Heitinga Puts Pen-to-Paper as Everton Conclude Good Summer

Everton have concluded their summer spending with the capture of Dutch international Johnny Heitinga, who has signed for an initial fee of six million pounds. The versatile defender, who has joined from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, joins Bilyaletdinov and Distin, who have recently finalised their moves to Goodison Park.

Johnny Heitinga is an extremely positive signing for the club. His ability to play at centre-back, right-back and as a holding midfielder will no doubt prove invaluable to Moyes, who has never made his love for versatile players a secret. His stints at both Atletico Madrid and Ajax, and his 47 caps for Holland mean that he has experience of playing at the highest level.

Heitinga, who has taken the number five shirt previously worn by Lescott, will be reunited with ex-teammate Steven Pienaar on Merseyside, in what could prove to be a stroke of managerial genius. It was evident after the FA Cup final that the right-hand side needed a makeover and Moyes could very well rekindle a Pienaar-Heitinga partnership, from the old Ajax days, as a solution.

Following Heitinga's transfer, the move for Russian midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is starting to make some more sense. The 24-year-old prefers to play on the left wing or in the middle of the park- two areas that did not need drastic improvement before the summer. It is more than likely, however, that Moyes will now bring Pienaar over to the right-hand side, allowing Bilyaletdinov to play in a position he is more comfortable in.

Some will point to the partnership of Pienaar and Baines, that proved so effective for the Toffees last season, and wonder if Moyes really has made the correct decision in splitting up the effective duo. However, that option will always be available if Moyes chooses to use it, and there is no reason why Diniyar cannot strike up a similar partnership with Baines.

The departure of Joleon Lescott to rivals Manchester City hurt Evertonian pride, of that there is no doubt. However, in hindsight, it has proven to be an excellent piece of business. If Sylvain Distin is worth £5 million, it is hard to see how Lescott is worth nearly five times the price. Granted, he is four years the junior of the Frenchman, and had longer time left on his contract, but in terms of defensive abilities, the two are almost carbon copies.

Out of the five players Everton signed last year, there were only two players that generated any real excitement around Goodison Park- Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini. Saha, who signed from Manchester United, because of his proven goal-scoring abilities in the Premier League, and the Belgian for quite the opposite reason. Fellaini was an expensive unknown; few Evertonians had heard of him and so no-one really knew what to expect. Jacobsen, Castillo and Nash were all low-cost signings to pad out the squad, however, and none succeeded in setting pulses racing on Merseyside.

Given that Andy Johnson and James McFadden funded that business last summer, it was easy to see why Evertonians were not optimistic about this transfer window. It felt as if the Moyes regime was starting to run out of steam; the market was inflating and Kenwright could hardly keep up, meaning the Everton boss had to sign cheap, unattatched players or loanees.

The £24 million recouped from the transfer of Lescott has given new life to Everton, though, as Moyes had somewhat of a warchest to go to town with. And for how much City got raped over Lescott, Portsmouth got raped over Distin, meaning Moyes had instantly replaced Lescott and still had a fair bit of coin to play with.

The rest of the money went to another Fellaini-esque signing, in Bilyaletdinov, and an experienced international that no doubt signals the ambition of the club. Diniyar is still an unknown, despite his whole three minutes of game-time against Wigan but any football fan worth their salt will understand just what a signing Heitinga will prove to be.

It is easy for views to be distorted with Real Madrid and Manchester City spending astronomical amounts, but it's hard to deny that Moyes may just have his best squad ever at Everton. With twenty-two first team players, the competition for places will be healthy. Everton's improvement may be asked this season, as they fight to stay in the top six in the coming campaign, but that is only because the Premier League is by far the strongest league in the World.

New Boys Feature as Everton win it Leight-On

A 94th minute penalty and Louis Saha goal were enough to overturn Wigan and finally get Everton's campaign underway. Having been flattened by Arsenal on the opening day and losing to new boys Burnley, many were brandishing the match a must-win encounter. The blues did win it, but not without the typical Goodison drama.

Tim Cahill flashed the ball dangerously across the penalty area to Louis Saha, who pounced on to the ball but could only find the Wigan goalkeeper with his effort when it seemed easier to score. Rodwell reacted first off an Everton corner to fire the ball towards the top corner, but his effort was also saved.

A poor Wigan team struggled to handle Everton in the first half, with a few of their players going into the referee's book before the interval. Wigan showed little adventure in the first half as they struggled to keep the ball.

However, it was hard to see how they could be so poor in the second half as well, and it is fair to say they definitely improved. Everton were not as good after the break, as Wigan started to get on the ball more, and remained strong at the back.

The Latics took the lead, slightly against the run of play, shortly after the restart. Paul Scharner evaded Hibbert at the back post to nod home and maintain his impressive goalscoring record against the Toffees. It seemed to be the classic coup d'etat match as Wigan looked to smash-and-grab all three points.

With Everton propping up the Premier League and trailing 0-1 at home, the home crowd began to grow extremely restless. Just after the hour mark, the in-form Louis Saha finally brought some perspective to the Goodison crowd, rising highest to nod home a Leighton Baines corner and restore parity.

Marouane Fellaini came on for Leon Osman in a quite puzzling change. At first, Cahill moved to the right wing, and then Fellaini swapped with him. The players seemed as confused as the fans by it. The natural option, Bilyaletdinov, was on the bench and waiting for his chance, but Moyes relied on the Belgian International instead.

“Billy”, to his mates, has been playing competitive football since March so it cannot be his fitness that concerned Moyes. Whether Moyes thought it was a rather big occasion, and did not want to give his new man a baptism of fire, is unknown, but the £10 million man is a Russian International who has played in International tournaments.

In the end, however, Moyes was to be proved right in his decision, as Fellaini produced a game-changing performance off the bench. After his introduction, Everton went into the ascendancy. First, Hibbert's cross met Cahill's head in the box, but the Australian steered far wide with a trademark opportunity.

Then, Fellaini put Jo through on the left-hand side but the Brazilian fired straight at Mike Pollitt with his opportunity. The ball rebounded to Rodwell, who got a bit too excited and snatched his effort over the bar with the goal gaping.

As Everton pushed for the winner, they were always susceptible to conceding a goal and it looked like the worst fears would come true when Wigan sprung a 5-on-2 counter attack. Phil Neville did an excellent job in shepherding Scott Sinclair wide into taking a shot, which he fired straight at Howard.

Jo was put through in injury time, and showed a little bit of trickey to fly past Emmerson Boyce, who clumsily brought the Brazilian to the floor. The referee pointed to the spot to send elation all around Goodison. However, minds were cast back to Saha's penalty miss against Burnley the week previous. But to quote a line from the FA Cup Semi Final shoot-out, “Baines...bang!”. Elation.

Sylvain Distin put in an excellent performance to have Evertonians saying “Joleon who?” after the ninety minutes, and Dini also saw three minutes of football. And David Moyes will be given a slight selection problem ahead of the Fulham game in two weeks, because of Marouane Fellaini.

It is fair to say Everton looked far more comfortable in possession when the 21-year-old was not on the pitch, as the boys at the back were not tempted to lump it forward towards the target man. Also, Fellaini's impact coming off the bench was far greater than his impact in his previous performances this campaign.

Also, accomodating Bilyaletdinov will be a hard task it seems, as he prefers to play in the middle or the left than on the right, which would be the obvious choice. Putting him on the left will mean splitting the effective Baines-Pienaar partnership up.

Any new faces brought in to L4 in the coming days will give the Scot more selection problems, and a lot of uncertainty surrounds Everton's best formation. One thing is for sure, the season is looking a lot brighter after today's result and performance.

Man of the Match: Distin (8)

Have City 'Cott the Message Finally?

It seems the Joleon Lescott soap opera is finally over, for this transfer window at least, following Bill Kenwright’s meeting with City officials. According to Sky Sports, the Everton chief told the Mancunian side that he had no desire to allow Lescott to leave the club, and especially not to a potential rival.

The Birmingham-born defender signed for Everton in 2006, for a fee of £5.5 million, having been named in the Championship Team of the Season in the previous campaign. Such was Lescott’s impact on the Everton team, he was voted Players’ Player of the Season in the next two consecutive years.

Despite a shaky start to the 2008/09 campaign, Lescott enjoyed another very good season, only this time, he was to be over-shadowed by the man next to him, Phil Jagielka. His passion, athleticism and general ability were what had endeared him to the Everton faithful, but lately, general opinion seemed to waver.

Opinion soon was split on Merseyside, as to whether or not Moyes should cash in on Lescott. Some saw him as a replaceable player, and someone who was definitely over-priced at £25 million. Then, there were those who questioned the 26-year-old’s commitment, and even berated him for wanting to go to Eastlands, regardless of the fact that all of this was sheer speculation.

Having a left-footed centre back, who can score up to ten goals a season, is always beneficial, especially when they can defend as well as Lescott can. And the England international, last year, forged a formidable partnership with Jagielka, at the heart of the Everton backline. The composed and assured manner of Lescott’s defensive work contrasts wonderfully with Jagielka’s gladiatorial nature.

To the purists, however, it was not about the player at all. Selling a star asset to a rival team would only consolidate Everton’s standing as a selling club. After last year’s solid league position and run in the FA Cup, Evertonians felt it was time the board reciprocated the collective ambition shown by both the manager, and the players. Allowing Lescott to move to a team who could easily rival the Toffees next year would not have emitted any such ambition.

Moyes’ defiance in the matter has been something admirable, as has his dignity in dealing with Manchester City. The two official bids, of £15 million and £18 million, were rather unethical, according to Moyes, given that he had already stated that no-one was for sale. The offers were merely used as a tactic to push Everton’s hand and unsettle Lescott.

With Phil Jagielka sidelined until November, Moyes only has two fit centre-halves available to him- Lescott and Yobo. The pursuit of Phillipe Senderos, earlier this month, had suggested that Moyes may have been willing to part with Lescott if the fee was right, but Moyes insisted Senderos was merely for reinforcements, given the centre-back crisis he found himself in.

Moyes’ would have been in somewhat of a desperate situation had Lescott wanted a move down the M62, as was widely reported to have happened in the meeting between the two. Moyes would have tried to be defiant and tell Lescott he wasn’t moving to City, but the Scot is a man who centres all of his management around team ethics. And having a player at the club, who doesn’t want to be there, is not good for morale.

However, if Sky Sports is to be believed, Moyes is not going to part with Lescott at any price, and Joleon is happy at Goodison, for the time being. It seems that Mark Hughes is starting to give up hope on Lescott, now, too, stating that “If we feel a certain deal has run it‘s course, we will look elsewhere”. He went on to add, “Whether we have reached that stage with Joleon, only time will tell.”

Lescott could not be blamed for wanting to move to Eastlands; he was not born on County Road, he could at least double his wages at City, and play at a club whose owners have no bottoms to their pockets. However, this is the clearest indication, in a long time, that the centre-back is happy where he is, and that he will not be going anywhere just yet. To turn such an offer down from City is something that will make him a fan favourite at Goodison during the following campaign.

FA Cup Final Tastes Bitter-Sweet for this Evertonian

Up until yesterday, Everton were the only team in English football to win something in every decade of it’s existence; a statistic which had been playing with my head ever since Dan Gosling bagged his winner against Liverpool in the fourth round. To lose such a record hurt my pride; just one of the many emotions I felt as Cup Final Fever swallowed me up.

There was a belief instilled in Everton, after the extra-time win over Liverpool, that I had never witnessed before as an Evertonian. It was a belief which soon poured onto the Goodison terraces as the fans started to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Gods of Football were going to afford the Toffees a rare moment of celebration.

This belief was fortified by Everton’s triumph over Aston Villa, the best away team in the country at that time, in the fifth round, with Tim Cahill’s goal becoming a symbolic moment of the 2008/09 season. The only time this belief wavered was when the Australian blazed the opening penalty, of the semi-final shootout, over the bar.

The semi-final was a glorious day for the club. The first trip to the New Wembley for the blue half of Merseyside, and against one of the best teams in the World, we knew this was an occasion to remember. From the club banners, carried onto the pitch by military men, to the atmosphere generated by the fans, the game was of epic proportions.

So when Everton progressed into the FA Cup final, I silently felt that the Cup had our name on it. Compare the teams we had knocked out, to the ones Chelsea knocked out, and there was only one team who deserved to take that trophy home. Of course, we knew that the team we were facing were not exactly going to give it up easily.

Since Andres Iniesta pummelled them out of the Champions League a few weeks ago, a massive injustice had hung over Stamford Bridge, and they were desperate to make amends. With one of the best and most proven managers in the world at the helm, they had the tactical know-how to upset the Evertonian party, too.

And given just what a club Everton is, the Gods of Football had to stack everything against us, with Yakubu, Arteta and Jagielka all suffering innocuous injuries. These three players consitute the spine of the Everton team, and given that none of them had ever suffered a long-term injury before, there had to be some force at work to sideline them. Compare these injuries, for example, all caused by minor twists and knocks, to Joey Barton’s horror tackle on Xabi Alonso a few weeks ago at Anfield. The Spaniard was okay after a few weeks, whereas the Everton trio were sidelined for long periods; it’s the little things.

I walk down Wembley Way for the second time in the space of one-and-a-half months, in the knowledge that this is where our club needs to be. As you walk towards the England national stadium, you cannot help but be attracted to it’s beauty and it’s stature; it is representative of English football, and it is where very professional aspires to be. Simply knowing that, soon, eleven Everton players were going cross the white line in such a glorious arena, packed with famous figures e.g. Kofi Annan, filled me with an incredible amount of pride. Unlike Pompey and Cardiff last year, however, I knew that this was not going to be the one and only time I would travel down Wembley Way.

National anthems are sung, flags waved, horns blown; this is really heating up now. And the game kicks off. I had hardly taken my seat and readied myself, for what was to be a nervous ninety minutes, when the ball is bobbling dangerously around the Chelsea area. Bang! 1-0. Elation. Louis Saha, the enigma of Everton’s season, has produced the magic Moyes had wanted from him all season, to give the Toffees a dream start. We are bouncing, dancing, jumping, singing, and simply not believing what is happening before us. Surely, the Gods of Football, those who gave us such a horrible FA Cup draw and injured our key players, were not going allow me to smile. Were they?

We’re on the cusp. We’re going to win this. Phil is going to lift the cup and we’ll be back here for the community shield. Then, suddenly, Hibbert is caught completely out of position and Malouda is given space on the wing. His ball finds Drogba in the box, and the Ivorian makes no mistake in powering his header past Tim Howard. 1-1. Gosh darn it! You could just see that coming…

Come on Blues! Let’s get to half-time, eh? The next twenty-five minutes fly by, to leave the scores level at the break. I am standing, completely still, staring at that Wembley pitch, and wondering if these eleven blues have the quality needed to finally beat this resilient Chelsea team. They are not lacking passion, nor enthusiasm, but the long hard season is definitely showing here. We need inspiration from somewhere, but our name is on this trophy, isn’t it? Somehow, we are going to win, and Cahill is going to be punching the flag fifteen metres from me.

Being honest, the inspiration did not arrive. Everton were largely uninspired in the second half, and Chelsea’s midfield completely dominated the play. It seemed the cup may have been moving away from us, but Saha had other plans. Rising in the box completely unmarked, he should’ve directed his header into the net, but instead, blazed it over. Compare this header, to Drogba’s clinical finish in the first half, and therein lies the difference. In terms of financial support, it’s ocean-liners versus rubber ducks.

Lampard turns Phil Neville on the edge of the box, but Howard has got that. Oh no, he hasn’t. The sea of Chelsea supporters erupt behind the goal as dejection comes over the Evertonian faithful. Maybe this isn’t our time after all. Our grip was weakening, our star was dimming, our hope was fading. And many thoughts raced through my mind, as quick as the Wembley clock, which seemed to be moving far too quickly.

Will we ever be what we were? How long will it take to get back to that? How much money do we need? Can we afford another summer with Kenwright at the helm? Yet the most prevalent thought in my mind was not about Everton at all, but rather about the fans on the other side of Wembley. A hatred was growing inside me for this team we were playing; a completely bank-rolled team that had bought it’s way to success and still had a much inferior history to ours. Their racist fans and their hooliganism are well-documented, so why did they deserve this victory over me? Most of them did not follow Chelsea until Abramovich came but now they are there in their glory.

A Chelsea fan of my age, will have seen so many glorious moments for his team, yet for me, this was not the case. I had seen Everton progress slowly but surely, and just when I thought I was going to see some silver, it was being snatched away from me by this dross. The final whistle went, but the tears would remain long after. I applauded the efforts of the boys in blue, just to show some dignity, but in all honesty, I was unsure what I was clapping for.

The walk back to the station took it’s time, as did the collection of luggage and journey to Euston Station. So many sentiments and emotions swirled around my head endlessly, and one startling thing remained. I looked back to 1985, and wondered if you asked an Evertonian, then, where they saw their team in the future, what answer you would get. I severely doubt they would have predicted just what a downward spiral the club would go on.

Just two final appearances in as many decades is a far cry from what we were before 1990; in those days, a final was our bread and butter. And there was just too much of a small-time attitude in the air for my liking. The applauding of the players after they collected their medals, whilst dignified, was also rather tame. Of course, you have to applaud your team’s efforts, but we had just lost to a team who hasn’t a mark on our history, yet. However, keep walking along the road of no investment, and they will soon catch us.

Confusion soon became an issue. On the train I sat, unable to make anything out of the day. It was a bag of snakes. Should I be happy? Should I be upset? Should I be asking questions? Should I be looking forward to next season? Or backwards at the twenty lost years of Everton Football Club’s history.

To talk to my Uncle before the game and hear of how we were United’s equivalent in the 80’s, is to wonder whether we will ever reach the summit once again. Can I honestly see Everton competing in the latter stages of the Champions League? Honestly? Only time will tell, I suppose.

Do I commend the players and the manager for their terrific efforts this season? Or do I berate the Chairman for not supporting the club enough financially? After all, it’s not Kenwright’s fault he has not the money to take us to the top.

Seldom have I thought more about the future of our club. Truth be told, there is not a quick answer to what the future holds for us. We thought this year was our time, and for whatever reason, it was not; be it injuries, the FA Cup draw, the lack of investment, or a culmination of the lot. When Portsmouth reached the Final last year, it was Cardiff who awaited for them, but such was not Everton’s luck.

The day, in all, was a cocktail of happiness, elation, disappointment, confusion, pride and a knock to said pride. Such is a day, in the whirlwind life of an Evertonian.

Hammertime: Same Ol' Song and Dance

A Radoslav Kovac first-half strike was cancelled out by a brace from Saha, punctuated by a rare goal for Joseph Yobo, to lift Everton to fifth in an eerily similar match to that of the reverse fixture at Upton Park. On that day, Collison gave West Ham the lead, only for Saha to strike twice, and a defender to put himself on the score sheet. It was Joleon Lescott’s header that day, but Yobo’s goal struck a similarity with Saha’s first, as it took a deflection before nestling into the West Ham net.

The game started with Everton on top, controlling the ball, and playing some good football. Pienaar continued his good form as he spun away from the West Ham midfield before showing the confidence to go for goal. It whistled, dipped and curled, but narrowly missed the far corner.

Soon, however, nerves may have crept in, and so ‘hoofball’ was prominent. This hoofball continued for a good ten to fifteen minutes, until Kovac awoke Everton. His long range strike, at first seeming special, was largely conceded due to poor goalkeeping by Tim Howard. It may have been the sun, he may have seen the ball late, but he should not have been getting beat from that range, considering the shot was not powerful, nor accurate. Yet it seemed a tactic West Ham were keen on, as Noble and Tristan also tried to test Howard from range in the first half. Whether this was panic fire, or a deliberate ploy from Zola, remains unknown.

After the goal, Everton woke up. They started to keep the ball again, and started pulling the strings. They would have their equaliser seven minutes before the interval, when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Tim Cahill. The contact seemed negligible, but referee Phil Dowd not only saw it as a penalty, but also as a red card for Tomkins. The game changed in that moment.

There was a rather large delay of the taking of the penalty, but after long last, Saha stepped up and sent Green the wrong way, rifling his effort low and hard into the bottom right corner. The match was level, and news was filtering around Goodison of Middlesbrough’s lead against Villa. The half-time updates confirmed the score to be 1-0 in favour of the Riverside team, and the 38,000 inside Goodison saw this as an opportunity.

It only took the Toffees three minutes of the second half to grab the lead. Yobo controlled the ball with aplomb, off a Pienaar corner, and followed this up with a low drive across Green. It took a deflection as it treacled through a sea of claret and blue. The net bulged, Yobo pointed to the skies, and the crowd erupted, knowing that as it stood, fifth was theirs.

Boa Morte, who was largely anonymous, had a chance to level the match again. Using his pace to latch on to a beautiful through ball, the Portuguese man could not beat Tim Howard with his tame effort. For Everton though, who had held a high line throughout, this was a warning sign. Carlton Cole soon evaded the Everton offside trap but could not beat Howard in what can only be described as a scramble. Cole and Howard both fell to the floor, but it was the American who come out on top, getting to the ball first.

There was an uneasiness and sense of anxiety growing around Goodison, as the fans recognised the game was on a knife-edge. The Everton players, however, seemingly wanting to make up for their first half hoofball, could not resist the olé passing. The chants of olé with every pass seemed to egg the players on, as they just aimlessly passed it around the West Ham box. Everyone likes to see good football, but as the match was not won, it was too much too soon.

The match was soon put to bed, though, and as has so often been the case since the injury to Arteta, it was the Steven Pienaar show. After receiving the ball on the left hand channel, he executed his dummy beautifully to leave his man dead-on-his-feet. He charged into the box, but when so many would fall down, Pienaar kept his head to calmly pick Saha out, and the Frenchman simply could not miss from two yards out. Saha’s ‘worship’ gesture to Pienaar before the lap of honour, taken from Wayne’s World, said it all.

Saha could have soon bagged a hat-trick, as Everton sprung a quick counter attack, leaving two-on-one at the back. Cahill slipped Saha through down the middle, but he hit Green with his effort. Rodwell had already been brought on to replace Fellaini, and soon after Moyes withdrew Cahill and Saha, for Vaughan and Jo.

Jo may have been taking his final bow at Goodison yesterday, and he seemed eager to make a lasting impression. He was slipped through by Pienaar near the end, and when he looked certain to score, Neill got back at him to snatch the ball away from danger.

The final whistle blew, the news of Villa’s result had filtered through, and there were smiles all around. The smiles were short-lived, however, as Evertonians recognise how much of a bogey ground Craven Cottage is for them. That is where they travel to on the last day, to play an in-form and seventh-placed Fulham side, knowing a win will secure fifth place regardless of what Villa do. Villa need to beat a battling Newcastle side to stand a chance of reclaiming fifth.

Man of the Match: Yobo (9)

Topping off a solid defensive performance with a rare goal, Yobo proved his doubters wrong yesterday. Many eyebrows have been raised in the Nigerian’s direction since Jagielka was stretchered off, with many not thinking he is fit to lace his injured team-mate’s boots. Time will tell, I suppose, but going on yesterday’s performance, he can do a job on the 30th May.

Priceless and Well-Deserved Victory for Toffees at Stadium of Light

If there was any doubt over Everton’s commitment in the final league games of the season, following their shock 2-1 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, it was completely removed today at the Stadium of Light. Everton travelled to the North East to record a 2-0 victory, earned with a terrifically professional performance.

A win for the Toffees was essential, considering West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham had all took three points in their fixtures yesterday. David Moyes knew a win would not only widen the gap with the chasing pack, but also heap pressure onto Aston Villa, who host the struggling Hull at Villa Park tomorrow night.

It must be highlighted that Sunderland were simply not up for the match, at least, not as much as Everton. Rather surprising, given that Everton already have Europa League football guaranteed next season, whereas Sunderland are still embroiled in a relegation battle.

Sunderland failed to create many opportunities and hold the ball for meaningful periods, but Everton had no such problems. For the first time since Arteta was stretchered off at St. James’ Park, Everton were able to play the game at their own pace and control possession. Jo put in another magnificent shift up front in the hope of a permanent deal, meaning Everton posed Sunderland problems every time they went forward.

A well-worked corner on the 10-minute mark could have given the visitors the lead. Dan Gosling shipped his ball out to the penalty spot, where Cahill flicked the ball goal wards. Lescott was charging down on the ball dangerously in front of Fulop, but the goalkeeper managed to get enough on it. Everton’s set pieces have bore the most fruit out of any Premiership team this season, but given the height and power in the Sunderland team, Everton did not rely on dead ball situations so much today.

One of the most powerful and tallest players in the Sunderland ranks is Kenwynne Jones, and he had an opportunity just seconds after Cahill’s header. He evaded the Everton defence in the penalty area, but, on the stretch, could only manage to blaze his effort over the bar. It was a rare sight at goal for Sunderland, whose strike patnership, of Cisse and Jones, failed to deliver.

Jo, on the other hand, was a handful throughout, and he should have given Everton the lead after a quarter of an hour. After some good link-up play between Baines and Pienaar, the Brazilian was magnificently slipped through on goal. Charging down on Fulop’s goal, he reduced the angle for himself, and could only slice disappointingly wide of the target. Some may criticise Jo’s lack of a clinical touch when presented with goal-scoring opportunities, but the mere fact he finds himself in so many good positions points to the man’s undoubted talents, and inconsistency is something which plagues many young players.

Home-grown talent Grant Leadbitter combined well with Jones thirty yards from goal, and he showed no hesitation in shooting as he tried to test Howard from range. The American, however, remained untested as Leadbitter’s drive was dragged wide of the target. This, and Jones’ early chance, was all the relegation-plagued home side could muster in the first half.

For Everton, it was a different story. Seven minutes from the interval, Pienaar picked the ball up on the edge of the box and fired across goal. Youngster Dan Gosling, who was brought in to replace Leon Osman, made contact with the cross-cum-shot, from just two yards out. The ball had different ideas, mind, as it bounced off Gosling’s hip and away from danger.

It was hard to see how Sunderland could play so bad in the second half, and therefore, it seemed Moyes may have ended up ruing the missed opportunities, but it was not to be, as Sunderland managed to played even worse in the second half. This heartless second half showing from the home side only catalysed an Everton side determined to put things right after last week’s disappointment.

One man, in particular, would rise considerably to the occasion. Steven Pienaar revealed in his post-match interview that Moyes has often given him ‘stick’ for not getting enough goals, and despite being the best man on the pitch in the first half, Pienaar still was not content.

Three minutes into the second half, his run married up well with Jo’s pass, leaving him through on goal. Showing terrific graft to outmuscle Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley, Pienaar homed in on goal, before poking the ball underneath Fulop, finishing off a terrific Everton move. The beauty of such a finely-crafted goal was only matched by Pienaar’s acrobatic celebration. It was a lead that Everton thoroughly deserved, as they showed much more ambition and bravery throughout the game.

Sunderland, however, could have undeservedly snatched a goal back within a few minutes. Collins met the ball off a corner, but his powerful header was directed straight at a grateful Tim Howard. Tim Cahill, forever the master of headers, wanted to show Collins how to do it ten minutes later.

Gosling, never afraid of running at players, got down the touchline and pinged a ball towards the back post. Cahill was unmarked and looked set to double Everton’s lead, but the ball took the slightest of touches just before the Australian made contact. It deflected just beyond Cahill’s reach, who could only header high, wide and handsome. It was this slight touch that kept Sunderland in the match for another ten minutes, but then, they were buried.

Jacobsen, making only his fourth appearance this season, chipped a ball down the line towards the man of the match, Steven Pienaar. He picked the ball up and turned towards the Sunderland goal, before picking out Fellaini in the box. The Belgian finished beautifully to tie up the match, and redeemed himself for a previously missed opportunity.

The last thing we saw from Sunderland as an attacking unit came ten minutes from time, and even that was a mistake. Steed Malbranque’s cross-cum-shot almost caught Howard out in the Everton goal, but he punched over for a corner. As excellent and professional Everton were, Sunderland were poor and toothless.

Maybe it speaks of the character of David Moyes’ side that they have gone sixty-two league games without losing consecutive matches. It was the perfect response to an extremely disappointing result and performance last weekend, in which maybe fatigue was a major factor. They looked fresh and potent in the North-East today, as they recorded a priceless win to take fifth place of Villa. Hull travel to Birmingham tomorrow in the knowledge that the Villains will be wanting to reclaim their position as ‘best of the rest’.

Man of the Match: Pienaar (10)

The heart, commitment and most importantly, class, shown by Pienaar today was rewarded with an outstanding goal. Arguably his best performance ever in the blue and white.

Laboured Everton punished by City, but Wiley Centre of Attention

It was Alan Wiley who grabbed all the headlines this afternoon, as Manchester City beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison. A late, well-taken goal from Dan Gosling was not enough to cancel out goals from Stephen Ireland and Robinho, as the visitors left L4 with all three points. Dismay at the final whistle now turns to anxiety, as all eyes turn to Phil Jagielka, who was stretchered off in the second half after stretching for a high ball.

The first half was absolutely abysmal, and one of the worst Everton have played through this season. A laboured, make-shift team struggled to create opportunities as a seeming hangover from last week's Wembley triumph plagued Goodison Park. And it was Manchester City who took the lead in an incident that would start all of the controversy surrounding the man in black.

Robinho's apparent push on Joseph Yobo went unseen by Wiley, and left the Brazilian clean through on goal. As the Nigerian was picking himself off the floor and dusting himself off, Jagielka came across to close down Robinho, but his efforts were in vain as the Brazilian calmly finished past Tim Howard. It was a well-taken goal, but the decision from Wiley, as did his seeming hesitation in timing and stopping the celebration, left a lot to be desired.

One can understand Robinho's joy at scoring away from home; something he hasn't been able to do with regularity since his move to City, but the theatrical Samba dance routine that followed lasted just under one minute. Alan Wiley seemed reluctant to hurry the Manchester City team up during their routine, and the one minute of added time was a rather baffling decision.

It is quite disgraceful that in a modern Premier League match, a player can waste so much time through celebrating, especially, when one considers how much money a match ticket costs in the current economic climate. Had the Evertonians, and the City supporters for that matter, wanted to watch a theatrical dance routine, performed by out-of-rythym artists, they are more than welcome to go to watch Strictly Come Dancing or Britain's Got Talent.

And the half time interval did not seem to spark new life into Everton; Saha and Fellaini were just as lazy and ineffective the midfield was completely passive and struggled to get into the game. They pushed for an equaliser, but as they did, City caught them with another swift counter-attack. Robinho ran at Yobo and Jagielka was covering, but his ball found Stephen Ireland in acres of space in the penalty area. Ireland simply tapped the ball into the corner of the net and celebrated in front of the famous Gwladys Street end.

The defensive frailties shown in conceding the goal can only be answered to by Phil Neville and Segundo Castillo, who both showed no desire to track Ireland's run. Whether the players were too tired to track back, or just could not be bothered, fingers need to be pointed. If it is the latter, the players need to answer, and if it is the other, the manager needs to be held accountable.

Micah Richards clashed with the Everton skipper soon after, and both pushed each other. By the letter of the law, both should have left the field of play, but Wiley, applying 'common sense', decided to book the pair. The bookings proved Wiley saw the incident, and hence, both can count themselves lucky to leave the field of play.

Then, Moyes finally decided to change things. A desperate triple substitution showed intent from the Goodison chief, but it was all too little too late. Why David Moyes, manager of a team chasing 5th place, did not change things at 1-0 to turn the game around is a mystery. And when he did, the changes he made could be questioned. Why Leon Osman, who looked dead on his feet, was not brought off, is something only Moyes can answer to. Instead, he put Osman in to the centre of midfield and from that point forward, Everton's midfield was completely non-existent.

Moyes was soon punished for his drastic and desperate decision, when Man of the Match, and Man of the Season, Phil Jagielka, stretched for a high ball and went down holding his leg in agony. The stretcher was called on to the anxious Goodison Park, and the defender was stretchered off, leaving Everton to play the remaining half an hour with ten men.

Cahill clashed with Onuoha by the Manchester City penalty area, and Alan Wiley was quick onto the scene. However, he, always wanting to be the centre of attention, told Onuoha to calm down, even though he raised his hands to Tim Cahill. Again, by the letter of the law, Onuoha should have been taking an early bath. However, it was 'common sense' that once again intervened as Wiley decided to tell the defender to calm down.

Wiley, for once, did not apply 'common sense', as he added 7 minutes of injury time, and comatose Goodison crowd was feebly brought to life in the 94th minute. Youthful Dan Gosling sprung onto Pienaar's pass before slotting the ball beautifully into the far corner. Couple that goal with the one he scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup, and one must ponder why Gosling is not at least pushing Osman for a place.

There was one more moment of controversy when Gosling kicked Shay Given in the heels. He turned and slapped Gosling in the face. And once again, Mr. Focal Point ran over to the incident and told both players to calm down. The referee, desperate to impress, did not want to see card-happy, and so left both on the field of play; both should have seen red.

The game meekly ended in a City win, and the officials were booed off the pitch, and rightly so. Credit to Manchester City, who ran out deserved winners over a labouring and makeshift Everton team, but one must analyse the role of the referee in the modern game. There was once a time, believe it or not, when referees used to go for a drink with the players after the game, but now, it is all about reputation. When there are officials in the crowd marking how the referee is performing, it is easy to see why so many referees bottle major decisions so as to not create controversy. Wiley did not want to show red and run the risk of losing control of the match, but cards, unlike 'common sense', have a place in the game.

Road to Wembley Paved with 'Upsets'

It all started on a cold January day that will easily be forgotten, and will end on a sunny day at the end of May, that will live long in the memory. Along the way, Everton have already enjoyed some joyous moments, which is a far cry from this time last season, as Everton found themselves out of all cup competitions and quickly losing fourth place.

It was Leon Osman's sweet strike that gave Everton a ticket into the 4th round of the most glorious domestic cup competition in the world. Evertonians were given shudders when the game eerily reminded them of Shrewsbury them many moons ago, and the Oldham defeat, which was not so long ago. However, as they had done for most of the season, the Everton defence stayed strong to secure the victory. And to the draw...

“Liverpool...will play...Everton”. The first two balls drawn out of the bag pitted the two Merseyside clubs against each other at Anfield. “That's Everton out” said the media, but after salvaging a deserved point in the league game just days prior, the Toffeemen did it again with another 1-1 scoreline. Tim Cahill once again proved a menace, flicking a Steven Pienaar cross onto Joleon Lescott's head, who diverted his effort beyond Reina. Lescott, who had been teased by the Liverpool fans, stood proud and defiant in front of a Kop in despair, allowing Cahill to jump on his back, who pointed and laughed at the distraught Liverpool faithful. However, just like in the league game, it was to be Steven Gerrard who would once again prove a thorn in Everton's side, as his tame shot trickled under Tim Howard for the equaliser. It was all set for a replay at Goodison...

Goodison Park is reknowned for the terrific night games that is plays venue to, and this was no exception. Again, the media believed Liverpool would win the tie, as Rafael Benitez took a phrase originally coined by Mourinho, when he said that Everton could not “park the bus” at Goodison. Steven Gerrard limped off with barely 15 minutes on the clock, to a chorus of cheers from the Evertonians, and Liverpool looked limp without him. When Lucas Leiva was sent off for a second bookable offence on Lescott, it was Liverpool who would opt to “park the bus”. Moyes, knowing Liverpool's ability in penalty shoot-outs, pressed for a winner in extra-time, and he would get it two minutes from time, but from a very unlikely source. Jagielka played the ball out wide to Van Der Meyde, a man who has barely figured and often disappointed since joining Everton, and he crossed the ball to the far post. Youngster Dan Gosling received the ball, showed excellent footwork before firing a deflected shot in off the far post. It sent the Everton faithful delirious and a chorus of “We Shall Not Be Moved” followed, and it sent the Liverpool fans, well, out of the stadium.

Next up, in the 5th round, was Aston Villa at Goodison Park. Villa, the media darlings, were said to have the edge over Everton as they were unbeaten in 20 plus games and had the best away record in the country. However, another upset to follow, as Everton delivered one of their best performances of the season to upset the odds. Mikel Arteta was sublime in the centre of midfield, and Everton had their lead inside the first minute, when Jack Rodwell capitalised on Petrov's handball to blast into the roof of the net. Cue choruses of “We're on the march with Moyesey's Army” bellowing around the Old Lady. However, the Birmingham side are a resilient bunch and soon found their equaliser. Tony Hibbert brought Agbonlahor down in the box before James Milner's spot kick wriggled under Tim Howard's body. Nigerian Victor Anichebe had a point to prove after his supposed backroom bust up, and he won a penalty for Everton just before half time. It was Arteta who duly converted. More “We're on the March....” was to follow. As Villa pushed for an equaliser, they were always susceptible to conceding a third, and Victor Anichebe's terrific ball evaded the Villa defence to leave Cahill with a chance to seal the match. He bundled the ball past Friedel before punching the Gwladys Street corner flag. “We're on the March with Moyesie's Army”...

Everton finally avoided the top 5 in the next round, drawing Middlesbrough at Goodison. It was viewed by many as a must-win game for the Toffees, and one that they went into as media favourites, for a change. This time however, it was to be Everton who bled first. As the end of a dire first half for the Toffees drew to a close, David Wheater's header was too powerful for Howard to keep out. Despite the American's best efforts, the goal stood. Half time came, as did Steve Round's rallying team talk, and as did the substitution of Louis Saha. It was the Frenchman who changed the game and revitalised Everton. Tim Cahill's cross found Marouane Fellaini who nodded over the on-rushing Brad Jones and looped into the net. Goodison was rockin' like in the olden days. Soon after, Pienaar's inch-perfect cross left Saha 5 yards out and he placed his header beyond Brad Jones to send the Goodison crowd into delirium. “We're on the march with Moyesey's Army, we're all going to Wembley!”

Everton were to be underdogs yet again as they drew the best team in the world (officially) in the semi-final. Some Evertonians already took the pessimistic view of “at least we got to Wembley” and such a mood was worsened when Mike Riley replaced Steve Bennett as the referee. However, most Evertonians remained positive and harboured serious ambitions at Wembley. In a rather dire 120 minutes, the current Champions of Europe could not break Everton down, and Everton struggled against United's defence. With the four best centre backs in England on display, there was going to be little joy for frontmen. And so to a penalty shoot-out against the best team in the world, in the best football venue in the world, shooting into the United end. All of this without Everton's two principal penalty-takers.

Cahill, who has so often been the torch-carrying talisman of optimism at Goodison was first up, but he blazed over the bar. Cue scenes of joy from United supporters, as they thought the Carling Cup final would repeat itself. Dimitar Berbatov, who has failed to live up to his 30 million pound price tag, was first up for Manchester United. His lackadaisical penalty was saved well by the feet of Howard. Next up was Leighton Baines, Everton's set piece specialist, and there was no doubt he would convert. Rio Ferdinand was up next for United, but his penalty was well stopped again from Howard, who was proving a point to his former club. Everton's next penalty-taker was Phil Neville, another of the so-called “United Rejects”. He stepped up and beautifully converted his penalty to give Everton a massive 2-0 lead in the shootout. Vidic's penalty luckily ricocheted into the net off the post as United's quintuple dream hung precariously in the balance. James Vaughan, who had hardly kicked a ball for Everton this season, stepped up to convert the penalty of the shootout. Pressure was put back atop United, and atop the shoulders of young Anderson, who responded with a decisive spot kick. However, if Everton scored their next penalty, United were out and Everton reached the final for the first time since 1995. And the man who took the penalty? Phil Jagielka, of course. He stepped up, with the heart of a lion, to strike his penalty past Ben Foster and redeem himself of his penalty sorrows against Fiorentina last season.

The celebrations that followed from the blue half of Wembley were something special. Flags, banners, shirts, horns and songs were all paraded around the greatest stadium in the world. The Everton crowd was arguably the loudest ever to grace the new Wembley, as they toppled the current kings of English football to cause yet another upset.

And already, murmurings point to Chelsea being favourites in the final. This, however, is not a hindrance to Evertonians, as they shall not be moved as they march down Wembley way once again. It is Everton who have all of the momentum as they have already sent three of the current top five out of the F.A. Cup. Hate it or love it, the underdogs are on top.

Evertonian Bouncebackability

Everton seem to be on the road to recovery yet again, as David Moyes has managed to bring stability and relative glory to the cash-strapped club in an era of Russian billionaires and Arab oil tycoons. People of ignorance would argue that Liverpool are the comeback kings after their triumph in Istanbul against an ageing Milan side, but that is not how an informed Evertonian would see it. Having recovered from all sorts of misfortunes and injustices, ranging from the two World Wars and the Heysel Disaster, Everton remain one of the biggest clubs in British football, and that alone tells the tale of one of the proudest football teams in the world.

It is a tale that starts in 1878, when St. Domingo was established as a football team, named after the methodist church that stood on St. Domingo Road. It would go on to play it's matches at Stanley Park, in an era when the players would carry the goalposts onto the pitch themselves. The club fast became known for it's quick-flowing football and attracted players from various parishes in the region, before adopting the name of Everton F.C. just one year after it's inception.

In 1888, the Football League was established and Everton, being one of the biggest teams around at the time, were invited to be a founding member. Three years after the Football League was founded, Everton were champions, finishing two points ahead of two-time champions Preston North End.

It would take a while for Everton to become champions again, but their moment arrived in 1915 when they pipped Oldham Athletic to the top spot by one point. Despite only finishing one point ahead of the chasing pack, Everton's goal average was far higher than that of any other club, signifying a dominance from the Merseyside club. Everton's dominance was cut short by the outbreak of World War I, which suspended the Football League until 1919. This was just the start of their misfortune.

The war denied Everton of almost certain silverware, as their team was superior to that of any other team in the league, and when the competition returned five years later, many of the club's star players had left. Such an exodus of key players led Everton down a path of mediocrity for five or six years and it was a tale that would become far too familiar to Evertonians throughout the years.

The signing of William Ralph Dean in 1925 was the start of Everton's recovery to greatness, as the greatest goalscorer in British History duly proved himself to be a massive asset. Scoring an incredible sixty goals in thirty-nine games, to lead Everton to the third title in the 1927-28 season. Due to unforeseen internal struggles within the club, Everton were relegated just two years later.

Yet Dean's goals allowed Everton to gain promotion the following season, and upon their promotion, they wasted no time in claiming their fourth league title in the 1931-32 season. They won the FA Cup in the following season, playing some fantastic football in the process, and there was no doubt that they had recovered from their World War I misfortunes.

It was out of this period that the nickname 'The School of Science' was born, when sports journalist Stephen Bloomer, a former player himself, stated that 'Everton always seek to serve at the shrine of craft and science'. This was soon shortened to simply 'The School of Science' but the nickname died out shortly after the 1930's, only to be revived in the 1960's.

Soon after, Everton suffered a slight loss in form and went without a league title until 1939. Dean had left in 1937 and in his place had arrived Tommy Lawton, a player many treated as the heir to Dean's throne. He enjoyed his best season in the 1938-39 season, scoring 34 goals in 38 matches and leading Everton towards the league title and glory once again, but it was by no means a one-man team. Left-half Joe Mercer went on to be a true legendary figure of the era, not just for Everton, but for England also. Wally Boyes was a highly-gifted winger and an England international, and of course there was Ted Sagar in between the goal posts.

Again, however, through unforeseen circumstances, the Toffees were denied of the more silverware that awaited, when the outbreak of World War II meant the Football League was suspended once again. When the league resumed, the great team of '39 had broken up, Tommy Lawton had moved to pastures new and although he is often revered as an Everton legend, there is no telling the dizzy heights Lawton could have reached at Goodison. As it were, in a similar fashion to the club he represented, his iconic status was more a case of if's, but's and maybe's.

The benefactors when the Football League resumed? The team across Stanley Park of course. Like it had done after the first World War, it took Everton a while to recover from the disbanding of their great squad of 1939. It was not until the 1960's that Everton would once again build a championship-winning team and once again, it was a team of the highest quality. Everton do not do things by halves.

Harry Catterick's methodical approach to management led to a resurrection to the Merseyside team, as he led Everton to the league title in 1963 and 1970, and lifted the FA Cup in 1966. Catterick added Alan Ball, a player who would go on to achieve legendary status worldwide, to the Everton ranks after the 1966 World Cup and Everton's domination was clear as they finished 9 points clear at the top of the table at the start of the 70's. Such was Everton's consistency in the 1960's, that they became the first English team to qualify for European competitions for five consecutive years.

Brian Labone, described by Catterick as 'The Last of the Corinthians' due to his gladiatorial nature, was at the heart of the Everton defence in the 1960's. In front of him lay the Holy Trinity, Kendall, Harvey and Ball, who almost reinvented football with their dazzling ability. Trebilcock, West, Gabriel and the unforgettable Alex Young were other memorable players of the era. Young, known by many as 'The Golden Vision', was highly regarded by many Evertonians and is considered by some to be the greatest ever player to grace the royal blue jersey.

However, Catterick's decision to allow the world class Alan Ball join Arsenal would be a decision he would come to regret, as he could never recreate his team of the 1960's. Another period of mediocrity plagued the club, and Gordon Lee was soon brought in to replace Catterick. Lee led Everton to the League Cup Final and the FA Cup semi-final in his first season and success seemed on the cards again. The song 'We're on the march with Gordon's Army' came from this era, and although they did manage to reach Wembley, they could not bring the cup back to Goodison.

In the FA Cup semi-final, Everton were drawn against Liverpool, and despite scoring what seemed a perfectly legitimate goal to win the game, referee Clive Thomas disallowed the goal. It was an incident which went largely uncontested, by Liverpool supporters and players alike, and referee Thomas never has provided a reason for disallowing the goal. Liverpool went on to win the replay.

Lee did not live up to the hype of Catterick and resigned in 1981, allowing Howard Kendall to take over as Goodison boss. An Everton legend in his own right, little did anyone believe he could immortalise another squad of players as a manager. However, this was to be the start of Everton's most successful and dominant team, but also controversy and hatred would soon be bred on Merseyside.

Kendall brought the FA Cup to Goodison in 1984, and the league title in 1985 and 1987.A noticeable moment in Everton's history was the 1984 League Cup Final against Liverpool. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 but Everton should have been awarded a penalty after Alan Hansen handled Adrian Heath's effort off the line. It denied Everton of a justified win in the final, and it was Liverpool who won the replay 1-0 at Maine Road.

However, the defining competition of the era for Evertonians was the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1985. The greatest team in Everton history managed to bring the Cup to Goodison, after storming back to beat the best team in the world, Bayern Munich, in a semi-final second leg on Merseyside. It will be remembered as the greatest Goodison night for a long time, as it sent the Blues to Rotterdam, where they beat Rapid Vienna in the final.

Another noticeable moment in Everton's history was the 1984 League Cup Final against Liverpool. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 but Everton should have been awarded a penalty after Alan Hansen handled Adrian Heath's effort off the line. It denied Everton of a justified win in the final, and it was Liverpool who won the replay 1-0 at Maine Road.

Just as Everton had built another dominant team to triumph and fulfill both domestic and European ambitions, the Heysel stadium disaster was to lead to a ban on all English clubs from European competition. It was an all too familiar sight for Evertonians, who had to sit back and watch Gary Lineker, brought in to replace Andy Gray, and Howard Kendall leave Merseyside in consecutive seasons, to continue their careers in Spain.

From then until the present day, Everton have been masters of their downfall, with poor investments in managers and players. The 1990's nearly saw Everton relegated from the top flight in a very forgettable era for the Blues. Forgettable it may have been, but without controversy it was not. This is Everton after all.

Mike Walker, brought in to replace Colin Harvey manager, nearly took the Everton side into Division One in 1994. The Blues had to win to even have a chance of staying in the league, which did not seem likely as they found themselves 2-0 down within the first twenty minutes. A Graham Stuart penalty left Everton one goal behind at half time. In the second half, a terrific Barry Horne drive from thirty yards and a Graham Stuart toe-poke, both at the Gwladys Street end, were enough to guarantee top flight football the following season. It was a comeback eerily similar to the Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup final of 1966, masterminded by Harry Catterick.

The one shining light of the decade for Evertonians came the following season, as Joe Royle guided the 'Dogs of War' past Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, against all odds, to win the FA Cup. It was a memorable team as it defied the odds with it's combative play, and one cannot help but see similarities in the mentality of the 1995 team, with the teams of David Moyes.

The next injustice against Everton was again, served in a competition against Liverpool, when referee Graham Poll decided to disallow a perfectly legitimate Don Hutchinson goal at Anfield. Sander Westerveld's goal kick cannoned into Hutchinson's back, before the ball deflected back fast enough to beat the Liverpool goalkeeper. It was one of the few talking points of the Walter Smith era, and he was soon relieved of his duties at Goodison, and it was fellow Scot who was to replace him.

David Moyes, manager of Preston at the time, came to Goodison Park in 2002, and revealed it was Smith who had recommended him to Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright. Despite managing in the era of the Sky Four elite and corporations raping the sport of dignity and traditions, Moyes has somehow been able to build a team that makes the Everton faithful proud.

It is a team that has managed to beat the rich clubs on numerous occasions, and the fact that the players in the royal blue jersey recognise the plagued and unique history of Everton Football Club is a welcome sight to all Evertonians. In a period of gloves, tights and neckwarmers, the passion shown by foreigner Mikel Arteta as he was injured battling hard with Kevin Nolan in a league match is not something lost on Evertonians.

And such passion and commitment has brought some level of glory to the cash-strapped Everton. They have been competing once again in European competitions, reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in last year's campaign, before being eliminated on penalties by Fiorentina. Moyes also led Everton to the Carling Cup semi-final in the same season, and has been the only manager since Keegan to break the elite four that recurringly find themselves at the top of the league.

In an era of high hopes and striving ambition, there has also been the ever-present controversy. Just like Poll and Thomas, it was to be referees that would once again plague the Merseyside club in the era of the Peoples' Club.

Firstly, there was Pierluigi Collina, who was widely regarded as the best referee in the world when he took charge of Everton's Champions League second leg against Villareal. It was a massive tie for Evertonians, who had successfully qualified for the lucrative Champions League the year before. The money Everton would have received upon qualifying for such a coveted competition would have unquestionably helped the club's financial situation.

Trailing two-one after the home leg, the Blues went to Spain and soon found themselves behind after a deflected long range effort. Three-one down, there seemed no hope, but Mikel Arteta's perfectly-placed free kick gave Evertonians hope, before Duncan Ferguson levelled the tie to take the game to extra-time...or so he thought. Collina disallowed the goal as he thought Ferguson had fouled the Villareal defenders as he challenged for the ball. He has since apologised and admitted he got it wrong, which may be true, but for the next referee, that is simply not a valid excuse.

Mark Clattenburg took control of the Merseyside derby in October 2007, and would be at the centre of controversy when he awarded Liverpool two penalties in the second half as they came back from a goal down. The second penalty was fairly-awarded, as was the red card Phil Neville received for handling the ball on the line. The first, however, was not. Tony Hibbert's contact with Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard seemed negligible, and outside the box. Clattenburg gave the spot-kick before removing the yellow card from his pocket. However, Gerrard went over to the referee and had a word. It seemed to have swayed the referee's decision as he removed the red card instead to dismiss Hibbert.

It seemed no more a red card than the one that Dirk Kuyt should have received for a two-footed tackle, a foot off the floor, on Phil Neville. The fact that Mark Clattenburg booked Kuyt shows that he saw the incident, yet did not warrant it a red card offence. Nor did he warrant Jamie Carragher's two challenges on Joleon Lescott illegal enough to award a penalty.

Alan Stubbs' finger-rubbing gesture, signalling the involvement of money, seemed to tell the story at the end of the match. Clattenburg was soon suspended from his officiating duties for his 'personal business investments', and Gerrard stated in his autobiography that Clattenburg was one of the easier referees to influence. Rafael Benitez was embarrassed by the 3-0 drubbing his team received at Goodison a season earlier, and knew a similar result would have brought more heat from the Liverpool faithful.

And here we are, on the eve of a semi-final with Manchester United, and maybe it is symbolic of our club's harsh treatment through the years that Evertonians are already using referee Mike Riley as an excuse. It is important one remains optimistic and open-minded, and do our talking on the pitch first and foremost. If it comes to pass that Riley is at the centre of more controversy, and is the target of more ire from Evertonians, it will be just another chapter in our history.

One has to remember how many times the club has bounced back in years gone by, and believe that it can repeat such achievements again. It is referee decisions and inches that constitute such a fine sport, and hence it is important not to bemoan decisions and deflections too much, yet one would find it extremely difficult to justifiably deny that Everton have received a raw deal throughout their history.

There comes a time when supporters must ask themselves if their club is destined to not be great. That is taking nothing away from the Blues, who have still achieved so much more than most, but who could have been the Real Madrid of England had they got the rub of the green more in their turbulent past. Some of Everton's failings do stem from engineering their own downfall, with poor investments and poor managerial appointments, of that there is no doubt, but every club fails it's supporters at times. It seems Lady Luck will be ready once again to sprinkle her dust and wave her wand to prevent Everton achieving greatness in the future.

It is difficult for many to see a road back to greatness with the stronghold that media corporations possess in the modern game. The club is similar to a small plant, surrounded by the large trees of the elite in the modern era, which will lead to a deprivation of sunlight that is necessary for us to grow. Everton Football Club may be weak and wilted, but it will blossom one day when the summers come again. Yet with an air of inevitability, a war will ravage it like a tractor, a ban will starve it like a drought, or a corrupt referee will try to trod on it like a farmer's muddy boot.

Samba Magic at Goodison

Jo wrote his name on the scoresheet yet again at Goodison Park today, in the hope of a permanent transfer to Merseyside, as Everton cruised past a lacklustre Wigan team. Fellaini and Osman were the other scorers in a convincing victory for the Toffees, as they moved to within one point of rivals Aston Villa.

Many Evertonians will have been expecting sterner opposition before the game, but what showed up was a team well-equipped in ball retention, but completely hapless at both ends of the field. Everton, were quite the opposite, watertight in defence and clinical in front of goal. Also, for the first time in a while, Everton showed some fantastic passing ability, especially in the first half; it was the stuff to bring a tear to Mikel's eyes back in Spain.

For all of Everton's good passing, they found it quite hard to create many opportunities, but Jo injected some Brazilian magic into the match on the 26th minute. Showing an exquisite first touch, after a clever pass from Leon Osman, Jo turned and perfectly dispatched his chance past Kirkland into the Gwladys Street net. He ran off to celebrate with his temporary team mates, before indulging in a Samba dance and clapping the crowd.

Everton held the advantage comfortably for the rest of the first half, reclaiming the form that they enjoyed in January and February and at half time Steve Bruce had a decision to make. He made the wrong one. He converted to a more attacking formation in an attempt to get back into the match, but it had the adverse effect as Fellaini beautifully met a Tony Hibbert cross to steer the ball into the goal, just over one minute into the second half. If the game was not over as a contest now, it was five minutes later.

It was more great passing play that opened the Wigan defence up once again, as Osman's well-weighted pass found Fellaini in a one-on-one situation. The Belgian shot across Kirkland, who sprawled to save but the rebound fell to the instinctive Jo, who tapped home his second of the game. Cue the Samba.

The Wigan player's heads deserted them for fifteen minutes, and clinical Everton pounced and took their chances. When Kirkland again made the mistake of finding an Everton player with a rebound, from a long range Fellaini attempt, Leon Osman was there to take the chance. He simply tapped the ball beyond the helpless England goalkeeper.

So Moyes decided it was time to make changes, introducing youngsters Rodwell and Gosling, and veteran Louis Saha, for Cahill, Pienaar and Fellaini. After the withdrawal of Cahill, as evident in the Stoke and Portsmouth games, Everton missed the composed head in midfield and surrendered some possession to the Latics.

Their energy levels had also dropped and Wigan started to create a few opportunities. However, Jagielka and company remained strong during a relatively feeble onslaught, in a game which just fizzled out, and it was enough to secure the clean sheet, as Everton ran out 4-0 winners.

Everton looked far more composed on the ball today than in previous matches, and the return of Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert helped and gave much-needed stability. The battling and fighting that over-ran Wigan are embedded deeply into the Moyes regime at Goodison, and because he has always emphasised work rate as paramount, the fruits of his labour are such victories. Other teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham find it hard to raise their game in these style of contests, whereas Everton's passion and determination under Moyes' reign are always reflected on the pitch, be it Liverpool or Hull. And if the players do not deliver such passion and determination, it is the fans who demand it.

Also, a prevalent characteristic of Everton is the clinical finishing they now possess. In the past, there has not been the quality up front to get the goals, and the quality at the back to keep the opposition out. Now, both are evident.

And so it was a victory that would have injured Yakubu worrying about his position in the team when he returns, if Everton secure the services of Brazilian Jo. Whether the financial support is there is highly doubtful, but it would be a great scalp for Everton to secure the services of an eighteen million pound, Brazilian international centre forward. He may not yet be on the level of Yakubu or Saha, but he is a young boy, and in time, given the right direction, he could become a world class player. One tends to wonder if his decision to sign for powerfully-financed, lucrative Manchester City was a wise one, if he has the elite professionalism that is found throughout all world class players, he will recognise the opportunity to join ambitious Everton as an important crossroads in his extremely exciting career.

Everton let lead slip, jeopardising 4th place challenge

I was not alone in sharing a head-in-hands moment when the Everton team sheet was released at Fratton Park this afternoon. Without the talismanic Tim Cahill, the match against resurgent opponents Portsmouth became even more difficult. However, it was to be the other Tim in the Everton team that would grab all the headlines from a Toffee's perspective.

David Moyes' men could not have asked for a better start, with Leighton Baines topping off a fine week by scoring his first goal for Everton within the first four minutes. And the free kick, in all essence, was superb. I am sure I am not the only Evertonian that has been frustrated over the past few seasons as Arteta, Pienaar, Osman and even Jagielka have stepped up and took substandard free kicks, with the former Wigan man watching on. Baines proved on various occasions for his previous employers that he is a free kick specialist, and he provided more evidence today.

However, Everton seemed to score the goal a bit too early, and soon, they took their foot off the pedal and handed the impetus to the South Coast side. As Evertonian urgency started to dwindle, and Pompey stature started to grow, all could sense an insuing goal for the home side. Everton failed to clear a dubious corner, and when the ball was looped back into Johnson at the back post, he provided Crouch with an easy header from five yards.

The man to blame for Everton shipping a goal was not Joleon Lescott, who was completely bullied all afternoon by Crouch, but rather American goalkeeper Tim Howard. Tim's reluctance to clear his six yard box and tell his defenders to push out cost him again today, as they dropped too deep. As the ball was flighted towards the freakishly tall Crouch, Howard remained on his line, and was a sitting duck to whatever the former Liverpool man could conjure. Even if Tim would have came for it and Crouch would have beaten him and put the ball in the net, the referee would no doubt give the away side a free kick, as it seems to be protocol in the modern game. Andy Gray vs. Watford anyone?

And so, the game was poised at 1-1 and with Moyes saying before the game he wanted a win, it was hard to see such ambition reflected on the pitch. In reality, Everton only managed to create one other chance, when Jo found himself unmarked from the edge of the penalty area at the end of the first half. Displaying an intense lack of confidence, the Brazilian took his shot early, and could only manage to skew his effort wide of the target. Half time.

In the second half, like the first, it was the Merseysiders who started the better, enjoying long spells of possession. However, despite finding themselves with a large number of free kicks and corners, Everton failed to take advantage. Set pieces are a massive part of Everton's game since the loss of Arteta, but the tall, powerful backline of Portsmouth proved too physical for the Toffees.

And this lack of physicality was again punished, when Peter Crouch leaped above both Joleon Lescott and Marouane Fellaini to put the relegation contenders 2-1 up. However, surely Howard must expect the lanky figure of Crouch is going to win most things in the air, and so should not allow his six yard box to be so crowded. It is true the American goalkeeper was impeded on his way off his line by Kanu and so it would be hard to completely blame him for the Portsmouth winner, but he did not exactly fill me with confidence.

As others have levelled criticism at the Everton goalkeeper for the David Wheater and Ryan Shawcross goals at Goodison lately, I have bit my tongue, and did not think he was culpable in the Wheater case especially. However, he was semi-culpable for the Ryan Shawcross header in the Stoke game, and indiviual errors are slowly sneaking into his game.

After going a goal behind, Everton failed to create any clear-cut opportunities, and it took Moyes until the 85th minut to decide it was time to bring startlet Dan Gosling on. There seemed to be a lack of urgency from both manager and team at Fratton Park today. The final whistle ended a miserable affair for the travelling Everton faithful.

The defeat in reality, may extinguish our faint hopes of fourth, but we must still fight until the very last game because you never know what can happen in football. However, only people of extreme ignorance would entertain the thought that the match was one of our easier games in the run-in, as it was one of our hardest. A resurgent Portsmouth, scrapping for every inch on their way to Premier League survival, at a notoriously difficult place to play does not sound like the easiest job in the world. Couple this with the absence of our three most effective forward thinking players- Cahill, Arteta and Yakubu- and it is easy to see how uphill a task the match was.

Maybe it was one step too far for Everton, who have been on an incredible run as of late, as they toppled in a game that very few expected them to be defeated in. The return of Tim Cahill should stabilise the team as we will once again have a figure in midfield who is able to put his foot on the ball and retain possession easier, but as highlighted in the Stoke match, there are still signs of naivity in Mr. Moyes' management approach.

This, is not a problem, as he is a young ambitious manager working with little resources, and so we will excuse him the odd mistake on a road paved with the flags of experience. The man at the helm is learning just as much as some of the young players on the pitch, and with the return of our key players next season, and hopefully one or two signings, Everton will be a major threat to any team once again. At the moment, given we have reached "the business end of the season", it is all about scrapping and picking up points, and we have been doing that well recently. Next, Everton host Wigan at Goodison Park and hopefully a win can reignite our league ambitions, but Evertonians need to remember it has been a fantastic response from a depleted squad, that was getting booed off with sub-standard results at the start of the season.

If we are unable to overtake niether Arsenal nor Villa, I for one will be blaming this on the start of the season, not results like the one today.

Fellaini: Perfect Scapegoat?

Most Evertonians did not know how to react upon waking up on the 1st of September with a new record signing; a signing most will admit to having no prior knowledge of. The man was Belgian International Marouane Fellaini, and the price was fifteen million pounds in installments. The 21-year-old had put in two fantastic shifts against Everton's rivals Liverpool in Standard Liege's Champions League qualifier, and it was this Moyes admitted, that was the final persuasion needed to sign him.

And so, with a great price tag, comes great expectation. However, it was fair to say he looked largely off-colour in his first few games for his new club, showing lethargic touches and a lack of pace on a regular basis. His debut ended in a 3-2 win over Stoke, but his contribution was not the most impressive. He followed this with a series of average performances, and fans in the terraces started to wonder why he was worth so much.

This general wondering around Goodison lasted up until half time in the Manchester United game. In the second half, Fellaini came out and battered and bullied the United defenders all over the pitch, and he was completely unplayable. His rewards came early into the second half when he leaped like a salmon above the usually-dominant Nemanja Vidic to power his header into the far corner, sending Goodison into raptures. For a series of games after this, not only had he changed public opinion of himself, he had arguably changed Everton's season.

He followed this game up with a last-minute winner at the Reebok stadium, which again, sent the Everton faithful delirious, and also sent Fellaini's approval rating through the roof. All of a sudden, he was a cult hero. Those who had something negative to say about Fellaini found themselves in the minority, and no more was the importance of Fellaini visible than when he picked up a yellow card against Hull, resulting in his suspension from both derby matches at Anfield. Cue a chorus of boos from the Goodison crowd, aimed at the referee.

Then, he missed the two games against Liverpool through suspension, when Rodwell came in and did a superb job, and then suffered from a back injury, slowly playing his way back to fitness. After a series of performances that were below par by Fellaini's standards, some fickle Evertonians turned on him, questioning his price tag yet again.

Fellaini has answered his critics, in-turn, scoring an equaliser in the FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesborough, before sealing the game against Stoke with a beautifully-taken goal. So with two goals in his last two games, and six goals in his twenty-six appearances for the Toffees, why are so many Evertonians set against him?

There are those who say he is too lazy, and does not have the pace nor the energy to make a large impact on the Everton team. And there are those who say he was a panic buy, and does not have a true position. And finally, there is the criticism that Moyes should not have spent all of his budget on such a gamble, especially when he does not fit into the team.

It may be a cliché at this point, but it must be remembered that Marouane is still only twenty-one years of age, and is a young boy in a foreign country. His age may be just a number, but to make it relative, Fellaini is seven months older than James Vaughan and five months older than Victor Anichebe. The Belgian is also nearly eight years the junior of Tim Cahill, but it is easy to forget this due to the large physical frame he possesses. His tender age suggests that he will make major improvements in the future, especially in terms of the unnecessary fouls he often commits, and his positional awareness.

Furthermore, we must remember Fellaini was given a baptism of fire, and thrown into a team that had just lost 2-3 and 0-3 to Blackburn and Portsmouth respectively in their first two home games. He made his debut alongside players who were not in-form themselves, and was judged by a different ruler because of it. There may even have been complacency on Fellaini's part, thinking he would be the star player in the Everton team after completing the club's record transfer. If this was the case, he was widely awoken when he found himself alongside Yakubu, Jagielka and Arteta in the starting eleven.

It may also have taken Moyes a while to work out exactly what Fellaini's position is, and that is if he has even worked it out to this point. It could be he is still hedging his bets with where to play Marouane, because he does not seem capable yet of playing the holding midfield role, or the box-to-box midfielder role. However, it must be remembered that Tim Cahill could not operate in a 4-4-2 formation in his early Everton career, and has only recently proved his capabilities in that position against Middlesborough. Also, Mikel Arteta did not enjoy the most assured of games when playing in that centre midfield berth until he returned there earlier this season. As these two startlets for Everton have developed their talents in the Premier League, their abilities and their bodies have started to grow so-much-so that they can now operate in that position. The same could happen to Fellaini.

Another point to be made is that just because a player costs fifteen million pounds does not mean he is any better than the other players in the team, who cost considerably less. An example would be the comparison between the twenty-six-million-pound Wayne Rooney, and the twelve-million-pound Cristiano Ronaldo. It is not necessary to continue such an analysis, as the World Player of the Year is clearly the more important player for the Champions. I feel this applies with the Fellaini situation. Due to his lofty price tag, Evertonians are expecting Marouane to be a key player in the team, when in reality, he is just another piece in a carefully-constructed jigsaw.

The fans are putting different standards on Fellaini than any other player in the team, when in reality, he is not as wasteful in possession as Steven Pienaar, nor is he as lazy as Anichebe. Some of his hold-up play is absolutely sublime and he has already scored six goals in his first season in England. He is definitely an uncut diamond, and a diamond that will certainly shape itself into a much brighter talent, but he definitely needs to be given the time. Now that he dons the royal blue jersey, there is no positive effect in berating such a young player, and putting such pressure on him, especially since Moyes told the fans not to expect too much too soon.

Spending such an amount on a player who has not had a cataclysmic impact on the team is just a sign of the times. Evertonians want to compete with the very best teams in football, but do not want to spend anywhere near the amount, and it seems to be a confusion of ideals. With City spending thirty-two million pounds on Robinho and Tottenham spending sixteen million pounds on David Bentley, maybe it is time that the fingers pointed away from the player on the pitch, towards the executives in the Main Stand.

Everton earn a hard-fought victory, but naivity still an issue

On the eve of the 7th anniversary of the Moyes regime at Everton, the Scot still showed signs of a naïve approach, as did his team, even though they saw off Stoke. Goals from Jo, Lescott and Fellaini were enough to secure the three points for the Goodison side, despite a spirited second half fightback from Stoke.

Everton were terrific in the first half, and on-loan Brazilian striker Jo opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Fellaini's through ball found him in space. Jo showed a Braziliahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn-like first touch to set himself, before powering the ball underneath Thomas Sorenson. Moments of magic from the Brazilian have been too sporadic to warrant a move in the summer, but he certainly has shown his potential since joining from Manchester City. It was to be a typical afternoon for him, as he showed flashes of brilliance at times, but he seemed to be totally anonymous in the second half, and his lack of pace and an aerial presence still remain a concern.

Soon after, Everton had doubled their lead when Joleon Lescott reacted quickest to Sorenson's save from a Cahill header, to place the ball beyond the helpless Stoke goalkeeper. Rather surpisingly, his strike today was only his 4th of the season in the royal blue jersey, despite such a prolific record in the last campaign. Being 2-0 up after twenty-five minutes, the Evertonians could not have asked for a better start to the match, the victory being almost guaranteed before half time.

The half-time whistle could not have come at a worse time for Everton, with them enjoying long spells of possession, and exposing the Stoke defence countless times. In reality, it could have been three of four at half-time, but due to a lack of clinical finishing, Stoke still had a glimour of hope as they sat in their dressing room, And given that Stoke had come from two goals down against Aston Villa recently, and against the Toffees themselves earlier in the season, Moyes' decision to take Cahill off seemed to be hasty at the time, and proved the manager's naivity.

The Everton chief has since come out and labelled the switch as a precaution, as Cahill had a slight calf strain and Moyes did not want to take unnecessary risks. However, another five or ten minutes would not have been too damaging to the Australian, but Moyes persisted with Frenchman Louis Saha. Despite deploying a strong replacement for Cahill, Everton after half-time had no-one who could put their foot on the ball in midfield and hence they lost their shape and discipline.

However, it was not the loss of shape that cost Everton the goal, as they found themselves conceding a rare goal from a set-piece. Moyes naïve decision to play Joseph Yobo was punished on a corner as he lost his man, Ryan Shawcross, who rose unmarked to perfectly place his header into the corner of the Gwladys Street net. Jagielka is half the player at right back, Yobo is half the centre back that Jagielka is, and Joleon Lescott does not play half as well with the Nigerian next to him. It seems rather naïve to put Yobo back in the team and weaken the team threefold, especially when there is a Danish International right back in Lars Jacobsen sitting on the bench. If Jacobsen cannot get into the team now, the question of whether Moyes wanted to even sign him in the first instance remains.

After the goal, the Goodison crowd grew ever-more frustrated with a sub-standard Everton side, and Stoke began to develop a number of opportunities. The Everton players showed their naivity and inability to kill a game, playing long balls up to Jo and failing to retain possession for a noticeable amount of time. It is this naivity that has proved costly in games in the not-too-distant past, such as Aston Villa and Arsenal at Goodison this season, where the players were looking for another goal when they did not need to, and were punished at the other end of the pitch.

Stoke's lack of quality in the final third meant they were unable to find that elusive second goal. And such is football, that the fifteen million pound man, Marouane Fellaini, sporting a new look, went up the other end and scored. The first touch to bring the ball under control was absolutely exquisite, and the finish needed the help of a deflection to take it beyond the Stoke goalkeeper and into the Park End goal- game over.

The match was never going to be a walk in the park, even if it did look that way at one point, and it is results that are important as this stage in the campaign. However, if this match taught Evertonians anything, it was that their manager is still learning after seven years with the club, and the players too need to eliminate such naivity from their play. It is this naivity that still separates Everton from top four clubs, as such clubs find it much easier to kill games off when they take the lead, whereas Everton have a lot to learn before reaching such a level. But the squad and the manager are still young, and provided they continue to develop their talents together, there is still hope of Everton moving one or two more rungs up the ladder.

C.Rimmer (15/03/09)