Sunday, January 22, 2012

Everton: Sucker-Punched and Two Points Lost!

Everton gave away two points after a good 1st half where Everton pulled ahead with a goal. Goalkeeper error by Howard brought the game to parity.

Everton starts with Duffy once again after their defence line was decimated by injuries. New boy Gibson retains his place. Anichebe is given a start after his lovely goal in the previous match.

As early as the 2nd minute, Donovan incisive cross provided a lovely chance for Anichebe. But the striker mis-timed his kick, but Blackburn had the first clear chance on goal. Their player jinked into the penalty area and none of Everton's defenders dared to make a silly challenge. That gave the opponent the chance to run amok and only Howard stood tall to use his legs to block the shot. So close.

Duffy also had to run across the field to clear the ball. The defence looked rather shaky.

Donovan has been performing way above the standards of any Everton player. A cross by him in the 23rd minute saw Neville slamming the ball towards goal. Corner. Donovan cross arrived at Felli's chest and controlled it with his hands too. Predatory Cahill was there to slot the ball into goal. Finally he scored! Everton 1-0 Blackburn. Assist: Felli.

In the 33rd minute, Cahill made a reverse pass for Donovan who ran through on goal, onlt to smack it beyond the goal. Soon it was Blackburn's turn to try. Felli gave away the ball in the final third and the Blackburn player took the ball and smacked it against Everton vertical. Phew!

A really long throw by Howard sets Donovan off his mazy run. Stopped clumsily by a Blackburn defender. Free kick by Bainesy. Curled away too early.

Everton has been treated with rough-house play by Blackburn.

Half-time, Cahill finally scorces his goal after more than a year of drought. Still, the crowd needs more impetus by Everton to smile.

Moyes has seen enough from Saha. The striker is being replaced by Drenthe with Anichebe moving to the forward position and the winger is making all the right moves with his very direct play.

Messed up defence in the 71st minute! Howard missed the ball and Cahill was there to clear the line but it bounced off a Blackburn player and into the goal. Everton 1-1 Blackburn. Rubbish of a goal.

Second replacement by Moyes in the 80th minute - Vellios for Anichebe.

Duffy came so close to scoring from Bainesy's freekick - hit the woodwork. Final sub: Strac on for Gibson.

Lovely header by Felli in the 90th minute but palmed away. Another malee caused by a corner by cleared once again.

We just did not defend well enough and two points went a bagging.

Score: Everton 1-1 Blackburn
Scorer: Cahill
Assist: Felli
Subs: Drenthe, Strac, Vellios

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Everton - A Good Point Away From Home

Everton gets a point for all their huffing and puffing. A point away from home is definitely a good point.

Everton's squad is wafer thin as injuries blighted the club. Drenthe and Felli were brought back and new signing Darron Gibson is brought straight into the squad. Donovan also played his third game for the club.  As for the formation, Moyes continued to play 4-5-1 with misfiring pair Saha and Cahill playing upfront.

As early as the 7th minute, Aston Villa took a stinging free kick that Howard had to palmed away. Close call.

Gibson was lively and he created the first clear chance for Everton. A nicely weighted floater saw Cahill running in blind towards the penalty area, only to hit the ball weakly. To be fair, it was not an easy ball to bring down. Everton had an even better chance in the 17th minute. A free kick by Bainesy saw Saha's skimming header palmed away by Villa's goalkeeper. That should have been 1-0 to Everton!

Saha had another chance when Saha was tugged down in the penalty area. But the striker did not even complain about it. You really have to wonder why.
 
In the 23rd minute, Villa nearly killed themselves when Villa's defender Stephen Warnock had wanted to help Everton score with a wonderful header, wonder save by the Villa goalkeeper again!

At the end of the 1st half, Everton only had one shot on target and yet we have more of the possession. This is the state of the Toffee's football.


In the 2nd half, Bainesy took a freekick in the 48th minute straight to the head of Felli . The ball was heading into goal, only to be saved by Villa's goalkeeper's chest? How was that possible?

In the 55th minute, Villa broke through Everton's defence to hook in the ball. Villa 0-1 Everton. This is totally saddening.

Suddenly Everton seemed to be in a disarray! The Toffees had to replace Drenthe in the 60th minute. Looks like he is injured. In comes Anichebe and what an introduction.

A sliced pass in the 67th minute by Donovan saw Anichebe lurking just onside. He latched onto the ball and placed it past the on rushing goalkeeper. Goal! Villa 1-1 Everton.

Gibson is taken off after 80 minutes of hard running and lack of match fitness saw him being replaced by Bily.

It all came alive again for Everton in the 85th minute when Donovan, Saha and Anichebe came marauding forward. Final shot by Anichebe palmed away by the oppposing goalkeeper.

Final substitution in the 88th minute - Strac in for Saha.

After 90 minutes, Everton came away with a point. Can't complain about the final score. At least we are climbing up the table.


Score: Villa 1-1 Everton
Scorer: Anichebe
Assist: Donovan
Subs: Anichebe, Bily, Strac

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Everton: Sucker-Punched to Defeat

Everton scores a lovely goal from the length of the field but Everton's luck ran dry with three injuries that left Moyes no choice but to rejig the team. The Toffees could not make any tactical changes and with that, they received one sucker punch after another.

Our talisman of two seasons ago, Donovan is back, and that somehow gave Moyes a belief in wanting to play 4-4-2 soccer. He gave Strac and Donovan a start while dropping Cahill to the bench. The American and Ossie have been placed on both wings with Neville and Heitinga holding the midfield. We do not see Felli and Coleman as they are still out injured.

Right from the onset, Everton looked more threatening in attack as finally Saha has a partner-in-crime.

So far, Strac has shown that he is a willing runner and a good header of the ball. Donovan has also given the team a different dimension. There were more movement along the wings.

The Toffees has more control of the ball in comparison to other games but still they do not look like they are going to score anytime soon. Still, Ossie has been top grade for this game. Tricky on the turns and in the 34th minute, his try on goal went just wide. Best try on goal so far.

Jag had to leave the field in the 39th minute after he allowed the ball to bounce instead of clearing the ball first time. With the ball in the hands of a Bolton player, Jag had to sprint back and he made a full blooded block, where he got himself injured. Rodwell came in as our first substitution.

In the 44th minute, Everton had a chance with Donovan running through towards goal but was fouled by a Bolton player in the box only to be given a corner. Nothing came out of that. But quality running by Donovan.

Even when playing to the crowd with Moyes sending on two strikers, Everton still looked toothless. I'm starting to lean towards the idea that Saha is past his expiry date.

Bolton kicks off the 2nd half. Everton has two corners in succession as early one minute after the start, still nothing came out of those two corners. Suddenly on the counter, Everton nearly conceded with Bolton brash and direct play nearly paid dividends. Only the outstretched legs of Howard prevented Everton for going a goal down.

Moyes was forced to make another change as Ossie has been withdrawn and Magaye entered the fray in the 55th minute. Howard was forced to make a brilliant onr-handed save once again. Everton's substitute Rodwell has been substituted due to injury. Unbelievable!

The next unbelievable thing that happened was that Howard scored a goal from his own goal mouth. The goalkeeper launched the ball up field. Strac was chasing the ball, but when the ball bounced beyond him, and also beyond the Bolton's goalkeeper. Everton 1-0 Bolton.

Everton received a sucker punch with an equaliser in thr 67th minute. Everton 1-1 Bolton. 10 minutes later, The Toffees are now behind. Everton 1-2 Bolton.

Jags departure seemed to have left a gapping hole in the defence. We can immediately see that Everton also needed Ossie to be around as the midfield seemed so devoid if idea without the dimunitive midfielder.

Everton has the chance but Bainesy's free kick struck the post! It's really one of those days.


Score: Everton 1-2 Bolton
Scorer: Howard
Assist: Nil
Subs: Rodwell, Magaye, Cahill

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Lucky Three Points

Everton stole the three points by the skin of their teeth.

Rodwell returns to the team and for the first time, most of the regular defenders were occupying both the defence and midfield - Hibbo, Bainesy, Jag, Distin, Heitinga, Neville and Rodwell. The natural attacking midfielders were all on the bench. It's good to see that Anichebe is back after a long layoff. One other interesting thing is that Everton has no defenders on the bench.

Everton have been moving up the field but they somehow they seem to disintegrate in the final third of the field. Cahill had the opportunity to cross but somehow fluff it. Heitinga and Neville have been to easy to give the ball away as well.

Everton players looked totally static and non-predatory in the opposing half and have spent easily 95% of theor time in their own half, passing the ball around.

Saha had the chance to score in the 33rd minute but he seemed to be more interested to beat the ground to show his unhappiness after his misdirected shot than to really score.

Even when Everton has more of the possession, WBA still looked more dangerous on the break. Everton had another free header in the 39th minute but it went off target.

WBA has shown that they are capable of more serious attack than Everton and the Toffees needed Distin to tap the ball away when the opposing player when teeing himself up for the shot. Both teams entered the changing room with a stalemate, WBA 0-0 Everton.

I can just imagine Moyes's half time speech, " Ok guys, we have killed a half. We just need another half before we get the 1 point. In the 60th minute, I'll bring in Mucha to replace Saha because there's no defenders on the bench. Then we will play 6-4-0. I'll replace Cahill with Anichebe and play him as a defender as well." We have not scored in the first half for seven games now.


 Everton started the 2nd half with the same personnel. Everton nearly went a goal down straight from the start but the striker blasted it beyond the bar.
 
Magaye comes in for Rodwell in the 56th minute who though have been pretty ineffective was still better than some of those left on the field. This is the first time that I see Moyes bringing in the final two reserves at such early time. Anichebe and Strac coming in for Neville and Saha in the 63rd minute.
 
Finally, Everton forced WBA to make the first save in the 67th minute with a Magaye shot.
 
In the 87th minute, Hibbo puts in a lovely cross. Two WBA defenders failed to clear the ball, and Anichebe was quickest to the ball to hook it past the goalkeeper. WBA 0-1 Everton and that was the winning goal. Give Anichebe a Chang beer!
 
Score: WBA 0-1 Everton
Scorer: Anichebe
Assist: Nil
Subs: Magaye, Anichebe, Strac