous passer and crosser of the ball, would be a shrewd replacement for Rodwell. Equally, Charlie Adam should be considered. Once we confirm our Premier League safety, and as per Greg O’Keeffe’s column last week, it would be a prudent opportunity to utilise some of the youngsters at the club i.e. Magaye Gueye, Velios, Jose Silva, Mustafa, Duffy etc.
David Kearns, Aintree.
DAVID MOYES has a gift of finding diamonds in the rough and Seamus Coleman is one of many.
WillyNilly
I CAN’T think of many young players having a better season than Seamus Coleman – possibly Jack Wilshire at Arsenal. Manchester United’s Chris Smalling has done well but only recently and he cost £10m. David Moyes is very good at talking up his players.
Copper
THAT was a three priceless points against Fulham keeping us pushing for that sixth spot in the league.
Bluewinner
GREAT to see Phil Jagielka sign a new four-year deal with Everton. We have many good players on long-term contracts, including Jack Rodwell, so even though we are short of cash for player investment, the backbone of the team is looking OK. All we need now is for David Moyes to do some more magic on unearthing a couple more bargains like he has done in the past.
Bootletimes
IN my opinion, there’s no chance of us pushing on at the moment. Talk of “going forward” is nonsense when it’s divorced from what’s not going on off the pitch – any investment of cash.
Blooboy
LOUIS SAHA’S injury record is not why we are poor this year. Here are the real reasons – Anichebe: lacks class; Bily: lacks bottle; Arteta: thinks he’s better than he really is thanks to Bill Kenwright’s “Alex Young” comment; Howard: Flapping too much; Heitinga: Playing when he feels like.
You can’t blame Louis for all these failures.
engulfed55
IT was encouraging to hear about the possibility of David Weir returning to the club as a defensive coach. Davy was arguably Walter Smith’s best signing - eight years of solid consistency for just £250,000. For someone to still be playing and winning honours at football’s top level in their 40th year shows just what an outstanding professional the man still is.
Robert Beard, Walton
Everton FC jury: Blues fans on the win over Fulham & the latest Goodison news
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 24 2011
Lee Molton: Phil Jagielka is surely a future captain of Everton FC ANOTHER win over Fulham at home – if only we could play them every week we would be top of the Premier League! A good performance from the boys especially Seamus Coleman and Leon Osman. Coleman is having a terrific season and being on the bench recently has helped him. His energy really helps the team and gives us a good outlet on the right of midfield and it is still only his first full season in the Premier League. He would be my tip for Young Player of the Year this season. A blank weekend now, just when the Blues were on a nice run – don’t you just hate it when England play?! It is good reward for Leighton Baines and Phil Jaglieka to be called up for England and it was good for Jags to sign a new contract – he is surely a future Everton captain! Richard Knights: Who was the genius who invented the 5.30pm kick-off? OUR world used to be planned around those certainties in life, like the football match at 3pm on a Saturday. So who was the genius, the poltroon, who invented the 5.30pmkick-off? Forcing young women to come to the game in their rollers. Then there's childhood poverty. At the start of a school year most kids turn up in new uniforms, shiny shoes and freshly-ironed shirts. But some of them are forced to wear the cast-offs and hand-me-downs – tired old jumpers, shirts with frayed cuffs and scuffed shoes. Yes, Uncle Bill has done his best for little Davy, turned up to parents' evening, made sure homework is completed and the Home Reader returned. It's just, as they get older it gets worse, their friends have i-Pods and i-Pads, he's left with a Pay As You Go burner. When his mates are jetting off to Milan, Madrid and Barcelona, he's stuck in a caravan in Talacre. The Everton team on Saturday cost £22million. Will he stay or will he go?
Cole Fraser: It would be great to finish above Liverpool FC
ALTHOUGH it’s great to see us hitting a bit of form, losing only one of our last five league games, it’s just a shame that we’re picking up the points so late in the season, when we have so little to play for.
There’s still room for improvement though, we still have a point to prove and should strive to finish as high as is mathematically possible. Echoing Phil Neville’s comments from earlier this week, it would be great if we can get above Liverpool. We’ve been dealt a lot of injuries over the past weeks, which has left David Moyes with limited resources at his disposal. Losing Louis Saha to the growing injury list is a blow. Hopefully Jermaine Beckford can shine in King Louis’s absence, just as Leon Osman has done. If Jermaine can get among the goals, then we should be OK. Fingers crossed we can get through the international break without anymore injury worries.
Debbie Smaje: Time to shuffle the Everton FC squad
WE certainly made hard work of beating Fulham. But it seems at last that win has done enough to make us stop worrying about relegation. And just as well given that we are suffering more and more injuries with every game. With that in mind, it must surely be time to shuffle the squad a little bit?
Magaye Gueye looked like a player who can give us something different in his League Cup appearances – he must be worth a few runs off the bench? We have always been told that Bily is better in the centre of midfield, so why not give him a run there now while we are so lacking in creativity? Up front, it seems we have no room to manoeuvre. Hopefully Saha’s injury isn’t as serious as it looked, Cahill still just isn’t right, which leaves us with Beckford, who hasn’t looked nearly as effective as a lone striker as he has with a partner.
The Ghosts of Bellefield part three: Final instalment in our series on Everton FC's famous training ground
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 24 2011
Everton players take part in the last day of training in Bellefield's sports hall* READ part on here and part two here TO PARAPHRASE a proper writer, they were the best of times, they were the worst of times. But while Charles Dickens cut his teeth reporting Victorian court cases, I enjoyed something infinitely more colourful. For more than a decade I was the Echo’s Everton correspondent.
That meant daily morning visits to Bellefield to speak to the manager, then often a lunchtime return to interview a player. That little oasis of calm off a busy West Derby street became as familiar as the back of my hand. Between 1993 and 2003 I stared at that famous plaque on the Bellefield entrance hall so long I knew the words off by heart. And those visits produced a host of memories – some good, some bad, but none dull. When the Echo’s first edition deadline was 11.30am, a succession of Everton managers were happy to entertain the local paper before training – usually to tea and toast and an explan- ation of what was true and what wasn’t in the morning papers. It was a ritual initiated by a man who appreciated the power of the local press – the always charming Howard Kendall – and continued by every Everton manager until I hung up my notepad. The meetings weren’t always cordial, though. Walter Smith’s volcanic reaction when I told him my news editor refused to believe Duncan Ferguson had been sold behind his back the night before, was memorable. “He must have known about it and we’re going to report that unless he can convince you otherwise,” said the newsdesk boss. The Everton boss convinced me. I was forced to sit and listen while he rang his chairman to prove the point – and the largely one-way conversation would have made a docker blush. Duncan’s presence at Bellefield was always a source of news – sometimes unexpectedly. One morning my meeting in Walter Smith’s office was interrupted when the tower- ing striker knocked and asked if he could have a private word . . . whilst trying to hide a badly bloodshot eye. Fortunately for Ferguson that was only the injury he had sustained whilst apprehending two burglars at his Formby home. The intruders weren’t so lucky. Ferguson was reluctant to discuss the matter in front of the media – a stance he held throughout most of his Everton career – but he did once agree to conduct an interview for the Echo. Having gone through an almost weekly process of asking – and being knocked back – I was stunned when on Friday 13th January 1995, he said “Aye. Come and see me Monday. We’ll do it then.” I should have noted the date. The next day Ferguson was harshly sent off at Highbury for the faintest of shoves on John Jensen. I still went through the charade of asking Duncan to fulfil his promise on Monday morning as he strolled across the Bellefield car park, but the chance had gone. Forever. That walk from car to entrance hall was the moment when you could ask players if they would consider an interview after training. On a couple of occasions, however, the players approached me. John Spencer demanded right of reply after chairman Peter Johnson had told a packed AGM: “Did you want me to give more money to the manager to waste on players like John Spencer?” While Abel Xavier once asked if the Echo would carry a plea from a group of players backing a then under-pressure Walter Smith.
But it wasn’t always serious. The backroom staff at Everton would often invite the local media to Bellefield for a ‘friendly’ football match. But professional sportsmen don’t ever do anything light-heartedly. After being told to bring training shoes, no boots, we anticipating a ‘friendly’ match on the artificial surface in the sports hall. Suitably shod, we were then led outside by Paul Power towards the famous ‘C’ team pitch – boasting a surface like a snooker table – which had just been liberally watered by Mick Lyons. Ex-pros like Power, Lyons, David Jones, Terry Darracott and Colin Harvey didn’t need their visitors to be sliding around like ice dancers to dish out a football lesson, which they promptly did. Those clashes would usually be annual affairs, but on one famous occasion we were invited back the following week – because we’d done the unthinkable and won. Echo Crime Reporter Paul Byrne scored the winner past Paul Bonetti in a famous 3-2 triumph, which had Kendall growling: “Back here next week for the second leg!” Just one face was changed in the Everton line-up for the re-match, a recently retired but still super-fit John Bailey – but the scoreline was dramatically different. Everton declared at 7-0. The relationship with a succession of Everton managers was usually cordial – although I found Mike Walker as pompous as some of his players.
Mark Ward wrote in his autobiography: “Walker was such a poseur that he’d instructed the groundstaff to paint his initials on his parking space in the car park. Everton had been led by club legends such as Harry Catterick, Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey and Billy Bingham through the years and yet none of them were vain enough to want their own name or initials marked out for all to see.
“So I decided to show Walker just how pathetic I thought he was be “I drove into the car park early on this particular morning and noticed the new ‘M.W.’ painted on the ground where the new manager clearly intended to park his car. So what did I do? I parked my BMW there! “He didn’t see the funny side of my joke.” Ward never played for Everton again. I witnessed that pomposity when our resident European expert, Ric George, had dug out a litany of worrying misdemeanours perpetrated by a Brazilian striker Everton were trying to sign. This was the pre-internet age, when managers like Graeme Souness could be kidded into handing a top flight debut to a man who claimed to be George Weah’s brother, but had never played professionally in his life. Walker was still new to Goodison and uncertain how to broach the subject, I started: “Erm, Muller’s done quite well on the pitch in Italy, hasn’t he?” I was cut stone dead. “Mr Prentice. I am not in the habit of trying to sign bad players for Everton Football Club,” snapped Walker. The man who later signed Brett Angell never did discover the off-field antics which blighted Muller’s time in Serie A. Fortunately his tax demands meant that Evertonians never got to see him on the pitch anyway. Evertonians have also seen the last of Bellefield – but it will never be forgotten.
Everton FC star Seamus Coleman can't wait for first competitive Ireland start
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo
Mar 24 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN says he can’t wait to finally represent the Republic of Ireland in a competitive match. The 22-year-old has been named in Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad for Saturday’s European Championship qualifier with Macedonia in Dublin, and for the friendly international with Uruguay four days later. And having made his senior debut for the Boys in Green in a Nations Cup tie with Wales back in February, the wide-man says he is now excited at the prospect of making a first competitive appearance. “It is always good to go away with your country,” said Coleman. “Hopefully I can have a good week in training and we’ll see what happens. “I have only been away a couple of times so it is still exciting getting the call and I am looking forward to the experience. “We have got a big qualifying game against Macedonia so hopefully we can get the three points. “I always wanted to play for Ireland and I have done that now so the next step is a qualifying game. I am not sure if I will play or not but I am just glad to be a part of it.” The former Sligo Rovers man has enjoyed a hugely successful season at Goodison Park, making 33 appearances and emerging as one of the Blues’ main attacking threats with his energetic, incisive play down the right hand side. Indeed, his impressive form recently prompted manager David Moyes to claim Coleman should be in contention for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. The Donegal-born man, however, believes he has benefited from Moyes’ careful handling of him, which saw him left out of the starting line-up for two games before making a goalscoring return in the 2-0 win over Fulham last weekend. “I am playing at Everton Football Club,” he said. “It is a big club and I know I am not going to play every week.
“I have been lucky to play a lot of games, but the manager decided to take me out for a couple of games and I am not going to argue with him. “He put me back in against Fulham and I tried my best and got on the scoresheet. “I felt a little fresher after the rest. It is not that you want to rest, you want to play every week, but the manager knows what is best for me.” Meanwhile, Moyes says there will be no Goodison return for on-loan striker Yakubu - this season at least. The Nigerian striker is currently at Championship outfit Leicester, but there had been speculation the 28-year-old would be called back to Merseyside in the wake of the injury sustained by Louis Saha in Saturday’s victory over Fulham. But Moyes says Yakubu, who has recently stated his desire to remain at the Foxes, will be allowed to stay at the Walkers Stadium until the season’s end. Moyes said: “We have got a few players out on loan and I’m sure, come the end of the season, we’ll assess it and see what the situation is. “But, the one thing is, it’s good that he (Yakubu) is getting games. “He needs the games. We couldn’t quite get him in the team at the time. “Louis was in good form and there were one or two others coming through. But it’s good to see him playing. “He is at a club who have got a really good chance of getting into the play-offs if they win a few games, so we will wait and see come the end of the season.”
Land of their fathers: Liverpool FC & Everton FC stars who have shone for Wales
Dan Kay
Mar 24 2011
AHEAD of this weekend's clash between Wales and England, we took a look at some of the finest Welsh footballers to have graced Anfield and Goodison Park
Goalkeeper
Neville Southall, EFC 1981-98
Llandudno-born stopper who arrived from Bury in 1981 and racked up 751 appearances in seventeen years at Goodison. Football Writers Footballer of the Year in 1985, he won two league championship, one European Cup Winners Cup and two FA Cup winners medals and was widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world in the mid-1980s.
He also won 92 caps for Wales.
Ray Lambert, LFC 1939-56
Bagillt-born Lambert became the youngest ever player to join a league side when he signed professional forms at Anfield on his 17th birthday in 1939. He appeared in 36 of 42 league games as Liverpool went on to clinch the first post-war championship by one point over Wolves in 1946/47 and played 341 games for the club, winning 5 caps for Wales.
Kevin Ratcliffe, EFC 1980-92
The Mancot-born centre-back became the youngest captain in history to lift the FA Cup when doing so for the Blues against Watford aged just 23 and led Howard Kendall's side through the greatest period in the club's history between 1984 and 1987, when they also racked up two league championships and the European Cup Winners Cup along with three successive FA Cup finals.
He made 489 appearances for the Blues and won 59 caps for Wales.
Joey Jones, LFC 1975-78
Llandudno-born Jones only spent three years at Anfield, playing exactly 100 games, but his tough tackling style made him a Kop favourite and inspired one of the most famous LFC banners of them all at the 1977 European Cup Final in Rome. Capped 72 times by Wales, Jones had three spells at Wrexham as well as playing for Chelsea and Huddersfield and is still involved with the youth set-up at the Racecourse Ground.
Pat van den Hauwe, EFC 1984-89
Although born in Belgium, van den Hauwe qualified to play for Wales due to his mother being from the Principality and won 13 caps for his adopted country. He arrived at Goodison from Birmingham City in September 1984 and slotted in to a Blues side that was about to sweep all before them, making 199 appearances in his five years at the club.
Midfield
Barry Horne, EFC 1992-96
Tough-tackling St Asaph-born midfielder who arrived from Southampton in 1992 and wrote himself into Everton folklore with the stunning 25-yarder against Wimbledon in 1994 that helped the Blues avoid relegation on the last day of the season - he was also part of the 1995 FA Cup winning side.
A university graduate (he got a first in chemistry from the University of Liverpool), he played 144 games for the Blues and won 59 Wales caps.
Dean Saunders, LFC 1991-92
Swansea-born Saunders became Britain's most expensive footballer when he joined Liverpool from Derby County for £2.9m in 1991 and scored 25 goals in an Anfield career that lasted barely 12 months and 61 games before being sold to Aston Villa, largely because of the 'foreign player' ruling that applied to European competition at the time. His father Roy had played for Liverpool between 1948 and 1959 while Dean scored 22 goals in 75 games for Wales, putting him fourth on the all time list behind Ian Rush, Ivor Allchurch and Trevor Ford.
Gary Speed, EFC 1996-98
Mancot-born midfielder who arrived from Leeds, for whom he had won a league title medal, for £3.5m in 1996. He scored 18 goals in 65 games at Goodison, including a late equaliser at Anfield, before leaving for Newcastle in 1998. After six years at St James Park, he spent four years at Bolton and finished his career with 535 Premier League appearances, a record until it was overtaken by David James, a goalkeeper. He won 85 caps for Wales between 1990 and 2004 and is currently national team manager.
Attackers
John Toshack, LFC 1970-78
Cardiff-born striker who arrived from Cardiff for £110,000 and formed a deadly partnership with Kevin Keegan at Anfield in the 1970s. He scored 96 goals in 247 games at the club - winning three league, one FA Cup, two UEFA Cup and one European Cup winners medals - and famously took off his tracksuit top to reveal a Liverpool shirt when the Swansea side he was managing were the first visitors to Anfield just days after Bill Shankly died in 1981. He scored 13 goals in 40 appearances for Wales and managed his country between 2004 and 2010.
Roy Vernon, EFC 1960-65
Ffynnongroyw-born forward who was captain and top scorer with 24 goals - linking up with Alec Young who grabbed 22 - when Everton won the championship in the 1962-63 season. He grabbed 111 goals in 201 games for the club, which belied his reputation as heavy smoker - he was known to enjoy a crafty drag in the dug-out and team showers. Brian Labone said of him, "Taffy Vernon was about 10 stone. Wet through he looked about as athletic as Pinocchio." He played 32 times for Wales, representing them in the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden.
Ian Rush, LFC 1980-96
Born in Flint, Bob Paisley paid a record fee for a teenager of £300,000 when bringing him in from Chester City in 1980 and after a difficult start, Rush went on to become one of the most respected strikers in the history of the game. He scored an amazing 47 goals in 65 games during Liverpool's treble-winning 1983/84 campaign and was instrumental in the Reds 85/86 League/FA Cup double before leaving to join Juventus for £3.2m a year later. He returned to Anfield after a year in Italy and carried on where he left off, ultimately finishing with 346 goals in 660 games - along with five league, three FA Cup, five League Cup and one European Cup winners medals - when he left for Leeds United in 1996. He equalled Dixie Dean's record of 19 Merseyside derby goals in his last match against Everton before leaving for Italy and broke it when scoring twice in the 1989 FA Cup Final, while he surpassed Roger Hunt's record of 286 goals for Liverpool when scoring at Old Trafford for the first time in 1992. He also scored 28 goals in 73 games for Wales including a famous winner against World champions West Germany in 1991.
The Mersey Welsh XI
Southall
Lambert - Ratcliffe - Jones - van den Hauwe
Saunder - Horne – Speed
Toshack - Rush – Vernon
Everton FC striker Louis Saha fears his season may be over
Mar 24 2011
LOUIS Saha fears he will not play again this season. The striker's startling admission will be a hammer-blow to David Moyes, who has already lost Marouane Fellaini for the rest of the campaign.
Luckless Saha was stretchered off two minutes from the end of last Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Fulham, after landing awkwardly while jumping for a header. The Frenchman left Goodison on crutches with concerns he may have damaged ankle ligaments. And although the club have yet to confirm the length of his lay-off, fed-up Saha says there is a chance he could miss all of Everton's remaining eight games. Saha has also not given up on playing more international football. The 32-year-old said: “I’m on crutches, I am not well. Am I going to be out for days, weeks or months? I do not know. But it will be difficult to play again by the end of the season. “I’m getting fed up because the injuries always happen when I am trying to start something. It’s hard, but when I see what is happening in Japan, I do not want to complain. “I am someone who always tries to think positively. If I thought about these problems all the time, it would drive me crazy.” Saha had scored the winner against Fulham to take his tally to 10 goals for the season, nine of which have come since the New Year. The forward missed almost two months after suffering a calf injury while playing for France against Belarus in September, his first international appearance in four years. He added: “This year was very frustrating. I did all the physical preparation, and I hurt myself in the process. For a footballer, there’s nothing harder. “Then I come back well in January and now this new injury happens. It’s difficult mentally, and that’s what makes me proud. Not everyone can come back as I did every time. I still have a lot to give. “There were many moments where I wanted to drop everything, especially when I was at Manchester United. Fortunately I am surrounded by people that help me see the bright side of life because at one time I was fed up." He said: “I know through my team-mates that (national team coach) Laurent Blanc continues to ask about how I am doing. That is a motivation. “Despite my age, I hope to lend a hand. I’d like to supervise the younger generation.”
Everton FC latest: Injured Louis Saha fears he could be out for season
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 24 2011
Everton FC striker Louis Saha celebrates scoring against Chelsea in the FA CupLUCKLESS Louis Saha fears he will not play again this season after the Everton striker’s injury jinx struck once more. Saha was substituted two minutes from the end of Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Fulham after landing awkwardly while jumping for a header. The Frenchman left Goodison on crutches with Everton concerned the player may have damaged ankle ligaments. And a downbeat Saha admits there is a chance he could join Marouane Fellaini in being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. “I’m on crutches, I am not well,” said the 32-year-old. “Am I going to be out for days, weeks or months? I do not know. But it will be difficult to play again by the end of the season. “I’m getting fed up because the injuries always happen when I am trying to start something. It’s hard, but when I see what is happening in Japan, I do not want to complain. “I am someone who always tries to think positively. If I thought about these problems all the time, it would drive me crazy.” Before his injury, Saha netted what proved to be the decisive strike against Fulham to take his tally to 10 goals for the season, nine of which have come since the New Year. The forward missed almost two months after suffering a calf injury while playing for France against Belarus in September, his first international appearance in four years. And of his untimely setback, Saha added: “This year was very frustrating. I did all the physical preparation, and I hurt myself in the process. For a footballer, there’s nothing harder. “Then I come back well in January and now this new injury happens. It’s difficult mentally, and that’s what makes me proud. Not everyone can come back as I did every time. I still have a lot to give. “There were many moments where I wanted to drop everything, especially when I was at Manchester United. Fortunately I am surrounded by people that help me see the bright side of life because at one time, I was fed up.” Of his chances of another international recall, Saha added: “I know through my team-mates that (national team coach) Laurent Blanc continues to ask about how I am doing. That is a motivation. “Despite my age, I hope to lend a hand. I’d like to supervise the younger generation.” Meanwhile, Leighton Baines has hailed the form of Leon Osman and believes the pair can strike up a partnership down the Everton left. Osman has been the most consistent performer in recent weeks, filling the midfield breach left by Steven Pienaar, who joined Tottenham Hotspur in January. And Baines said: “Ossie is a great footballer so it’s not difficult to have a relationship with someone who has high footballing intelligence. “Ossie has been playing out of his skin recently and has been one of our best players. Losing Steven was always going to be a blow because he was one of our better players but at the same time we knew we had players who could come in and do a job there. “Ossie, in the main, is the person that has come in and done that and this speaks volumes of his quality.” Everton’s win moved them up to eighth and on to 40 points, a figure manager David Moyes later stated would be enough to banish any lingering fears of relegation. But a cautious Baines added: “Given how things have gone this season, I’m loathe to give an opinion on it really. But if we are going to be positive then we need to start looking up now.
“There are a lot of teams on similar points and three or four points either way can turn things for you. “But it’s nice to be in a position where can start to look up now because we have spent more time looking what’s been going on below us for the majority of the season.”
Everton Ladies are knocked out of the Women’s Champions League by Germany’s FCR 2001 Duisburg
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 24 2011
EVERTON Ladies are out of the 2010/11 Women’s Champions League after a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Germany’s FCR 2001 Duisburg. Despite their best efforts to overturn their two-goal deficit from the first leg, Mo Marley’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat at Duisburg’s PCC Stadion yesterday afternoon. Gwen Harries scored Everton’s goal.
Republic of Ireland blow as Everton's Coleman latest to withdraw due to injury
By Colin Young Daily Mail
24th March 2011
Everton midfielder Seamus Coleman is out of the Republic of Ireland squad to face Macedonia on Saturday. The former Sligo Town ace, who only made his Ireland debut last month, has withdrawn with the recurrence an ankle injury suffered in training earlier today. Coleman, who trained with the Irish squad earlier today, had arrived with a slight knock and aggravated it in training. His absence leaves Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni down to 25 players following Leon Best's withdrawal with an ankle injury on Wednesday. Experienced pair Shay Given and John O'Shea are also out through injury already. Shame for Seamus: Everton's Coleman has been forced out of the Republic of Ireland squad
Burnley FC swoop for Everton defender Shane Duffy
Burnley Express
Thursday 24 March 2011
The Clarets have strengthened their squad for the promotion run-in with the capture of Everton defender Shane Duffy. The 19-year-old has signed a loan deal to keep him at Turf Moor for an initial 28-day spell. Clarets’ boss Eddie Howe swooped to beat Thursday’s emergency loan deadline to recruit the highly-rated centre-back to increase his defensive options for the final stages of the Championship play-off race. Duffy joined Everton’s Academy as a 16-year-old and after progressing through the ranks made his first-team debut in a Europa League tie in December, 2009. He made one further senior appearance for the Toffees in the competition later the same month and was named as Everton’s reserve team player of the year before suffering a life-threatening injury on international duty last May. Having represented Northern Ireland up to under-21 and ‘B’ level, the County Derry born defender switched allegiance to the Republic of Ireland in February, 2010.
After being called into the Ireland squad for a training camp three months later, Duffy suffered a freak injury which saw him sever an artery near his liver and require life-saving surgery. He has since fully recovered and after returning in pre-season at the start of the current campaign has been a regular for the reserves at Goodison Park and has featured on the bench eight times at first-team level for David Moyes’ side. Duffy will link up with the Clarets next week after returning from international duty with the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad in Portugal.
David Prentice: Everton FC can still save their season
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
EVERTON’S season ended at 8.07pm on Wednesday, March 9 – or so I thought.Mikel Arteta’s torn hamstring, coming hot on the heels of Marouane Fellaini’s season ending injury, was enough for me to issue the last rites to Everton’s season.Well could you see any purpose to it?So you’d think that Louis Saha’s injury would merely confirm the death of a campaign.But it doesn’t.In fact it actually opens a couple of doors, because one man’s demise is another man’s opportunity.It means that for Jermaine Beckford there’s still plenty to play for this season.And not just Beckford.Back in 2004 I managed to ruffle a few feathers inside the Goodison dressing room by criticising players for effectively downing tools after relegation had ceased to be a possibility.After a Good Friday defeat of Tottenham, Everton played six, won none and lost their last four games, in a run-in of increasing disinterest.David Moyes remembers that run-in well.He will be keen to ensure Everton still have something to play for – and players of the calibre and attitude of Phil Neville, Leon Osman and Tim Cahill will agree.So if Everton are looking for a season-saving target, how about overtaking their cross-park rivals?It’s only happened three times in the last 26 years – and the last time was the campaign which followed that 2004 flop. Everton’s season is still alive and kicking.
Howard Kendall: I wanted to make Bryan Robson my first Everton FC signing
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
I WAS saddened to read that Bryan Robson has got throat cancer.If you want to talk about great England captains, he’s up there with the very best over the years.A magnificent player and a lovely guy.The first thing I tried to do when I arrived at Everton in 1981 was sign Bryan from West Bromwich Albion, but their manager Ron Atkinson clearly had other ideas.He told me I had no chance and it soon became apparent why.Big Ron was off to Manchester United and he was determined to take Robson with him to Old Trafford.I think a manager’s first signings are very important, and would have loved to have unveiled him at Goodison Park as my first man.I wish him all the best in his battle to get better, and have no doubt he will fight every inch of the way - just like he did on the pitch when the going got tough.Big Ron knew what he was doing when he told me where to go after I made that speculative phone call.Bryan Robson is a legend.Get well soon!
Liverpool FC reserves 2 Everton FC reserves 2 - honours even for second string
Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
0ShareAdd a commentRecommend LIVERPOOL Reserves produced a gutsy fightback to ensure the spoils were shared in the mini derby at Anfield last night. Everton stamped their authority on the opening 45 minutes before finding themselves firmly on the back foot after the break. Goals from Adam Forshaw and Conor McAleny helped the Blues establish a 2-0 lead but Suso and Nikola Saric restored parity in the second half. In the closing stages the Reds looked the more likely winners but they couldn't find a way through and were left ruing Michael Roberts' first half penalty miss. The biggest concern for watching Blues first team boss David Moyes was the sight of Jose Baxter being stretchered off with what looked like a serious hamstring injury. Everton started brightly with Greek youth international Apostolos Vellios testing Martin Hansen inside two minutes. Liverpool responded with right-back John Flanagan, who was on the bench for the Europa League tie against Braga last week, once again showcasing his obvious potential. One great cross after a bursting run down the flank picked out Saric but the striker couldn't control his volley. With both sides struggling to make much impression in the final third it took something special to break the deadlock in the 17th minute. Forshaw picked up possession 25 yards out and curled a stunning strike past Hansen. Everton suffered a setback on the half hour mark after Baxter went down in agony. The England Under-19s international, who was due to face Holland in Amsterdam next Tuesday, was clearly distressed as he was taken off and replaced by Thomas Donegan. The Reds wasted the chance to equalise when Steven Irwin lashed well wide and they were made to pay three minutes before the break as the ball broke to McAleny who fired an unstoppable shot past Hansen. In first half stoppage time Liverpool should have halved the deficit after Aristote Nsiala was adjudged to brought down Jack Robinson in the box.However, Roberts' spot-kick was weak and keeper Connor Roberts comfortably kept it out.Spurred on by some strong words from coach Pep Segura, Liverpool were transformed in the second half. Suso, substitute Toni Silva and Irwin all went close before the Reds' pressure finally told in the 58th minute. Spanish teenager Suso unleashed a low 20 yarder which gave Roberts no chance and the hosts continued to press.Seven minutes later Liverpool were level. Saric turned smartly in the box and fired across Roberts and into the far corner.The Reds sensed victory but a third goal proved elusive. Thomas Ince lifted a shot on to the roof of the net before Roberts produced a fine save to thwart Silva.Ince could have won it in stoppage time for the Reds but his control let him down in the box and they had to settle for a point.
Liverpool: Hansen, Flanagan, Robinson, Mendy, Wisdom, Suso, Thomas (Silva 45), Roberts, Ince, Irwin, Saric. Not used: Cooper, Chamberlain, Sama, Coady.
Everton: Roberts, Browning, Nsiala, Bidwell, Garbutt, McAleny, Baxter (Donegan 31), Forshaw, Kinsella, Craig (Barrow 72), Vellios.
Not used: Fitzgibbon, Murphy Forrester
Howard Kendall: Everton FC youngsters Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman are in the right positions for now
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
THERE has been a lot of talk about what will eventually be the best positions for Seamus Coleman and Jack Rodwell. I say don’t worry about that - both are fine where they are.Everyone knows how highly I rate Rodwell, but I read an interview in which he said he thinks centre half might be where he’ll end up.Just like Rio Ferdinand, a player he has been compared to so often, that may well be the case.But he’s on the best learning curve for now in the centre of midfield. He is still just 20 and needs more experience, certainly before David Moyes would be willing to play him at centre half in the Premier League.I think the feeling is that he’s certainly not ready yet.Jack will be training and watching closely the things that Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka do - because he could not ask for two better examples for aspiring central defenders.Likewise Seamus Coleman. Moyes has said he sees the lad eventually returning to the right full back position where he started out.Nobody would argue with him, but for now he has one tremendous strength which is his burst of pace coming from a deeper position or even in an advanced role, where he can really give the opposition left-back a headache.Seeing him pick the ball up and head straight for goal is a delight and I’m glad Moyes has said he doesn’t want to coach that out of him.In the long term, if you are a defender I believe you’re number one priority must be defending - like Tony Hibbert, there aren’t many wingers who have got the better of him over the years.If Seamus has a shortfall with his defending, why not leave him where he is and work on that aspect in training and over the summer?
Everton FC fan banned from matches for racist heckle at Louis Saha
by Emily Gosden, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
AN EVERTON FC fan was banned from football matches for three years for abusing striker Louis Saha. David Sibson, 57, of Cheadle Hulme, shouted his remarks as the Blues took on Stoke City on October 30 last year.Sibson was reported to a club steward by fellow fans disgusted by his behaviour.He pleaded guilty to racially aggravated threatening behaviour at North Liverpool Community Justice Centre yesterday. He was fined £300 and handed the ban for what Judge David Fletcher called a “bizarre, offensive and upsetting” offence.Judge Fletcher said spectators who were sat near Sibson alleged in witness statements that “numerous remarks had been heard through the course of the match”.But he said prosecutors accepted Sibson pleading guilty to two counts of abusing the French player by calling him a “f****** useless lazy French b******”. He said Sibson’s heckle was offensive and racially aggravated by its reference to Saha’s national origin. Danielle Paton, defending, said Sibson had no previous convictions and was a season ticket-holder for 30 years.Arguing for Sibson to be spared a banning order, Miss Paton said he had already been banned by Everton since the match and had shown remorse She said: “Everton is his life.”But Judge Fletcher said the test for making a banning order was “well and truly passed”.He also fined Sibson £300 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £15 surcharge.Judge Fletcher said language such as that used by Sibson was “hugely disturbing and distracting” for other fans, “particularly when directed at a member of the side you purport to be supporting”.Speaking to the ECHO after the case, Sibson called the ban “diabolical”.He said: “I was made an example of. You only have to listen to what goes on at football matches – people get called this and that.“I did not realise at the time it was a racist remark.“I am sorry if I upset people. I am not a racist person.“I do not think I would be in court if Saha was white. But I never made a comment about the colour of his skin.”
Everton FC great Tony Cottee backs Jermaine Beckford to replace Louis Saha and score the goals to save Everton’s season
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
HE STARTED the season a man on the fringes expecting to feel his way into top flight football, but now Jermaine Beckford carries the weight of Everton’s striking expectations. The 27-year-old was warned he may have to be patient during his debut campaign in the Premier League, with Yakubu, Louis Saha, Tim Cahill, Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan all vying for a starting place in attack, and all with more experience at the top. But slowly most of those rivals for the front berths have dropped off the radar, and now Beckford, who has already notched a respectable eight goals, finds himself likely to start Everton’s remaining eight games. Louis Saha’s likely season-ending injury, sustained against Fulham last weekend, leaves just Cahill and Anichebe blocking the former Leeds United man’s route into the starting eleven. And with the Aussie struggling to recover fully from an ongoing foot problem, Beckford could be set for the consistent run of games he has craved. Former Blues goal-poacher Tony Cottee thinks the ex-non league man has got the ability to become a permanent fixture in David Moyes’s first team. “All things considering, Jermaine has already had a good first season,” says the man who scored 99 goals for the Toffees. “It’s been mixed at times because while he’s found the net in big games when he’s come off the bench there have also been times when he’s missed chances he should have put away, but that happens.”Cottee, who has kept an eye on Beckford’s progress in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports, is impressed by how he has adapted to facing Premier League defences.“The lad has come from non league, then gone to Leeds and done well in League One scoring a lot of goals but he’s skipped the Championship and come straight into the Premier League last summer. That’s some step-up.“The manager will have wanted to ease him in but now because of the injuries it looks like he’s going to be the main man for a while.
“Sometimes injuries open doors for players. When the more established names drop out it can mean an opportunity for fringe players and I’m sure Jermaine will be thinking this is a great chance for him.”Beckford has scored key goals against Liverpool and Chelsea so far, and the forthcoming home clash with Aston Villa will be crucial to Everton’s hopes of keeping in the mix for a top six finish.
“The thing he needs to prove now is whether he can score goals consistently,” says Cottee, who scored 240 league goals during a career at clubs like Everton, West Ham United and Leicester City.“Even before he’d signed for Everton, who I obviously look out for as a former club, I was hoping he'd get a chance at playing for a big club. “The word was he was an instinctive goal getter. I got the impression he was the type of player who would score from any position. “The higher you go the better the type of service you get and that’s another thing that will benefit him with players like Leon Osman and Leighton Baines providing the assists. “He looks like he’s been learning when to make runs and how to hang on the shoulders of defenders which he’s done to good effect.” Beckford was a windscreen fitter for the RAC while playing semi professional football for Wealdstone, and later Uxbridge, taking time to work his way up the leagues since being release from the Chelsea academy as a youngster. But Cottee insists the Everton man is among good company in terms of players who began their careers at the lower levels before becoming stars. “You only have to look at Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand, both men who came to the top level a bit later in their careers, and see how successful they went on to become,” he says. “They follow a similar arc to Jermaine and let’s hope he can prove he has the same potential. “This is a great chance for him. If he does well, come August Jermaine might be looked at as a starting striker. That’s the challenge for him, to play his way into a starting place.”
Everton FC star Seamus Coleman gives David Moyes another injury headache
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 25 2011
SEAMUS COLEMAN has handed Everton another injury scare after being withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers. The 22-year-old has not trained with Giovanni Trapattoni's side all week because of an ankle injury and has now returned to Merseyside.
Coleman, who picked up the problem during the 2-1 victory over Fulham last weekend, had spoken about his excitement at the prospect of starting his first senior international against Macedonia on Saturday. But his hopes were dashed after a medical assessment yesterday, and he joins Mikel Arteta, Louis Saha, Jack Rodwell and Jose Baxter, who was stretchered off with a hamstring injury in last night’s mini derby, on the Finch Farm treatment table. Saha yesterday revealed that he fears that his season is over, and there is yet to be any official confirmation on the length of Arteta’s absence with a hamstring problem. Rodwell also picked up an ankle injury, which he had scanned at hospital, and the 20-year-old had to be withdrawn from England’s U-21 squad for their schedule of forthcoming fixtures. Meanwhile, Sylvain Distin says he is looking forward to a well-earned rest from Premier League action this weekend. The defender and full-back Leighton Baines have both been ever-present for the Blues this season, but while Baines is on international duty with England, Distin is set for a break. The 33-year-old said: “We work hard at the club so it is important to get a rest when you can. We train hard and it is a long, tough season in England so you have to take the chances to recover when they come along. “It was important to get three points against Fulham going into the break as a few of the lads are away on international duty now.“The rest of us can have a few days rest, then work for a few days and then get a bit more rest before getting back to work and concentrating on finishing the season well.”Distin added that he is pleased his central defensive colleague, Phil Jagielka, signed a new deal last week to secure his Goodison future.“Congratulations to Jags on his new contract,” he said. “He is a tremendous player, everyone knows that. We get on well, it is different with every defensive partner but we get on well and do not need to talk much, it feels natural and he is a great player.Š“He deserves to play (for England) that’s for sure but it is not always like that as only one guy decides. Fingers crossed it will be Jags.”Another Everton defender, Shane Duffy, has joined Championship promotion hopefuls Burnley on a 28-day emergency loan deal.Duffy, who is currently away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland Under-21s, will link up with the Clarets on his return from Portugal.The 19-year-old centre half could make his debut against Ipswich Town at Turfmoor on April 2.
For Merseyside and St George: An England XI of Everton FC and Liverpool FC greats
By Dan Kay
Mar 25 2011
AHEAD of the forthcoming internationals, here's a best English XI picked from Everton and Liverpool greats of yesteryear
Goalkeeper
Ray Clemence, LFC 1967-81
Clemence arrived at Anfield from Scunthorpe United in 1967 and is regarded by many as the finest goalkeeper in Liverpool history.He played a pivotal role in securing the club's first European trophy in 1973, with his penalty save in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Final against Borussia Moenchengladbach proving vital when the Germans threatened to recover a three-goal deficit in the return match and he racked up five league, one FA Cup, three European Cup, two UEFA Cup and one League Cup winners medals in his 665 games for the club before leaving for Spurs in 1981.He won 61 caps for England between 1972 and 1984, being unfortunate to play in the same era as Peter Shilton who won 125 caps.
Defence
Ray Wilson, EFC 1964-69
30-year-old Wilson had already won 30 caps for England when he arrived at Goodison from Huddersfield Town in 1964, where he had been given his debut by then Terriers manager Bill Shankly.Injury spoiled much of his first year at Everton but 1965/66 was a season to remember for Wilson as he helped Everton win the FA Cup after being two goals down to Sheffield Wednesday in the Final at Wembley and then was an ever-present in Alf Ramsay's defence as England won the World Cup.He played 151 games for Everton before leaving to join Oldham and won 63 caps for England.
Phil Thompson, LFC 1971-84
Boyhood Liverpudlian Thompson graduated from the Kop to become the first Scouser to lift the European Cup.He picked up seven championships at Anfield along with three winners' medals in the European Cup, two in the UEFA Cup and three League Cup gongs, playing 477 games for the Reds.He captained England in a 42-cap England career and, after serving amongst Kenny Dalglish's backroom staff in the Scotsman's first reign as manager, he returned to the club as assistant manager alongside Gerard Houllier in 1998 and led the side with distinction during the Frenchman's recuperation from heart surgery in 2001/02.
Brian Labone, EFC 1957-71
In 1957, Liverpool Collegiate student Labone impressed against Dave Hickson while on trial at Everton and began a lifelong association with the club.Labelled 'the last of the Corinthians' by Harry Catterick, he played 534 times for the Blues, winning league championship medals in 1963 and 1970 and leading the team to FA Cup glory in 1966.He was capped 26 times by England, pulling out of the 1966 squad to get married but playing in the 1970 finals in Mexico.
Emlyn Hughes, LFC 1967-79
After arriving for £65,000 from Blackpool in 1967, Hughes' consistency and versatility made him a cornerstone at Anfield for more than a decade.Having waited six years for his first medal, Hughes became the first Liverpool skipper to lift the European Cup in 1977 and repeated the act a year later when the Reds became the first British team to retain the trophy.He also picked up four leagues, an FA Cup and two UEFA Cup medals in a 665 game Liverpool career, winning 62 caps for England and succeeding Bobby Moore as captain.
Midfield
Alan Ball, EFC 1966-71
Ball arrived at Goodison for a then-British record fee of £112,00 just a month after famously 'running himself daft' in England's 1966 World Cup win.A goal on his debut at Fulham and a brace on his derby debut weeks later endeared him to the Blues faithful while another strike later that season decided the 'tie-of-the-decade' fifth round FA Cup tie between holders Everton and league champions Liverpool, watched by over 105,000 Merseysiders at Goodison Park and Anfield.He scored 79 goals in 251 matches before being sold to Arsenal for £220,000 and won 72 caps for England.
Steven Gerrard, LFC 1998 -
Huyton-born Gerrard made his Liverpool debut at 18 and two years later helped England to victory over Germany at Euro 2000 in only his second international start.His first goal for his country came in the 5-1 World Cup qualifying win in Munich the following year and he has been a mainstay of the team ever since, captaining the side on 15 occasions to date.He became Liverpool captain in 2003 and inspirationally led the Reds to Champions League and FA Cup glory in 2005 and 2006 - his 100th goal for the club came against PSV Eindoven in 2008 while he reached the 500 game landmark against Blackburn in 2009.
Peter Reid, EFC 1982-89
Reid arrived at Goodison from Bolton Wanderers in 1982 and was at the heart of the midfield in Howard Kendall's all-conquering side of the mid-1980s, winning league title medals in 1985 and 1987, along with the FA Cup in 1984 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1985, the same year he was named PFA Player of the Year.He won 13 caps for England between 1985 and 1988, being one of the unfortunates left in Diego Maradona's wake as he scored one of the best goals of all time for Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final.
John Barnes, LFC 1987-97
Jamaican-born Barnes' most celebrated moment in an England shirt came while he was still playing for Watford in 1984 when, just a year after his international debut, he silenced the Maracana Stadium to put his country on the way to a first ever win in Brazil.Forever judged by that goal, Barnes was also instrumental in almost salvaging the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina and also scored a memorable free-kick against Holland in 1993, finishing with 11 goals in 79 appearances for his country.After arriving at Liverpool in 1987, Barnes soon had the Anfield crowd purring as he helped add an extra dimension to Kenny Dalglish's side along with fellow new additions Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge and Ray Houghton.He picked up Football Writers' Player of the Year awards in 1988 and 1990 to add to the two league title, two FA Cup and one League Cup medals he won, scoring 108 goals and creating many more in 407 games for Liverpool.
Attack
Roger Hunt, LFC 1959-69
A youth team recruit from Stockton Heath, Hunt scored on his Liverpool debut when replacing the injured Billy Liddell against Scunthorpe United, just three months before Bill Shankly's arrival in 1959.The Scotsman built the foundations of his Anfield empire around the striker, with the arrival of Ian St John from Motherwell setting in motion the strike partnership that would help lead the Reds back into the top flight and onto two league championships, an FA Cup and a European Cup semi-final.Hunt overtook Gordon Hodgson as the club's all-time leading goalscorer in 1969 and finished his Liverpool career with 286 goals in 492 games.For England, he played in all six games of the victorious 1966 World Cup campaign, scoring three times, totalling 18 goals in 34 matches in all for his country.
Dixie Dean, EFC 1925-37
Birkenhead-born Dean crossed the river in 1925 to join Everton for £3,000 after scoring 27 goals in only 30 appearances for Tranmere Rovers and went on to become a true goalscoring great.His record of 60 league goals in the Blues' 1927/28 championship campaign is unlikely ever to be beaten and he won another title in 1932 before lifting the FA Cup as captain a year later - he finished his Everton career with 383 goals in 433 games and remains the club's record goalscorer.His record at international level was just as impressive where he scored 18 goals despite only winning 16 caps.
Mersey England XI
Clemence
Wilson - Thompson - Labone - Hughes
Ball - Gerrard - Reid - Barnes
Hunt - Dean
Subs: Keegan, Lineker, McDermott, Lawton, Martyn
Everton FC latest: Phil Jagielka aiming for central reservation with England
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 25 2011
PHIL JAGIELKA is determined to finish a “topsy-turvy” season with a flourish by becoming John Terry’s new defensive partner for England.Jagielka accepts he has not been among Everton’s best players following a frustrating campaign hampered by niggling injury and disappointing underachievement from the Goodison outfit.However, the 28-year-old’s good recent form prompted David Moyes to suggest he could be a future captain of the club.It was also sufficient to earn Jagielka a call-up to Fabio Capello’s England squad for tomorrow’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff.And with the injured Rio Ferdinand absent, the Everton man is hopeful of receiving the nod from Capello to join Terry in the heart of his country’s defence. “I’ll hold my hand up and say I’ve not had the best season playing for Everton, which is what you’re picked on,” said Jagielka.“I’ve not had a horrific season, but I’ve had a few injuries here, there and everywhere.“It has been a topsy-turvy season for the whole team at Everton and I would definitely put myself into that bracket as well. I probably won’t be in our top five players of the season, which for me is disappointing. I like to analyse my own game and try and improve. I’m a realist.“I know when I’ve been playing well or not. I’ve not been playing badly, but wouldn’t class myself as having a great season.“Rio being injured opens the door.“Who gets to walk through it, we’ll have to wait and see.“I certainly would have liked to play better over the course of the season at Everton but I have done quite well when I have played for England which is a bit strange.”Jagielka was hailed as the “driver” of the back four by Capello after starring in qualifying wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland in September, although his only subsequent appearance in the Wembley friendly loss to France in November saw him start at right-back before switching to centre-back in the second half.Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson, Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill and Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott are vying with Jagielka for the place alongside reinstated skipper Terry.Jagielka’s centre-back partner at Goodison, Sylvain Distin, is confident of being refreshed for the run-in following the international break.Although only Phil Neville is the only member of the Everton squad older than 33-year-old Distin, the Frenchman has played every minute of every game this season.And Distin said: “We work hard at the club so it is important to get a rest when you can. We train hard and it is a long, tough season.“It was important to get three points against Fulham going into the break as a few of the lads are away on international duty now.“The rest of us can have a few days rest, then work for a few days and then get a bit more rest before getting back to work and concentrating on the season.”Meanwhile, defender Shane Duffy has joined Burnley on a 28-day emergency loan deal.
Everton FC's Phil Jagielka singing praises of Mersey rival Andy Carroll
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 25 2011
But until then, Phil Jagielka is simply glad to have Andy Carroll alongside him in the trenches rather than in opposition.Carroll has enjoyed a rapid rise during his first full Premier League season, culminating in his British record £35million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool in January.The 22-year-old also impressed on his debut for England in the 2-1 friendly defeat against France at Wembley in November, and is expected to partner Wayne Rooney in attack when Fabio Capello’s side face Wales in their Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff tomorrow.And Jagielka has extolled the virtues of Carroll while giving an insight into the preparation needed to counter his threat. “You forget how young Andy is,” says the Everton man. “He’s a big boy but he’s obviously a man when you look at him. He can be, potentially, whatever he wants to be. “He can score with both feet, he can head, he can hold the ball up. He’s a player who will be the main focal point and someone you have to keep out of the game and try and make sure he has a pretty quiet day. Then you will be okay.“At Everton, the manager and staff, had to put a lot of thought into that which tells you what people think of him.“Potentially, because he is only a young lad, he can be very, very special.”Jagielka’s own international career stalled early on when an encouraging first-half performance was forgotten when a poor pass ended with David Villa sending England on their way to a 2-0 friendly defeat in Spain in February 2009.The 28-year-old has since fought his way back into Capello’s plans and, with Rio Ferdinand absent, is hopeful of earning a starting role alongside John Terry in central defence at the Millennium Stadium. But that initial experience is still sharp in the memory of Jagielka, who says: “You go from the buzz of starting and thinking you are doing okay in a game to a pass going astray and you are 1-0 down.“To not then come out for the second half to try and repair the damage so to speak was a bit heartbreaking. I think it was pre-planned that I was coming off. I think it was rather than me just getting dragged off!“It was a bit of an eye-opener and a welcome to international football. Normally in your team if you make a mistake at the weekend then hopefully there is a game coming up straight away to rectify it.“But I had to wait a few months to get that chance. It definitely made me realise how hard it was to deal with the disappointment.” Jagielka, who recently signed a new four-year contract at Everton, is competing with Michael Dawson, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill for a defensive role alongside John Terry, whose reinstatement as skipper effectively seals one half of the central defensive axis. Not that Jagielka is complaining. “John goes about his business the way he has always done,” he says. “He is the first to smash you in training. He is also the first to shake your hand and pick you up. “He was probably gutted inside when he lost the armband but he never let that show. “It does make me smile when you read there is this big divide in the camp. I can’t see anything. “He is a nice guy. He speaks to everyone. He has no best friends or worst friends. I am delighted to have him as a captain. “I have been able to play with him a few times for England and hopefully I will get to play a few more but I am sure whoever the manager chooses will do a good job.” Confirmation that star man Gareth Bale has been ruled out with a hamstring injury is a significant boost for England, who know only a victory will be enough to lift them above Montenegro and back to the top of Group G in the battle to reach Euro 2012. Yet even though Wales have yet to register a point from their opening three games, Jagielka still views it as England’s most difficult away game of the entire campaign. And with the likes of Craig Bellamy agitating on the pitch, aided by 70,000 fans off it, Jagielka is expecting a torrid time. “There will be some needle,” he says. “A few nations don’t particularly like England for whatever reason, so there will be a little bit of spice from the first whistle. “I would regard it as our hardest away game. Wales are not as high up the rankings as people would expect but they still have some fantastic players, with a new manager trying to put his stamp on things. “It is a local derby too so we know they will be up for it. We just have to do a professional job and get the win because after drawing our last match, we cannot afford another one.”
Everton FC sweating over Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman fitness
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 25 2011
EVERTON fear Jack Rodwell is facing a fresh spell on sidelines – as Seamus Coleman handed the Goodison outfit yet another injury scare. Rodwell withdrew from the England under-21 squad earlier this week after suffering a recurrence of an ankle problem during the weekend win over Fulham. The 20-year-old has been sent to see a specialist with Everton worried the midfielder could be out for up to a month. Coleman, meanwhile, was withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad yesterday for their Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia this weekend. The 22-year-old returned to Merseyside after failing to train all week due to an ankle problem picked up against Fulham. It is the latest injury concern for David Moyes, who is without Marouane Fellaini for the rest of the campaign and Mikel Arteta for at least another month, with Louis Saha doubtful he will play again until next season.
Barry Horne: Louis Saha’s injury, which stemmed from a fairly innocuous injury blow to David Moyes and EvertonFC
Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
LOUIS Saha’s injury, which stemmed from a fairly innocuous injury, is obviously a blow to David Moyes and Everton, but every cloud in football seems to have a silver lining. As far as Jermaine Beckford is concerned, that may very well be the case. He may now have the opportunity of a run in the first team, and one where there is less pressure on his shoulders. A relaxed Beckford could well enjoy his time on the pitch.With limited competition on the bench, and a fairly benign run-in to come – though a late-season surge has been Everton’s forte in recent years – Beckford has a chance to play his way into form, and subsequently into Moyes’ plans for next season.
Barry Horne: Reliable Distin gets vote for player of the year
Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
I HAVE long advocated, away from Goodison Park, the quality and consistency of Leighton Baines. The national press, as well as the TV pundits, seem to have woken up to his undoubted ability, showering him with much deserved praise and recognition. For me, however, there is another serious contender for Everton’s Player of the Year award, and it is the man who plays alongside him in the left-side of defence – Sylvain Distin. For whilst some of Baines’ performances have been outstanding, there have also been games where he has looked to have been missing last-season’s partner-in-crime Steven Pienaar, and also suffering possibly from Mikel Arteta’s lack of form. Everton’s left side is so important, that when it is misfiring it really shows. Distin, however, has not struggled at all this season – even when the team has. The Frenchman has been a model of consistency, and I’m sure will gain many votes for Player of the Year alongside Baines. Indeed, at this moment in time, I think he would just about shade mine.
Barry Horne: Captaincy a stick to beat Capello with
Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
0ShareAdd a commentRecommend The build up to Gary Speed’s first competitive fixture as Wales manager has been dominated by the issue of captaincy and the fitness of Spurs winger Gareth Bale. The English media has, in my opinion, gone completely overboard in its coverage and analysis of the John Terry saga. In my opinion, the press interest is as much about Fabio Capello, right, as it is the players involved. I get the impression that the press pack are building up a case against Capello ahead of the ritual savaging of the national team manager. The next time England are seen to have had a poor result, and it could well be against Wales this afternoon, there is no doubt that one of the reasons put forward will be the lack of team unity or spirit, as a result of Capello’s decision to reinstate Terry. John Terry has been, as ever, bullish about the whole thing. Whatever else you may think of him, you have to admire Terry’s strength of character in this particular instance, and he certainly left nobody in any doubt whatsoever as to his belief in himself as England captain. Capello may have handled the situation dreadfully but in all reality, did he have any realistic alternatives? Steven Gerrard is out, Frank Lampard may not play, Rio Ferdinand is rarely available and he lacks an established regular goalkeeper. The less said about Ashley Cole, the better. This leaves only someone like Wayne Rooney, who at the moment has trouble sorting himself out, let alone his team-mates. Contrast the coverage and handling of England’s captaincy with that of Wales. Speed has all of the attributes necessary to be a good manager – intelligence, modesty, confidence and communication skills. He refused to discuss the captaincy until a decision had been made. Welsh fans have become accustomed to the idea of looking forward to the next-but-one major tournament, even at the half-way stage of the current campaign. Speed has inherited a similar situation, and will no doubt be planning for the World Cup of 2014. With that in mind, it seems perfectly appropriate that Aaron Ramsey be given the captaincy. He is destined, along with Bale, to carry the hopes of Wales for the next decade. His selection as skipper makes perfect sense, and I am sure his team-mates will all be tremendously supportive of him.
Everton FC: Why David Moyes will be determined to keep hold of Jack Rodwell and Marouane Fellaini
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
ONE was largely unknown to Everton supporters before his arrival at Goodison Park, the other had been heralded throughout his teenage years. Now, though, the entire footballing world knows the names of both Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell – with the Belgian touted as one of the hottest young prospects around, and Rodwell supposedly being monitored by Manchester United. For his part, David Moyes will do everything in his power to stave off the vultures circling around both of them. His recent dismissal of Everton’s supposed vulnerability to bids for Rodwell was music to the ears of supporters, even if he did concede that over-riding financial matters could yet dictate his hand. But if he is determined not to sanction Rodwell’s departure, Moyes would be aghast at the very notion of losing Fellaini – who has also reportedly attracted Chelsea and Real Madrid. The Everton boss could still be forgiven a wry smile at Fellaini’s growing status as one of the Premier League’s most formidable defensive midfielders. His judgement was questioned in various quarters over the £15m fee he paid Standard Leige for the midfielder in 2008, but the doubters have long since been converted. That slightly awkward figure who appeared so ungainly at first has blossomed into a world-class talent, and his season-ending ankle injury last month was a huge blow for the Blues. The statistics show why Moyes has been right to nurture Rodwell, and why he was absolutely right to break Everton’s transfer record for Fellaini. The excellent Executioner’s Bong statistical analysis website compared OPTA’s feed-back on both players. It says, ‘Fellaini is a much more effective presser than Rodwell, making a successful tackle every 35 minutes – Rodwell takes nearly double the amount of time to win a challenge and has a lower tackle completion than the curly haired general. ‘Rodwell is elegant on the ball and has a better passing completion than Fellaini. ‘Crucially though, Fellaini has more incision to his passing in the final third, creating a goal scoring chance for a teammate every 92 mins, something which takes Rodwell significantly longer to do’. Fellaini has scored 11 goals for the Blues in 72 appearances so far, most of them in his debut season when he was deployed as a make-shift striker. Rodwell, who has always featured in midfield although with far less playing time this season, has scored five. Compare their tackle rate in the Premier League, and Fellaini has won 164 compared to Rodwell’s 57, although that too is skewed by the gap in the amount of games both have played. The worry for Everton fans will be the duo’s differing contractual situations. When Moyes insists Everton are in a strong position regarding the 20-year-old he is referring to the five-year-deal the Southport born star signed last summer. Fellaini, though, has just two years left on his present deal and Everton will be reluctant to risk losing an expensive and potentially profitable asset in the same way they lost Steven Pienaar. That’s why Moyes has insisted that tying the Belgian to a new deal will be a key priority this summer. ‘There is no risk currently that Rodwell could walk away for a reduced fee. The risk with Rodwell though is that should he fail to build on his reputation, this could lead to any inflated fee being reduced,’ says the Executioner’s Bong. ‘Fellaini’s contract only has two yeas left to run, expiring in summer 2013. After the £15m investment in him the club will be loathe to lose him at a loss. ‘I would seriously question whether the board would allow Fellaini to enter the last year of his deal with no contract signed. I think they would listen to offers for him to guarantee a return on their investment. If this materialised I think we could command a deal worth in the region of £22-25m with the bulk of it paid up front’. That, though, is an outcome Everton will do everything to avoid. Keeping both men will help convince Moyes that the club is truly moving forward.
Royal Blue: Why Everton FC defender Tony Hibbert deserves more than faint-praise on his 10-year anniversary
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
THERE can be few footballers in Everton’s recent history more praised and patronised at the same time than Tony Hibbert.The man dubbed one of his ‘blue-bloods’ by David Moyes, has been at Goodison Park for 10 years this week.It is, of course, an achievement in itself to be in any job for a decade.In modern professional football it is rarer still for a player to stay at a single club for the length of their career, which it now appears likely the Huyton-born defender will do.Hibbert, who turned 30 last month, signed a contract at the same time as Leon Osman last year and is hopefully here to stay.Yet, for almost every compliment he receives about his defensive excellence, almost inevitably comes a caveat.He is an ‘old-fashioned’ defender, he is reliable if ‘limited’. Elsewhere people, including myself, have speculated whether the right-back will ever score during his Toffees career, and if the predicted riot will ensue?This is not to criticise those who recognise Hibbert’s limitations.Like 99% of contemporary players outside of perhaps Lionel Messi and Xavi at Barcelona or Cristian Ronaldo, Hibbert is not perfect.While his tackling and marking are at best exquisite, his passing can be less than perfect and his crossing often disappoints.But the debate on Hibbert’s merits maybe centres on how the very notion of a full-back is evolving in the world game.Full-backs who could attack were once considered an added bonus, now the ability to get forward and menace their opposite number is becoming a stipulation.The juxtaposition is highlighted in Everton’s present ranks.On one flank, the attacking flair of Leighton Baines has seen him deliver more assists than any other Everton player and even rise to third in the league of goal creators in the Premier League ahead of Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Matthew Etherington. It is a remarkable achievement and further proof positive why Baines must now be considered the best English left-back bar none. But is the Baines-mould the only way to thrive as a full back now? Maicon at Inter Milan, Daniel Alves at Barcelona and Ashley Cole at Chelsea support the theory. Yet none of those clubs possess an opposite full-back with anywhere near the same exciting potential going forward.Do teams really need both full-backs to charge forward like 100m sprint champions with magic in their boots?In a perfect world, it would be nice. Maybe Everton one day could have Seamus Coleman, likely to be Hibbert or Phil Neville’s successor at right-back, capable of defensive steel and attacking threat.But few have both. Before his recent spell back in the first team, Hibbert’s place was occupied by skipper Neville, another player often criticised for not providing enough of an attacking edge from full-back.And while the Blues captain is certainly more comfortable in the final third, he still has to contend with those irritating cries of “shooooot” from the crowd, whenever he picks up the ball in a remotely central position, regardless of whether he is 30 yards out.Instead it’s worth remembering that Everton are blessed with two right-backs who are masters of the defensive arts.At his tricky best former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben never got the best of Hibbert at Goodison Park, and even the scintillating Ronaldo found few opportunities to escape the dogged attentions of the right-back when visiting L4 in a Manchester United shirt.Hibbert was unfortunate to lose his regular starting place last season, something that was probably more a by-product of keeping Neville in the team than anything else.Only time will tell if this modern brand of athletic, attacking full backs is a trend or a permanent requirement. And time is not especially on Hibbert’s side.But there are few defenders Moyes would rather call on to snuff out the game’s best wide men.
Royal Blue: Sad farewell to Everton FC’s former Bellefield training ground
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
Everton’s former Bellefield training ground is in the process of becoming rubble.My colleague David Prentice’s excellent series on the West Derby complex that became the thriving hub of the Blues’ hopes and dreams for 61 years brought many memories flooding back.It’s clear that many of Evertonians hold a special affection for the place, and were as saddened as us to see it finally face the bulldozers.Of course, things move on and the Everton first team have not trained at Bellefield since 2007.By then, what was once a top facility had become more of a liability which was extremely frayed around the edges.Nobody can dispute the merits of its replacement, Finch Farm, which has probably become one of the best training grounds in the Premier League.But Bellefield belonged to a time when local youngsters could wait patiently outside for autographs, or even strike lucky and be invited inside to watch training.It was an era when school kids would scale trees to glimpse their idols, hoping a football might come sailing onto nearby North Drive. That quaint quality hasn’t vanished totally. Finch Farm may be more remote, but the staff at the gate still do a grand job of showing outsiders the friendly side of Everton FC.
Royal Blue: Everton Ladies victims of rotten draws
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
IT WOULD seem that Everton Ladies share the same rotten luck as their male counterparts lately.After an impressive last season crowned with FA Cup glory, hopes were high that they could establish themselves at the pinnacle of the women’s game.Then they managed to draw Arsenal, the top side they had to overcome to lift the trophy, in the first round of this year’s cup. The Gunners had their revenge, but at least there was always the Champions League? Until, Mo Marley’s side drew crack German outfit Duisburg, and despite fighting hard in the away leg, they’re now down and out. Let’s hope they come back stronger.
Everton FC defender Shane Duffy targeted by Burnley for permanent transfer
by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo
Mar 26 2011
HIGHLY-RATED Everton defender Shane Duffy is being lined up for a permanent transfer by Premier League promotion hopefuls Burnley. The 19-year-old joined the Turf Moor outfit on loan for the rest of the season on Thursday, but manager Eddie Howe hopes to keep hold of the Republic of Ireland U-21 centre half. Duffy was drafted in by the Clarets on an initial 28-day loan to boost their npower Championship play-off bid, and Howe also has a longer-term plan for the young prospect. He said: “I’m delighted with the deal. It’s a double benefit in that it gives us a chance to look at him with a view to next season but he also increases competition for places now and comes straight into the squad. “He’s a young player who has done very well this season for Everton’s reserves and he is a player with big potential.” Everton, however, will be reluctant to part with 6ft 4in Duffy, who they signed from Foyle Harps in 2008 and is highly-rated at Finch Farm. The Burnley switch is believed to have been sanctioned purely to provide him with first team football, akin to the move made by Seamus Coleman to Blackpool as they chased promotion last season. Another youngster with a growing reputation in the Toffees’ youth ranks is January signing Apostolos Vellios who set up both goals in the Blues’ 2-2 mini-derby draw with Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday.Vellios, 19, used his physical presence to tee up both Adam Forshaw and Conor McAleny, and reserves coach Alan Stubbs was impressed.The Greek forward has already scored three goals in his last four outings, and Stubbs said: “For me it was the best he's been since he's come to the Club. He looked more of an all-round player.“That was very pleasing, probably the biggest plus of the night for me.“He's a big lad, he's about 6ft 3ins but he's got a good touch, he's good feet for a big fella and he's been scoring a few goals which is good for his confidence.”Stubbs also admitted his concern that forward Jose Baxter could be facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in the game.Baxter pulled up 28 minutes into Thursday night’s game and had to be replaced by Tom Donegan.Stubbs said: “It looks like a straight forward hamstring injury. We're hoping it's not a severe one but you're probably looking at anywhere between three and six weeks depending on how bad it is – which is unfortunate for Jose.”
Burnley hopeful of turning Everton FC defender Shane Duffy into permanent transfer
By Ian Doyle
Mar 26 2011
BURNLEY are hopeful of turning Everton defender Shane Duffy’s loan move into a permanent transfer during the summer.Duffy this week joined the npower Championship side on a temporary basis until the end of the season. And Burnley manager Eddie Howe has hinted the Turf Moor side may pursue a long-term deal for the 19-year-old centre-back should his initial stay prove successful."He’s a young player who has done very well this season for Everton’s reserves and he is a player with big potential," said Howe."I’m delighted with the deal. It’s a double benefit in that it gives us a chance to look at him with a view to next season but he also increases competition for places now and comes straight into the squad."We have got a lot of games in April. We will need to use the whole squad and Shane will add more depth."Meanwhile, Everton reserves manager Alan Stubbs has hailed the continued improvement of January signing Apostolos Vellios.The 19-year-old striker created goals for both Adam Forshaw and Conor McAleny in Thursday’s 2-2 mini-derby draw against Liverpool at Anfield.Vellios, a Greece under-21 international, had scored three times in his previous four games.And Stubbs said: "For me it was the best he’s been since he’s come to the club. He looked more of an all-round player. "In the past he’s done some good individual stuff but then done something a little bit sloppy."He was more complete tonight, he did the difficult things well and he was starting to do the simple things better."That was very pleasing, probably the biggest plus of the night for me."He’s a big lad, he’s about 6ft 3ins but he’s got a good touch, he’s good feet for a big fella and he’s been scoring a few goals which is good for his confidence."The one negative from the evening was a hamstring injury to Jose Baxter that could rule the 19-year-old out for the remainder of the campaign."It looks like a straightforward hamstring injury," said Stubbs."We’re hoping it’s not a severe one but you’re probably looking at anywhere between three and six weeks depending on how bad it is – which is unfortunate for Jose."
Clarets boss Howe has got double vision over Duffy
Saturday 26th March 2011
By Chris Flanagan » Sports reporter (Lancashire Telegraph)
BURNLEY boss Eddie Howe is hopeful that defender Shane Duffy will return to the club next season if he impresses during his current loan spell from Everton. Howe moved to bring in the young Irishman just before the transfer deadline on Thursday, initially on a month’s loan but with the option of extending the deal until the end of the current campaign. Duffy will not link up with the Clarets squad for the first time until he returns from international duty with the Republic of Ireland under 21 squad on Monday but Howe has already seen enough of the centre back to be confident that he could make an impact at Turf Moor. The 19-year-old will face competition from Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey and Michael Duff for a place in the heart of the Burnley defence but Howe already has one eye on extending his stay into next season. Duffy, who was linked with a loan switch to Preston North End in November, is reportedly under contract with Everton until the summer of 2013. But he has so far made only two appearances for the first team, both in the Europa League last season, and may be loaned out again next term to gain more senior experience. “He’s a young player who has done very well this season for Everton’s reserves and he is a player with big potential,” said Howe, who is known for his emphasis on developing youth. “I’m delighted with the deal. It’s a double benefit in that it gives us a chance to look at him with a view to next season but he also increases competition for places now and comes straight into the squad. “We have got a lot of games in April. We will need to use the whole squad and Shane will add more depth.” Duffy’s initial 28-day loan seems set to end after Burnley’s home game against Middlesbrough on April 19 but Football League rules would allow the Clarets to extend the deal until the last game of the regular season against Cardiff on May 7 - and then to the play-off final on May 30 if required. * Young Burnley striker Alex MacDonald, currently on loan at SPL side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, made his second appearance for the Scotland under 21s as a substitute in their 1-0 loss in Belgium.
Everton boss David Moyes is a target for struggling Aston Villa
Daily Mail
26th March 2011
Aston Villa will put Everton manager David Moyes top of their short list this summer, with Gerard Houllier set to leave even if the club survive in the Premier League. Chief executive Paul Faulkner said their ‘best chance of staying up is with Gerard’, but they have reserve-team boss Kevin McDonald available as a caretaker if results continue to slide.
Welbeck the key as Manchester United prepare to pounce for Everton star Rodwell
By Bob Cass
27th March 2011
Manchester United are to step up their interest in Jack Rodwell with a summer move for the Everton midfielder. But Everton manager David Moyes will consider letting his young star leave only if United offer Danny Welbeck in a player-plus-cash deal. On the radar: Manchester United are keen to sign Everton youngster Jack Rodwell The England Under-21 striker is on loan at Sunderland, whose manager, Steve Bruce, would love to sign him on a permanent basis. But Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted Welbeck will return to Old Trafford after his loan spell. Now the United boss could find his own resolve to hang on to the player tested by his determination to sign Rodwell.
Reid it and weep: Peter facing toughest test of his career at Plymouth Argyle
Mar 27 2011 by Steve Bates, The People
PETER REID’S office at Home Park looks just like a storeroom for a good reason – that’s exactly what it is. But you won’t find him complaining. When you have not been paid for three months and are struggling to put a team on the pitch, there are more pressing problems. It is all a far cry from being manager of Thailand, or Reid’s last job as assistant to Tony Pulis at Stoke City. Welcome to the crazy, impoverished world of Plymouth Argyle. In 37 years as player and manager at the likes of Everton, Manchester City and Sunderland, Reid thought he had seen everything the game could chuck at him – even firefighting at Leeds after their world caved in. But after the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League, he knows he is in the scrap of his life. A 10-point deduction for going into administration has anchored Plymouth at the bottom of League One and, with eight games to go, Reid reckons Argyle need six wins for survival. Relegation will be another kick in the teeth for a club reeling from a succession of heavy blows and facing a daily battle to make ends meet. The club are so skint they are living on hand-outs from fans and well-wishers. Reid even has to offer his young No.2 Adam Sadler £10 for some petrol when his assistant’s fuel light comes on while taking us back to Plymouth Airport. The offer is politely declined. Argyle might be on their knees but there is still pride running through their veins. And while there is still hope, they will keep fighting to beat the odds. Reid is loving the challenge – despite the human heartbreak being played out behind the scenes. He has no doubt where it would rank among his achievements if the Green Arrrrmy stay up. Reid, 54, said: “If we pull this off it’ll be the greatest thing I’ve done in management. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had – it’s so challenging, but great experience. “This is proper management. I’ve been on all the coaching courses and got my UEFA, FA and LMA badges, but nothing can prepare you for these situations. It’s the cutting edge. Besides football, it’s life.
“All the normal rules go out of the window in a situation like this and you get by however you can. When I went to Thailand I had to change completely and I’ve had to do the same here. You have to go with the flow and think on your feet. “A couple of the players have turned up late and I’ve gone, ‘Right, you’re fined’, as is normal in any dressing room. “Then they tell me they still haven’t been paid – you can’t fine players who haven’t been paid. If we’d had our game against Southampton this weekend I’d have had 13 fit players ... and three of those are goalkeepers. “The club are in a major mess and we desperately need new owners who can take it forward. The debt is about £12million because the previous board hadn’t done their jobs properly. “My job is to try to get results on the pitch, but everything happening behind the scenes impacts on what we are trying to do – and that’s the difficult part. “I lost four good players in January. Conor Clifford went back to Chelsea, Bradley Wright-Phillips – who’d scored 13 goals for us – went to Charlton, Craig Noone went to Brighton and Reda Johnson was sold to Sheffield Wednesday. I have also lost good people like my PA Sue who was here for 15 years and was made redundant. “The administrator has had to cut the wage bill and that’s the human cost that people don’t realise. “A lot of the staff, players included, were in tears a couple of weeks ago when some people who’d been here years were told they had to go. One of the staff has had to rent her house out to ensure she can pay the mortgage – her two sons are having to live with friends. That’s the real cost of this. “Some people haven’t been paid and they have mortgages. Players haven’t been paid on time either – it’s late coming through and these aren’t wealthy lads we are talking about. “It’s been difficult for them because they’ve had landlords and the banks on to them. I’ve not been paid since before Christmas and I don’t know if I’ll ever see that money. “But the FA still fined me £1,000 for being sent to the stands at Huddersfield when I protested about one of my players being sent off. “We lost the game 3-2 and played most of the match with 10 men. Then the FA rescinded the sending-off, but I paid my fine out of my own pocket and served a one-game touchline ban – the FA haven’t sent my £1,000 back!
“Pals have asked me why I carry on and why don’t I just throw in the towel. The answer is simple – this club has got under my skin. “It’s a battle and we are all in it. It would be easy to walk away, but I’ve got a love for the place and, anyway, that’s never been my style. “I couldn’t do that to the people here because they’ve been great. Frustrated “You get an affinity for the place. Because I am manager here now this is the most important club in the world for me. “I’ve got a burning desire to keep them up. It’s going to be hard and we need six wins from eight games, which is a tall order. But I can’t fault the players – they have been outstanding. “I get frustrated and so do they, but they are giving me everything. That’s all I can ask.” Reid is determined to stick it out this season at Home Park, but admits he would have thought long and hard about taking the job if he had known the full extent of Plymouth’s financial troubles. He added: “Tony Pulis recommended this job because he’d been manager here. I’m not sorry I came, but it would have been better if I’d known the full picture.
“I knew I was taking over a club who had dropped out of the Championship and had lost £3million in revenue instantly. I knew I’d have to trim the wage bill and I had no problem with that, but I didn’t realise the full extent of the financial problems. “It’s a real shame because when I first came there was a real buzz to the place and, who knows, we could have been in the top half now, looking for a play-off place. Now it’s just about survival. “Instead of relegation I could have been looking at an FA Cup Final with Stoke – but I’ve had plenty of them! Who wants another one? “You have to keep smiling. “You’ve always got to keep your humour and when you hear that a great pal of mine, Bryan Robson, has had an operation for cancer, that puts it all into perspective.”
Fellaini Sr claims son is too good for Everton
March 27 2011 By Michael Morgan
Sunday Mirror
Marouane Fellaini’s Dad has upset David Moyes again – by claiming Everton are not a big enough club for his son. Abdellatif Fellaini left Moyes seething last month by blaming the Goodison boss for wrecking the ¬Belgian international ¬midfielder’s season. Fellaini Snr claimed the Toffees played him against Sunderland when he was not fit after damaging ankle ligaments in an FA Cup ¬replay win against Chelsea a week earlier. Marouane aggravated the injury and has since ¬undergone surgery that will see him sidelined until the start of next term. Moyes hit back by ¬insisting the player had declared himself able to play – but now the Scot is fuming again following ¬another blast from the crocked star’s father. Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has already made an enquiry for the £22 million star. After learning that Real are joining Chelsea in the chase for his son, Fellaini snr, in a clear dig at the Merseyside outfit, sneered: “The big clubs have seen for ¬themselves what a good job Marouane is doing. “And that is why they are following him. “In his position he would get into the starting 11 at any club in the world.”
Wes Brown a target for Everton and Sunderland
March 27 2011 By Soriebah Kajue
Sunday Mirror
Everton and Sunderland will try and tempt Wes Brown away from Manchester United this summer.
Brown has seen himself drop down the pecking order this season after having a dispute with Sir Alex Ferguson on a pre-season tour of America last summer. And it seems the player Fergie once famously dubbed “the most natural defender he has seen” when he was emerging through the ranks at the club will now depart. The 31-year-old has spent his entire career at Old Trafford having made his first team debut in 1998 and has gone on to make over 200 appearances for the Red Devils.
Brown’s versatility has seen him deployed at right-back and centre-halve during his tenure at the club. The quality of defenders at Fergie’s disposal, however, has always seen him used as cover in both positions, but he was always viewed as a key squad player during this period. But this year has seen him continually overlooked in both positions as Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Raphael and John O’Shea have all leapfrogged him. The Longsight-born defender been restricted to just seven Premier League outings this year and it is believed he is contemplating leaving this summer. Everton would be his preferred choice as it would allow him to stay in the north-west and not face having to uproot his family. But Steve Bruce is a known admirer of his qualities that have seen him garner a constellation of honours during 13-year stay at the club. Brown will have just one year left on his contract in the summer and there has been no intimation of a new deal from United.
I refuse to play right-back says Everton FC’s John Heitinga
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 28 2011
EVERTON cult hero Johnny Heitinga believes he can establish himself as an “important player” at Goodison – but not at right-back. The versatile Dutchman has made just 17 league starts this season – only eight in his favoured position of centre-back – and was the subject of transfer speculation during the January transfer window. But in a typically forthright and self assured interview following Holland’s 4-0 victory in Hungary on Friday night, Heitinga declared: “I feel I can still become an important player here for the Everton fans and the team. “But I refuse to play in every position now. I don’t want to go back to right back again. I told the manager that. “I’m not worried about the future. My career is still going up. I can tell that by the massive clubs who came knocking on the door for me in the winter. “But I did not want to leave in the middle of a season and the club did not want to let me go. “That was a good sign.” After signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2009 Heitinga was used at right-back by the Blues. It was a role he clearly
disliked, but after a spell in central defence this season which included a mixed bag of results featuring a 2-1 defeat of Tottenham, an Anfield derby draw and a spectacular defeat of Blackpool - but no clean sheets, he has been used largely from the substitutes’ bench. It is a situation he hopes will not last. “I have certainly not come here to sit on the bench,” he explained. “Together with Phil Neville I have more experience than all the others. I have played in four major national team tournaments and I have played the World Cup Final. “I belong to the 22 best players in the world and I belong to the four best central defenders in the world! “Okay, I won’t exaggerate now. But make it the 10 best central defenders in the world! “Once you’ve been on the biggest stage in the world and once you’ve played in the final of the World Cup it gives you a boost as a player. It is fantastic for your confidence. “I don’t want to moan. At the end of the day it is down to me. Apart from not playing sometimes I love it here in England. I hope being out is a temporary thing. I will decide in the summer what I will do. “But I will always claim that I am the best central defender at this club – definitely since the World Cup. “I could understand it if the manager leaves me out of the team when I make big mistakes. The manager is not a big talker. Never has been. “He does not explain his decisions to others either. He just says everybody will get playing time. “Distin and Jagielka are big guys, almost half a head bigger than me. The manager prefers power in central defence, but I am convinced I can supply that power too.” Heitinga also explained that he hoped to play European football with Everton, after being cup-tied for Everton’s Europa League run last season and experiencing Champions League football with Ajax and Atletico Madrid. He added: “When I watch the Champions League on TV my stomach turns. I used to hear the hymn of the Champions League as an Ajax player in the stadium. Now I am lying on a couch in front of the telly here in England. “I want to be in Europe again. I want to get there with Everton, but it is a big fight. We have a lot of competition.” On-loan Everton defender Joseph Yobo, meanwhile, has told how much he is enjoying life in Turkey, heightening the belief his move to Fenerbahce will become permanent at the end of the season. The 30-year-old, who ended eight years on Merseyside with his switch to Turkey last summer, said: “I am settling well at Fenerbahce. “It is not the Premier League but it is a good league and there are many good players here. “I love the Premier League but I am enjoying my time here.” Tim Cahill, meanwhile, will not join the Australian squad for their midweek friendly in Germany this week as he rests a foot injury. Goalkeeper Tim Howard, meanwhile, produced a heroic performance for the USA against Argentina in an international friendly in New York on Saturday night in front of a sell-out 78,936 crowd to earn his side a draw.
A series of crucial saves kept his side in an entertaining game until a blocked shot rebounded off Howard for Cambiasso to score.
David Weir: I’m interested in Everton FC role
Liverpool Daily Post
DAVID WEIR’S return to Everton as a coach moved a step closer, after the 40-year-old revealed he would relish the opportunity. Manager David Moyes sat with the Rangers defender during last week’s mini derby at Anfield, and said that he was keen on adding the much-respected figure to his backroom staff. Weir is out of contract at Ibrox in the summer, and when asked about the possibility of linking up with Moyes again, he said: “Why wouldn’t you be interested in something like that? It’s something that a lot of people would cut their right arm off for. I go into Everton regularly. I am still based in this area and still got a lot of friends there and have a lot of ties there and I’ve got a great relationship with the manager there.” The centre-half made almost 250 appearances for the Blues – most of them under Moyes. He has gone on to make around 150 appearances for Rangers since leaving Goodison Park in 2007, and he says he will wait until the end of the current campaign before deciding what to do. “Like I have said for the last few years, I will just wait until the end of the season and make a decision then. I am enjoying what I am doing just now and take it day by day.”
John Heitinga hints at Everton FC move after he hits out at David Moyes team selection
Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 28 2011
JOHN HEITINGA has questioned the team selection of David Moyes – and will consider his Everton future in the summer if he remains on the bench. Heitinga has failed to nail down a regular starting role at Goodison this season following a series of inconsistent performances and the form of Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka at the heart of defence. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old claims to be the best centre-back at the club and insists he has told Moyes he no longer wants to fill in at right-back. The Everton manager is likely to take a dim view of Heitinga’s comments, particularly having questioned the player’s focus during the months immediately following his World Cup final appearance last July.
And the Dutchman, who has started only one of the last six games following the watershed 2-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers in February, may have talked himself towards a Goodison exit. “I have certainly not come here to sit on the bench,” said Heitinga. “Together with Phil Neville, I have more experience than all the others. I have played in four major national team tournaments and I have played the World Cup final. “I don’t want to moan. At the end of the day it is all down to me. Apart from not playing sometimes, I love it here in England. “But I refuse to go and play in every position now. I don’t want to be right-back again. I told the manager that. “I am still aiming for big success here in England. Well, I have played 65 games in the Premier League in two seasons. That is a start.
“I hope being out is a temporary thing. I will decide in the summer what I will do.” Heitinga added: “It’s strange for me to sit on the bench at Everton. I will always claim that I am the best central defender at this club. “I could understand it if the manager leaves me out of the team when I make big mistakes. But right now I can’t get over the last few weeks. “The manager is not a big talker. Never has been. He does not explain his decisions to others either. He just says everybody will get playing time.” Heitinga claims he was close to leaving in January – Bayern Munich were rumoured to be interested – and that he continues to be courted by Europe’s leading clubs. He added. “My career is still going up. I can tell by the massive clubs who came knocking on the door for me in the winter. “But I did not want to leave in the middle of a season. And Everton did not want to let me go. “That was a good sign. I feel I can still become an important player here for the fans and the team.” Meanwhile, Tim Cahill will miss Australia’s friendly against Germany tomorrow as he continues his recovery from a foot injury. Cahill made his return after three weeks out in last week’s win over Fulham, but hobbled off midway through the half. And after consultation with the Everton medical staff, Australia coach Holger Osieck agreed the 31-year-old would not be required. Cahill now faces a race against time to be available for Saturday’s home clash against Aston Villa, leaving Moyes with Marouane Fellaini and Mikel Arteta out and major doubts over Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman.
Howard Vs. Messi Was a Soccer Showdown for the Ages
March 28 2011 The Wall Street Journal
By JOSHUA ROBINSON
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.— The biggest favor Lionel Messi did Tim Howard on Saturday was to wear orange boots. The world's most mesmerizing player had made himself even easier to pick out.
Howard, the United States' 32-year-old goalkeeper from North Brunswick, N.J., is used to facing top opposition for club and country. He is the starter for Everton in the English Premier League. He starred at the 2009 Confederations Cup against teams like Brazil and Spain. And he delivered some heroics during the 2010 World Cup campaign. But during Saturday's friendly at the New Meadowlands, Messi and his orchestra of Argentine teammates were a cut above the rest. As they danced and darted in front of Howard through the 1-1 draw, they put on a show of hypnotic brilliance. "You watch him on TV and it's like, 'It's impossible. How does he do that?'" Howard said of Messi. "Then you see it for real and, you know, it's breathtaking. Even as a top-level professional, it's breathtaking. You can't figure out how he's doing some of these things." When the United States last faced the South American side, two and a half years ago here at the former Giants Stadium, Howard hardly had time to be impressed. For 90 minutes, he was too wrapped up in repelling the Argentine onslaught with a string of stunning saves to preserve the scoreless tie. The biggest lesson he learned that night was that Argentina loves to funnel play through the middle. With quick passes, they make acute incisions in the defense before slicing it open with a short through ball. If that final pass reaches Argentine feet, Howard's job becomes infinitely more difficult. On two occasions Saturday, Howard managed to defuse those situations before they became one-on-ones. Both times, he had to race Messi to the ball and dive at his feet to make crucial blocks—highlights in a series of fine saves. When he was not on the end of the Argentine attack, Messi was usually at the origin, winding his way through the defenders. During those moments, Howard noticed that Messi's first instinct was usually to pass rather than shoot. "So I'm always trying to read his footwork to see where the pass is going to go—and that's dictated by the runners as well," he said. But what went through his head as he focused on those orange boots? What could he do when they suddenly broke into his penalty area and took a dozen touches without losing the ball? The only answer, Howard said, is to keep himself and his defenders perfectly calm. Messi and Co. feast on impulsive mistakes.
It is a duty Howard treats with the utmost seriousness. His normally genial, soft-spoken personality stays in the dressing room with his street clothes. Any time Argentina crossed the halfway line, he cupped his giant gloved hands around his mouth to bark instructions at the back line. He pointed at opponents to keep an eye on and he hollered over the noise of 78,936 fans, like a quarterback changing his mind before the snap. Howard had even more to say whenever Argentina carved out an opportunity. Whether or not the shot actually needed saving was irrelevant to him. Every attempt at goal had the 6-foot-3, yellow-clad goalkeeper streaking off his line to give the defenders a furious rollicking. Even Juan Agudelo, the United States' 18-year-old goal scorer, was not spared a rousting when Howard did not like his positioning on a free kick. The players never take it personally. They also tend not to talk back. "He's always screaming, this guy," defender and captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "He comes out, he's emotional, he's a leader. He's telling us, 'Step up. Cover here. Next time, let's not let that happen.'" But after Argentina opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, Howard was silent. There had been breakdowns and a bad break. There was no sense in rubbing them in. Messi had left Bocanegra for dead on his way to the bye-line and cut the ball back to DiMaria. Howard saved his low shot with his legs. The inevitable rebound, however, fell to Esteban Cambiasso. He slammed the ball home from six yards. Howard looked up from the ground and watched Messi embrace Cambiasso. He stood up, picked the ball out of the net and instantly tried to forget it. He would need to stop everything else for the U.S. to stand a chance. And he did.
"You know what you're going to get when you play them," Howard said of Messi and the Argentine team. "It's just backs to the wall, defend for your life."
Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton interested in midfielder
Mar 27 2011 Birmingham Mail
Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are battling to secure the signature of Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago. The Argentine midfielder has failed to command a regular first-team place at the Bernabeu since Jose Mourinho took charge of the club. Gago still has two years left on his contract, but he is expected to be sold during the summer with Real Madrid looking for at least £10m.
Reports in Spain suggest that Liverpool are the favourites to land his signature.
IAN SNODIN: Everton FC's Johnny Heitinga needs to do his talking on the pitch
Liverpool Echo
Mar 29 2011
JOHNNY HEITINGA’S colourful weekend interview came across as the most transparent come and get me plea I’ve seen for a long time. But I don’t think anybody at Goodison Park will be losing too much sleep over it. Heitinga claimed he was one of the top four central defenders in the world – because he’s played in a World Cup final. Even if he made that statement with a twinkle in his eye and his tongue firmly in his cheek – he needs to worry more about why he isn’t one of the best two central defenders at Everton Football Club. Not many would pick Heitinga ahead of Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin on this season’s form. Bearing that in mind, what amazed me most about Johnny’s outburst was the admission that he never wanted to play right-back again. My philosophy was always that I didn’t mind where I was selected – as long as I was. Like Heitinga, I played centre-midfield and as a sweeper, before Colin Harvey asked me to switch to right-back at a time when Neil McDonald was going through a little dip in form. I was just delighted that Colin had found a place for me. The way we played at the time, with Neville Southall throwing balls out to the full-backs to build from the back, suited me down to the ground. I was comfortable with the ball at my feet, so I had no worries at all about playing there. And the technical qualities that Johnny Heitinga has means that he should be well suited to that role as well. I don’t really understand his gripe. With Phil Neville, Tony Hibbert and Seamus Coleman all vying for the right-back role the chances of David Moyes asking Heitinga to play there again would seem pretty remote anyway. The problem he has got is that Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are clearly the most reliable central defensive pairing at the club so the chances of him nailing down a starting place in either of those positions seems remote too. Maybe that’s why he is giving interviews like this, to advertise his talents to other clubs across Europe. Because if he was to move on this summer I couldn’t see any other club in the Premier League making a move for him. His talents are better suited for the continental game. I have no worries about a player stating his case for a first team place, but it’s David Moyes he has to convince.
Heitinga is a popular player amongst the supporters at Everton – but little outbursts like this won’t increase his popularity with the manager. And that’s the person he really has to impress.
Jermaine Beckford could have key role to play against Aston Villa IT WON’T need the presence of Gerard Houllier and Gary McAllister in the away dug-out on Saturday to fire up the Goodison crowd on Saturday. The presence in the Aston Villa starting line-up of players of the quality of Darren Bent, Ashley Young and Kyle Walker should be incentive enough. I can’t believe that Villa have struggled this season with players of that quality in their squad. They are definitely in a false position and I’m expecting a very tough match at the weekend. There’s talk of dressing room unrest at Villa Park – and that would obviously cause problems – but Everton still have to set their stall out early and put the visitors on the back foot. With Louis Saha injured and Tim Cahill also nursing a foot injury it’s a big game for Jermaine Beckford. But equally it will be a big challenge for Everton. Don’t be taken in by Villa’s lowly league placing. This will be a tough match and one Everton will have to play at their best level to win. But they can win it – and leave Houllier and McAllister disappointed!
It’s better late than never for Leighton Baines and England
PHIL JAGIELKA and Leighton Baines will both start for England tonight – but it’s a much bigger opportunity for Bainesy than it is Jags. Jagielka has played in England’s last few internationals and is starting to cement a reputation as a regular in Fabio Capello’s squad. But it’s amazing that Leighton Baines isn’t considered in the same light already. It’s only when he goes down to the capital and produces sparkling performances at Arsenal and Spurs, or scores stunning goals at Stamford Bridge, that the national press seem to sit up and take notice. But this is his big chance to show the rest of the country just how well he has been playing this season. It should be an open game against Ghana, which should suit him down to the ground. I’m a big fan of Ashley Cole. He is undoubtedly a world class left-back. But Baines has been playing equally as well this season – if not better – and this is his big chance to show the watching nation. If Ashley Cole is England’s acknowledged first choice left-back, I have no doubt that Leighton Baines should be his regular understudy.
It was a travesty that he didn’t go to South Africa, but he should be on the plane to Ukraine and Poland.
Moving from Everton helped Richard Dunne’s career
WHEN Richard Dunne left Everton for Manchester City all those years ago, it’s fair to say it was make or break for his career. The evidence since then is clear – the move made Big Dunney’s career.
He has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders ever since. He probably needed that wake up call – but he certainly rose to the challenge. He will get a warm – and deserved –reception at Goodison on Saturday.
Big England chance for Everton FC pair Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines
by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Echo
Mar 29 2011
PHIL JAGIELKA and Leighton Baines will be their handed the chance to put down a marker for their international futures at Wembley tonight. England coach Fabio Capello has confirmed that the Everton duo will start against Ghana in the Wembley friendly. Jagielka will win his seventh cap and Baines his fourth. Capello said he would not make 11 changes for the first ever meeting with Ghana, as had been reported, but would probably make seven. But he insisted the Wembley fans should not feel short-changed by England fielding a much-changed side, claiming fringe players need to experience the “spirit of the team”. “I respect the fans,” Capello said. “It will be interesting for the fans to see some players they know very well, it will be interesting for me and for the fans. “The players who will play will be really good players, it’s really important for the players to understand the spirit of the team and I hope we can see the spirit on the pitch like in the first 30 minutes against Wales.” Jagielka’s club boss, David Moyes, believes the 28-year-old has reached a point where he can not only establish himself in the England team but emerge as a figure of authority in the international setup. “Phil should be looking to cement himself in the England side and to cement himself as a future Everton captain as well,” Moyes insisted. “He’s got to start wanting to be a leader.” Moyes underlined his faith in Jagielka earlier this month by agreeing a new contract that keeps the player at Goodison for the next four years. However, Jagielka knows from personal experience that gaining even a toe-hold in the England set up can be difficult. The defender was handed his first start in February 2009 and his mistake led to Spain scoring the first goal in a 2-0 win in Seville. Jagielka did not start another international for 18 months, when he faced Hungary. Jagielka says he was not offered an explanation for his substitution against Spain. He said: “I think it might have been pre-planned. I'd like to think that it was, rather than me just getting dragged off. It was a bit of an eye-opener. Welcome to international football. Normally in your team if you make a mistake at the weekend there's another game coming up straight away and you can hopefully rectify it. I had to wait. “ It definitely made me realise how hard it is mentally when you have to deal with the disappointments.” However, Jagielka has never been far from Capello’s thoughts and he made a fleeting appearance as an 89th minute substitute for Scott Parker in Cardiff on Saturday. Jagielka, reckons his club-mate Baines deserves a fourth England cap tonight on the strength of his outstanding form for Everton this season. “Leighton has been our best player this season, hands down,” Jagielka declared. “He’s probably set up half of our goals this season.” Baines made his England debut a year ago in a friendly against Egypt. He was included in a provisional squad of 30 for the World Cup finals last summer but did not make the final 23 that went to South Africa.
ACADEMY FOOTBALL: Everton under-18s stoking up their title challenge
by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 29 2011
EVERTON under-18s will look to get back to winning ways and continue to hold off the challenge of Manchester City and Liverpool when they travel Stoke City this Saturday (kick-off 11am). With several players away on international duty for both sides Everton’s scheduled match with Sunderland over the weekend had to be called off. It meant Manchester City took advantage of their inaction to join Neil Dewsnip’s side at the top of the Group C table on 45 points following their 5-3 victory over Derby County. Everton, though, do have two games in hand on their closest rivals for the title. Following their 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough in their last Academy League they will be keen to claim all three points this weekend. A number of the Academy players were away on international duty this week. Everton striker Hallum Hope scored from the penalty spot as England under-17s scored a 3-2 victory over Northern Ireland on Saturday in the opening game of the Elite Qualifying Round for the UEFA European U17 Championship Finals. John Lundstram also featured as John Peacock’s side had to come from behind to win. Yesterday England won 2-1 against host nation Belgium, with Lundstram playing the full match and Hope coming on as a second-half substitute They now face Spain in the final match on Thursday.
Mark Lawrenson: Moaning Everton FC defender John Heitinga has nothing to shout about
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 29 2011
JOHN HEITINGA was talking absolute baloney at the weekend. In terms of Chucklevision, I’d give his comments an eight out of 10. Really, he’s just giving himself a reason not to be liked and for supporters to have a go at him. One of the top 10 centre-backs in the world? The best centre-back at Everton? Better than Phil Jagielka? I don’t think so. There’s nothing wrong with confidence but sometimes it can border on arrogance. And Heitinga has gone a long way beyond that particular line.
I’m sure he’ll get back to Finch Farm later this week and say he’s been misquoted, but we’ve heard that a thousand times before. Hey, if the big clubs really were in for him in January and have been offering big money, then surely David Moyes would have sold him. Heitinga hasn’t been an automatic choice. And quite right too, he hasn’t been good enough. And what’s all this about him telling his team-mates that he doesn’t want to play right-back? That helps. What Heitinga is saying there is that he isn’t a team player. Moyes may well struggle to put out a midfield against Aston Villa on Saturday with Marouane Fellaini and Mikel Arteta out and Seamus Coleman, Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell major doubts. In some respects, it’s nothing new to Moyes. Filling round holes with square pegs underlines Everton’s plight, but Moyes has always brought in versatile players to make the squad appear stronger than it is.
Everton FC latest: Leighton Baines eager to capitalise on England opportunity
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 29 2011
LEIGHTON BAINES is determined to make the most of international opportunity when he steps out for England this evening. Baines will make his fourth appearance for his country after being given the nod by Fabio Capello for the Wembley friendly against Ghana. It will be the first start for the Everton left-back since being overlooked for the World Cup finals in the South Africa last summer.
And the 26-year-old, who will be joined in the starting line-up by club-mate Phil Jagielka, admits every minute is vital at this rarified level of football. “It’s obviously a lot different to club football with regards to training especially,” said Baines. “You’re there for a short time and in that hour and a half you train, you have got to try and impress so the tempo tends to be a bit higher and more intense. “The quality is really good as well. The first couple of times you go it is a bit of an eye-opener to see what goes on and after that you settle into it. “If you are getting into the national team you are in there on merit, it is because you have been playing well and doing your job well. You just go into the squads with the intention of carrying that form on.” Baines added: “You just try to integrate into the squad as quickly as possible and make a smooth transition to international football. “I’ve been pleased with my form for the majority of the season and that is all you can do. The selection process is down to other people.” Jagielka will earn his ninth cap this evening after coming on from the bench to play the closing moments of Saturday’s 2-0 Euro 2012 qualifying win in Wales. Meanwhile, another Everton centre-back, Shane Duffy, is keen to play his part in Burnley’s promotion challenge after joining the Lancashire club on a 28-day emergency loan. The Turf Moor outfit are in eighth place in the npower Championship, just three points off the play-offs with a game in hand on sixth-placed Leeds United. And 19-year-old Duffy, who has played twice for Everton’s first team, said: “I was away on international duty and got a call to say Burnley wanted to take me on loan so I was delighted to come. “It’s a big club and I’m delighted to be here. “It’s about trying to improve myself, get some experience and obviously try and help the team. “Looking at the league table and where the team is obviously they are going for promotion. “Hopefully I can help and we can go on and get into the play-offs,” he added. Meanwhile, Everton’s trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, May 14 will now kick-off at 12.45pm.
England 1 Ghana 1: Late leveller denies home win as Mersey stars shine for England
Liverpool Echo
Mar 30 2011
THE friendly no-one wanted turned into the best of its kind since the new Wembley was opened in 2007 – and ended with gleeful Ghana racing to their fans in jubilation following Asamoah Gyan’s last-minute leveller. It was a goal the visitors deserved for their attacking approach and their willingness to play properly, rather than stroke the ball around in half-hearted manner as so often typifies these games. Their supporters deserved it too. Twenty-thousand strong and making enough noise to match, even marking Danny Welbeck’s England debut with deafening boos given he has rejected the chance to play for them. But it spoiled Andy Carroll’s night. Twenty-four hours after being told to curb his drinking by Fabio Capello, Carroll should have been toasting his first England goal. A Geordie who plays for Liverpool and wears the England number nine shirt has a pretty formidable legacy to live up to. And what a start he has made thanks to a pinpoint first-time finish to a well crafted move. But Ghana were not to be denied, which just made the accepted truth that has grown around England’s World Cup campaign even more of a myth. Aside from the goal that never was in that fateful last-16 tie with Germany, the moment that shaped the Three Lions’ time in South Africa actually occurred in a game they did not feature in. Up until Landon Donovan’s stoppage-time strike for the United States against Algeria, England were set for a meeting with Ghana and a direct route through to the semi-finals such was the perceived ease of the draw. That view underestimated Ghana’s abilities somewhat, as they eventually proved. Despite keeping the same formation that served him so well against Wales, Capello discovered stand-in skipper Gareth Barry did not have as much success in keeping Ghana at arm’s length as Scott Parker had done at the Millennium Stadium. Gyan tested Joe Hart with a thunderous 40-yard drive, then got behind Phil Jagielka but failed to beat the England keeper from rather closer. Hart nearly gifted the visitors a goal when he presented the ball to Gyan on the edge of the area with a misdirected clearance, only to save himself embarrassment by barring the Sunderland striker’s route to goal until einforcements arrived. He deserved that bit of fortune, though, having already turned away Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header with a splendid one-handed reaction save that required agility as well as skill on the basis Hart had been moving in the wrong direction as Sulley Muntari’s far-post free-kick arrived.
Yet England were far from outplayed. Despite the pre-match moans about players not here, those who were largely excelled. Ashley Young in particular has enjoyed an excellent year as an England player, even if he will not want to watch any replays of the moment he slid forward to reach James Milner’s low cross but turned it onto the bar even though the goal was gaping. Stewart Downing started that move, part of a man-of-the-match display, and the Aston Villa man should have scored himself in the opening minutes when he raced onto Milner’s through ball, only to screw his shot badly wide. Young’s fiercely struck effort fizzed over the bar too in those breathless opening stages.
Indeed, as the first half drew to its conclusion, the only English offensive player who had not impressed was Carroll. Much is expected of the young man with the £35million price tag even though it was only his second international appearance. But he struggled to get himself in the right place at the right time, moving towards the far post when he should have been at the near and dropping back for a pass when the requirement was to go forward. As it has always been with strikers, though, the currency by which they are judged is the number of times they find the net. So, when Young clipped an excellent pass to the edge of the area and Downing’s attempt to control succeeded in prodding it straight into his path, Carroll seized on the opening and found the bottom corner with deadly accuracy. And, as Carroll did little after the break of note until he was replaced by Jermain Defoe just before the hour, that was it. He left the field to a standing ovation, though – his job done, the aura around him beginning to grow. The entertainment continued - Young’s curling shot just wide at one end, Barry’s brave block to a John Pantsil effort at the other, Jonathan Mensah sending a free header from the corner disappointingly wide, a fingertip save from Richard Kingson to deny James Milner, Gyan thrashing a shot into the side-netting. England were within touching distance of victory when Gyan slalomed through their defence and equalised. After missing the penalty that would have given Africa its first World Cup semi-finalists nine months ago, no-one can begrudge him that.
ENGLAND: Joe Hart, Glen Johnson, G (Joleon Lescott, 46), Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, James Milner, Gareth Barry, Jack Wilshere (Matt Jarvis, 70), Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll (Jermain Defoe, 59), Ashley Young (Danny Welbeck, 81)
GHANA : Richard Kingson, John Paintsil, Isaac Vorsah (Jonathan Mensah, Jonathan, 46), John Mensah, John, Lee Addy, L, Dominic Adiyiah (Prince Tagoe, 69), Anthony Annan (Derek Boateng, D, 46), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, K (Samuel Inkoom, 84), Sulley Muntari (Daniel Agyei, 59), Asamoah Gyan
REFEREE: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
ATT: 80,102
NEXT MATCH: England v Switzerland, Euro 2012 Qualifier, Saturday, June 4, 4.45pm.
John Heitinga insists he loves playing for Everton FC
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo
Mar 30 2011
JOHN HEITINGA has denied reports he is seeking an exit from Goodison Park. The Everton defender has moved to clarify comments widely published earlier this week, insisting that they were taken out of context by some media outlets. “I did an interview a couple of weeks ago with a Dutch newspaper and I was happy with the way they presented it,” he said. “However, a Sunday newspaper in England selected only some of the quotes and put them next to questions that I wasn’t asked. I did the interview in Holland with a smile on my face and it is unfortunate that these things happen when players do interviews on international duty. “Of course, I want to play. I always want to play and especially here at Everton, where I am delighted with the way the supporters have taken to me. I am like every footballer – I want to play regularly and I get frustrated when I am not able to play and help the team.” Heitinga has been away with his national team squad for their European Championship qualifying double-header with Hungary, but says he is looking forward to resuming his Blues career upon his return. He added: “The manager can only select 11 players to start each game and I am like every other professional footballer in that I want to be in the team. I have confidence in my own ability in the same way as the other players do at Everton. “Every player thinks he should be playing and every player thinks he’s better than the competition. If you don’t then it shows a lack of self-belief. “All I can say is that I love playing at Everton and I love playing for the manager. I am not happy when I am not playing but I haven’t met many footballers who are happy when they’re not involved. “The manager has told all the players here that we will get playing time and it’s up to us to make the most of it and to take the opportunity. I am nothing less than 100% committed to Everton Football Club and will continue to be the same every time I play.”
John Heitinga insists he loves playing for Everton FC
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo
Mar 30 2011
JOHN HEITINGA has denied reports he is seeking an exit from Goodison Park. The Everton defender has moved to clarify comments widely published earlier this week, insisting that they were taken out of context by some media outlets. “I did an interview a couple of weeks ago with a Dutch newspaper and I was happy with the way they presented it,” he said. “However, a Sunday newspaper in England selected only some of the quotes and put them next to questions that I wasn’t asked. I did the interview in Holland with a smile on my face and it is unfortunate that these things happen when players do interviews on international duty. “Of course, I want to play. I always want to play and especially here at Everton, where I am delighted with the way the supporters have taken to me. I am like every footballer – I want to play regularly and I get frustrated when I am not able to play and help the team.” Heitinga has been away with his national team squad for their European Championship qualifying double-header with Hungary, but says he is looking forward to resuming his Blues career upon his return. He added: “The manager can only select 11 players to start each game and I am like every other professional footballer in that I want to be in the team. I have confidence in my own ability in the same way as the other players do at Everton. “Every player thinks he should be playing and every player thinks he’s better than the competition. If you don’t then it shows a lack of self-belief. “All I can say is that I love playing at Everton and I love playing for the manager. I am not happy when I am not playing but I haven’t met many footballers who are happy when they’re not involved. “The manager has told all the players here that we will get playing time and it’s up to us to make the most of it and to take the opportunity. I am nothing less than 100% committed to Everton Football Club and will continue to be the same every time I play.”
I won't be back at Everton FC says Joseph Yobo
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo
Mar 30 2011
JOSEPH YOBO says he would prefer not to return to Everton once his loan deal at Fenerbahce expires. The Nigerian defender is currently on a season-long deal at the Turkish club, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Blues boss David Moyes back in August. The 30-year-old has made 16 league appearances for Aykut Kocaman’s title-chasing side already, and says he will wait until the end of the season before making any decision his future, tut admits a return to Merseyside would not be top of his wishlist. “If I had my way I will not return to Everton,” said Yobo. “But I still have a three-year contract at Everton and I am only on loan to Fenerbahce. “I will wait till the end of the season to determine that but for now I want to concentrate on my career at Fenerbahce and with the national team.” Yobo joined the Blues, initially on loan, in the summer of 2002, and was Moyes’ first signing as Everton manager. Yet despite making more than 250 appearances since, the former Marseille man angered Blues staff by ruling himself out of a crucial Europa League clash with Benfica in October 2009 with a minor head injury. Everton would lose 5-0 in the Stadium of Light, with Tony Hibbert pressed into action as an emergency centre-back, and Seamus Coleman forced into a first-team debut. Moyes’ already-held opinion that Yobo prioritised country before club was reinforced as the defender turned out for Nigeria against Mozambique in a World Cup qualifier just a few days later. And Yobo believes it was his eagerness to play for his country which eventually led to his Goodison departure on the last day of last summer’s transfer window. “At times in life you have to move on,” he said. “I spent eight seasons at Everton and I enjoyed every moment and I still have exciting memories of my stay there. “But I guess my loyalty to my country’s team did not go down well with some people there. Playing at the Nations Cup for Nigeria in 2010 was the reason I lost my place.” Meanwhile, Everton’s clash at West Brom on May 14 has been switched to a 12.45pm kick-off. The entire Premier League schedule has been shifted to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final which takes place the same day.
John Heitinga says he loves playing at Everton FC and loves David Moyes
by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 30 2011
JOHN HEITINGA has moved to downplay comments criticising David Moyes by declaring he remains 100% committed to the Everton cause. Heitinga raised eyebrows over the weekend when he appeared to question Moyes’s managerial methods while declaring himself the best centre-back at Goodison and no longer willing to play right-back. The Dutchman also stated he would consider his future in the summer if he failed to regain a regular first-team berth, having struggled with inconsistency and unable to dislodge preferred central defenders Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin.
But Heitinga has dismissed any suggestion he is unhappy at Everton while admitting he is unhappy to find himself on the substitutes bench in recent weeks. “Of course, I want to play,” he said. “I always want to play and especially here at Everton, where I am delighted with the way the supporters have taken to me. “I am like every footballer – I want to play regularly and I get frustrated when I am not able to play and help the team. I am not happy when I am not playing but I haven’t met many footballers who are happy when they’re not involved. “All I can say is that I love playing at Everton and I love playing for the manager. The manager has told all the players here that we will get playing time and it’s up to us to make the most of it and to take the opportunity. “I am nothing less than 100% committed to Everton Football Club and will continue to be the same every time I play.”
Of comments he regards himself as the best centre-back at Everton, Heitinga added: “I have confidence in my own ability in the same way as the other players do at Everton. “Every player thinks he should be playing and every player thinks he’s better than the competition. If you don’t then it shows a lack of self-belief.” Heitinga could return to the starting line-up against Aston Villa at home on Saturday with Marouane Fellaini and Mikel Arteta absent and doubts over Jack Rodwell, Seamus Coleman and Tim Cahill. Meanwhile, Everton have nominated the home game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, April 16 as their Official Supporters’ Club Day. The event will be a celebration of the season’s affiliated supporters’ clubs and is an opportunity for those establishment to carry their official flag at Goodison.
Housebuilder Bellway hopes to make £28m developing Everton FC’s old Bellefield training ground
by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo
Mar 31 2011
HOUSEBUILDER Bellway hopes to make £28m from developing Everton FC’s former Bellefield training ground. The group bought the West Derby site last December for a reported £8m.
Play Slideshow« Previous PhotoNext Photo » The gothic mansion which gave Bellefield its name It was part of a £130m investment in new plots over six months. Bellway wants to develop 74 luxury homes costing £350,000 to £500,000.
Everton FC letters: Opinion divided over Dutch star John Heitinga
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 31 2011
NOBODY plays in a World Cup final without having a good grounding in the game – especially a player from a country as technically brilliant as Holland. John Heitinga is one of the very best central defensive players on the planet and he has been on the bench when we’ve let goals in against some very ordinary footballers. His time at the club must have sapped some of his confidence, and that is a shame. We are so short in squad numbers, I get exasperated when I see our line-up some weeks. With so many of our “better” players absent through injury, surely he will get a decent run to the end of the season?
twobob
IF John Heitinga doesn’t start every game now that Felliani and Rodwell are out for the season, then he might as well leave.
Ringo1
JOHN HEITINGA is probably is the best centre-back at the club. Jagielka's not been a patch this season on his previous form, while for all Distin seems to be in decent form, we concede goals in every game. I would play Heitinga and Jagielka, but Moyes seems obsessed with having a left footer play on the left side of the centre. Having said all that, I think it's probably best if we sell Heitinga if anyone wants to give us more than £8m for him.
Staygold
I CANNOT wait until John Heitinga is gone from our club. Cult hero? Where do they get this from? He is a very average player.
gb1
DON’T knock John Heitinga.
At least he believes in himself. He says he is a top class player – now all he has to do is prove it, and if he does, everyone's a winner; if not then he has made a complete fool of himself. He's not the first self-promoter and he certainly wont be the last.
Perthscouse
JOHN HEITINGA looked like a player when he was signed. But he hasn’t been the same since the World Cup. He’s a winner though. Pity some of the others haven’t got the same mentality.
But having said that, he is a bit of a liability at times.
Blue
WE definitely had the best years of Joseph Yobo – he was superb for us in his first couple of years here. It’d still a shame, though, that the story this week of him wishing not to return to Everton when his loan deal with Fenerbahce expires follows closely behind that of Yakubu and the continuing saga of John Heitinga. It seems a bit strange that these players all seem to be happy to be away from us. I suppose the benefit of all this is that we might not have to lose two players to the next African Nations Cup tournament next January.
blue1961
NO worries Joseph. We had the best years out of you anyway, mate. Good luck for the future!
Bluewinner
REGARDING Joseph Yobo’s comments, I’d be more concerned if it was Shane Duffy or James Vaughan who were going to leave Goodison.
engulfed55
Everton FC jury: Blues fans on Phil Jagielka & Leighton Baines' England outing plus the Aston Villa game
by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo
Mar 31 2011
Tony Scott: Nice to see Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines play for England IT was nice to see Phil Jagielka partner Leighton Baines in England’s defence on Tuesday night as much as I hate the Football Association and the current England set-up. With Aston Villa next up on Saturday and with the terrible form Everton have showed this season, it’s unbelievable we are only nine points from Tottenham who sit in fifth. I think it says a lot about how bad the Premier League is, to be honest.
Tony Hibbert registers and records 10 years at the club on Saturday. It’s not normal these days for a player to achieve that milestone and always gives his all every game and that’s all Evertonians ask for – take note Mr Heitinga. And as another Everton FC comfort zone season draws to a close, my season ticket renewal form remains unopened – very much like the chairman’s wallet.
Mike Drummond: Time for Jermaine Beckford to prove he is more than a super-sub IT was good to see two of our players get a run out for England this week and recognise the progress they have made in recent years in the blue shirt. Baines looked as comfortable as ever and Jags did well the opening half but not so much at right-back – but at least he is committed to playing anywhere he is told, unlike another certain international in our team. Looking ahead to the Villa game, we are low on squad players again, like this time every season. However, we seem to cope and play well when injuries our against us so I hope this is no different. With Saha out, it’s time for Beckford to stand up and be counted and prove that he is more than a super sub. I don’t know what to expect from Villa given their recent form but if we keep creating chances then hopefully the goals will come but our defence needs to be strong so any goals count for something. EVERTON duo Jags and Baines played themselves into the thoughts of Fabio Capello on Tuesday as England’s second string struggled to impress. Baines was lively and full of energy, while Jags was comfortable even being forced to play right-back as Lescott emerged as the nights biggest disappointment. It’s a shame the Everton boys had to play in the “Unofficial B” side, but another cap each for them and hopefully this performance will give the England gaffer food for thought. Villa are the visitors this weekend and I’d have hoped this would have been a quarter-final FA Cup tie, but we both blew our chances with below par performances. Villa are under lots of pressure and seem to be in free-fall, but Everton should remain focused as Gerrard Houllier returns to Merseyside. We again need to give our fans a lift and dig deep to deliver a win. Victory against Villa will certainly help my lagging enthusiasm for all matters concerning Everton. Richard Knights: Everton FC defender Leighton Baines is the best full-back in the country ALONGSIDE Antiques Roadshow, there are two other word combinations that are guaranteed to induce the advanced stages of narcolepsy – ‘England Friendly’. A currency that has become completely debased, the FA desperate to fill Wembley to pay off the debts. So many substitutes it’s impossible to keep track of who is playing. You don’t need more than 100 words to describe the utter futility. So, eat my socks! Ghana, with their will to win and backed by 20,000 impassioned fans, created a fantastic atmosphere. Baines should be starting every England game, he is without doubt the best full-back in the country. Now that Jagielka has signed a long term contract I’m not willing him to have a mare in the England games – in case he gets poached by another club. Who knows I might start watching England now. Terry, Lampard, Cole, Gerrard, Carroll, Rooney... Hmmm, on second thoughts...
Everton FC defender Tony Hibbert’s perfect 10 years at Goodison Park
Liverpool Echo
Mar 31 2011
Everton FC Tony Hibbert - record-breaker?IF EVERTONIANS needed any proof that their 20-year-old debutant had the head for top flight football, they received it when Tony Hibbert gamely tried to get his forehead to a cross into the West Ham penalty area. It was March 31, 2001. And Hibbert played a decisive part in a victory which went a long way towards securing Everton’s Premier League status.
Chashing a Duncan Ferguson flick on into the West Ham penalty area, he outpaced the West Ham war horse, Stuart Pearce. The veteran, a teak tough left back with thighs broader than Hibbert’s chest, and a player who revelled in the entirely justified nickname of Psycho, tried to discourage the youngster with a lunge that only the kindest observers later called a tackle. Hibbert’s bravery earned Everton a penalty kick which helped him claim his first win bonus. As Monday’s Echo reported: “After Stuart Pearce had – let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say accidentally – attempted to decapitate Tony Hibbert, Unsworth emerged from the maddest of penalty box melees to slide penalty number 17 out of 18 into the West Ham net.” The sight of Hibbert deep in an opposition penalty area would not become a familiar one, but the Scouser has been willing to put his head above the parapet many times throughout his Everton career. And David Moyes has rarely missed an opportunity to praise his attitude and and his character. “As long as I’m here Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman will be here, as long as they want to be here,” he said earlier this month in a joint eulogy to the club’s two unsung local heroes. “They know what the club’s about.
“They know what’s required and they know what I’m about and from that point of view I think they’re really important. “Hibbo I know if I put him in he’ll never let me down, he’ll always give me his best. “I’ve never thought they’ve outlived their usefulness for us. Never. “Unless they ever come to me and say they thought that had happened, but that won’t come from me because I know I can rely on them. “They are our equivalent of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, if you want to put it that way. They are local boys and know what is required. “Hibbo's reliability is the thing. There are some times when we have changed it around. We might have needed a bit better going forward.
“But defensively and in terms of reliability, for me he is someone that you can hang your hat on.
“The young boys should be looking at him. Hibbo has been great for us.” His versatility has been put to the test many times. Originally starting his football life as central midfielder – when Hibbert occasionally showed an ability to score goals from distance – he reverted to right-back, and has been called upon to play as an emergency centre-half on occasion. His status within the squad was underlined when he was handed the the captain’s armband to lead a line-up of youngsters out against BATE Borisov in the final match of the Blues’ Europa League group phase last season.
The youngsters Hibbert led out that freezing night would have done well to follow the example of their skipper. “When you leave the Academy and you come up to train with the reserves, you have to show that you are good enough,” added Moyes. “If you are a reserve team player and you go to play with the first team, you have to show that you should be there. “What happens as a young player is that you get a little bit of leeway. But eventually you start to get judged like everyone else and you have to keep stepping up.” Tony Hibbert stepped up to the plate on his debut on March 31, 2001 – and a decade on he is still stepping up to the mark. On Saturday he will be hoping to celebrate that anniversary against another team in claret and blue. Dare we hope for a goalscoring celebration to mark the occasion . . .?
Ten things you never knew about TONY HIBBERT
1 He is the only survivor from David Moyes’ first match against Fulham in 2002.
2 He was paraded at a press conference with Wayne Rooney in 2003 after both had signed new contracts – possibly the most reluctant interviewees ever seen at Goodison Park.
3 His record of playing 265 games for the club in all competitions without scoring is an Everton record.
4 The Facebook site ‘Hibbert Scores We Riot’ has 2,551 members. Tony said: “I’ve heard about that and the banners. I hope they get to do it!”
5 He is the first Everton player to play in 10 successive Premier League seasons. (David Unsworth’s 10 years came in two separate spells).
6 He holds Everton’s European appearance record – with 20 appearances.
7 He is one of only four Everton stars to have featured in FA Youth Cup and FA Cup finals. Jimmy Husband, John Hurst (1965 and 1968) and Leon Osman (1998 and 2009) are the others.
8 The ACTIM index rated him the Premier League’s best English right back in the 2004–05 season.
9 He missed the start of the 2006/07 season after picking up the cryptosporidium parasite during his summer holidays.
10 He is one of only six players in Premier League history to make more than 200 appearances without scoring, although he is still some way behind Kenny Cunningham, who made 335!
David Moyes would only walk away from Everton FC if fans wanted him to
by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
Mar 31 2011
DAVID MOYES says he has no plans to walk away from Everton, insisting he will leave only when the fans are fed up with him. The Blues boss celebrated nine years in charge at Goodison Park this month, and is now the third-longest serving manager in English football, behind only Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. But as Everton have endured a frustrating campaign, with financial uncertainty off the field and inconsistency on it, speculation has mounted that the 47-year-old may look to move on. Moyes, however, says he is as committed as ever to the club, and believes it will be the supporters who decide when he leaves. “It’s not fashionable to be in a job for nine years,” he said. “It’s more fashionable for supporters to see a change, so I’m fortunate. “I’ve always said I wouldn’t want the supporters to get fed up of me, because it’s their football club. I’m there to do the job and do it the best of my ability. “If I got the feeling they were fed up with me then I’d do something about it. But I don’t at the moment, I still see it as one of the biggest clubs in England, and I’m thrilled to be manager.” Everton finished eighth in the Premier League last season, and are on course for an identical finish this time around. But with an already-thin squad decimated by injuries, Moyes’ men will have an uphill task to retain their position. And the manager admits he has been disappointed with his side this season. “I went into the season with more confidence,” said Moyes, “Last season we finished having lost two out of 24 games. If you just counted those 24 games I think we may have been Premier League champions. If not we would have been second. “I went into this season saying we only need to go close to that and we’ve got a really good chance of being near the top. “I think that’s where my disappointment has come. I’m fed up of saying to the supporters every year let’s just avoid relegation. “I wanted to see if I could change the way that we started the season by talking more positive about it, building it up a bit more. “As it is it fell flat on its face and I’m really disappointed I haven’t been able to get to the level that I hoped to.” A key feature of Everton’s season has been a lack of consistency in attack. With Louis Saha injured, Victor Anichebe lacking consistency, and both Yakubu and James Vaughan sent out on loan, the onus has fallen on Jermaine Beckford to provide the goals to fire the Toffees up the table. The former Leeds striker has toiled manfully, but a record of just six league goals tells its own story. Moyes admits the 27-year-old has had too much emphasis placed upon him this season, and regrets his decision not to sign an additional senior striker last summer. “I knew we were short of a centre forward and maybe more than one,” said Moyes. “I got Jermaine Beckford, who had jumped two divisions, and I was saying ‘let’s not put too much pressure on him’. “I wanted to get him off the bench, play some games at the right moment and that’s the ideal way to introduce him. “But we didn’t get the centre forward which we needed to go with the rest of the team. Our play was very good, we continued in the form with our football, but we didn’t have the goalscorers to finish it off at the start of the year and that definitely had an effect on us.”
Liverpool-born US-based businessman Bernard Mullin linked with Everton FC takeover consortium
Greg O'Keeffe
Mar 31 2011
A US-based executive who was president of NBA basketball team Atlanta Hawks was today linked with seeking a consortium to buy out Everton. Liverpool-born businessman Bernard Mullin, who is a life-long Evertonian, was reported to have met leading shareholders in the club and has approached a number of high profile individuals around the world. The move by the executive, who runs sports marketing firm The Aspire Group, highlights how a consortium led takeover could emerge as the most realistic route to new ownership of the Blues. Mullin is believed to have met Bill Kenwright in recent months to say he may be able to find a buyer for the club, although he has not been appointed to work for Everton. Any formal process to sell Everton would most likely be handled by Keith Harris of Seymour Pierce, the investment banker hired by Mike Ashley to sell Newcastle. However, a source told the Daily Telegraph that Everton would engage with Mullin if he found a legitimate buyer. Mullin has sent out a formal three-page document to potential buyers detailing Everton’s valuation and the amount of investment required at the club. He believes the holdings of Everton’s top three shareholders, which total 75 per cent, could be acquired for between £75 million and £100 million. In addition, he has told prospective buyers that any renovation to Goodison Park is likely to require a minimum of £250 million investment to create a state-of-the-art 50,000 seat stadium. He added that Everton’s debt, which stands at £44.9 million, is covered by the group’s property assets — which includes the stadium, offices, training ground and retail interest. From 2004 to 2008, Mullin was president and chief executive officer of Atlanta Spirit, which represented the ownership group for the Hawks, the Thrashers and Philips Arena.
Everton FC manager David Moyes left to lament his striker shortage
by Neil Jones, Liverpool Daily Post
Mar 31 2011
DAVID MOYES has admitted Everton’s failure to sign an additional striker last summer has played a key role in the club’s inconsistent campaign. The team have struggled for goals all season, with the likes of Louis Saha, Jermaine Beckford, Victor Anichebe and Yakubu all unable to find the net on a regular basis. And with Saha now expected to miss the rest of the season through injury, and Yakubu having departed on loan to Leicester City, the onus has fallen on Beckford, a player playing in his maiden Premier League campaign, to lead the line for the Goodison outfit. And though the former Leeds striker has scored eight times this season, and been a willing and selfless worker, Moyes admits Everton entered the season at least one forward short, having failed to make any sort of purchase during a frustrating summer. “I knew we were short of a centre forward,” said Moyes, “And maybe more than one. “I got Jermaine Beckford, who had jumped two divisions, and I was saying ‘let’s not put too much pressure on him’. “I wanted to get him off the bench, to play some games at the right moment. “That was the ideal way to introduce him. “But we didn’t get the centre forward which we needed to go with the rest of the team. Our play was very good, we continued in the form with our football, but we didn’t have the goalscorers to finish it off at the start of the year and that definitely had an effect on us.” With eight games remaining, Everton currently lie 8th in the Premier League table, and are on course to equal last season’s finish. However, having enjoyed an excellent end to last season - in which the Toffees embarked upon a run of just 2 defeats from 24 league games, Moyes says he expected more from his players this time around, and admits that the side’s inconsistency has been a major source of disappointment at Goodison Park.
“I went into the season with more confidence in the team,” said the 47-year-old. “Last season we finished having lost two of out of 24 games. If you just counted those 24 games I think we may have been Premier League champions. If not we would have been second. “I went into this season saying we only need to go close to that and we’ve got a really good chance of being near the top.
“I think that’s where my disappointment has come. I’m fed up of saying to the supporters every year let’s just avoid relegation. “I wanted to see if I could change the way that we started the season by talking more positive about it, building it up a bit more, and saying to the players come on this is what is expected of you now. “As it is it fell flat on its face and I’m really disappointed I haven’t been able to get to the level that I hoped to.” On a personal level, Moyes’ own season has been equally frustrating, with recent months dogged by rumours that he is seeking an exit from Merseyside.
But, having celebrated nine-years as Everton manager earlier this month, the former Preston boss is adamant he remains fully committed to the job he accepted back in 2002. “It’s not fashionable now to be in a job for nine years,” he said. “It’s more fashionable for supporters to see a change, so I’m very fortunate. “I’ve always said I wouldn’t want the supporters to get fed up of me, because at the end of the day it’s their football club, it’s not mine. I’m there to do the job and try and do it the best of my ability. “If I got the feeling they were fed up with me then I’d do something about it. But I don’t at the moment, I still see it as one of the biggest clubs in England, and I’m really thrilled to be manager of the club.” Meanwhile, Everton could be set to miss out on the signing of young Plymouth Argyle defender Jack Stephens, with the 17-year-old set for a move to Southampton.
Both Everton and Newcastle have been linked with a move for the versatile teenager, but he now seems poised to join the Hampshire club.
Aston Villa are united for Premier League relegation battle, says Gerard Houllier
Gerard Houllier insists all sections of Aston Villa are united for the relegation fight ahead as he prepares to recall defenders James Collins and Richard Dunne for Saturday's Premier League clash at Everton.
31 Mar 2011 Daily Telegrapher
Collins and Dunne were fined two weeks wages for their behaviour towards members of the coaching staff during a team bonding session at a health spa three weeks ago. But Houllier says the matter has been consigned to history and is poised to bring the experienced duo back into the side now they are recovered from shoulder and calf injuries respectively. Dunne and Collins proved their fitness when on international duty for the Republic of Ireland and Wales. Houllier said: ''The only thing I can say is that the events (involving Dunne and Collins) are finished. It has been dealt with, it is gone and over. ''The players expressed their will to the club and to myself that they want to give their best for their fans and the club. It is good. ''They were unfortunately both injured for the last game against Wolves but they are available after playing for Ireland and Wales. ''If they are fit, they will play. It is as simple as that because they are personality players and they have the club at heart. They have also strong experience.'' Houllier came in for criticism from fans during and after the 1-0 defeat to Wolves and a banner paraded on the Holte End before the game called for him to leave Villa. But the Frenchman wants everyone to be united for the eight games which will decide Villa's fate. He said: ''Everyone is entitled to think what they want but I took the job because it was a challenge. ''The challenge is bigger now because of what happened but sometimes you battle to get in Europe or a cup. ''Here we are battling adversity together. Together, that means the team, the staff, management, the owner, chief executive, the fans, everybody.'' Houllier added: ''The fans play an important part. When the fans show the banner, you are not very happy about that.
''But I came here because I've got pride in being at this club. I said that straightaway and that hasn't changed. ''I've got pleasure in what I'm doing. It's not because things are not particularly easy.
''Sometimes you go through hard times at this job. ''Also I've got a challenge, and the challenge is eight games and, also, the unity is there.''
Life-long Everton fan and US executive Bernard Mullin seeks consortium to buy out the club
A US-based executive who was president of NBA basketball team Atlanta Hawks is seeking a consortium to buy out Everton.
31 Mar 2011 Daily Telegrapher
Liverpool-born businessman Bernard Mullin, a life-long Everton fan, has met leading shareholders in Everton and has approached a number of high profile individuals around the world. The move by the US executive, who runs US-based sports marketing firm The Aspire Group, highlights how desperate the situation has become for Everton. Bill Kenwright, who took control at Goodison Park in 1999, has made clear in recent years that Everton needs outside investment if the club is to compete with England’s top clubs. His search, though, has thus far proved fruitless. A number of rumoured investments, both domestic and international, have failed to materialise. Mullin met Kenwright in recent months to say he may be able to find a buyer for the club, although he has not been appointed to work for Everton. ny formal process to sell Everton would most likely be handled by Keith Harris of Seymour Pierce, the investment banker hired by Mike Ashley to sell Newcastle United. However, sources said that Everton would engage with Mullin if he found a legitimate buyer.
Mullin has sent out a formal three-page document to potential buyers detailing Everton’s valuation and the amount of investment required at the club. He believes the holdings of Everton’s top three shareholders, which total 75 per cent, could be acquired for between £75 million and £100 million.
In addition, he has told prospective buyers that any renovation to Goodison Park is likely to require a minimum of £250 million investment to create a state-of-the-art 50,000 seat stadium. He added that Everton’s debt, which stands at £44.9 million, is covered by the group’s property assets — which includes the stadium, offices, training ground and retail outlet. Plans to relocate Everton to a new stadium - thereby increasing match day revenue - both to a desirable location on the city’s King’s Dock and to a less popular arena, outside Liverpool in Kirkby, have been abandoned. Everton will, barring a remarkable upturn in fortunes, be absent from the Europa League for the second consecutive season next year, making the funds its manager David Moyes desperately requires appear even more distant. Moyes’s last major expense came with the signings of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, the Russian international, Holland’s Johnny Heitinga and Sylvain Distin in the summer of 2009, but even those funds came from the £23 million sale of Joleon Lescott to Manchester City.
Since then, the Scot has grown ever more outspoken on the subject of those rivals outspending Everton; it is not simply Chelsea and United, but also Sunderland and Stoke, he believes. Moyes has said he will not walk out on Everton unless the fans directed their ire at him. Given the limbo the club exists in without investment, it seems a decision made more with his heart than his head. With countless rumoured investments in Everton failing to materialise, sceptics have questioned whether Kenwright is serious in his intention to sell his stake. The roles of Robert Earl and Lord Grantchester, both shareholders at Goodison Park and men of sufficient wealth to offer substantial backing to Moyes, have also come under a degree of scrutiny. From 2004 to 2008, Mullin was president and chief executive officer of Atlanta Spirit, which represented the ownership group for the Hawks, the Thrashers and Philips Arena. Meanwhile, Moyes is disappointed with another season of missed opportunities having failed to reach the high standards he sets himself and his players. The club are currently eighth, nine points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham. “I went into the season with more confidence in the team,” he said. “Last season we finished having lost two out of 24 games. If you just counted those 24 games I think we may have been Premier League champions; if not we would have been second. “ I’m fed up of saying to the supporters every year let’s just avoid relegation.”
March 2011