TopToffee Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Liverpool Echo, Wednesday 24th December, 2003 Everton Correspondent Scott McLeod Scott McLeod: Thanks for taking the time to speak with use today Jamie. Jamie Mellor: That's no problem, happy to be here. SMc: We're talking the day after your Everton side pulled off what must be their best victory of the season so far, at Anfield against Liverpool. How are you feeling? JM: Well, I don't mind telling you it really hasn't sunk in properly yet. You know, I've been an Everton fan for as long as I can remember, and derby days always tend to be the best or worst day of the season, depending on how the results go. Before yesterday, Everton fans hadn't been able to celebrate a derby victory in quite a few years, and before kick off yesterday I was just so desperate to give our supporters something to cheer about. You know yourself, winning a derby - especially one as hotly contested as the Merseyside Derby - is about so much more than 3 points. It gives the fans the bragging rights across the whole of Merseyside until the next match. Evertonians have had to put up with the short end of this deal for too long now, and I'm just glad that we were able to make their time at work or school etc the day after the match a little better. SMc: And I'm sure they're very grateful. How do you feel about the way your season has progressed? JM: Well, I admit that at the start of this season, I was more than a little worried. We failed to win in our first 7 league games, and secured only 3 points - a run which had us in the relegation zone - not exactly where i wanted to be at the start of October in my first season in charge. At that point I was seriously concerned that my first season may end up being my last. SMc: But before the Fulham game, you made some changes to your side, and they really seem to have paid dividends. JM: Yeah, I just felt it was time to do something. Certain players just weren't performing, and things needed freshening up. Thankfully those changes seemed to work - In fact, they worked better than I really had any right to hope. It took less than 2mins for Wayne Rooney to set the ball rolling on our "revival". From that day onwards we have been vastly improved. SMc: Tell me about Wayne Rooney's contribution. JM: Well, what can I say about Wayne? He's been stunning of late. Not only has be been scoring a fair few goals for us, a lot of them have been important goals. Of course he scored two to win the Derby for us yesterday, but he also grabbed the winner in our victory over Man Utd in the Carling Cup - a match which I think has somewhat unfairly been eclipsed by the derby win. He's also been creating a lot of goals for us, and has been involved in the build-up to even more. Now, he's bound to take the headlines, and rightly so, but it's important we don't forget about our other players, especially Richard Wright, who has been rock solid for us since coming back from injury. A lot of people said that he was never going to reach the heights he should when he left Arsenal, but he's certainly doing his best to prove those doubters wrong - and long may it continue. James McFadden too, has been sensational the last couple of weeks. He really seems to be finding his feet in what is a vastly more competitive league to what he has played in before. Finally, I'd like to say a word about Joseph Yobo and Alan Stubbs at the back. These two have been wonderfully reliable so far this season - Joseph will hopefully be here for years to come, while Alan, who knows this could be his last campaign at the top level, is really going hell for leather to go out on a high. He cares about Everton as much as anyone, and was really hurting when we were underachieving at the start of the season. SMc: Jamie, you're now about half way through your debut season as Everton boss, and your side is hovering around the halfway point in the table. Where do you see yourselves at the end of this season, and at this time next year? JM: Well Scott, we've got a Carling Cup Semi-Final coming up against Leeds soon, and that will be one of our biggest games of the season. At the end of the campaign, I'd love to see us in possession of that trophy, and in a decent position in the league. A good FA Cup run would also be good - both for the fans, and for the extra revenue it would bring into the club. SMc: And next season? JM: This time next season, I'd like to be perhaps a little higher up the league, and challenging for a European spot. Although who knows - our cup exploits may see us into Europe before then. Fingers crossed. SMc: Finally, I do need to address the persistant rumours that Everton is not a big enough club to keep the likes of Wayne Rooney, and that he will leave in the summer, probably to one of Man Utd, Chelsea or Real Madrid. What do you say to those rumours? JM: That's exactly what they are - rumours. I don't know how many times I need to say this before people will start listening to me: Wayne Rooney is going nowhere. Wayne is a player I want to build a team around here - he certainly isn't someone who I'm going to sell. Until the day Wayne comes into my office and says he no longer wants to play for Everton, he will be going nowhere. And to be honest, I don't see that happening. I intend to take Everton back to the ranks of being a successful club once more - and if we can do that, why would he want to leave? Wayne loves this football club, and has never wanted to play anywhere else. As for Everton not being a "big enough club"? I agree that the side hasn't seen the success it should have in recent times, but what other team in this country can you name that would maintain near to full-houses approaching 40,000 fans week in week out while struggling for season after season in the league, often battling against relegation. Everton has the best fan base in the country - and one of the biggest - and I intend to do everything in my power to give them the success they deserve. And that CERTAINLY does not involve selling one of a kind players like Wayne Rooney. After all - who would I replace him with?? SMc: Thanks for setting the record straight, and thanks for talking to us Jamie. Merry Christmas JM: Thanks for having me - and a Merry Christmas to you too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 Fri 26th Dec Terrible news as Wayne Rooney pulled up with a calf strain in the pre-match warm-up. Anatoli Todorov would play in his place alongside the recalled Duncan Ferguson (Kevin Campbell was in need of a rest) and Massimo Maccarone would be on the subs bench. Otherwise, the team was unchanged from the one that recorded such a remarkable win over Liverpool. I was concerned however that Rooney's absence would take it's toll against a Charlton side who would be desperate to pull out of their recent decline. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 2 - 0 Charlton Starting XI Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Ferguson Everton fans must have feared the worst when Wayne Rooney had to be withdrawn from the starting lineup after tweaking a calf muscle just before kickoff. They needn't have worried. Despite losing their star player, their other players picked up the slack admirably, dispatching a poor Charlton side with minimum fuss. To be truthful, the scoreline did not adequately reflect Everton's dominance. They had already had 7 shots on goal by the time, in the 29th minute, Everton finally took the lead. A misdirected defensive header from Charlton centre back Richard Rufus fell to James McFadden on the right wing. McFadden ran at Hermann Hreidarsson, beating the player and moving into the penalty area before finishing well past Dean Kiely for his inaugural Everton goal. Everton's dominance continued for the rest of the half, preventing Charlton from having a single shot on goal in the first 45, but were unable to increase their lead. With this in mind, Everton boss Jamie Mellor made three substitutions at half time - taking off both of his strikers and replacing them with Massimo Maccarone, and also swapping starter Mikel Arteta for Li Tie - hoping that the change in personnel (and removing some of the more tired legs) would increase his side's attacking thrust. The plan seemed to have backfired in the 64th minute when defender Joseph Yobo picked up a knock and had to be withdrawn from play, leaving Everton with only ten men. However, Mellor refused to back down from his attacking stance, and his side went 3-4-2. Within a minute, Everton had doubled their lead. McFadden picked up the ball on the right and once again beat Hreidarsson (as he had been doing all afternoon) getting into the box before squaring for Maccarone to score his first goal for Everton. Everton continued to try to add to their lead - a Charlton side in freefall unable to pose any threat to the Everton backline - but the final whistle came with the score still at two goals to nil. "The boys did really well tonight - especially since they had to cope with a late change to their starting lineup," said manager Mellor afterwards, "My only concern was that, given the dominance we showed throughout the match, we did not manage a more impressive scoreline - but i won't lose too much sleep over that so long as we are still winning. We have 8 days until our next match - in the FA Cup against West Ham - so I'm going to give the players a couple of days rest before bringing them back for training in the run up to the match. Some of the lads seemed really tired today, so hopefully a little break will do them the world of the good." Thursday 1st Jan 2004 World Player of the Year: Thierry Henry World Footballer of the Year: Roberto Carlos European Footballer of the Year: Zinedine Zidane James McFadden was today awarded the FA Barclaycard Premiership Young Player of the Month Award for his outstanding performances during December. There was transfer activity both into and out of Goodison today, as Tomasz Radzinski and David Weir signed for Aston Villa, and Lionel Morgan joined the club from Wimbledon. I was delighted to finally have Morgan joining the club, and he would (for now) provide more back up for the left wing position - allowing Daniel Braathen to provide cover for the centre of the midfield. On a day when the rest of the country is recovering from the night before, I was at my desk, with Bill Kenwright contacting players' agents regarding Bosman deals for the end of the season. Several players who I have had my eye on are out of contract at the end of the season, and contract offers were made to: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Boumsong (Auxerre) Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) Deco (Porto) Daniele Bonera (Parma) Mehdi Mahdavikia (HSV)</pre> I arranged to speak again to the players' agents over the next few days, to find out their clients' decisions and/or arrange visits to the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 Sat 3rd Jan After his fine performance as a second half substitute against Charlton, Massimo Maccarone was rewarded with a starting berth alongside Anatoli Todorov upfront, while Wayne Rooney took a place on the bench, having only just resumed training following the calf strain he suffered just before the last match. Also today, I was delighted to hear that three of my Bosman targets have agreed personal terms, and will join in the Summer - Boumsong, Gareth Barry and Deco all accepted our contract offers, and will sign subject to medicals. FA Cup 3rd Round Everton 3 - 0 West Ham Starting XI Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Maccarone West Ham must have sensed that this was not to be their day when, only 10mins into the game, their star player and top scorer Jermain Defoe had to leave the field after a bright start with a suspected torn hamstring. He was replaced by Neil Mellor, but the Hammers never seemed to carry quite the same threat for the rest of the match. Everton gradually took control of the match, and took the lead after 36mins. Massimo Maccarone climbed well at the back post to nod home a Mikel Arteta corner from the left - the Italian's second strike in two games. West Ham came back into the game a little for the rest of the half, but the introduction of Duncan Ferguson at half time seemed to galvanise Everton. The Toffees had looked likely to increase their lead for some time when, on 64mins, Rufus Brevett used his hand to block a Steve Watson throw in that was heading towards Anatoli Todorov. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Duncan Ferguson duly converted the penalty. Sixteen minutes later, Todorov capped a man-of-the-match performance, latching onto a James McFadden flick on, and cutting inside before firing low past David James. Todorov was then replaced, earning a standing ovation that was only matched by the chants of "ROOONEY! ROOONEY!" which greeted his replacement. The young Englishman, though full of running in the last 10mins, was unable to find a fourth Everton goal, and the match ended 3-0. "It was a good win today I felt, in what was potentially a banana skin of a tie," said Mellor, "I was pleased to see three of our strikers on the scoresheet, and Anatoli I felt played particularly well. Massimo was feeling a little tightness in his hamstring at half time, which is why he was replaced. I was also very happy to see Wayne returning from injury for his brief cameo, and he seemed to be showing no ill effects. I'm looking forward to the draw on Tuesday - hopefully we'll get a home tie, but beyond that there's obviously a few sides you would hope not to meet - but well see what happens." Sun 4th Jan Our local rivals Liverpool today achieved something of a coup when they signed experienced Dutch midfielder Phillip Cocu from Barcelona for the bargain price of £800k. In an interview, Cocu stated that he is hoping he can help Liverpool achieve the glory that has been somewhat lacking of late at Anfield. Tues 6th Jan The FA Cup draw took place today - we will play either Wigan or Watford at Goodison in the 4th round of the competition. I'm delighted with this draw, and believe that we really should progress to the next round. Wed 7th Jan Wayne Rooney retakes his place in the Starting XI today at home to Middlesborough. Massimo Maccarone will line up alongside him against the team from whom he is on loan. Lionel Morgan, having impressed in the reserves for the last couple of weeks will make his debut for the first team. I'm hoping for a good result today against a Middlesborough side who have been struggling for consistency of late, and have not won in the last 7 league games. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 1 Middlesborough Starting XI Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone A disappointing result for Everton, who would have looked at this game as one they could take 3 points from in their quest to push on up the Premiership table. Indeed things started well for Everton, a period of sustained pressure leading to their first goal. After 27mins, after good work from James McFadden and Steve Watson down the right, McFadden's 30 yard thunderbolt was parried by goalkeeper Carlo Nash straight to the feet of Mikel Arteta, who gratefully claimed his 5th goal of the season from close range. Things continued like this for the rest of the first half and into the second, Everton more or less camping out in the Middlesborough chances - Nash however seemed determined to atone for his earlier fumble, and was almost single handedly keeping the Toffees at bay. Everton must have fancied their chances even more when halftime substitute Joseph-Désiré Job was sent off for violent conduct in the 71st minute, when he kicked a grounded Steve Watson in the back of the head. After lengthy treatment, Watson continued, but was substituted 5 mins later. The sending off however, seemed to work in Middlesborough's favour, as the team rallied round and gradually started to put pressure on Everton for the first time in the match. After 80mins they made the breakthrough - a moment of magic from the little Brazilian Juninho as he beat two players before curling home a beautifully struck 25 yard shot. From there, Everton threw everything they could at Middlesborough, but were unable to find the goal their overall performance deserved, and the two sides shared the points. "Obviously i'm disappointed - I felt we deserved to win the match, as we were by far the superior team for all but about 10mins of the game. But at the end of the day, if you don't put the ball in the net, you won't win football matches." Asked about the sending off, Mellor remarked, "I don't think there will be too many arguments about the referee's decision. Steve should be ok - we took him off because he was still feeling a little dizzy." Middlesborough manager Steve McClaren agreed, "I thought we were lucky to get away with a point today - we were under the cosh for much of the game. I can offer no excuse for what Joseph did today - it's not something I like to see any player doing, and certainly not one of my own. He's likely to be subject to a 4 match suspension from the FA, and he'll also be disciplined internally by the club. I give my apologies to everyone at Everton, particularly Steve - and I hope he's ok." Fri 9th Jan Daniele Bonera today agreed terms with us and will sign on the 1st July this year, when his contract with Parma expires, assuming he passes a medical closer to the time. Mehdi Mahdavikia also accepted our contract offer, ahead of those from Lazio, AS Roma and Borussia Dortmund, saying that the offer of first team football was what swayed his decision. He will join at the end of the current campaign, subject to a work permit being awarded. These are two excellent players, both of whom will improve our squad - although I'm a little unsure of where Bonera will fit in, given the form of Joseph Yobo, and the fact that we already have Boumsong on his way as another of our Bosman deals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 Sat 10th Jan Lionel Morgan picked up a knock in training this week, and it was decided not to rush him back into action for the game at Leeds today - what will be a dress rehearsal for our upcoming Carling Cup Semi Final. Daniel Braathen took his place on the left wing. Otherwise, the side was unchanged. FA Barclaycard Premiership Leeds 2 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton got off to an absolute flyer today against struggling Leeds at Elland Road. Massimo Maccarone put them a goal to the good after only 37 seconds, Arteta spraying the ball out wide to Rooney, who ran half the length of the pitch before crossing from the byline for the Italian to head home. Seven minutes later, and the lead was doubled, Arteta this time with the assist - crossing from the right for Daniel Braathen (in for the injured Lionel Morgan) to volley in off the crossbar. After the second goal, Leeds started to come back into the game a little more, and grabbed a lifeline seconds before half time, when Cyril Chapuis squared the ball to Alan Smith to sidefoot his side back into the game. Neither manager made changes at half time, and 15mins into the second half it seemed that Everton had put the game beyond United. Braathen controlled the ball well just inside the Leeds half, sprinting towards goal. He beat Roque Junior for pace, before calmly rounding the keeper and finishing into the unguarded net. The celebrations from the away fans had barely ended however, when a stray pass from Maccarone fell to Smith, who rattled a shot from 20 yards against the inside of the post, and Chapuis was on hand to nudge it over the line. The rest of the game was a tense affair, as Leeds went looking for an equaliser, and Everton threatened to strike on the break. Both sides had chances, but the score had not changed when the referee David Fox blew the final whistle. "Very pleased to have won today, although I wish we could have made it a little more comfortable. There were a few defensive errors we need to look at before Wednesday. Undoubtedly the star of the show was Daniel Braathen, who I think has probably done enough to secure himself a starting place for the next match." replied a happy Jamie Mellor when asked for his take on the match. FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 Arsenal 20 55 2 Liverpool 21 43 3 Chelsea 21 43 4 Newcastle 21 39 5 Tottenham 20 37 6 Man Utd 20 35 7 Birmingham 21 32 8 Everton 21 32 9 Man City 21 29 10 Blackburn 21 29 11 Southampton 21 28 12 Portsmouth 21 28 13 Aston Villa 20 23 14 Charlton 21 20 15 Middlesborough 21 19 16 Bolton 21 18 17 Wolves 21 17 18 Fulham 21 15 19 Leeds 21 15 20 Leicester 21 14</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I'm enjoying reading this story Roonaldo keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Super_Gord: I'm enjoying reading this story Roonaldo keep it up! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>thanks it's always good to get feedback - if for no other reason than it lets me know someone is actually reading the story Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Wed 14th Jan After his sparkling performance on Saturday, Daniel Braathen retained his place on the left wing, while Tony Hibbert replaced the injured Steve Watson at right-back. Tony had been performing well in the second string in recent weeks, and today was his chance to regain the right back berth which he had lost a little earlier in the season after a couple of lacklustre displays. Kevin Campbell partnered Todorov upfront, as Rooney and Maccarone, in need of a rest, dropped to bench. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 2 - 1 Portsmouth Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Campbell Everton squeezed out a victory at home to Portsmouth today, but had to withstand intense second half pressure from the visitors in order to do so. Everton rested their front two of Maccarone and Rooney - the Italian particularly had played 3 games in 7 days before this fixture. The scoring was opened in the 33rd minute, Sean Davis receiving the ball in the centre circle, chipping a beautiful through ball to Arteta. The Spaniard took one touch to control, before drilling a low shot past Pavel Srnicek. Everton doubled their lead on the stroke of half time, and Davis was once again involved. He played a long pass out wide to the right, landing it perfectly at the feet of Todorov. The Bulgarian beat one man before crossing for Kevin Campbell. The veteran forward rose above Linvoy Primus and headed into the bottom right corner. Everton had bossed the first half, and in truth should have been three, four or even five up when the first 45 ended. Both sides remained unchanged when they emerged from the break, but Harry Redknapp had obviously lit a fire under his troops, because they were unrecognisable from the side that was dominated in the first half. It took them only six second half minutes to grab a goal back. Sheringham won a header against Alan Stubbs just inside the Everton half, flicking the ball to Yakubu. The Nigerian set off towards goal, reaching the edge of the penalty area before belting a shot which critics will say Wright should have stopped, but which nevertheless nestled into the net. Portsmouth continued to apply pressure for the rest of the half, but the Everton defence held firm, and the Toffees hung on to claim the three points. "I think today was one of those games where you just need to be pleased with the result and not think too much about the performance." said Everton boss Jamie Mellor after the final whistle, "We've played better than that this season and got nothing out of the game. We weren't too bad in the first half - with the exception of our finishing rate which was pretty awful. The second half was pretty poor - again with one exception, this time our defence - our midfield really struggled to get a foot on the ball, and we couldn't get any supply up to our front two. We'll have to play substantially better than this if we want a result against Newcastle on Saturday." After the FA Cup replay between Watford and Wigan, we will play the Vicarage Road side at Goodison on the 24th Jan. Sat 17th Jan FA Barclaycard Premiership Newcastle 2 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Campbell Everton were unchanged as they lined up at St.James' Park against Newcastle - and the match could hardly have got off to a better start, as Kevin Campbell scored the opener after just 12 seconds. From the kickoff, the ball was laid back to Mikel Arteta who passed square to Sean Davis. The young Englishman played a long ball forwards to Anatoli Todorov, who had reached the right hand side of the penalty box. The 18 year old nodded the ball back to the onrushing Kevin Campbell, who took one touch before slamming the ball past Shay Given into the Irishman's bottom right corner. The away supporters went ballistic, and their euphoria was only increased in the 20th minute, when Todorov won another header, this time flicking the ball forwards to Mikel Arteta, who calmly sidefooted in Everton's second. Two minutes later though, and Newcastle had pulled one back. A long ball from Jonathan Woodgate was brought down by Jermaine Jenas, who chipped the ball on to an unmarked Alan Shearer, who wasted no time in burying his shot into the far corner of the Everton goal. Newcastle were now in control, and it took just 12 more minutes for them to level. It was Alan Shearer again, this time rising to head home a corner from Jenas. The score remained the same as half time was blown by the referee Eddie Wolstenholme. On the hour mark, Everton must have feared the worst, when James McFadden was sent off for a second bookable offence. Newcastle from there on went all out for the win, but could not break down a stubborn Everton defence. "I guess we can't complain about the end result," said a torn Jamie Mellor afterwards, "an away draw against a team the quality of Newcastle is a good result. It's just a little difficult to take having been in a 2-0 lead. Obviously the sending off made it very difficult for us to get back into the lead. I'm a little concerned about Daniel Braathen - he's been wonderful for us recently, but he seems to have pulled a muscle in his back, and it looks like he'll be missing for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final on Saturday at Leeds. Wed 21st Jan Ahead of one of the most important matches of our season, we had a couple of personnel problems. Daniel Braathen had not totally recovered from his back strain, and so Lionel Morgan replaced him on the left wing, and the Norwegian dropped to the bench. Joseph Yobo yesterday flew out to join up with the Nigeria African Nations Cup side, so would be missing for some time. Yobo was replaced at the centre of defence by England U21 captain Peter Clarke. James McFadden was suspended due to his sending off in our last match, and Steve Watson replaced him on the right. Wayne Rooney retook his place in the Starting XI, and Todorov was dropped to the bench. With baited breath I took my place on the sidelines for the match which could end up shaping how my first season in charge would be remembered. Carling Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg Leeds 1 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Clarke Watson, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Despite having to make several enforced changes to their lineup, Everton today put one foot in the Carling Cup Final with an excellent away win over Leeds United. Eventual Man Of The Match Wayne Rooney opened the scoring after just 5mins, finishing off a fast break which had involved Arteta, Davis, Watson and Campbell - the big centre forward drawing out the goalkeeper, before squaring to Rooney who put the ball into an open net. Leeds levelled the scores after 24mins, and the scorer was the man who beat Rooney's record to become the youngest Premiership scorer of all time. James Milner drilled home following a goalmouth scramble, after Stephen McPhail curled in a dangerous corner. The score remained tied until the 65th minute, and Everton would surely have been happy going back to Goodison with the draw and the away goal. However, that was not to be. Steve Watson crossed to Rooney on the edge of the penalty area. The young England superstar backheeled the ball square to Mikel Arteta who smashed his shot from just outside the box into the top corner of the goal. Everton were not even finished there, and 13mins later, Tony Hibbert played a great ball down the right ahead of Wayne Rooney. Rooney ran onto it and crossed first time. His pinpoint ball beat Radebe in the centre, and fell to Kevin Campbell, who made no mistake and finished well past Robinson. A couple of minutes later, Everton were given cause for concern as Lionel Morgan picked up a knock on his shin and had to be replaced by the semi-fit Daniel Braathen. Leeds however had much bigger worries, as they were unable to get back into the game, and now have a mountain to climb in the return leg in 2 weeks. "I'm absolutely delighted with the result today," said Mellor, "but we won't be taking anything for granted. We've got the 3 away goals, which will be of great help to us, but we have to guard against complacency. Thankfully on further inspection it looks like Lionel's injury isn't too bad, and he should be fit for the match against Tottenham on the 31st." Fri 23rd Jan Louis Saha today signed for Man Utd for £12.75m, finally drawing to a close the acrimonious transfer saga. In the press conference at Old Trafford, the Frenchman said he regretted the manner of his departure from Fulham, but was delighted to have signed with the Red Devils. In news closer to home, Mehdi Mahdavikia was granted a conditional work permit, and will sign for us on the 1st July this year, subject to passing a medical. Mehdi will be a great asset on our right wing - he is excellent on the ball, and as good a crosser as you are likely to find. Combine this with his electric pace, and you have all the elements for a truly excellent winger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Sat 24th Jan With the fixtures now coming thick and fast, I decided that it was necessary to rest most of my first teamers, and keep them fresh for the league and the upcoming Carling Cup Semi Final second leg. FA Cup 4th Round Everton 0 - 1 Watford Starting XI Wright, Colbeck, Unsworth, Schumacher, Clarke Alexandersson, Braathen, Linderoth, Li Tie Todorov, Ferguson A vastly weakened Everton side today crashed out of the FA Cup at home to first division Watford. The only goal of the game came from the penalty spot after 23mins. Everton defender Peter Clarke backed into former Man Utd man Danny Webber, and the referee pointed to the spot. Webber picked himself up, and despatched the kick past the diving Richard Wright. From there, Watford retreated into their shell, battening down the hatches and preparing themselves for the Everton onslaught to come. And come it did. Watford did not have another shot on goal, while Everton had 15. The Premiership side, however, were unable to find a breakthrough, and Watford progressed to the 5th round. "I'm very disappointed in the result of today's match. Yes, i fielded a weakened team, but many of the players were playing with the knowledge that, at least to a certain extent, their futures at the club were on the line," said a downbeaten Jamie Mellor, "Now, judging from their first half performance in particular, several of these players obviously don't believe they HAVE a future at the club - and if they continue to play like that, I'd be inclined to agree with them. We improved in the second half, but by then we were already behind, and Watford did a very good job of hanging on to their lead." Mon 26th Jan Niclas Alexandersson today signed a pre-contract agreement with Dundee. He will sign with them at the end of his contract. Alexandersson is a player who has no future at the club - he has never performed at the level expected of him since signing from Sheffield Wednesday in 2000, and I will be glad to free up his £16k p/w in wages. Sat 31st Jan Liverpool and England were today dealt a massive blow as Michael Owen suffered a broken pelvis, and will be out for 4 months. Liverpool, who are among the group of teams now realistically challenging for second place (behind Arsenal) will severly miss Owen's goals in the run in. The majority of our first team players were recalled for today's match against Tottenham. Morgan returned to the left side of midfield, but Arteta was confined to the subs bench, suffering from a sore knee. He was replaced by Li Tie. McFadden also returned to the side, following his suspension. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 2 - 2 Tottenham Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Clarke McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Li Tie Rooney, Campbell Everton recorded their second 2-2 league draw in a row today, in what was a very even game between two evenly matched teams. The afternoon did not start well for the home side, as Kanoute put Spurs in the lead after just 2mins. Stephen Clarke played a long ball which Clarke failed to deal with, allowing Robbie Keane to cross, for Kanoute to head home his 15th of the season. The lead only lasted 3mins however, as James McFadden played a great through ball to Wayne Rooney, and the England man curled an exquisite left footed shot past Kasey Keller. The scores remained tied until just after the hour mark. After 63mins, when a cross from Tony Hibbert was volleyed home on the turn by Kevin Campbell. This came at the end of a period of dominance from Everton, and many fans must have believed the home side would go on to win the game - but it was no to be. Five minutes later, Tottenham were back level - Simon Davies threading the ball throught to Kanoute, leaving him with a simple finish. The scoreline stayed at 2-2 for the rest of the match - although both managers will feel this was 2 points dropped rather than 1 gained. "Before kickoff, I felt this was a match that we were more than capable of winning, and I didn't see anything during the 90mins to change my mind." said Jamie Mellor at the post match press conference, "We had enough chances to win several games, but then again so did Tottenham. They are above us in the table, but not by much, and as the home side, we were looking for 3 points today. I think there's every chance of us securing a UEFA cup spot through the league this season, but we need to start picking up 3 points in matches again soon." FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 Arsenal 25 67 2 Chelsea 26 53 3 Liverpool 25 47 4 Man Utd 24 45 5 Newcastle 24 44 6 Tottenham 25 44 7 Southampton 24 37 8 Everton 24 37 9 Birmingham 25 35 10 Blackburn 25 34 11 Portsmouth 24 32 12 Aston Villa 24 32 13 Man City 24 29 14 Charlton 24 23 15 Middlesborough 25 22 16 Wolves 24 21 17 Bolton 24 21 18 Leeds 24 18 19 Leicester 25 17 20 Fulham 25 16</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Sun 1st February Mikel Arteta picked up the Young Player of the Month Award for January, following several quality performances for us over the last four weeks. Wed 4th Feb International call-up time again. Today saw Rooney, Davis, Wright, McFadden, Braathen, Linderoth and Todorov all being brought in to their respective countries' senior squads. Carling Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg Everton 1 - 0 Leeds (Agg: 4 - 1) Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Clarke McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Li Tie Rooney, Campbell Everton's unchanged line-up secured their place in this season's Carling Cup Final at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. It will be the clubs 3rd League Cup Final - a competition they are yet to win. Leeds came out attacking at the start of the match, knowing that they needed to score the first goal if they were to have any realistic chance of pulling back the 3-1 deficit suffered in the first leg at Elland Road. However, the tie was effectively ended in the 20th minute. Wayne Rooney picked up the ball on the right wing, going past Jody Morris, before playing a 35 yard ball infield to Li Tie. The Chinese international took a couple of steps before chipping the ball forwards to Kevin Campbell. Campbell drew Robinson out of his goal, before squaring back to Li Tie, who found Rooney wide open with a first time pass. Rooney struck the ball with his first touch, burying the shot into the bottom corner for his 20th of the campaign. From there on, the match was fairly even, but neither side could add to their tallies. When the final whistle blew, the roof was nearly blown off Goodison, as Everton reached their first Cup Final in 9 years. The players ran around the pitch in a lap of honour, as it was announced over the tannoy that Liverpool had beaten Man City, and it was to be an All-Merseyside final in Cardiff on 29th Feb!! "I'm absolutely ecstatic to have reached a Cup Final in my first year in charge at the club. This is the only major English Trophy that Everton have not won in their 125 year history. A cup final is always going to be a major event and a fantastic day - but to be playing it against Liverpool will be even more incredible. It will be a great event for the whole of Merseyside - but obviously we'll be hoping it's our half that goes home happy. I know we have never beaten Liverpool in a major cup final - Liverpool won the FA Cup against us in 1989 and 1986, and the League Cup in 1984 - but you know what they say, there is a first time for everything, and we showed earlier in the season that we have what it takes to beat Liverpool. We'll just be hoping we can do as well in Cardiff as we did at Anfield." Mellor's only concern following that match will be for Li Tie. The Chinese international, having been involved in the Everton goal just minutes earlier, was stretchered off in the first half with a broken ankle, which will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. Sat 7th Feb FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 2 Birmingham Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Clarke McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton seemed to be suffering something of a hangover from their midweek progression to the Carling Cup Final as they lost at home today against Birmingham City. The home side led for much of the match, having gone ahead in the 34th minute. Wayne Rooney played a nice forward ball from the halfway line to Kevin Campbell held the ball up for a moment or two, before laying the ball back perfectly into the path of Rooney. The youngster took one touch before despatching the ball into the top right corner, leaving Maik Taylor no chance. Everton remained in command, (but were unable to add to their tally) until the 55th minute when goalkeeper Richard Wright picked up an injury and required lengthy treatment. Had Everton had a substitute goalkeeper on the bench, it is unlikely that Wright would have continued, but as is was he was forced to play on. Birmingham took advantage of this by throwing everything they could at the Everton stopper. He continued to hold up well until the 73rd minute, which marked the start of a 3min period which effectively lost the game for the Toffees. First, Darren Carter beat the below-par Sean Davis to a header from a Bryan Hughes corner and planted his effort past the less than 100% Richard Wright. Three minutes later, and Everton were behind. There was a serious suspicion of offside earlier in the move, as the linesman raised his flag. The referee however paid not heed to this, and allowed play to continue. Hughes played the ball down the right to Clinton Morrison, who crossed well for Kirovski to head home. The Everton players protested as the Birmingam fans celebrated. Everton attacked and attacked for the last 15mins, but could not find the goal they needed. "This was a big blow to us." said a despondent Mellor, "You could say, with Birmingham directly below us in the table before the match, that this was a sort of six pointer, and we really didn't perform as we would have liked. The injury to Richard didn't exactly help us, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse. If we'd been on form in the first half, we would have been out of sight by the time he was hurt. Thankfully we have a game in hand over Birmingham, but now we REALLY need to win that if we want to keep up our European challenge." Wed 18th Feb After picking up an injury in training, Sean Davis was replaced in central midfield by Tobias Linderoth, while we are delighted to welcome back Joseph Yobo from his African Nations Cup exploits. And to be honest, he could not have returned at a better time, when you consider that today we're going to have to face Ruud van Nistelrooy, Nicolas Anelka and Louis Saha. FA Barclaycard Premiership Man Utd 1 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Linderoth, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton held Manchester Utd to a second draw of the season - making this the first campaign in over a decade when Everton have not lost at least one match to the Red Devils. Things started badly for Everton, as they went behind after 18mins. Ryan Giggs squirmed between two Everton defenders, and slid the ball through to Anelka, who had escaped the attentions of Alan Stubbs, and the Frenchman finished coolly. Everton's resistance strengthened from there on in, and they matched the home side kick for kick, tackle for tackle, for the next 50mins. Finally they received their reward after 69mins - and what a reward it was. James McFadden picked up the ball on halfway from a mis-hit Tim Howard goalkick. Ahead of him there were nothing but red shirts, but the young Scot was not intimidated as he headed towards goal. McFadden beat Scholes, Silvestre, O'Shea then turned Scholes again before smashing a left footed drive high into the net, as Howard could only stand and watch. It was a stunning goal, worthy of any match. Man Utd started to press Everton from there on, and had several chances to retake the lead, but they found Richard Wright in inspired form. Wright was named Man-of-the-Match at the end, which was a little harsh on McFadden, but nonetheless deserved as he kept Everton in it for the last 20mins. "I think that was a good result for us today." said Jamie Mellor after the match, "We weren't the best side for periods of the match, but when you're playing against a team with the quality of Manchester United, you have to expect that you're going to need to withstand periods of pressure. James McFadden has scored an absolute cracker which would be worthy of winning any match, and was certainly worthy of securing us a draw in this one. Richard Wright was also fantastic - he really saved our skins on a few occasions late in the second half, with a string of world class saves. But that's why David Moyes brought Richard to the club - he is a world class player, and he's finally getting the opportunity to show it regularly at the highest level." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Mon 23rd Feb FA Barclaycard Premiership Fulham 0 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Linderoth, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton named an unchanged side for their final game before meeting Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final, and recorded a convincing away win. If truth be told, Everton never really needed to go above second gear to put away a Fulham side who look destined for First Division football next season. The match was level as late as the 67th minute, but that was only due to the fine form of Edwin van der Saar in the Fulham goal. When Everton finally took the lead, it was through a slightly unlikely source. Alan Stubbs stepped up to a freekick on the edge of the D, won by Mikel Arteta, took one look at the Fulham goal, and smashed his shot into the top right corner. Six minutes later and the lead was doubled. Campbell slipped the ball to Wayne Rooney after a mistake from Legwinski. Rooney dropped a shoulder and rounded Stephen Caldwell before finishing hard and low to the Keeper's right. At this point the match was over as a contest, but Everton continued to push for a third, with both Rooney and Arteta going close. The third finally arrived, three minutes into injury time, as substitute Daniel Braathen took the ball off Boa Morte, beat Legwinski with a clever step over, and slid the ball to Todorov. The Bulgarian, on for Rooney 10mins earlier, controlled well before hammering his shot into the roof of the net. That was the last kick of the match, and Everton could go onto their Carling Cup Final match against Liverpool full of confidence after this excellent win. "That was exactly what we were looking for today. Obviously we have a huge match coming up on Sunday, and this was the perfect preparation," beamed a delighted Jamie Mellor, "We will need to perform better then if we want to win the Carling Cup I think, but hopefully the big stage will bring the best out of our players. Guys such as Wayne Rooney and Joseph Yobo are the sort of players who should be playing in Cup Finals and the like - and that is something we need to start to provide if we wish to keep hold of them." After the match, Bill Kenwright spoke to me and said he was very pleased with the team's performance, and with our general showing thus far this season. I didn't argue, despite the fact I felt that there were several areas that needed improving on, and that there had been many occasions this season when we had played much better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 u need to think up a song for the traveling toffs to Cardiff now lol how bout "Arsenal, give us the ball, Arsenal Arsenal give us the ball" (sorry pompy fans couldn't resist ) but Everton vs pool....... match of the season and no Owen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Nadessico: think you might be the only person reading this, but what the hey ... PS I've tried out a different approach for this match report, just to see if it increases the dramatic tension i have no intention of doing it for every match - takes wayyy too long (and i think my normal match reports are probably long enough as it is) well, here goes... ____________________________________________________________________________ Sun 29th Feb The big day had finally arrived. We had arrived in Cardiff two days before, and had practiced for a short time on the Millenium Stadium pitch the night before. We knew we were underdogs for the match, but also knew that we were capable of getting a result against this Liverpool side - especially with Michael Owen still out with a broken pelvis. Everyone came through our training sessions during the week, and the team i named was unchanged once again. As we emerged onto the pitch just before kick off, and heard the noise of 72500 Merseyside football fans, a shiver ran down my spine. The team formed a circle on the pitch, and I simply said three words to them, before taking my place in the dugout: "Bring it home." Carling Cup Final Starting Lineups <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Everton Liverpool Wright GK Kirkland Hibbert DR Finnan Naysmith DL Riise Stubbs © DC Alpay Yobo DC Hyppia McFadden MR Smicer Morgan ML Kewell Linderoth MC Gerrard © Arteta MC Cocu Rooney FC Heskey Campbell FC Diouf</pre> As the teams line up for the first All-Merseyside Cup Final for 15 years, both sets of players looked a little nervous. Referee Barry Knight calls both captains to the centre circle for the coin t0ss. Liverpool win, and elect for Everton to kick off first. The action starts fast and furious, challenges flying in - Gerrard and Rooney somewhat fortunate not to be booked for rash tackles in the first few minutes. The ball goes back and forth, until the first clear cut chance on 9mins. 9mins: Liverpool win a corner on the left hand side, which Smicer will take. Lionel Morgan gets up above Kewell to win the header, but only back to Smicer. The Czech knocks it back to Finnan outside the area, and he squares to Phillip Cocu, who plays a fine ball in to Heskey in space in the box. The England international crosses well.... Diouf with the header! A fine save from Richard Wright to tip the ball behind!! 12mins: Gerrard puts the ball into the side netting with a long range drive which Wright just about had covered. 18mins: Naysmith picks up the ball on the left. He knocks it short to Mikel Arteta and the young Spanish Midfielder chips a long ball forwards. The race is on between Kirkland and Rooney as the goalkeeper sprints out of his area... but Rooney has got there first, and his header loops over the Liverpool stopper. Alpay is chasing back, but he won't get there.... GOAL!!! Everton take the lead through Wayne Rooney. The youngster flicked the ball over Kirkland with his first touch. 27mins: Riise takes a shot from 30yards, which deflects off Steven Gerrard, but Richard Wright recovers and saves well, holding onto the ball. 31mins: Kewell with a good run down the Liverpool left, cuts inside Tony Hibbert. Chips a ball back from the byline to Phillip Cocu on the edge of the box, Cocu strikes the ball on the volley!! Saved and held by Richard Wright. 45mins: Referee Barry Knight blows the whistle for halftime. 46mins: Liverpool emerge for the second period unchanged, while Everton replace Joseph Yobo with England U21 captain Richard Wright. Yobo apparently suffering from pain in his ankle following a challenge with Heskey in the first half. 47mins: Heskey headed a square ball towards Smicer, but it was intercepted by Lionel Morgan. Morgan played the ball first time, trying to release Wayne Rooney, but Hyppia got there first, nodding it to Kewell. The Australian runs at the Everton defence, beats Clarke... hammers the ball towards the top corner!! Well wide by Kewell - he got that all wrong. 55mins: Arteta breaks through the Liverpool defence - he's through on the keeper, surely he'll shoot! No! Arteta squares towards Rooney... a poor pass, and Hyppia is able to intercept easily. 60mins: Liverpool make 3 substitutions. Milan Baros of for Heskey, Stephane Henchoz for Alpay, and Dietmar Hamann for Cocu. 77mins: Arteta swings in a corner from the right - met by the head of Kevin Campbell! Deflection off Steven Gerrard... surely?? Kirkland does brilliantly to palm the ball out, but only as far as Campbell!! Ohhh, Campbell hits the bar from 4 yards out! The rebound falls to McFadden, who drills his shot wide. 79mins: Corner on the right for Liverpool. Kewell swings the ball in at head height. Baros!!! NO! Superb save from Richard Wright. He's having a great game in the Everton goal. 81mins: Diouf works the ball inside, crosses well... controlled by Milan Baros - he strikes, aiming for the bottom corner.... another great save from Wright, parrying the ball out and allowing Stubbs to clear. 83mins: Hamann wins an important header in midfield... forwards to Diouf. The Senegalese forward runs at Alan Stubbs. The veteran centre back sticks with him... Diouf tries to turn his man... excellent challenge from Stubbs - he really needed to make that tackle. 87mins: Smicer crosses well to the near post... met by Diouf who flicks the ball towards the far corner... Wright dives... and saves well, tipping the ball around the post!! Wright with yet another first class stop! 89mins: Morgan puts in an excellent cross... it's missed by Kewell and Gerrard, but Arteta could do no better for Everton. 90mins: Everton, trying so hard to hang on, make a double substitution: Ferguson replaces the shattered Campbell, and Braathen is on for Arteta. 92mins: Throw in on the right for Finnan. Smicer controls, beats Naysmith and crosses well. Stubbs meets the ball with a header, out as far as Gerrard. Gerrard strikes the ball on the volley, aiming for the top corner. Richard Wright once again saving... and holding onto the ball! Wright takes his time before booting the ball long upfield. Referee Barry Knight blows the full-time whistle! Everton have defeated Liverpool to win the 2004 Carling Cup!! The Everton players celebrate wildly in the middle of the pitch, and two sides of the ground erupt with cheers. Manager Jamie Mellor sprints onto the pitch to celebrate with his players, and all of them dance and cheer in the centre circle as fireworks go off all around the side of the pitch. Final Result Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool Later, after the celebrations had calmed a little, Mellor had the following to say: "I just can't believe it, it still really hasn't sunk in. I know a lot of people don't really take this competition seriously, but you only had to watch that match to see how much both sides wanted to win it today. To have been here less than a season and to have won Everton's first major trophy since 1995, and their first League Cup EVER is just better than I ever dared to hope. My players were absolutely fantastic today, to a man. We were under pressure for a lot of the match once we took the lead, but we stood firm, and had chances to add to our lead. Richard Wright in goal... well, what can you say about him? That was one of the best goalkeeping displays I've seen in a long time. Some keepers don't make that many world class saves in a career, let alone in one match. Alan Stubbs too - he was wonderful, and exemplified what a defender should be AND what a captain should be. He never let a single one of our players stop - and there were some tired legs by the end. Also, a word about Wayne, of course. He's been taking headlines all season, and today will be no different. It was a goal which really showed his talent and how quick his brain is. Most players would have tried to bring the ball down and round the keeper, but the confidence he showed to just lift it up and over Kirkland was enough to take your breath away. It was the only chance Wayne had in the whole match, and to have taken it so assuredly was just stunning. We're going to go and celebrate now - but not too much - after all we have a match next Monday." I was happy to hear a statement from the Supporter's Association spokesman (the same man who had declared my appointment a "disgrace") in which he congratulated me and the team, and declared me "a credit to the team and my profession". Funny how life changes, isn't it? The £1m prize-money from today's win will also come in handy. [This message was edited by Roonaldo on 07 March 2004 at 16:52.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 WE'RE ON THE BALL, WE'RE ON THE BALL, WE'RE ON THE BALL, WE'RE ON THE BALL# wtg Roonaldo. u make us everton fans proud the next part of my story will be up very soon btw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 (that took a lot of editing [the post i mean, not the game ]) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 A couple of screenshots taken just after the Carling Cup win for your perusal Player Ratings Fans Reaction Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Monday 1st March James McFadden was today named the Barclaycard Premiership Young Player of the Month for the second time this season. Wayne Rooney's goal against Fulham came 2nd in the Goal of the Month contest for February. Mon 8th March The players were still on a high from their Carling Cup triumph 8 days earlier, so I decided not to change the team and sent them out looking for a victory against struggling Leicester. FA Barclaycard Premiership Leicester 1 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Linderoth, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton continued the celebration of collecting their first silverware in nearly a decade with this away win against a seemingly relegation-bound Leicester City side. There was a real carnival atmosphere amongst the travelling fans, which was only added to when Kevin Campbell opened the scoring after 54 seconds. Mikel Arteta picked the ball up in midfield and ran at goal. The summer signing from Rangers shrugged off challenges from Hignett and Izzet, before striking a powerful shot from the edge of the area, which Ian Walker could only palm to one side. As the former England stopper lay prone, Campbell pounced to tap the ball into the empty net for the 50th league goal of his Everton career. Everton remained in the ascendency for the whole of the first half, having no less than 8 shots on target. Led by sterling performances from Arteta and Rooney, it seemed they would run away with the game. But the goals never came, and it was Leicester, on the stroke of half time, who found an equaliser. Picking the ball up 35 yards from goal, and with seeming nothing on, Muzzy Izzet jinked inside Gary Naysmith, and looked up before lashing a blistering drive past Richard Wright into the top corner. It was a stunning strike, but one that was harsh on Everton, who really should have been at least five goals to the good at that point. When the teams emerged unchanged for the second half, Everton set about Leicester with a fury, determined to finish off what they should have in the first half. Within two minutes, they were back into the lead. McFadden, deep in his own half, flicked the ball to Linderoth, who didn't even let it bounce before playing it long towards Arteta. The Spaniard in turn swivelled and volleyed the ball forwards into the path of Rooney. The youngster, who had already engineered two good chances for himself that half, used his first touch to turn Matt Elliott inside out, and his second to hammer a thunderbolt of a shot past Walker into the corner of the goal. It was a great move finished off by a quality strike which exemplified the confidence with which Everton are playing at the moment. The away side continued to press for more, barely allowing Leicester out of their own half for the rest of the match. Only good saves from Ian Walker and a block from Steve Howey prevented Rooney and eventual man of the match Arteta (twice) from adding to Everton's lead. When the final whistle blew, the Foxes' players simply looked relieved that the scoreline had not been any more of an embarassment - but they may have greater worries in the weeks to come. "I thought the performance was great today," stated a delighted Jamie Mellor, "People were talking during the week about the possibility of a "hangover" from last Sunday's exploits, but we didn't show anything like that. I felt that maybe we should have had a couple of extra goals, but thankfully we didn't need them. It was great to score so early in the match - although it would have been even better to have gotten a second in the first half, to really kill it off. Just before half time, we were almost made to pay for not scoring another, when their lad scored an absolute cracker. Thankfully, straight after the break we scored a goal of our own which wasn't too bad. The three touches involved in the move - the volleys from Tobias and Mikel, and the first touch from Wayne were absolutely incredible - and the finish was pretty tasty too! Hopefully we can push on from here, now that we only have the league to concentrate on. I know we're in Europe already now, but it would be nice to finish in one of the qualifying spots in the league too." Sat 13th March Sean Davis finally returned to first team action today, and replaced Linderoth as Mikel Arteta's midfield partner. Otherwise the side remained the same as we returned to Goodison for the first time since winning the Carling Cup. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 0 Blackburn Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell A full house at Goodison saw Everton parade the Carling Cup around the ground before kick-off to the familiar strains of Z-Cars. The fans had turned up in force early to see the celebration, and joined in - verses of "It's a Grand Old Team" echoed around the old stadium as the club celebrated it's first League Cup win ever, and it's first silverware since the Community Shield in 1995. The match itself however was not so exciting, and indeed, Blackburn had arguably the best chances of a quiet first half - Cole and Jansen both firing over the bar when well placed. The only other incidents of note in the first 45 were on 3 and 42mins when Morgan and Arteta had to be substituted after taking knocks. They were replaced by Braathen and Todorov respectively, with Wayne Rooney dropping into midfield. The second half progressed in much the same way, both sides struggling to create any chances of note, with Dwight Yorke perhaps going closest, but his shot from 16 yards was blocked by the excellent Joseph Yobo. Indeed, it was Yobo who eventually made the breakthrough for Everton on 66 minutes. Everton won a freekick just outside the box, which Rooney curled towards the top corner, but Friedel managed to touch over the bar. McFadden took the resulting corner, and put in a wicked cross. Yobo rose well above Markus Babbel, and headed strongly home, scoring his first ever goal for Everton. After the goal, still neither side could really exert a controlling influence over the game, and the solitary strike proved enough to take the three points for Everton, and send their supporters home even happier than they had arrived. "Obviously not the best performance of the season today." said a slightly perplexed Jamie Mellor afterwards, "But sometimes you just have to dig in and win matches when you aren't playing to your best. Joseph was good defensively for us all day, and just for that he deserved his Man of the Match award, but for him to pop up at the other end and score the goal for us was even better. The reception we got today was amazing, and I'd like to thank all the supporters for the backing they've given us this season. I know I wasn't exactly what they were looking for in a new Everton manager, but I hope I'm starting to prove my worth to them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Roonaldo m8, those pics don't work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 bah, screw it. they weren't all that interesting anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Wed 17th March I decided to rest Wayne Rooney, James McFadden and Kevin Campbell for today's game. Wayne and James have International matches coming up, and all three guys have played a lot of football for us recently. Anatoli Todorov and Massimo Maccarone took the strikers' berths, and Steve Watson replaces McFadden on the right of midfield. Mikel Arteta and Lionel Morgan both recovered from their knocks to take their places in the starting lineup. FA Barclaycard Premiership Wolves 1 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo Watson, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Maccarone Everton recorded a straightforward win today at Molineux against a Wolves side still hovering just above the drop-zone. Lionel Morgan opened the scoring after 21mins. A fine corner from Arteta on the left was glanced towards goal by the former Wimbledon winger and goalkeeper Matt Murray could only palm the ball into his own net, giving Morgan his first goal for Everton since signing in January. The visitors continued to press, and doubled their lead two minutes before half time. Everton hit Wolves on the break, Morgan sprinting down the left, and turning provider, crossing well for Maccarone, who took one touch before beating Murray with a well placed finish. The second period should have brought more goals for Everton, but they failed to convert their chances. Instead, with 4mins remaining on the clock, Henri Camara latched onto a good ball from Lee Naylor, and fired past Richard Wright to set up a tense finale. However, Everton were able to put the finishing touch on their victory three minutes into time added on. Naysmith received the ball on the left from the always lively Morgan, and played a delightful ball over the top of the defence to Maccarone. The Italian controlled the ball with his first touch, took two steps and fired a hard, low drive just inside Murray's right hand post. Everton captain Alan Stubbs had the following to say: "We've done good today, you know. We weren't really at our very best at any point, but all you can do is keep winning matches. You know, Lionel's done great for us today, he's scored one and set one up for Massimo, who's grabbed a couple to really finish off Wolves. Can't complain really, and let's just keep our fingers crossed that we can keep on winning." Sat 20th March Rooney, Davis, Wright (all England), McFadden (Scotland), Braathen (Norway), Linderoth (Sweden) and Todorov (Bulgaria) were all called up to their countries' squads for the upcoming round of international matches. Sean Davis, Anatoli Todorov and Lionel Morgan all picked up slight knocks over the last couple of days, and will all start on the bench. Kevin Campbell returns and will partner Maccarone upfront; Linderoth comes in for Davis, and Braathen for Morgan. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 0 Southampton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo Watson, Braathen, Linderoth, Arteta Maccarone, Campbell Everton once again managed to pull off a win today, without ever really playing particularly well. The match was settled by a single goal which came after just 13mins. Naysmith played the ball down the left wing to Braathen, who rounded Darren Kenton and crossed into the crowded penalty area. Italian Massimo Maccarone climbed above his marker to powerfully head home the only goal of the game. Despite not playing to their full potential, Everton still had by far the best of the chances in the rest of the match. Southampton's best opening came after 33mins, when Kevin Phillips was put through on goal by the lively David Prutton, only for Richard Wright to spread himself well and divert the chance wide. McFadden should have made it two on 42mins. The Scot had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes (a substitute for the injured Mikel Arteta) when he beat two men and found himself facing only Niemi, but shot weakly at the Southampton goalkeeper. 73mins in, and Everton right back Tony Hibbert found himself in the opposition penalty area, and on the end of a Gary Naysmith cross, but could not direct his header. Maccarone missed a glaring opportunity to finish the game off five minutes from the end. A poor defensive header from Lundekvam failed to reach his goalkeeper, and the Italian latched onto it. With only the keeper to beat, he pulled his shot several feet wide of goal, in what was the last action of note in the match. Everton boss Jamie Mellor will be pleased that his side are picking up points while not playing at their best, but he will know that their performances will need to improve soon, if they are to maintain their progression up the table. After the match, Mellor had this to say: "That was a strange sort of game really. Neither side was performing particularly well, but I felt we definitely had the best of it, and Massimo's got the goal to secure us the three points. On the plus side, that's our fifth consecutive League win, and with seven left to play, we're sixth in the table. When we'd only picked up three points in our first 7 games, if you'd said to me that at this stage, we'd be sixth and have won a cup already... well let's just say at that stage I'd've taken this. But now we're here, we need to still be looking to improve. We have some tough games between now and the end of the season, against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, and we'll just have to do our best to pick up as many points as we can." FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 Arsenal 31 79 2 Chelsea 31 65 3 Tottenham 31 59 4 Liverpool 32 59 5 Man Utd 31 56 6 Everton 31 53 7 Newcastle 32 51 8 Southampton 31 48 9 Birmingham 31 42 10 Portsmouth 31 39 11 Aston Villa 31 39 12 Blackburn 31 38 13 Man City 31 37 14 Middlesborough 31 34 15 Bolton 31 29 16 Wolves 31 29 17 Leeds 31 28 18 Charlton 31 27 19 Fulham 31 26 20 Leicester 31 21</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Sat 27th March Wayne Rooney scored today for England in their 2-0 International Friendly win against Canada in Toronto. Thursday 1st April Wayne Rooney was named the FA Barclaycard Young Player of the Month for March, and I was honoured to receive the Manager of the Month Award, after we were victorious in all four of our League matches this month. Mon 5th April Our side was once again at full strength, as I recalled McFadden, Morgan, Davis and Rooney to the starting lineup in place of Watson, Braathen, Linderoth and the injured Maccarone. FA Barclaycard Premiership Bolton 2 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell The Manager of the Month curse struck again today, as March's recipient Jamie Mellor, having witnessed his side win all four of their games last month, today saw them crash to a 2-1 defeat against a Bolton side lying just 2 points clear of the relegation zone before kickoff. Things started well for Everton, as they took the lead just before the half hour mark. Mikel Arteta played a lovely through ball to Kevin Campbell, and the veteran striker moved to the byline before returning the ball to Arteta, who was left with the simplest of finishes, from just a couple of yards out. Everton continued to dominate the first half but, as has been the case on a number of occasions this season, could not finish their opponents off. They were made to pay in the 58th minute, when Danny Livesey was felled in the area by Daniel Braathen (on at half time for Arteta) and Stelios stepped up to convert the penalty. Bolton were on top now, and went looking for the winner. Their pressure paid off with 19mins left to play, when Jermaine Johnson received a short corner on the angle of the penalty area, and smashed a first time shot into the top right corner of the goal. Everton were jolted into life, but could not find an equaliser. Stelios had the chance to add further insult to injury, again from the spot, when Stubbs tripped Jay Jay Okocha (86), but his penalty kick struck the foot of the left hand post. Everton's best chance came with two minutes of injury time gone, but substitute Tobias Linderoth somehow contrived to balloon his finish over the bar when faced with an open goal, from only 5 yards out. "I'm bitterly disappointed with our performance today, and of course with the result." said Jamie Mellor when he finally emerged from the dressing room, almost an hour after the final whistle, "It's the same old story - we had the chances in the first half, but we really need to develop that killer instinct that top teams - the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea - have in spades. Thanks, that's all I've got to say right now." Wed 7th April The draw for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League was made today, with only one English club left in the competition, one Italian side, and two Spanish. UEFA Champions League Semi Final Draw<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Chelsea vs Real Madrid Inter vs Real Sociedad</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 how do u get your table to work anyway? when i added mine it all messed up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 use the tags it'll put it in Courier New font, which as all the letters the same size, so you can space it out properly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Sun 18th April FA Barclaycard Premiership Man City 0 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton named an unchanged side for their first visit to the City of Manchester Stadium, in spite of the team's weak performance last time out against Bolton - with manager Jamie Mellor presumably telling them to go out there and redeem themselves. It was definitely a more committed Toffees performance, as they matched City kick for kick. It did not perhaps have the same flair as some of their matches this season, but you could tell this was a game that they were not going to lose. Indeed, throughout, they looked by far the most likely to win the game. While on paper, the number of chances created by each team was about the same, Everton restricted City to mostly long range pops from Reyna and Wright-Phillips, while the visitors were able to carve open the Sky Blue defense of a fairly regular basis. Everton came closest to breaking the deadlock on 32mins, when Rooney, having received the ball from Arteta went on one of his typically bullish runs, muscling past Sommeil before curling in a shot which beat Marcos, but rattled back off the crossbar, and into the arms of the grateful Brazilian. The match remained tied, until 10mins from the end. Distin in the City defense misjudged a beautiful first time ball from Morgan, allowing Rooney to control and advance towards Marcos. The keeper ran out to narrow the angle, but Rooney calmy chipped it over him and Sun Jihai who was chasing back to cover, and into the unguarded net for his 25th of the campaign. This proved enough to take three points for Everton, and go at least some way to erasing the memory of their performance at Bolton 11 days ago. "It's great to be back to winning ways again," remarked Jamie Mellor after the match, "even if it would be nice to win by more than a goal at some point soon. We've got two games coming up at Goodison in the next six days, against Arsenal and Aston Villa, both of which are going to be tough matches, so we really need to get our heads down and prepare. Performance-wise today, I thought we were okay. Richard Wright did well, he had some decent long shots to stop, and obviously Wayne took his goal well. Lionel Morgan too, I thought, had a good 90mins and was always a threat down our left hand side." Wed 21st April Several players went down during the week with a virus which went around Bellefield. Tony Hibbert, Gary Naysmith and Sean Davis all miss today's tough match with Arsenal, and will be replaced by Watson, Unsworth and Linderoth. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 2 Arsenal Starting XI Wright, Watson, Unsworth, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Linderoth, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton were today condemned to their 4th home defeat in the league this season by an Arsenal side who are now just 3 points from confirming themselves as Premier League Champions for the second time in three years. The match started very well for Everton, as they took the lead within 6 minutes. A long ball out of defence by Arteta was nodded square by Rooney, and picked up by Campbell. The veteran striker drew two defenders to him as he ran towards goal, before chipping the ball back to Rooney. Rooney used his first touch to round the keeper, before finishing into the empty net. Everton held onto the lead in relative comfort into the second half. In the 59th minute, Arteta hesitated too long in the centre circle, and was dispossessed by Touré. The Ivorian defender touched it to Henry, who played a through ball to Jeffers with his first touch. The young Liverpool-born striker, sent back to Arsenal by Everton manager Jamie Mellor at the start of the season, took four strides into the penalty area, and buried his shot beyond Wright to level the scores. The match slowed down from there, and seemed to be heading for a draw, when, while defending a corner, Daniel Braathen debatably appeared to tug down Lauren in the box (73mins). Wiltord stepped up to take the penalty, but Wright saved well. Unfortunately for the Everton keeper, the rebound fell straight back to Wiltord, who made no mistake at the second attempt. Everton had several chances in the remaining 17mins, but were unable to grab a goal and a share of the points. "I thought today might have gone differently, especially after the start we got, but at the end of the day, Arsenal had the better of the game," said Mellor, "and we really didn't deserve to win. I feel that maybe a draw might have been a fairer result, especially after a slightly dubious penalty decision - but these things happen. We had a fair few players out with illness, but hopefully they will all be back for our next match on Saturday against Aston Villa." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Sat 24th April Naysmith, Hibbert and Davis have recovered from their virus, but now Lionel Morgan and Wayne Rooney have come down with it, and miss the game - replaced by Daniel Braathen and Anatoli Todorov while Joseph Yobo was, much to my displeasure, called away on international duty with Nigeria. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 2 - 1 Aston Villa Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Clarke McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Campbell Everton atoned to the Goodison fans for their loss against Arsenal on Wednesday with this victory against Aston Villa - although for much of the match it seemed far less than certain. Villa came to Merseyside looking to upset the odds-makers, and came very close to managing it. Villa went into the lead in the 11th minute through Moroccan Mustapha Hadji. Ex Everton striker Tomasz Radzinski won a freekick on the edge of the box, and Hadji stepped up and struck the dead ball, which hit Daniel Braathen and deflected past the helpless Everton keeper Richard Wright. The home side were far from their best, and failed to muster a shot on target until the 61st minute. But when they finally did manage one, they made it count. Mikel Arteta won the ball from Hendrie near the centre spot, and sprayed it out right to Anatoli Todorov before sprinting towards goal. The Bulgarian nodded the ball back inside to the onrushing Arteta, now on the edge of the box. Arteta took a single touch, and buried his shot into the back of the Villa net, chalking up his 10th strike of the campaign. Despite the celebrations, it was the visitors who continued to control play, allowing Everton only one further shot in the rest of the match. Unfortunately for Aston Villa, once again it was made to count by the home side. On 84mins, Arteta was pushed to the ground by Villa substitute Gavin McCann about 7 yards outside the box. Alan Stubbs took responsibility for the freekick and his rasping drive was still rising when it flew past Sorensen and into the away side's net, winning the game for Everton. The crowd went berzerk, mostly from relief rather than anything else as Everton secured a victory in a match they scarcely deserved to win. Everton boss Jamie Mellor agreed with these sentiments after the final whistle, "If I'm honest, we didn't deserve the win today - we were outplayed fairly comprehensively by our opponents for the majority of the match. At the end of the day though, these things tend to even themselves out - and there have been plenty of occasions this season when we've maybe deserved to do better than we have done in matches, so maybe this will help balance the scales. Stubbsy has hit a wonderful freekick at the end there, and there isn't a goalkeeper in the world who would have stopped it, so I have to say well done to him, but we'll be looking for an immeasurable improvement in our next match against Chelsea." Wed 28th April Arsenal today tied up the English Premiership for the second time in three years, with three games to spare, in a 2-0 victory at Molineux against Wolves - Thierry Henry and Sanli Tuncay grabbing the goals. FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 C Arsenal 35 85 2 Chelsea 33 69 3 Tottenham 34 66 4 Man Utd 34 62 5 Liverpool 35 62 6 Everton 35 59 7 Newcastle 35 58 8 Southampton 35 51 9 Blackburn 35 50 10 Birmingham 35 47 11 Portsmouth 35 45 12 Aston Villa 35 43 13 Middlesborough 35 40 14 Man City 35 39 15 Leeds 35 35 16 Wolves 35 33 17 Bolton 35 33 18 Fulham 35 31 19 Charlton 35 27 20 Leicester 35 27</pre> [This message was edited by Raptor on 08 March 2004 at 18:57.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 come on roonaldo toffees in europe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Blimey that took a lot of catching up! I go away for the weekend and come back to find 1/2 the season over! Still things are on the up. Europe beckons. Good news about Carew signing in the summer - Rooney and Carew will be a pretty good partnership, particularly with European competition in the offing! I'm up to March in my first season - great League form but hopeless in the Cups, all being well I'll start my story later tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Cheers guys - nice to know Nadessico isn't the only one reading this post will cover up to and including the final match of the season. I'm going to do match reports on England's game in Euro 2004 - largely to follow the progress of Messrs Rooney, Davis and Wright ____________________________________________________________________________ Saturday 1st May Before today's match, Chelsea's Ardrian Mutu was named Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Month, and our own Wayne Rooney was named Young Player of the Month for the second month in a row. The teams lined up in the tunnel with several changes to the Everton lineup. Yobo had returned from international duty having helped Nigeria to a 3-0 second leg win over Equatorial Guinea (11-0 on aggregate) In a World Cup Qualifier. Wayne Rooney returned to the starting lineup after recovering from his virus, but Lionel Morgan was still out. FA Barclaycard Premiership Chelsea 2 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell A creditable away draw for Everton as they look to secure 6th place in the League, and possibly push up on arch-rivals Liverpool in 5th. The first half of the match was dominated by Chelsea, but the London side could not find a way through the resolute Everton backline, and were restricted to long shots from Veron and Mutu. One effort from Veron on 27mins severely tested Richard Wright, but the Englishman was equal to it, diving full stretch to palm the shot over the bar. At half time, the scores remained level - but did not stay so for long. Two minutes into the second period, Veron played a beautiful forward ball between Stubbs and Davis, which Mutu collected, taking one touch to set himself before firing past Wright to give Chelsea the lead. The home fans celebrated, but the goal only seemed to serve to jolt Everton into action, and a little under 10mins later, they were level. The lively McFadden beat Veron to the ball, and layed it through to Sean Davis. As the tenacious English midfielder advanced on Cudicini, the Italian came out to meet him. Davis looked up before chipping a perfectly weighted ball over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the Chelsea net. Both sides were now attacking and throwing more and more caution to the wind - another goal could not be far away. And indeed it wasn't - on 65mins, Gallas took a throw in from deep in the Everton half on the left. The throw found Mutu, and the Romanian turned and volleyed a firecracker of a strike past Wright from a fairly narrow angle. At that point, Mutu was winning the battle of the players of the month, but Rooney wasn't about to let that continue. Eleven minutes later, Rooney picked the ball up in midfield, and rounded Lúcio with consumate ease, before chipping a slightly out of position Cudicini from fully 35 yards - the ball dropping down just behind the back-pedalling keeper and into the goal without bouncing. Two great goals from great players, and the match was once again level - and that is how it stayed until the referee blew the final whistle 14mins later. "I can't be too disappointed with a draw away from home against a side like Chelsea, you know, especially after the first half we had. At times it was real backs to wall stuff, and our defence - especially Richard [Wright] and Joseph [Yobo] did us proud. The second half was much more open and even, with both sides playing some really special football, topped off with a couple of REALLY special goals. When Mutu put that volley away, i didn't think much could top that, but Wayne's goal - well I mean, not many strikers would think to try to chip a guy the height ouf Cudicini from 35 yards when the keeper was only marginally outside his six yard box; fewer would dare to try it, and even fewer would ever be able to pull it off. It was a stunning goal from a stunning talent - we're just glad he isn't playing against us. Mon 10th May Middlesborough today announced that after much struggling against financial pressures, the club today entered into a period of administration, effectively meaning that all their players were up for sale. Tonight would see our final home game of the season, and the final Merseyside Derby. So far, I had not lost against Liverpool in my reign as Everton boss - indeed I had won both our previous meetings (including the Carling Cup Final) and I really wanted to continue that record. I also knew that if we could beat the Reds tonight, we would leapfrog them into 5th position with only one game to play. With that in mind, I sent out my strongest eleven, with Lionel Morgan returning to the left side of midfield. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 1 Liverpool Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell A full house at Everton saw a totally even game between these two rivals - although it looked for some time like Liverpool would record their first win of the season against Everton. The first half was a tense, tightly contested affair, neither side giving an inch as tough tackles flew in from everywhere. Liverpool's freefall down the League table of late was in a large part due to the loss of Michael Owen. The England striker was still missing today, and it showed - the makeshift strikeforce of Diouf and Heskey showing no real cohesion, both players playing on their own rather than as a pairing. Everton fans probably started to worry after 26mins when Joseph Yobo picked up a knock and had to be replaced by David Unsworth. Unsworth was booked before the first half was out - as were Arteta, Morgan, Hyppia, Smicer and Kewell - an indication of how fiercly fought the contest was. Things went from bad to worse for Everton 16mins into the second half, when El-Hadj Diouf waltzed past two defenders and slotted the ball past Richard Wright to give the visitors the lead. The home crowd fell silent, and their mood was not improved 12mins later, when Mikel Arteta mistimed a challenge against Harry Kewell, and was shown a second yellow card, and sent off. However, the 10 men of Everton seemed to rally around, and started to put more and more pressure on the Liverpool goal. Seven minutes from the end, and the pressure paid off. Lionel Morgan made a good run down the left, going past Steve Finnan as if he wasn't there, pulling the ball back to Sean Davis about 30 yards out. The young midfielder took a touch, pushed the ball forwards a few yards, and crashed a thunderous shot past Kirkland from 10yards outside the box. The Everton fans celebrated, and urged their team on to look for the win. The last 7mins was fast and furious, and Riise joined Arteta in being sent from the field - this time for a straight red as he scythed down Wayne Rooney when the boy wonder was through on goal a minute from time, incensing the Everton players and fans. The Toffees, however, could not convert from the resulting freekick, and the match ended all square. "Obviously I'm disappointed with not winning, especially with what happened right at the end. I think everyone in the stadium would have fancied Wayne to score there with the form he's been in recently, but the lad's just gone straight through the back of him, with no intention of playing the ball. Now, ok, the ref's done the right thing in sending him off, but with a minute to go, it doesn't really do us a lot of good, or make up for the loss of a goalscoring chance of that quality. But they're the rules, and we can't do anything about it. Sean's scored a cracker today, and we're still undefeated in derbies, which has to be a good thing." Sun 16th May And so, to the last day of the season, and we face Charlton at the valley, looking for a win to give us a chance of going past Liverpool and into 5th place. Mikel Arteta serves his one match suspension for his sending off in the derby match, and is replaced by Linderoth, playing his last game for the club before his move to Middlesborough. Otherwise the team is unchanged as my first campaign as Everton boss draws to a close. FA Barclaycard Premiership Charlton 1 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Linderoth Rooney, Campbell A match with so much riding on it ends in a 1-1 draw - a result which will not help either team - Charlton needing a win to have a chance of avoiding relegation, and Everton wanting the 3 points to have a shot of passing Liverpool in the League table. Everton had the better of the opening 45mins, and took the lead just after the half hour. It was that man Rooney again, picking up his 28th goal of the campaign. James McFadden was dispossessed by Scott Parker in midfield, but the loose ball fell to Campbell, who played a neat inside pass to Linderoth. The Swede's shot was blocked by Kiely in the Charlton net, but only dropped at the feet of Rooney, who scored what was probably his easiest goal of the season. Everton continued to press, but found Kiely unwilling to make any more mistakes, and the sides went in at half time with only the single goal separating them. Charlton emerged revitalised by the addition of Paolo Di Canio to their ranks, and set about trying to level the game. Seven minutes in, and they had managed it. Carlton Cole, on loan from Chelsea, received the ball down the right from Matt Holland. Then diminutive striker took it to the byline, before pulling back a fine cross. The ball came to Shaun Bartlett on the penalty spot, who unleashed a volley that neither Richard Wright, nor Alan Stubbs, covering on the line, could keep out. After the goal, the momentum shifted again - Charlton struggled to get out of their half as Everton pressed, but were unable to find the goal they wanted. Charlton had a chance to win it at the death, but Di Canio lifted his lob over the bar. As it turned out, with both Bolton and Wolves picking up points, it would have made no difference. "I think both myself and Alan (Curbishley) are going to be disappointed by the result today, as both sides had chances to win the game. Obviously though, I'm much happier being in our position than in his. I think overall this has been a good season of progression for us, and we'll be looking to improve further next year." said Everton boss Jamie Mellor, at the end of his first season in charge, "There's a lot more I want to do at this club, and a lot more I think we can achieve. So... watch this space I guess. I'd like to thank the fans for their wonderful support, after a shaky start. They've really warmed to me over the course of the season, and I'm glad I've been able to bring them some measure of success this year. Thankyou." FA Barclaycard Premiership Final Table 2003/04 <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 C Arsenal 38 91 2 Chelsea 38 77 3 Tottenham 38 75 4 Man Utd 38 69 5 Liverpool 38 65 6 Everton 38 62 7 Newcastle 38 62 8 Southampton 38 55 9 Blackburn 38 52 10 Birmingham 38 48 11 Portsmouth 38 47 12 Aston Villa 38 46 13 Middlesborough 38 45 14 Man City 38 43 15 Leeds 38 38 16 Wolves 38 36 17 Bolton 38 36 18 R Fulham 38 35 19 R Charlton 38 32 20 R Leicester 38 31</pre> Our sixth place finish is far more than I could have hoped at the beginnin of the season, and especially after the terrible start we made. The £7.5m in prize money that we will receive will help further my rebuilding plans for the summer (it will cover the purchase of Carew for one thing). Arsenal ran away with the league this season - they secured the title when second placed Chelsea still had 5 games to play. Tottenham were the surprise package of the season, finishing above Man Utd and Liverpool to take the third Champions League place, forcing the Red Devils into the Qualifiers, and Liverpool into the UEFA Cup. All three relegation places were decided on the final day, with Fulham, Charlton and Leicester eventually decided as the teams destined for First Division football next season. Their places will be taken by Sunderland, Watford and West Brom. These promotions emphasised the gap between the Premiership and First Division - two of these sides only went down last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 i'm going to making shorter posts in future - just as detailed, but less time covered by each post, cos i'm starting to catch up with where i've played up to (i've reached 7 games into the 2nd season) so i need to start actually playing the game a bit hope people are enjoying it so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 DEFINATELY Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 thanks cm wizard ____________________________________________________________________________ Wed 19th May After a couple of days of "training down", the players were sent home for their summer break with instructions to keep themselves in decent shape, ready to return for pre-season training on 16th July. Some of my players - those involved in Euro 2004 (Rooney, Davis, Wright) would only have a week's break before joining up with the England squad in La Manga for pre-tournament training. The player of the year awards were announced today, with the following results: Players' Player of the Year: Thierry Henry Young Player of the Year: Wayne Rooney Premiership Manager of the Year: Arsène Wenger Premiership Goal of the Year: Sean Davis, vs Birmingham, Sept 29th Premier League Select XI Jääskeläinen, Sun Jihai, Upson, Yobo, Gardner Legwinski, Pires, Touré, Dyer Mutu, Henry Not too many surprises (apart from, perhaps in the Select XI), with Arsenal's manager and main striker picking up deserved awards as the Gunners ran away with the Premiership Title. I was delighted for Rooney and Davis. Sean't goal would have made any player in the world proud, and for Wayne to pick up that award for the second year running really showed his quality (and also how young he was when coming into the side in 2002/03!!). The Select XI was a little odd, although I think the panel may have been wanting to honour the contributions of some players at smaller clubs. However, they did make a fairly large faux pas, giving Touré a central midfield berth in the Select XI when he spent all season playing in defence for the title winning Gunners. Sat 22nd May Arsenal today completed the Domestic Double, winning the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over arch rivals Spurs - Thierry Henry fittingly scoring both goals. With that victory, Arsenal became the first team since 1886 to win the FA Cup for a third time in a row (and therefor the first team in the "modern era". Wed 26th May Inter win the Champions League on penalities after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, who had shocked Real Madrid in the semi finals with a 4-3 aggregate win. Hernan Crespo missed the decisive spot kick against his former team. Tuesday 8th June Middlesborough sign Tobias Linderoth from us for £2.7m, further improving our fairly healthy looking bank balance. Although Toby will be missed, I feel that the money brought in by his departure can be put to good use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 All in all, a pretty good opening season I reckon - particularly if youy've managed to keep the bank manager happy as well! My bank manager is cursing me at the mo (just finished my first season and my prize money took me to £1.5 million in the RED!!!! Damn those wages! but more of that in my story I'll be interested to see who you're targeting on the transfer list (apart from the people you've already signed of course - can't wait to see what Carew does when he arrives!) KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 cheers facman. hopefully should have an update coming soon, with euro 2004 details and MAYBE even some transfer goodness Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Roonaldo: cheers facman. hopefully should have an update coming soon, with euro 2004 details and MAYBE even some transfer goodness <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> looking forward to it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Sat 12th - Tues 15th June Euro 2004 First Round of Group Matches England got off to a flying start, defeating Switzerland 4-0 All the goals came in the first half, from Ashley Cole (6), Kieron Dyer (9) and Wayne Rooney (20, 45). None of the goals were anything special, but it was a straightforward, efficient victory for England, and just the sort of start manager Eriksson would have been looking for. Round-Up: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Group A Group B Bulgaria 0 - 1 Wales England 0 - 4 Switzerland Greece 0 - 1 Italy Spain 0 - 2 Germany Group C Group D Belgium 3 - 3 Turkey Holland 0 - 2 France Denmark 0 - 2 Portugal Sweden 1 - 2 Czech Republic</pre> Wed 16th - Sun 20th June Euro 2004 Second Round of Group Matches England record another fine win, beating Spain 3-2. England went two goals up in the first half, through James Beattie (6) and Joe Cole (13). Spain pulled one back a minute after half time through Diego Tristán. The game was killed off in the 61st minute as Wayne Rooney scored his third of the tournament, beating two players as he ran half the length of the pitch with the ball at his feet, before finishing past Canizares from a narrow angle. Round-Up: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Group A Group B Italy 2 - 0 Bulgaria Germany 3 - 0 Switzerland Wales 1 - 3 Greece England 3 - 2 Spain Group C Group D Portugal 2 - 0 Belgium Holland 1 - 1 Czech Republic Turkey 1 - 1 Denmark France 2 - 0 Sweden</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Sat 19th June Today, I received my beginning of season briefing from the board. They informed me that Wayne Rooney had been voted last season's Everton Player of the Year by visitors to evertonfc.com. They told me that they felt Wayne was a vitally important player in our squad, and that I should do my best to keep him happy. Like I didn't already know that(!). They said that our slice of the Sky TV contract for broadcast rights was £12m - a figure which brought a smile to my face. £3.1m was to be payed as dividends to shareholders - which was mixed news - less money for transfers, but it meant the club must have turned a healthy profit last season - something which I like to think I played at least a minor role in. Now, the important part, at least from my point of view. I was told that I was to be given £11.75m to spend in the transfer market, but that I would be able to supplement this through any departures from the squad.When I asked what percentage of any transfer fees raised would go into the kitty, they told me that around 10% would be kept back to help cover running costs etc, but the rest I could do with as I pleased. This too was good news, as I knew there were a fair few clubs sniffing around some of my less needed players. Especially Watford, for some reason. Finally, they said that they had been delighted with my performance last season, and wanted more of the same, stating that a "respectable position" in the Premiership was the minimum needed in the coming campaign. I could live with that. Mon 21st - Wed 23rd Euro 2004 Final Round of Group Matches England fell to their first defeat of Euro 2004, losing to Germany in Lisbon, through goals from Miroslav Klose (4) and Kevin Kuranyi (90). England will feel hard done by in losing a match in which they had just as many chances, but James Beattie and Michael Owen (surprisingly recalled in place of the on fire Wayne Rooney) spurned a host of second half chances. Round-Up: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Group A Group B Bulgaria 4 - 2 Greece Germany* 2 - 0 England* Wales* 1 - 0 Italy* Spain 2 - 1 Switzerland Group C Group D Belgium* 2 - 0 Denmark France* 2 - 0 Czech Republic Turkey 1 - 4 Portugal* Holland* 1 - 0 Sweden</pre> * = Team Qualifies for Quarter Final Quarter Final Draw<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> England vs Italy Wales vs Germany Holland vs Portugal France vs Belgium</pre> Thurs 24th - Sun 27th June Euro 2004 Quarter Finals England were given a tough draw in the last eight, against the previous tournament's Runners-Up, Italy. Eriksson's men however, stuck to their task admirably, and took the lead after just 4mins. A Beckham corner was headed straight at Buffon by Wayne Bridge, but the world's most expensive goalkeeper could only parry the ball into the path of Paul Scholes, and the ginger assassin responded by his first goal in an international match for over 2 years. England continued to press, but could not find another goal in a first half which they dominated. The second 45 mins was controlled by Italy, but they could not break down England's stubborn resistance, led by the tigerish Steven Gerrard, and England progressed to the Semi Finals. Round-Up: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> England 1 - 0 Italy Wales 0 - 4 Germany Holland 0 - 1 s Portugal France 0 - 0 p Belgium</pre> Shock of the round comes as Belgium defend valiantly for 120 mins against France (they had one shot on goal to France's 26) and force a penalty shootout. Belgium successfully convert all their spot kicks, and William Gallas balloons his over the bar to send the Champions crashing out of the tournament. Quarter Final Draw<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> England vs Belgium Germany vs Portugal</pre> Wed 30th June - Thurs 1st July Euro 2004 Semi Finals England had been given the semi final draw they must have been hoping for, and did not waste the opportunity. They took they lead after just 14mins after Belgium keeper Geert De Vlieger fumbled a Joe Cole cross, and Wayne Rooney was on hand to grab his fourth goal of the tournament, joining Thierry Henry at the top of the scoring chart. Seven minutes before half time, and the lead was doubled. Joe Cole sprinted onto a fine flick on from James Beattie (after an excellent long ball from Steven Gerrard) and calmly rounded the goalkeeper to finish into an empty net. In the second half, Belgium started to come back into the game a little, but their mini revival was ended when after 61mins, their influential left winger Thomas Buffel was sent off for stupidly kicking out at Gerrard. England's travelling support celebrated wildly at the final whistle, as their team reached the final of a major tournament for the first time since that hallowed day in 1966. Round-Up: <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> England 2 - 0 Belgium Germany 1 - 3 Portugal</pre> England and Portugal would face off in the final of Euro 2004 after the host nation recorded yet another fine victory, this time against Germany, who had been in such dangerous form throughout the tournament. Goals from Ricardo Quaresma and Hélder Postiga (2) saw the Portuguese through to the final, despite a late consolation goal for Germany, through a Christian Ziege freekick. Thurs 1st July I was back at Goodison today, to welcome in our clutch of new signings, and parade them to the assembled media. Daniele Bonera, Deco, Mehndi Mahdavikia and Boumsong had all been snapped up on free transfers under the Bosman ruling, while we had paid £4.5m for gigantic Norwegian striker John Carew. Sun 4th July Euro 2004 The Final To the bemusement of an entire nation, and the wider footballing community, England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson once again dropped the tournament's joint top scorer Wayne Rooney to the bench in favour of out-of-sorts Michael Owen, and once again, the gamble failed to pay off as they lost 0-2 to host nation Portugal. Second half goals from Pauleta and Tottenham's Hélder Postiga sealed the victory for the Portuguese, and sent the partizan Lisbon crowd berzerk. It was Portugal's first major final, and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. For England's part, they did have chances to score, but Owen and Beattie's lack of true form resulted in only one of their combined 11 efforts being on target. Even with his team trailing in the second period, Eriksson left Rooney on the bench. When he finally was allowed to make an appearance, it was with only 2mins left, and far too late for the Everton wonderkid to make an impression. Although he did manage to get off only England's second shot on target, a 25 yard effort that was well saved by goalkeeper Ricardo. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> England 0 - 2 Portugal Pauleta, 54 Postiga, 65</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 see Sven, leave out Rooney, and u loose Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Fri 9th July Today, something of a shock at Goodison. Despite being vital to the side's success last season, young Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta was today sold to Chelsea. Now, after seeing him perform so well last season, the last thing I wanted to do was let Mikel go, and when Chelsea came in with a £10m bid a couple of weeks ago, they were promptly told where to go. But, Abramovich being Abramovich, they kept coming back, each time improving their bid. Eventually, they made a bid of £16.5m plus 40% of any future transfer fee. Now, at this point, I had to think long and hard. Finally I decided that, given the signing of Deco 8 days ago, Mikel was unlikely to receive the amount of first team football a player of his calibre deserves (not that Chelsea is necessarily the place to go for that). Also playing on my mind was the fact that the money from the transfer would more than double my current budget for bringing players in. With these things in mind, I telephoned Chelsea and gave them my permission to speak to the player. With the amount of money available at Stamford Bridge these days, negotiations were brief, and Mikel signed for the London side this afternoon. Also today, Toffees "Legend" Duncan Ferguson signed for newly promoted Watford for £325k. Duncan was no longer anywhere near a first team spot here, and, despite not wanting to leave, understood that at £35k p/w, he was not a player I was going to keep around for sentimental reasons. Watford also snapped up veteran keeper Nigel Martyn on a free AND made a £1.5m offer for Li Tie, which was accepted. (Told you they'd been showing interest(!) ) Fri 16th July The players today returned to Bellefield for pre-season training. Those who had been on England duty were excused some of the more rigorous exercises, but not for too long, as I wanted to make sure my entire squad was up to my levels of fitness, not those of Mr Eriksson. (Whose judgement I have come to question a little after he dropped Wayne for the final) Wed 21st July Another surprise today, as new signing Daniele Bonera left the club, only 20days after joining. Arsenal had come in with a bid of £5.5m plus 50% of any future fee. Now, I knew that Bonera had what it took to become a truly great player, but also knew that he wasn't there yet, and was unlikely to be a mainstay of the first team, due to the quality of Yobo and Boumsong. With this in mind, I felt that the Arsenal deal was best for everyone, as the 50% sell on clause could bring in a large sum of money in the future, if the player fulfils his potential. Fri 23rd July Pre Season Friendly Bradford City 0 - 4 Everton Starting XI Wright, Naysmith, Hibbert, Boumsong, Yobo McFadden, Morgan, Nyarko, Deco Todorov, Carew I rested Rooney and put Davis on the bench for the match today, and Mahdavikia was unable to play due to a slight groin strain. Boumsong, Deco and Carew however, made their Everton bows in an easy victory over Bradford. We left it pretty late to start scoring, but were always in control - which was pleasing, given that we had only recently returned to training, and Bradford had begun theirs a week earlier. The goals did not start to come until I made several changes. The resistance was finally broken in the 62nd minute by Daniel Braathen (on for Deco at half time). The Norwegian received the ball on the edge of the box from Nyarko, jinked to the side of a defender, before curling a delightful right footed shot past the goalkeeper. Braathen doubled the lead just 6mins later, latching onto a pull back from Todorov to hammer home from 10 yards. The third was scored by Joseph Yobo, who headed in a James McFadden outswinging corner from the left hand side. The final touches were put on a good win by late substitute Sean Davis, as he volleyed into the top corner from 20 yards, after good work from Craig Garside down the right. The only concern after the match was a slight knock to John Carew, but it didn't seem to be anything serious. (He was withdrawn at half time as a precaution). Sat 24th July Recently, I have had scouts watching Scott Parker playing in Charlton's pre season matches. Today I was informed through a friend that Newcastle had made a £5m bid for the player, matching a release clause in Parker's newly signed contract with relegated Athletic. I decided that the player was someone I wanted at the club, and made a similar bid. Contract negotiations would take place on Monday. Mon 26th July Today I met with Scott Parker and his agent, and was told that Spurs, Liverpool and Kaiserslautern had also made bids, along with Real Sociedad, who want to take the player on a year's loan, with a view to a permanent transfer. Along with Bill Kenwright, I made the player a generous contract offer, and stressed to him that he was a player I would love to have at the club for the long term future. Tues 27th July Pre-Season Friendly Norwich 2 - 1 Everton Starting XI Turner, Colbeck, Garside, O'Hanlon, Yobo Braathen, Mahdavikia, Nyarko, Brown Todorov, Symes I sent out a more or less reserve side (with one or two exceptions) in the first half against Norwich, and unsurprisingly found myself 2-0 down at halftime to goals from Mark Robertson and a Mark Rivers penalty. I changed almost the entire team at half time, only Yobo and Braathen remaining on the pitch (the Norwegian moving from the left wing to central midfield). The second half performance was much improved, and Braathen grabbed a goal (his third of the pre-season). A wonderful 50 yard pass from Wayne Rooney (making his first appearance) was nodded on by McFadden and Braathen took one touch before finishing well past Joe Lewis in the Norwich goal. We kept pushing, but unfortunately couldn't find an equaliser - but at the end of the day, the results are not the important thing in games like this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Fri 30th July Today I received several derisory bids of £1.2m for Tony Hibbert. I don't know if they'd heard from some source that he had some sort of release clause in his contract, or that I was looking to offload him, but i either case they were mistaken - the bids were rejected out of hand and the parties involved (Birmingham, Villa, Leeds) were informed that further approaches would not be welcomed. Sat 31st July Pre-Season Friendly Chester 0 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Naysmith, Hibbert, Boumsong, Yobo McFadden, Mahdavikia, Davis, Deco Rooney, Carew A full strength side was fielded for this friendly against local side Chester, with Sean Davis and Wayne Rooney making their first starts of the pre-season as I started to work the squad towards full fitness. In the end, the match was settled by Deco's first goal for the club, just 2mins into the match. Mahdavikia moved down the right hand side, wriggling past two defenders to cross into the area. Carew rose well above the centre backs and nodded down for the Portuguese international to volley home from just 8 yards. For the rest of the match, we bombarded the Chester goal, having chance after chance to increase our lead, but, somewhat worryingly, we were unable to do so. It has also not escaped my attention that our two first choice strikers have thus far failed to score - hopefully this will change as fitness levels rise. Tues 3rd August Li Tie became the third Everton player this summer to sign for Watford today (for £1.5m) when his application for a new work permit was granted. I also made loan bids for a few players, who I wanted to have a look at over the coming season before deciding whether or not to sign them on a more permanent basis. Thurs 5th Aug Pre-Season Friendly Charlton 0 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Naysmith, Hibbert, Boumsong, Yobo McFadden, Mahdavikia, Davis, Deco Rooney, Carew Again the side started at full strength against a Charlton team including Scott Parker, who was still considering the offers from ourselves, Liverpool, Tottenham, Kaiserslautern and Real Sociedad. The game was won by one goal early in the match, and one near the end. The first came after 8mins, when James McFadden received the ball out on the right, and, using his first touch, cut in on the first defender's blind side, and accelerated towards goal. As he entered the penalty area, he turned Luke Young inside out twice, before blasting his shot into the top corner past the helpless goalkeeper - It was a strike that would certainly have won goal of the month, had it not been scored in a "meaningless" pre-season friendly. Despite having the majority of the play, we were unable to double our lead until the 85th minute, when John Carew flicked the ball out to the excellent McFadden, and the young Scot crossed first time for Wayne Rooney to fire his volleyed shot wide of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net from 15 yards, breaking his pre-season duck. A decent win overall, against a Charlton side who will be expected to gain promotion back up to the Premiership in the coming season. McFadden especially was in fine form - a constant menace down the left hand side, taking the ball past opposition players for fun. Mon 8th Aug Today I was delighted to welcome to the club Mikael Forssell and Massimo Donati who signed on season long loans from Chelsea and AC Milan respectively - with a view to permanent transfers if they impress sufficiently during the course of the season. Tues 10th August Pre-Season Friendly Bristol Rovers 0 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Naysmith, Hibbert, Boumsong, Yobo McFadden, Mahdavikia, Davis, Deco Rooney, Carew Our penultimate pre-season friendly, and the first that I would treat as a proper game (e.g no mass substitutions). Bristol Rovers perhaps provided sterner opposition that I had been expecting, and managed to hold us at 0-0 until the 52nd minute. McFadden, once again on sparkling form, was the one to break the deadlock, as he got himself on the end of Mahdavikia's cross, and headed home. Despite vastly superior possession, and the constant thread of McFadden marauding down the left wing, the score remained at 1-0 until 3minutes into injury time. Daniel Braathen (on as a half time substitute for the below par Deco,) received a fine through ball down the centre from Rooney, strode into the penalty area, rounded substitute goalkeeper Ryan Clarke and finished into the empty net. Another passable victory, enhanced by the continued good form of McFadden and Braathen, and the fact that the entire team came through unscathed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 pretty decent pre-season results against good opposition - good luck for the season opener Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 side note: i'm currently 12 games into the second season, and my players are driving me up the wall! for some reason this season, pretty much all of my team seem to have lost their ability to finish. i'm gonna go and throw some football boots at them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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