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.