Sunday afternoon at Goodison
Park. Hardly the proper time for football but
nonetheless. Tense game with some
expansive and beautiful Everton play.
Pompey’s very own Diddy man evades his markers to grab an equalizer for
the visitors and the home side is discombobulated for a while. Normal service resumes and Tiny Tim gets
Everton’s second whilst the Yak scores the third of the game and his eighteenth
of the season.
A convoluted trip limits the
number of away fans although the home fans turn up in decent numbers for what
is a European six pointer. The weather
and pitch are fine and the Panto Dame predicts a bore draw. Hardly serious football journalism from Lawro
when both sides have only managed two (home/away) draws from league play this
season. The stakes are high and at both
teams are unbeaten in three so something has to give.
Moyes is starting to encounter
the problems of having a full and functioning squad coupled with the need to
drop or change players. Difficult but a
nice problem to have.
Howard keeps goal, Hibbert occupies
the right back berth after a solid performance against Petrov, Yobo and
Jagielka continue their strong partnership in the centre and Lescott stays at
left back. Carsley and Neville sit deep
with Pienaar Osman and Cahill getting licenses to attack with Yakubu as the
main forward. This is very firmly an
attacking 4 5 1.
"IT'S OK LADS! MOST OF THEM ARE ONLY THIS TALL!"
DAVID JAMES ON THE MIDGET GEMS!
Redknapp has plenty to chose from
and opts for a large 4 5 1. James
continues his long streak in goal the back four has the energy at the flanks in
John son and Hreidarsson and solidity in the middle with Campbell and Distin. Strung across the middle are Bouba Diop,
Diarra, Muntari and Krancjar with Defoe and Kanu up front as a little and large
partnership.
"IS THE BIG GUY ENGLISH?"
CAPELLO, HOT OF THE HELICOPTER FROM BOLTON.
PLENTY OF ENGLISH TALENT ON SHOW!
Before Capello has even taken his
seat (the Italian is hot off the helicopter after watching Bolton
lose) Yakubu has duly scored the opener.
A brisk Everton attack and a clumsy challenge see Pienaar deliver a
nothing ball into the area. Distin is
too slow, John son just watches and the rest of the defence barely moves as
Yobo flicks the ball on for his countryman to stoop and head beyond James. Clocked at fifty seconds.
"FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE!"
JOHN SON AND JAMES CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP NUMBER SEVENTEEN
Before it’s even begun the game
has turned into a major challenge for Portsmouth. One which in the first half they barely rise to.
Huge swathes of the first half
see some delightful Everton passing and movement which bamboozles and befuddles
Pompey.
My highlight is Pienaar and Cahill
passing to each other as they advance down the left ignorant (seemingly) of the
Pompey defenders they leave for dead.
Nothing comes of all the fancy footwork but a few good saves and
clearances from a stout Pompey back line or a wayward strike from Phil
Neville.
Osman and Cahill have chances and
James gets away with one of his trademark Calamity’s ™.
The Everton player with the
hottest boots is Irish; Carsley has a free kick and two more chances, none of which
find the target.
"EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING
THOSE GUYS ARE FAST AS LIGHTENING
SOMETIMES IT'S A WAS LITTLE BIT FRIGHTENING
EVERYBODY IS KUNG FU FUGHTING
LA LA LA LAAH!"
THE KUNG FU OF KUYT IS PRACTISED AGAIN AT GOODISON PARK.
John son skinned Pienaar early on
but produced a poor cross and Kranjcar briefly sputtered into life in a half
that until the thirty eighth minutes the visitors looked practically dead and
buried as they foundered on a calmly wonderful Everton back six.
The ground goes into that stunned
away goal silence when from out of the blue John son lays in a lovely ball
which Howard should be rushing off his line to claim. The big yank doesn’t and the little Englishman
slips between two vastly bigger but static defenders to graze the ball with the
faintest of touches beyond a flailing Howard for the equalizer.
Who picked up Defoe’s run and why
didn’t Howard move. For a normally solid
defence that was shocking.
"SILENCE IS GOLDEN"
UNLESS IT'S THAT GHASTLY SILENCE THAT FOLLOWS AN AWAY GOAL
POMPEY'S VERY OWN MIDGET GEM GETS AN UNEXPECTED EQUALIZER.
Everton still press in the last
five but some of the conviction has slipped from their play.
Moyes keeps things the same and
Harry must have given some sort of fire-breathing-barnstorming-Churchillean
monologue to inspire his players.
The visitors emerged from the
tunnel with their proverbial tails up, Defoe and Yakubu were swapping goal
celebrations and everyone was happy.
Ten minutes into the half and
Everton had barely gotten into second gear.
The champagne had gone flat and it took a determined team effort to haul
their sorry arses back into the game, they were just getting going and starting
to move forward with some purpose when the key managerial input came.
Moyes switched to a 4 4 2 and
brought off Hibbert for John son, Neville slotted in to the right back role and
John son caused immediate mayhem.
A rapid and ball hungry outlet
pulled the Pompey defence all over the park.
The interplay between the front
two was nice to see and effective, Pompey retreated back into their shell and
even the addition of Utaka’s pace and skill made little difference to the
Blues’ dominance.
Things were still tense though as
without a goal Pompey could sneak one or the game could end drawn.
Tensions eased and the noise
level rose after some neat play on the left produced a classic Cahill headed
goal.
SOMEWHERE IN TIM CAHILL'S LINEAGE IS A WALLABY!
THE EXCELLENT OZZIE LEAPS TO GET HIS TENTH OF THE SEASON
The Australian played a ball out
to the left from deep, Yakubu got on the end of it and played in Pienaar, the
South African whose crosses the ball into the six yard box, Cahill has
continued his run and not been picked up and rose magnificently to bury one,
his tenth of the year.
John son scored but the goal was
called back for a tight offside and James had another Calamity ™ yet got way
with it.
The icing on the cake (albeit not
a clean sheet) was Yakubu’s second goal.
Portsmouth lost the ball in the Everton
half and John son picked up the clearance, his crossfield ball flew fourty
yards and caught Campbell in an indecisive mood,
the ex-Gunner let the ball go behind him and the Yak took the gift, turned Campbell inside around and
hammered the ball beyond a stunned James.
FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE!
NUMBER EIGTHEEN IS ABOUT TO BEAT JAMES AFTER YAKUBU BAMBOOZLES CAMPBELL.
Everton finished
professionally.
Everton played well; they dug
themselves a hole, blundered around in it for a while before pulling themselves
out of it and playing even better.
Happy with the goals, unhappy
with equalizer and the twenty minutes of mental lethargy.
Happiest with the mental
toughness that turned the game around in the second half.
Loved the changed from 4 5 1 to 4
4 2.
EXHIBIT B - HOW BEING A FOOTBALL MANAGER WILL SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR COMPLEXION!
The first half was an intimate
exercise; football in microsm; play well but don’t score and you leave yourself
vulnerable.
2008 is becoming a good year for
Everton in the Premier League.
Seems the defeats in the two domestic
cups were forgotten in the cold of Norway and the team was celebrated
in the six-one European Night.
Thursday will be the toughest
test for the team of the season so far.
Fiorentina are good, hungry, and unfamiliar. To repeat the efforts and enjoy the
performances of the 1984/85 season the team needs to play very well against one
of Italy’s
best sides. Tough but eminently
dooable. COYB
Pompey weren’t in the game for
long periods but could have gotten three points.
"OIY LADS! QUICK! OVER 'ERE - LOOKS LIKE HARRY"S GOING FOR THE HIGH NOTE!" MR REDKNAPP's URGING HIS TEAM ON WITH SONG!
On small things games turn, for
example Defoe. On another day Pompey
score a second and kill the game. Today
they weren’t good enough to do that but good enough to frustrate and get at
Everton without causing Howard too many worries.
Mariner. Pretty good game lah!
Note to Andre: check the video of
the game, notice that Distin had his arms all over Lescott whilst holding him
down, and notice the pushes John son applied at crucial moments to Lescott and
Yakubu. All three offences happened in
the penalty area. Penalties, maybe I’m
not an expert, I’m just mentioning them in case you didn’t see them.
Oop the East Lancs Road
for a jaunt to the Eastlands Stadium.
Cra ppy weather in Manchester (no change
there then really), and some pretty cra ppy football from Manchester City. Everton played very well and ran out fairly
comfortable two goal winners. Howard
gets tested late, Hibbo stifles Petrov, Elano is cr ap, Benjani is AWOL in the
second half and we have a red for the petulant Bulgarian. Stiles, well some quite good and some pretty
awful.
Short trip North East ensures a
good away turnout in Manchester. The weather didn’t douse the fans’ enthusiasm
or voices. Spark is added to the match
with Everton old boys Dunne and Ball playing for City and the stadium is a
regular haven for managers and ex managers.
Taking a pew are Big Sam, Peter Reid, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Fabio
Capello. On the pitch it’s a European
six pointer.
Moyes changes the side that
thrashed SK Brann and opts for a familiar 4 4 1 1. Howard keeps goal, Hibbert slots in at right
back, Yobo, Jagielka and Lescott operate to his left. Carsley and Neville sit deep with Pienaar
Osman and Cahill getting licenses to attack with Yakubu as the main forward. Some might call this 4 2 3 1 or 4 5 1 or 4 2
2 1, really just ignore them.
A SCOT AND A SWEDE WATCH THE BLUE ACTION AT EASTLANDS!
Hard to change a winning team so
Sven doesn’t. The Swede selects the same
eleven that beat Manchester United. Hart
keeps goal with a back four of Onuoha, Richards, Dunne and Ball, the five man
midfield is Petrov, Ireland, Fernandes, Hamman, Vassel
with Benjani up front on his own. A
pretty standard 4 5 1, although perhaps best suited to the away side.
City starts off on the front foot
and gets nowhere. All half they had
plenty of possession and did nothing with it, Howard had to come and punch or
claim a few balls but didn’t have to save.
Everton defended thirty yards out and a narrow City just kept mindlessly
bashing up against a blue wall.
City’s best cross came just
before the interval when Fernandes whipped a ball between Howard and the
defenders, Benjani spent too much time wondering what it was and the chance
went.
The visitors threatened Hart all
the first half, crisply bringing the ball out of defence or from a ball won in
midfield and going straight at City with pace and bags of ideas.
Richards probably didn’t give
Everton it’s first penalty of the Premier League season as Stiles was blind or
just unsighted.
Hart saves well from Yakubu at
the near post.
Pienaar hits the bar.
Finally the traveling fans get
their goal. Feed the Yak and he Will
Score!
A deep throw in down the right
comes infield to Yakubu, Cahill’s running off Hamman finds the diminutive Ozzie
in space, he beats the first man and whips a cross through the legs of the
second, Yakubu had continued his run and finishes with clarity and clamness
over Hart. Great move, super finish and
a well earned 0-1.
FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE - THAT'S SIXTEEN FOR THE SEASON SO FAR!
City’s response, Petrov; stifled
all night by Hibbert; blast one wide from twenty five yards.
Carsley is feeling up for the
game and starts an attack from his own half, he is fouled by Hamman on the edge
of the area and Stiles is just poor.
Everton keep cutting through the
City midfield and back line and win a corner, it goes way too long and the
Irishman is a willing runner. Carsley
looks up and lobs a ball to wards the back post, Dunne and Hart are ball
watching as Lescott adds to his excellent tally for the season with a neatly
finished looping header back over Hart and into the far corner. Sloppy defending seals the game.
GOAL SCORER AND GOAL PROVIDER CELEBRATE THE FORMER WOLVES DEFENDER'S EIGHGTH OF THE SEASON!
Eriksson removes Hamman; well
played by Cahill; and opts for the more fluid attacking verve of the Brazilian,
Elano. Moyes keeps his side the same,
just asks them to sit a little and take the pace out of the game.
Ball’s challenge prevents Cahill
from giving Everton and early 0-3 lead after good work with Yakubu off a throw
in.
City mount some pressure but
continue to be easy to defend, they lack width, Elano and Petrov aren’t
delivering good balls into the area, Benjani is barely a threat and the
substitutions don’t really change much.
It’s only in the final ten minutes when City start to try playground
football that Howard actually has some saves to make.
Mexican Castillo gets onto a
loose ball and fires through a crowd, Howard gets down well and Jagielka
clears.
Petrov fires one straight at
Howard, meat and drink.
A cross sees Howard punch the
ball against Benjani, Jagielka clears the loose ball.
Other than one Dunne chance; off
a dodgy free kick decision that Petrov delivered well; City were pretty dire
really.
Everton continued to threaten and
defend extremely well, Jagielka being outstanding alongside Yobo.
Pienaar is replaced by Fernandes
who is in turn replaced by JJohn son, perhaps worrying Moyes in terms of
upcoming games with Carsley suspended after a fifth Yellow.
JJohn son and the Yak had half
chances but Everton’s best second half chance fell to Carsley, the midfielder
took advantage of Stiles’ play on call and walloped the ball goalwards before
City had even organized a wall, Hart was equal to the shot and parried it
over.
Petrov’s petulance lands him in
hot water at the end of the match, an odd whistle from Stiles; although play
still goes on; see Yakubu run away from the Bulgarian who aims a kick at the
Nigerian. Nothing is given for that one. Almost at the end of the game Petrov looses
out to Osman and tries to play some footsie with the back of Osman’s calf.
Stiles thinks, “EH! I CAN GET IN THE HEADLINES TOMORROW LETS GIVE HIM A
STRAIGHT RED!” and dishes out an automatic three match ban. Even I thought it a bit harsh and I support
Everton.
PETROV TAKES AN EARLY BATH!
Everton outplayed and out thought
City in every department tonight. Bloody
brilliant performance from a team full of beans (‘swagger’ as Tim Sherwood
describes it). Threatening goals all
game and solid at the back, it could have been three or four nil instead of just
two nil. Many this season have talked
about how the team is pretty ‘workmanlike’ without Arteta. No Arteta tonight and hardly workmanlike!
Beating Manchester United was a
bit flukey and it showed. City tried
exactly the same stuff that didn’t work at Goodison and got beat. Substitutions didn’t work and moving from a 4
5 1 through to something resembling a 1 1 8 in the final minutes they still
barely troubled the visitors. Pretty
poor in all areas of the pitch. What can
be done to stop this malaise at home?
Stiles, headline grabbing
arse! He can play a good advantage
sometimes! How can the man who has given
more penalties than any other Premier League referee not point to the spot at
least once tonight? Burley slaughtered
him and I pretty much agree with most of what the Scot said. Still at the end of the day even cra ppy
refereeing couldn’t deny a thoroughly enjoyable win.
Traveling support loud and proud as the Blues win away from home in Europe again. Less
than brilliant but professional and mostly solid.
Brann Stadion in chilly; hovering
around the freezing mark; Bergen Norway had a
hostile and vocal atmosphere for such a small stadium. Everton’s traveling fans were mostly drowned
out by the whistles, boos and cheers of the home support. Great atmosphere for a European night.
"DEATH IS MY BUSINES...AND BUSINESS IS GOOD!" PROFOUND THOUGHTS FROM A VENERATED MEMBER OF THE UNDERTAKING PROFESSION AND THRASH METAL FREAK!
Moyes; without his full squad to
pick from; went 4 4 2. Yakubu; naughty,
punished and forgiven; played up front alongside John son. An unfamiliar look to the midfield with Osman
and Fernandes wide with Cahill and Carsley in the centre. Jagielka continued in the centre of defence
alongside Yobo with Neville and Lescott operating as fullbacks. Howard keeps goal.
ONE FOR MUM!
A squad full of internationals;
unbeaten in nineteen at home and current Norwegian Champions went with an
attacking 4 4 2. Mjelde keeps Norwegian
number one Opdal in goal with a back four of Dahl, Bjarnason, Sigurdson and
Hanstveit. Moen operated on the left
with Bakke, El-Fakiri and Solli inside him.
Up front Helstad is a threat alongside Karadas.
Everton have an early chance for
Yak but his shot is weak. Carsley is
called into action at the other end.
Brann aren’t shy to come forward
and drop 6 men back when Everton come forward.
A lack of natural width forces
Everton through the middle where Brann are strong.
Yakubu and John son don’t really
work together they are just both up front.
A discombobulated midfield can’t
get many good balls forward and shows sloppiness in possession.
Jagielka is a rock at the back
bar one fluff with Lescott (similar to the howlers against Arsenal); thankfully
Helstad is a bit rusty and doesn’t take a shot.
The Brann corner kick is an
excellent weapon; crowd the six yard area and hamper the goalkeeper; almost
worked in the last minute of the half but for a Bakke arm across Howard; those
almost always get given.
Osman provides the goalmouth
entertainment he only brought a fine save from Opdal on his third try.
Brann could have been ahead,
Karadas’ header flashed over from a wonderfully flighted free kick. Moen was the bright spot for the home side;
always good deliveries. Brann had more
possession but lacked alacrity in attack, particularly Karadas; Helstad would
have been more assured in front of goal mid season.
No changes at the half, surely DM
made a few choice remarks at half time though.
Everton start off the second as
they did in the first half. Some decent
play and possession. Cahill came close
with a good run and shot which may or may not have been touched onto the post
by Opdal.
The visitors kept playing hard
without really threatening when the breakthrough fell their way. A robust Cahill tackle on the left didn’t
interest the referee, he pokes the ball to John son who gets forward, he is
pushed wide but manages a decent cross; Dahl’s clearing header only finds the
venomous right boot of Osman who send the ball rocketing back beyond the
defenders and Opdal.
OSSIE DOES HIS JIMBO IMPRESSION!
Brann don’t give up. They work hard and push Everton back.
The home side’s corner kicks
still cause problems and Howard has to be alert to gather Helstad’s header;
Neville had closed his eyes or something at the back post and left his man
free.
Some of the Blue defending is
sloppy but Jagielka seems to be in the right place to stick out a foot or win
the ball. Substitutions with twenty odd
minutes to go energize Brann; a Gambian international tests Howard when the
defence fails to close him down and the winger adds something.
Everton start to work the ball a
bit more and apply a professionalism to the game to kill it off; this doesn’t
involve flopping all over the place as they do in Italy.
A late Brann charge has Everton
sitting deep and keeping almost everyone back.
Lescott breaks with a galloping
and most unorthodox style down the left, he looks up and shows that he has
practiced his crosses with a superb delivery that finds Anichebe at the back
post, a cool finish over the ‘keeper seals the win and probably the tie. Was it offside? Possibly, I’ve seen those flagged back before
now, but the Bulgarian official kept his flag down.
VICTOR FINISHES WITH A FLOURISH!
TIM, CAN YOU JUST F..U..C..K.. OFF, WE'RE HAVING A "GOAL SCORING" MOMENT!
Carsley and others did the brave,
mad or ambivalent thing with shirtsleeves.
Everton won albeit with two decisions which on another day they might
not have gotten. Professional away win;
which has become their stamp in Europe this
season. Winning when you don’t play all
that well is a bonus and kind of makes up for some of the losses when we’ve
actually played better and lost. Surely
this a ticket to the last sixteen and probably a trip to Italy or maybe a return trip to Norway.
Hey! Yes You! The Idiots Who Inavded The
Pitch At The Final Whistle. I Know You
Are Excited But Your Stupidity Could Result In Everton Being Censured By UEFA!
Mjelde can take a lot from this
game. His side stood up and attacked
well, defended well but showed too much rustiness to score. They played better in the first half than the
second but couldn’t put away the chances they had. They will enjoy a trip to Liverpool
in the next leg but only a home disaster or an away miracle can give them the
win.
The Bulgarian referee allowed the
game to flow, some robust challenges were let go before Cahill won the
ball. That seemed in character with the
rest of the game. Could the linesman
have given offside, well yes he could, he didn’t and the second goal
stands.
Goodison Park on a sunny Saturday. The expected three points didn’t come easy
but the splendid performance of Phil Jagielka at both ends of the field gave
the Blues the win. A few times with the
ball on the deck Everton looked good, mostly they looked out of sorts. UEFA Cup is next on the agenda. . .
Good support from both home and
away supporters was in evidence but sporadic, the home fans allowed the tense
feeling after two nil-nils to affect their noise. No Sylvester Stallone; which was a real shame.
Moyes opts for a 4 5 1 to start,
injuries, AWOL players and lack of fitness hamper his selection. Howard keeps goal, Neville moves to right
back alongside the returning Yobo and Jagielka, Lescott moves to the left. Carsley sits in front of the back four, Fernandes
is the deepest of the five midfielders with Osman and Arteta wide and Cahill
behind the lone John son.
Coppell continues to plug away
with his brand of football. Hahnemann
keep’s goal with Shorey, Sonko, Cisse and Murty at the back. Oster makes a return to Goodison with Harper
and Matejovsky covering in front of the defence Hunt on the left and Doyle
supporting the sole attacker, Kitson.
Howard gets a chance to warm his
hands after an early Hunt free kick gets a wicked deflection and almost creeps
in. Reading’s next best chance come right at the
end of the half with an Oster free kick having the bend to get over the wall
but not to get under the bar.
The first forty five was pretty
poor from the home side, in no small part to a well managed and resolute
Coppell side. Both sides harry, hassled,
hacked and herded each other with little opportunity to mount much attacking
threat.
Everton keep the ball, look
before they pass and keep their heads and create the first neat pattern of play
for the quiet crowd, Hahnemann is equal to the move but the opening was neatly
crafted.
Oster played well on his return, John
son ran fruitlessly chasing poor passes and high balls, Hunt was integral to
anything decent from Reading
and Fernandes was wasteful with his passes.
The home side always seemed second to the loose ball, even when they won
the tackle.
Cahill has the best opportunities
for the Blues, a late header crept over and a shanked effort well wide after
some neat build up play and a good Osman turn, had his Portuguese midfield
partner given the travel stained Aussie the shout the chance would have been
much easier.
Highlight of the first half
though was all about Ireland. Carsley let Hunt know he was there with a
pretty nasty tackle. Hunt stumbles and
falls then bounces up with his International compatriot firmly in his
crosshairs, one of his big defenders is quick enough of thinking to bearhug his
fiery teammate before fists fly and cards are issued. Storm in a teacup despite the commentary, two
minutes later they shook hands.
LADS! THE GOAL IS THAT WAY!
Moyes pulls of the ineffective
Fernandes and moves to a 4 4 2 with the introduction of Vaughn. Coppell keeps things the same. Thoughts go to Joe Royle in the commentary
box, “Second half is always better you know. Promise”.
Reading manages a quick shot to start the
second half. The Blue response takes a
little while to build but is much more potent than in the tepid first
half.
Six minutes in Vaughn skins Sonko
on the left and puts in a lovely ball that splits Hahnemann and his defenders, neither
Cahill nor John son can connect though.
Two players up front have given
Everton a different dimension, the game is more open and the home side is
staring to play and pass better.
First one corner is headed over
by Vaughn then a second is put wide by a defender as Everton pressure
mounts.
Arteta’s next corner is cleared
as far as Osman who intelligently plays the ball back in to the far post,
Jagielka has beaten the offside and loops a header over the American
‘keeper.
JAG RISES AND NODS HOME HIS FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL FOR THE BLUES!
The goal energized Everton; who
are starting to win more balls and play more in the Reading
half; Reading
are deflated but still gallant battle on.
Two Coppell changes redress the
balance with Malian international Kebe coming close after a terrible Lescott
mistake lets him attack Howard’s goal.
Jagielka’s last ditch block probably saves the three points.
The entire back line was peppered
late on, held well with Carsley filling in the holes.
Two chances come in the final
moments of the game, Harper gets onto a loose ball and a good shot takes the
paint off the upright. In front of the
Gladwys Street End John son can’t finish after rounding Hahnemann to open up Reading from a good Vaughn
header on.
Everton didn’t play well and they
still managed to get the points.
Jagielka was man of the match by a mile; although the entire back line
played well. Reading’s stifling play didn’t allow Everton
much room to pass or play and they looked most dangerous on set pieces. The three points is a welcome boon after two goalless
draws and UEFA Cup progression against SK Brann is next on the agenda.
Coppell’s side played well
without really threatening much. They came
for a point and looked good for it throughout the first half. Managerially the goal was soft and the lack
of much test for Howard is a worry. Too
good to go down, perhaps, seven losses on the bounce hasn’t demoralized Reading though they have
to pick up points and soon.
Halsey was excellent, a few good
advantages highlighted his intent and he didn’t need to brandish any
cards.
A different referee may have
given two penalties, although if one wasn’t given it’s unlikely the other one
would be.
GOOD GAME! GOOD GAME!
Praise where praise is due. Hopefully that will be noted in the other
post match reports or interviews.
Ewood Park bathed in the sun of a Saturday afternoon
as the six or eight thousand traveling fans made the atmosphere sparkle. Three decisons changed the game. Despite the interference of the referee and
his assistant the game had plenty of talking points but not goals.
The trip to Blackburn meant
plenty of Blues fans had made the trip to Ewood Park. The weather was pleasant enough and the pitch
was in pretty decent condition. Teams
with European aspirations doing battle, the sort of game against your rivals
that is more important than the games against the top three, perhaps.
Without some key players Hughes
has to make do in defence. Friedel keeps
goal behind a makeshift back four of Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili and
Warnock.
A five man midfield includes the
recently called up England man Bentley alongside Reid, Derbyshire, Dunn and
Pederson, Santa Cruz occupies the lone role up front in a 451 with the emphasis
on width and defence.
TURNER IS ABOUT 5'10" or 6' SO A STANDARD SIZED COFFIN WOULD BE ABOUT RIGHT...
Moyes battered by injuries and
ACoN absentees picks a pretty standard 4 4 1 1.
Howard keeps goal, Neville drops into the defence alongside Capello
favourite, Lescott, Jagielka and Baines.
Carsley sits in front of the back four alongside Fernandes, Osman plays
on the left with Arteta on the right. Cahill
operates behind Johnson in attack.
As early of the second minute
Blackburn show that they have been watching and preparing for the visit of
Everton, Santa Cruz
easily evades his marker and gets behind Carsley at the front post but glances
his header just wide.
Two sides with one foot in the
‘clean sheet then score’ camp provide a scrappy opening; space and time are at
a premium as defence and midfield are solid and clogged respectively.
Friedel’s first real test comes
after Lescott romps upfield and plays in Neville, the cross is good but
Johnson’s run isn’t and the big American stopper comes to claim the cross.
The visitors start to dominate
possession but don’t really do much with it.
SPOT THE BALL
Dunn gets a yellow for a tackle
on Arteta.
Blackburn’s
strength on the wide positions is demonstrated with a cunning Pederson free
kick.
Everton pressure from the right
sees Arteta play some give and go with Cahill, space opens up for the Spaniard
and Friedel does well to parry the ball wide, from the corner kick an Osman
drive narrowly misses the upright.
Bentley demonstrates his intent
as Everton display their closing down and the shot goes well high.
Dunn is bamboozled by a cheeky
Neville flick so deliberately uses his hand to win the ball. Riley is only a few yards away and gives the
foul but mysteriously decides that the rules for ‘deliberate handball’ don’t
apply this afternoon and all Dunn gets is a brief chat.
More Everton pressure and another
corner kick and Jagielka’s stab is headed off the line from Dunn.
Neither manager makes half time
changes.
The first half starts with a wh!z
b@ng wh@llop.
Bentley forces a good save from
Howard as he breaks down the right channel and unleashes an unexpected low
drive. Howard clears his lines quickly
and Everton are on the counter, good work down the left see the ball arrive at
Cahill’s feet, he spots the late run of Fernandes and lays the perfect ball on
a plate for the Portuguese midfielder.
The away fans behind the goal groan as Fernandes manages to whack the
ball straight at Friedel.
The play calms down but Everton
retain the ball better and attack better, they aren’t able to really test
Friedel.
Arteta has his range on the dead
ball deliveries and a fantastic cross from the right is too good for anybody
else on the pitch and sails harmless through the six yard box at the perfect height
for the merest of glances to turn it in the net.
The game drags on and starts to
get feisty, two or three dodgy calls from Greg Turner, one classic in which
Arteta is bustled off the ball from behind his flag goes up for a Blackburn
throw in and Riley comes rumbled over from thirty odd yards away and reverses
the awful and wrong decision.
Fernandes hits the base of a much
relieved Friedel from a free kick.
Hughes makes a second change and
turns the game, Tu#### replaces Derbyshire which added to the inclusion
previously of McCarthy gives Blackburn that
boost up front and in the middle. The
game is more open now with Blackburn able to
keep the ball, build pressure and threaten Howard.
Late on Vaughn shows great desire
and beats a Blackburn defender to the ball,
Friedel comes out but Vaughn shows his mettle with a challenge against Friedel
that wins the ball, the Everton substitute is first to the loose ball and hooks
it into the path of the onside Johnson, the Everton striker rounds and
Khizanishvili and scores. Only when the
ball is in the net does Mr. Turner raise his flag for offside.
GLEN, WORLD CUP OR NOT YOU GOT IT WRONG YESTERDAY!
Tu#### has a late chance and to
end the game Santa Cruz
gets free in the area and smashes the ball just over the crossbar.
Everton played well enough
considering they fielded two players carrying knocks and a third who is not
fully match fit. They played well in
parts against a difficult opponent and created some good chances that they failed
to take. When they did take them they
were penalized. Had they played the
match against the ten men following Dunn’s handball things may have been
different.
A point away isn’t too bad a
result and we are still in fourth. The
team is missing Yakubu, Pienaar and Yobo.
Hughes played a makeshift back
four that managed to keep a clean sheet.
His substitutions made the game closer than it should have been and he
got lucky with some wrong decisions. His
team is built to be hard and tough but that hampers the goal threat. Considering a point against a top four team
is quite a good result for Sparky. His
moaned about McCarthy not getting a penalty can be ignored, he was fifty yards
away at the time.
Riley was his usual good
self. Plenty of common sense applied and
officiated with a smile and without getting flustered.
Three decisions changed the
game.
First only he knows why he
ignored the following and let Dunn continue to play.
Disciplinary sanctions
There
are circumstances when a caution for unsporting behaviour
is
required when a player deliberately handles the ball, e.g. when a
player:
•
deliberately and blatantly handles the ball to prevent an opponent
gaining
possession
Second he ran thirty or more
yards to correct a wrong call from the near touchline assistant referee, Glen
Turner.
Third he didn’t stop play when
McCarthy went down quicker than a strumpet’s knickers at Mardi Gras under the
challenge of Jagielka.
Glen Turner may have gone to Germany to
officiate at the World Cup but his wrong offside decision against Andy Johnson
was poor form. You can see it in his
mind, “these blue boys have been shouting at me all this half, and I’ll show
them”. If an assistant doesn’t actually
know how to recognize what an offside is or isn’t then he shouldn’t be on the
touchline.
West Ham fluffed three good chances and conceded a late goal in the first
half. A lack of quality and a dodgy
substitution doesn’t help their cause in the second. The Hammers lose at home to the Blues twice
in four days.
Chilly Upton Park; gloves
required. That Easterly is blowing all
the way in from Russia. It’s tough to play the same opponent in quick
succession and the muted crowd at Upton Park seemed to sense this. This win was more important to both teams
than a League Cup result; you need your bread and butter before you can enjoy
the jam.
Curbishly makes two changes from
the side that lost a tight one to the Blues on Wednesday in the League
Cup. Green in goal with Neill, Collins;
in for the injured Gabbidon; Upson and McCartney across the back. Solano; back in the side after missing out in
midweek through ineligibility; Parker, Mullins and Ljungberg across the middle
with Ashton and Cole up front.
Moyes starts the same eleven;
from Wednesday’s game; in an attacking 4 4 1 1 formation. Howard in goal, Neville, Yobo Jagielka and
Lescott at the back. Arteta, Carsley,
Osman and Pienaar across midfield and Cahill; slightly deeper; with Yakubu up
front.
Everton start brightly, looking
to pass but the first incident is Parker tackling Neville, the ex-Manc gets a
taste of what he normally dishes out.
AN UGLY SISTER GETS A TASTE OF HER OWN MEDICINE
A West Ham corner is tipped out
by Howard and Yobo release Yakubu on the left, Pienaar receives the ball and
cuts it inside to Osman but the shot goes behind for a goal kick. Then Osman shoots wide after a lovely spell
of Everton possession, plenty of passing and movement from the visitors. Green has to be alert to claim a Cahill cross
and Jagielka comes across to cut out Ljungberg.
Cole gets the ball in midfield
and lays it wide to Solano his cross is telling and Ljunberg gets his head to
the ball but sees it go wide. A half
chance.
Collins and Yakubu commence their
altercation which continues throughout the game.
Solano and Parker combine well to
pierce Everton’s defence but they eventually hoof it clear as West Ham start to
assert themselves. Solano provides
creativity and Parker drive. West Ham makes
the most of a sloppy Yakubu pass with Cole crossing a looping ball into the
area which Ashton meets well but can’t keep on target. First decent chance.
Howard pushes a ball sloppily
wide and then makes a far better save at the feet of some West Ham players in a
crowded box. That’s how you do it
Paul! Everton appear clumsy and a tad
lethargic at the back and Solano takes the opportunity to spread the ball
around neatly, the ball breaks to Ljunberg off an Everton deflection, from a
few yards out the Swede’s shot can’t beat Howard.
Second really good chance.
Everton start to battle a bit
more and win a free kick which Arteta delivers nicely only for the home side to
clear. The pressure from West Ham is
good but the final ball is either poor or cleared.
Upson; who has an up and down
game; clears well from Yakubu after Osman’s through ball beats the offside,
then the diminutive midfielder is shaping to shoot when Ljungberg’s tackle puts
him off. The Swede is putting on a
thoroughly excellent display. Ditto
Parker and Solano.
It’s not all West Ham, Pienaar
intercepts a sloppy midfield pass and attacks the cross is decent enough but
Ljungberg’s clearance is better. West
Ham tries to break but Yobo is easily a match for Cole and shrugs him off the
ball.
Parker breaks up Everton play
with a brave (or foolish) header, the ball comes to Solano whose cross is put
over by Ashton.
Carsley gets an unlucky bounce
and gives away a corner but he’s first to Solano’s delivery.
Arteta hasn’t shown yet but when
Everton do get the ball Pienaar, Cahill and Yakubu are playing well. The South African drifts offside in a poor
end to some nice Everton possession, then Lescott; covering at left fullback; gets
a chance to cross with a nice run but with men in the box only finds a West Ham
defender, poor delivery.
CAKE AT THE YAK'S PLACE IF YOU SCORE!
Ashton gets possession in a
decent forward area but his turn is clumsy and shot is wide.
Ashton gets onto a deep ball but
Jagielka and Lescott clear up, the ball comes back to West Ham and they get a
free kick, Upson’s delivery finds a wide open Collins but the defender doesn’t
make much use of his header and it flies way wide.
Yakubu gets some possession on
the Everton left, his first cross is poor but his second run is delightful, he
beats Collins twice with some neat footwork but his final ball in is neither a
cross nor a shot and Green gratefully collects, at the second attempt.
Ljungberg gets forward on the
left with McCartney, the initial cross is poor but Ljungberg gets a second
chance, he nutmegs Neville and evades Yobo before stumbling on the byline,
Everton clear thankfully.
Solano shows his dead ball skill
with a well delivered free kick, Ashton flick the ball on but Lescott is
covering the back post and heads clear, another Peruvian dead ball delivery is
flicked on and finds and unmarked Collins, the defender has time and space to
bring the ball down and try a shot but just shanks it. Third really decent chance.
Green clears a ball long and it
comes to Parker via Solano, the midfielder tries a header but can only find the
side netting from a difficult chance. Osman;
not in the form he was in Wednesday; blazes over after Arteta tries a quick
free kick.
The half is coming to an end but
West Ham continues to see more of the ball.
West Ham huff and puff as they
pressure the visitors but a promising move is halted by a silly handball in the
Everton area. Howard clears the ball,
Mullins and Yobo each have touches before it comes to Lescott who plays it
forward to Yakubu, the Nigerian finds the South African who holds it up neatly
and plays in Arteta, the Spaniard finds Yakubu but Collins half clears, the
ball is loose and Pienaar is first to it, he plays in Osman who finds Arteta,
the Spaniard plays his ball of the game with a great looping ball to the back
post area, Cahill 5’ 10, outjumps Upson 6’ 1” to head the ball back across
goal, Yakubu is playing the goal scorer role supremely at the moment is in the
right place at the right time and picks his spot wide of the flailing
Green. The goal; just before half time;
is perfectly timed for maximum impact.
YAKITY YAK! DON'T LOOK BACK - FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE!
Curbishly brings on Camara for
Cole due to injury at the half. Moyes is
more than happy enough to leave the lads to get on with it.
Everton come forward early and
McCartney does well to shepherd Arteta away from the ball. , the ball upfield is poor and it allows
Pienaar to get some more possession, he waits for the run of Lescott and plays
in the defender, whose cross is that of a centre back and not that good.
Arteta is lucky not to get carded
for a trip in Parker; Tanner decides a talking to is enough. The free kick is quickly taken but Camara’s
control is woeful and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
Neville’s throw ins cause West
Ham some problems but they manage to clear.
Parker is having a blinder, all
over the park, attacking and defending, shame some of his team mates don’t have
his energy or touch. That means you
Dean.
Solano gripes when he’s muscled
off the ball by Lescott and Everton sustain some pressure, neat one and two
touch passing cuts through West Ham and Mullins decides to stop it with a free
kick (this happen last week against Fulham!).
Osman wins a throw in from the quickly taken foul and Lescott’s throw in
is good but a foul on Neill relives the pressure.
Parker is all over the shop; his
through ball bisects the Everton defence but doesn’t manage to pick out
Ljungberg, only finding a relieved Howard.
Ashton loses the ball; again, he
looks like he needs to come off. His
passing isn’t great and his insistence on keeping his feet and playing argy bargy
with the strong Nigerian hasn’t worked at all so far, he isn’t 100% fit
though.
Everton have the better attacks
and Green needs to be sharp to clear a good free kick delivery from Arteta, it
comes out to Carsley and his volley is headed in the right direction, Upson
clears with a timely header. The Everton
pressure breaks down then the Blues get the ball back from Mullins’ mistake, he
redeems himself with a good tackle and West Ham come forward, Solano’s first
touch allows Jagielka to come across and clear.
Noble comes on for Solano, the
Peruvian isn’t quite as effective in the second half but he is causing Everton
problems when he gets the ball. The
formation shifts slightly into what could almost be a 4 3 3.
EVERYBODY SAMBA!
Howard clears long and Green does
likewise, Ashton, Camara and Ljungberg combine in quick succession but Everton
get men back quickly and clear the danger.
They have moved to a 4 5 1 leaving Yakubu upfield alone. His hold up play has been effective today
though.
Noble gets the ball and runs directly
at Everton, he manages to find Mullins and the midfielder has a go from inside
the area but gets a deflection and wins the corner.
The game is drifting away from a
tiring and long ball prone West Ham, Parker is still gunning for the Blues and
his wide right run is finished with a great back post cross. No West Ham players have made the move into
the space and the delivery is wasted.
West Ham players are nothing if
not pluggers and they keep at Everton, Howard claims the ball in front of
Ljungberg. Everton still look the more
dangerous and a through ball leaves the Hammers defence for dead, Green and
Yakubu race for the ball and the ‘keeper gets to it first, Yakubu recovers
enough to put the ball into the box but the West Ham defence gets itself
together and clears, Parker is at the heart of all things good West Ham
today.
Collins has a moment of apoplexy
and just stops, Osman doesn’t and no flag is raised but the dink over the
advancing Green goes out off the crossbar.
The pear shaped moment continues for Collins as he hacks a clearance aimlessly
at Yakubu, the Nigerian is on the ball in a flash and Curbishly is greatly
relived to see the flag go up for offside.
West Ham seem to have slipped into neutral, they are sloppy in
possession and aimless in their passing.
Arteta wins a free kick from
Mullins who demonstrates what he thinks of the Spaniard, no words needed
there.
Neill gets forward in a
disorganized and dispirited West Ham thrust and volleys high and wide. Everton haven’t shut up shop but are solid at
the back, rebuffing any and all Hammer attacks.
The last twenty minutes isn’t
really pretty for West Ham, apart from Parker.
His run and pass is well met by Camara with a low, driven, near post
cross, Yobo’s clearance flashes past Howard’s post for a corner.
Pienaar, having plenty of the
ball tonight, gets forward wide and puts in a good ball, Yakubu heads from
distance with enough power to trouble Green, when the ball comes out Carsley is
waiting and his screamer is tipped behind by Green. Pienaar is in the thick of things moments
later and starts a move which Osman tries finish, no shooting boots on the
Englishman’s feet today, the ball flashes high and wide.
Parker; unable to rouse his team
mates but happy to take more than his share of the load; tracks back in
midfield and robs Osman with a great challenge, Ljunberg bursts upfield but the
move ends with Parker’s shot only getting a corner kick.
West Ham throw everything forward
in the final few minutes but some good last ditch headers, hooks clear and poor
crosses keep the scoreline for the visitors.
West Ham are in long ball heaven but Everton just stand firm and clear,
one clearance comes to Upson who tries to head back to Green, he is about
twenty yards short and Johnson is lightening, he gets a good bounce and drives
forward, he takes a quick look and lobs Green for the second Everton goal of
the afternoon.
Game over.
THAT'S NOT THE HEIMLICH!
Everton didn’t play particularly
well in the first half but finished much better than West Ham, the goal all but
killed off the Hammers and Everton played themselves through the second half in
a professional if unspectacular manner, the Johnson goal was a Brucey Bonus. In patches they still managed to play some
neat, attractive passing football, this is nice but the clean sheet may chuff
Moyes more.
Curbishly’s side had three really
nice chances in the first half, failed to put any of them away and lost the
game. Solano was a constant trouble to
Everton and his substitution was terrible, West Ham was never as effective with
Noble on the park.
WEST HAM'S BEST PLAYER DOES HIS DEFENSIVE DUTY WITH GUSTO
Parker was a giant,
striding around Upton Park attacking and defending with skill and heart,
totally the opposite of Ashton who looked dull and leaden footed and totally
unable to cope with the attentions of Yobo.
Where will the Ashton for England crowd be now? Ljunberg played well in spurts but the class
of players around him isn’t what he is used to.
For all their huff and puff West
Ham were the second best team on the day and got beat.
Tanner did well; most other
Premier league referees would have booked Arteta.
