EVERTON (2) vs (2) STANDARD LIEGE - FULL TIME

It was a tough game for Everton. As much as they tried to buy this win by purchasing Standard Liege's better player, Marouane Felliani. The team was happy to see the return of Ossie.

You'd think that with a full complement of the first XI players, Everton should be doing quite ok. But it turned out otherwise. In the 8th minute, Lescott was one of the culprit who could have cleared the ball away. Instead, he dillied-dallied and the ball was tapped beyond him. A cross and a goal. Everton was down 1-0.

In the 22 minute, Everton maintained parity with Yak scoring from a lovely pass from Ossie. Wonderful contribution, and wonderful sweeping goal.

But Everton was on a backfoot again when an innoculous ball that was floated across the Everton penalty box was slotted in by Yobo. Own goal!

But in the 37th minute, Castillo tried to prove why Moyes should consider taking him in on a permanent basis when he blasted the ball into the net! Everton 2-2 Standard Liege and it ended with this score.

Everton will have the unenviable task of needing to score to win in the 2nd leg. It'll be tough. Well, I guess we might as well focus on our Premiership.

Actim Players Ranking: 160908

Everton players in the Top 100.

Arteta: 12th (75) - Fourth best midfielder (16/9); Seventh (26/8); Tenth (19/8), (2/9); - Best position: 12th
Yakubu: 16th (67) - Ninth best striker (26/8), (16/9) - Best position: 16th
Neville: 75th (45) - Best position: 75th
Yobo: 85th (41) - Best position: 85th
Lescott: 90th (41) - Best position: 60th


Previous Top 100.
Baines: 82nd (25) - Best position: 82nd

STOKE (2) vs EVERTON (3) - FULL TIME

Timmy is back!!! Hope that he'll hold on fine. Also, there're starting places for Fellaini and Castillo. First time in a very long while that Moyes could play 4-4-2.

Very quickly, Everton gave away a free kick just at the edge of the penalty box. Somehow, Everton is not settling down as fast they would like to. Stoke seems to be controlling the game for the first 10 minutes of the game. Good stop by Howard in the 12th minute. The ball was actually going in.

Everton's playing rubbish while Stoke's defending really well. Can't really understand why Everton players are always fighting for the same ball as well. Really not enough communication on the field; very patchy. It's 32nd minute and Everton has not even tested the opposing goalkeeper.

From nowhere, Everton's in the lead in the 40th minute. A long ball trapped by Arteta who one touch reached Cahill. With another nice one touch, the ball came into the path of Yak who made no mistake anywhere around the penalty box. Stoke 0-1 Everton. Timmy's assist.

Everton nearly scored through a counter attack but a nice tackle on Cahill saw the ball being cleared away. Half time. Everton really needs to play better than that looking at the players we have at our disposal.

Second half sees a sluggish start once again. But Everton put in another goal from Arteta's free kick. No one closed Anichebe who flicked the ball beyond anybody's reach. Stoke 0-2 Everton. Arteta's assist.

Stoke scores one from a bullet volley. Stoke 1-2 Everton. Stoke scored again but was denied because of a foul on Yobo. But Stoke really scored this time. Stoke 2-2 Everton. Rubbish defence once again. Everton really don't know how to handle Stoke. In the 72nd minute, Everton was supposed to be awarded a penalty but instead, they were given a free kick and the chance has past.

And now, a miracle has happened!!! Everton scores from a corner!!!!! Timmy heads in a thunderbolt in the 77th minute! Crazy! Coming back from a six months layoff, and now he scores. Stoke 2-3 Everton. Timmy is taken off, Rodwell replaces him. Assist by Arteta.

Suddenly, everything comes alive. Both sides were going at each other's necks and it was edgy stuff! But Everton managed to crawl to the finishing line, barely. Timmy made a big difference tonight.

Score: Stoke 2-3 Everton
Scorers: Yak, Anichebe, Timmy
Assists: Arteta 2, Timmy
Subs: Rodwell, Vaughany

Will We Get To See Our New Buys?

So the dust of the transfer market has settled and Everton has brought in five players. So will they play?

Much news has surrounded the Toffees most expensive player, Marouane Fellaini. Will he be our midfield maestro? Will Segundo Castillo be able to replace Cars? Will we see Louis Saha and Lars Jacobsen play in the next couple of months?

Tomorrow's match will tell.

Actim Players Ranking: 020908

Everton players in the Top 100.

Arteta: 26th (47) - Tenth best midfielder (19/8); Seventh (26/8); Tenth (2/9) - Best position: 17th
Yakubu: 44th (32) - Ninth best striker (26/8) - Best position: 25th


Previous Top 100.
Lescott: 60th (29) - Best position: 60th
Baines: 82nd (25) - Best position: 82nd

Transfer Deadline

So finally, Moyes promise of bringing five to six players has come true. The fourth player to join Everton is our current record breaker Marouane Felliani. It's claimed that the club has been tracking him for the past two years and Felliani's stock has sky-rocketed and now he has cost Everton 15 million pounds. There're two fronts on how Felliani will handle the Premiership:- Learn the physical way of handling the defenders, or sink. I hope that we have not purchased him on impluse because of Moyes's promise to bring in players.

The fifth signing is ex-Wigan shot stoppoer Carlo Nash. Nothing to crow about, but he's brought in as a cover to Howard and guess what, he's been given the No. 1 jersey. But is he really No. 1?

So all in all here're the make-up of the new players:- A perpectually injured striker, a second rated goalkeeper, a free transfer defender, a south american so-so midfielder and a 15 million pound youth.

So will Everton compete in the top five at the end of this season. With much luck. I hope I'm proven wrong. I really hope I am.

A Striker Checks In!

Louis Saha has arrived! All you wish for him is to be fit, at least for 10 games in a season. Saha is a good player, but he's as fragile as toothpicks. On his good day, he would match any world class striker. Just cross my knickers and hope everything holds up.

Truthfully, we need another few other players, but we are really just a couple of hours away before the the transfer deadline. So can Moyes pull through a few more loan deal?

We'll see.

EVERTON (0) vs (3) PORTSMOUTH - FULL TIME

So now, Everton's strikeforce looks much healthier with the return of Vaughny who is starting, and Anichebe who is on the bench. The game against Portsmouth will prove to be a test for Everton. The Toffees have started brightly but it's still quite even plain.

But suddenly, Portsmouth is in front with a Defoe goal. Everton 0-1 Portsmouth. Everton has been bamboozled by the joint strikeforce of Defoe and Crouch. Pressure!

Ossie had a long distance shot in the 18th minute by it was rising into the terraces. Nearly in the 20th minute!!! Yak made a cross from the left channel and Arteta stuck it sweetly only for the opposing goalkeeper to palm the ball away for Arteta to go for a rebound. But it was saved!

Another save by Portsmouth in the 31st minute! Yak thought that he was going to score only to see the opposing defender hook the ball away. But suddenly, Everton is down by two goal. Everton 0-2 Portsmouth.

Great start to the second half. Penalty given for a foul on Vaughny in the 45th minute! But it's saved! Yak could not score! Gifted chance but can't score! Oh boy. Fight Everton fight! Ossie strike on goal in the 56th minute but saved. Vaughany replaced by Anichebe. C'mon!

And now Everton is down by three goals. Everton 0-3 Portsmouth. Baxter on for Ossie. It's not for Everton's want of trying, but Portsmouth was playing above themselves. Anichebe tries in the 74th minutes. Saved again. No way through to Portsmouth goal.

Nothing the team could do. Sigh.

Score: Everton 0-3 Portsmouth
Scorer: Nil
Assist: Nil
Subs: Anichebe, Baxter

Defensive Midfielder Checks In

Great! Two players within a week, and a third might be coming in. Ecuadorian international Segunda Castillo will take over the role that Cars has vacated. Wait a minute, if Jacobsen takes over Neville temporary role of a right back, while Castillo takes over Neville actual role as a defensive midfielder, what role will Neville play?

Hmm, I wonder.

Actim Players Ranking: 260808

Everton players in the Top 100.

Arteta: 17th (40) - Tenth best midfielder (19/8); Seventh (26/8) - Best position: 17th
Yakubu: 25th (37) - - Ninth best striker (26/8) - Best position: 37th
Lescott: 60th (29) - Best position: 60th
Baines: 82nd (25) - Best position: 82nd

Right Back Checks In!

Hot from the press! Danish right-back Lars Christian Jacobsen will be Moyes's first signing of the season. A seasoned campaigner and an International, the 28 years old Jacobsen will provide good cover on the right, with Hibbo still out injured.

No more "giveaway penalties" from Neville. He can now move to the midfield and take up Cars's role as a defensive midfielder.

WBA (1) vs EVERTON (2) - FULL TIME

Today's team looks more balanced with two seniors on the bench. Last match as you remembered, was fear-inducing - The entire bench were filled with youngsters. This game also sees a young striker Jose Baxter eclipsing James Vaughan to become the youngest player to start a game. All of 16 years and 198 days.

Everton starts the game looking a little bit more confident but it was WBA that pegged the Toffees back with their quick inter-play. But so far, Everton has accounted themselves quite well though with Baxter and Rodwell being pretty composed. That bodes well for the future. Lescott and Arteta are also influencing the game.

Arteta made a change to the centre of the field in the middile of the first half as he had no breath to play on the right. Rodwell switched to the right, while Baxter has to be pushed to the left, leaving Yak to play alone upfront.

Not much of a threat and the game looked to be patering off even before they have started. WBA is having a good stranglehold of the game and even with Ossie's direct play through the centre, he would very quickly be surrounded by four or five WBA players. This literally left Yak stranded. The only channel to a possible goal was through dead ball situations led by Arteta. But so far, it has not reaped any dividends.

In the second half, Everton started on the back foot once again. A good pass carved Everton's defence open and the opposing striker was one-on-one with Howard who made himself big and ensured that the ball did not end up in the back of the net.

Moyes just had to do something and fortunately, he has in his arsenal James Vaughan who was not even considered fit on Friday.

He was thrown into the thick and he made the difference, running and chasing every ball.

In the 62nd minute, Rodwell placed the ball in the goal but the referee said no. Truly so no reason why. Then within a minute, Everton is ahead. Arteta trodded up the right channel, placed the ball nicely into the path of Ossie, who then did a little shimmy and tucked the ball neatly into the left corner.

But WBA has not given up and they continue to peg at Everton's goal. But Ossie tried from outside the box from the corner nearly putting the ball into the goal.

In the 75th minute though, Everton gave WBA a bitter pill to swallow when Lescott dispatched a long ball from defence for Yak to chase. The opposing defender allowed the ball to bounce and Yak nipped in to head the ball pass the opposing keeper. WBA 0-2 Everton. Two headed goal by Yak in as many games. Yak was then replaced by Valente to allow him a well deserved breather.

Even when WBA reduced the deficit in the 88th minute through a penalty, Everton was already smiling all their way to the bank.

Score: WBA 1-2 Everton
Scorers: Ossie, Yak
Assists: Arteta, Lescott
Sub: Vaughany, Valente

Moyes Has To Get Everton Out Of This Mess

When a manager says he takes responsibility of the wrongs that is happening to the club, it does not offer much confidence to both players and fans alike.

What scares me more is that if Everton loses their matches against supposedly smallers teams such as West Bromich Albion and Hull City, it'll be mayhem at Goodison Park! Players' self-believe will start to plummet and fans, who were on the backs of the Toffees during their first game against Blackburn Rovers, will continue booing them. This will be disastrous to Everton's 08/09 campaign.

As much as a prideful manager who wants to bring in quality players, the squad is bleeding because there is no quantity. Names of players have been tossed around for the entire close season - Andrei Arshavin, Zoltan Gera, Jimmy Bullard, Vagner Love, Stephane M'Bia, Joao Moutinho, Tiago Mendes, Diego Milito and many more.

When the club mentioned that they were interested in bringing in injury-prone Alan Smith and Freddie Ljunberg, it brought a cautious smile to the faces of the Evertonians. But it seems like even these fast retiring players are not even coming to Everton.

Prior to this transfer debacle, Everton has placed themselves in a very favourable position. Finishing fifth in the Barclays Premier League, did well in the UEFA Cup, and even booked their place in the upcoming UEFA Cup. With so much excitement and the opportunity to build on a strongly bonded team, surely quality players will want to join the club.

But David Moyes has now conceded that its not only about the opportunities to win medals, but it's also the money. Things have changed tremendously. What you can buy with one million pounds in the 80s is now just spare change. Also, players' salary has sky-rocketed.

There is not much time left to salvage the issue of the lack of players, and there is no way to bring in the big names now. But Moyes has done well bringing in players from the the championship divison - Joleon Lescott, Andrew Johnson, Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill. He should continue with this transfer policy to keep Everton above water. Also, continue to bring in loan players. Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar proved to be gems for the club as they showed great influence in proping Everton up to fifth place last season.

This will ensure that there are players to cover each department for now. The big names can wait.

Actim Players Ranking: 190808

Everton players in the Top 100.

Arteta: 18th (24) - Tenth best midfielder (19/8); Best position: 18th
Yakubu: 62nd (16) - Best position: 62nd

EVERTON (2) vs BLACKBURN (3) - FULL TIME

Everton will start their 08-09 season with a bench filled with only youngsters. Even for the first XI, we don't even have 11 first team senior players. Moyes had to throw in Rodwell and left back Valente, who's usually not in Moyes's first team. I suspect that the manager might have to throw in Baxter later on.

Rodwell took his first shot in the 3rd minute and it was on target albeit a bit weak. But very quickly when the ball was in play, Rodwell gave the ball away without being under pressure. We look really thin in the midfield.

It's the 9th minute and Yak has barely touched the ball while Blackburn looks like they have settled in much better than Everton. The opposing striker, Santa Cruz has threatened the Everton goal twice with his headers. Everton better beware. Somehow, Howard's jersey (Green)and shorts (Grey) colour mismatch might just cause Blackburn to go blind.

Howard showed a pretty safe hands so far as he stopped a good shot in the 16th minute. Ossie created some problem for the opposing goalkeeper when his cross took a deflection that was heading to the top right of the net. Nothing came out of that corner. Everton left channel is a little weak as Bainsey has to take on the role of a left winger.

Ok, Everton is now behind in the 21st minute with a sweetly-taken goal. Everton 0-1 Blackburn.
Once again, Everton is being pegged back. what's more, home soil! Everton is playing so badly that Yak has to play deep to get the ball. Bollocks!

Everton is barely getting a touch of the ball. It's Moyes's inability to sign player that's getting the club into trouble. you can't blame injuries as that's bound to happen. For the midfield, Jag, Rodwell and Bainsey are nowhere near dangrous nor creative.

In the 40th minute, Yak won a free kick for Everton. Arteta clipped the ball over the top of the goal. But five minutes later, Everton won another free kick just on the left edge of the penalty box. Arteta stepped up and curled the ball past Rolly Robinson. GOALLLL!!!! Everton 1-1 Blackburn. Half time. Everton manage to draw parity to the scoreline but the host has to up the pace or face defeat.

Everton made a good start in the 46th minute with Bainsey providing a lovely cross from the left. Yak had a slight touch of the ball but could not direct the ball at goal. The Toffees are playing much better in the second half. Everton wins a corner in the 61st minute. Taken by Arteta, but Jag just planted the header a little too high.

In the 62nd minute, Yak picked up the ball from a long plomp from Howard. the striker went on to turn the defenders and even had the odesity to try for goal though it did not go in. In the 63rd minute, Everton broke quickly with Arteta crossing the ball for Yak to head home. Everton 2-1 Blackburn. Within a minute, Everton paid dearly for a lack of concentration on the part of Lescott. Parity once again. Everton 2-2 Blackburn.

Valente has been replaced by Jose Baxter in the 78th minute. The crowd were on their feet as they know that Baxter is one for the future and a brilliant one in fact - Coming in at a tender age 16.

Exciting! A good cross by Jag in the 88th minute and Baxter was at the end of the ball. The ball however flew wide.

But in the final minute, Everton concedes a goal! Everton 2-3 Blackburn. We lose the 100% home record on the very first day. It really feels sick! I would have settled for a draw, but its not to be. Very, very bitter pill to swallow.

Score: Everton 2-3 Blackburn
Scorer: Arteta, Yak
Assist: Arteta
Subs: Baxter

Start of the Season: Where Will Everton Stand?

Everton's starting their season tomorrow and it brings much concern. Losing players, gaining none. I can't say that I'm convinced with their pre-season as well. Adding salt to injury, the club will be without Pienaar, one of the more influential player during our pre-season.

So we're playing Blackburn tomorrow. Can we win? Of course, silly! We'll win alot of angst!

I really don't see Everton finish anywhere near the top three, but top 10? I believe so.

Let's hope that Yak don't choose to be lazy because if he's deemed ineffective tomorrow, there're no other seasoned striker to replace him. We drew other two games against Blackburn last season. Let's hope that we can win this match.

Prediction: Everton 1-0 Blackburn

Friendlies: Summary

So is Everton ready for the start of the Premiership? Well, let's take a look at how they have performed in their friendlies.

P W D L F A

7 2 2 3 7 10

So was that impressive? By looking at the records, no. With a goal difference of minus three, AvM being injured again after fighting back from serious injury and lost of form. There was even side shows where Yobo's brother got kidnapped in Nigeria and the resignation of the club's CEO, Keith Wyness.

Well it's not all gloom, I guess. Firstly, two youngsters were on the scoring list - Jut and Baxter. Also, the latter has been on an electrifying form. what's promising is that he's only 16 years old. Other youngsters who were thrown into the fold - Kieran Agard, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell all performed extremely well.

Secondly, we saw the return of Arteta, Ossie, Bainsey and Vaughny. We need all the players we can get. Thirdly, Pienaar preformed extraordinarily well in the last couple of games.

So Everton may not be in the top four, maybe not even the top six, but what I know is that we will give those supposed top four clubs a run for their money. There's a future!

Friendlies scorers

Jutkiewicz (2), Jag (1), Baxter (1), Ossie (1), Arteta (1)

Anichebe in the Olympics

Ok, there's good news and there's bad.

Anichebe scored a goal against Japan. This puts Nigeria in a good position to go through to the next round of the Olympics soccer. BUT! This means that Anichebe may be at the olympics till the end of August. We are short of strikers, but I hope that with his form, he will bring that form back to Everton, not injury.

Thanks AJ

Dear AJ,

I can understand why you left Everton. Greener pasture? Better opportunities? You're not one of those players whom I'd say "good riddance". You played your heart out for the club, and I truly respect. All the best to you and your Fulham journey.

Signed

Singapore-Evertonian

American Round-up

One lost and one win. As always, a win is always sweet. It was interesting to note that Arteta and Ossie both scored. That was important as these are the players that you would want to do well over the season.

We lost to Chicago Fire without even a whimper. Not even a goal. But we won 2-1 against Colorado Rapids.

The final pre-season game will be with PSV Eindhoven. Guess this will be a truly tough match before we start our season proper against Blackburn at home on 16 Aug.