TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 **gonna try to make this fairly detailed(ish) so might move pretty slow. this is my first attempt at a CM Story... so be gentle, and bear with me ** Sunday 13th July 2003 After a dispute with the Everton board, who said they were unable to authorise funds for transfers, Everton Manager David Moyes today resigned from his post. He stated his regrets at having to leave the club, but said that he felt he was no longer able to perform his duties under the present conditions. Moyes remarked, "I've very much enjoyed my time at Goodison, and wish them and their new manager all the luck in the world. I also want to thank the Everton fans for the unquestioning support from the time i arrived at the club. I will always hold Everton in a special place in my heart, and who knows, our paths may cross again some day." Sitting alongside Moyes at the press conference was their new manager, Jamie Mellor. He and the board fielded many questions about his suitability for the job - his lack of experience and relative youth were the main topics. Everton Deputy Chairman Bill Kenwright had this to say, "We've interviewed Jamie extensively, and we have decided that he is the best man for the job, of those candidates currently available. He was in fact recommended to us by David [Moyes], and we have every faith in his ability to do the job asked of him." In his statement to the assembled press, Mellor remarked, "I'd like to thank the Everton board for giving me this opportunity, and for taking what may seem a gamble by appointing a manager who many may see as not having the relevent experience. In the coming months, and hopefully years, I will be looking to answer those queries, by continuing the good work which my predecessor started." After the press conference, Mellor met some of the assembled fans outside the ground. One such fan had this to say, "I think it's disgusting. We're a major club in one of the three biggest leagues in the world, and our board appoints this guy who no one's ever heard of. This is really hard to take, especially after losing a manager the quality of David Moyes. I hate to say it, but I'm really worried about both the immediate and long term future of this club." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 **gonna try to make this fairly detailed(ish) so might move pretty slow. this is my first attempt at a CM Story... so be gentle, and bear with me ** Sunday 13th July 2003 After a dispute with the Everton board, who said they were unable to authorise funds for transfers, Everton Manager David Moyes today resigned from his post. He stated his regrets at having to leave the club, but said that he felt he was no longer able to perform his duties under the present conditions. Moyes remarked, "I've very much enjoyed my time at Goodison, and wish them and their new manager all the luck in the world. I also want to thank the Everton fans for the unquestioning support from the time i arrived at the club. I will always hold Everton in a special place in my heart, and who knows, our paths may cross again some day." Sitting alongside Moyes at the press conference was their new manager, Jamie Mellor. He and the board fielded many questions about his suitability for the job - his lack of experience and relative youth were the main topics. Everton Deputy Chairman Bill Kenwright had this to say, "We've interviewed Jamie extensively, and we have decided that he is the best man for the job, of those candidates currently available. He was in fact recommended to us by David [Moyes], and we have every faith in his ability to do the job asked of him." In his statement to the assembled press, Mellor remarked, "I'd like to thank the Everton board for giving me this opportunity, and for taking what may seem a gamble by appointing a manager who many may see as not having the relevent experience. In the coming months, and hopefully years, I will be looking to answer those queries, by continuing the good work which my predecessor started." After the press conference, Mellor met some of the assembled fans outside the ground. One such fan had this to say, "I think it's disgusting. We're a major club in one of the three biggest leagues in the world, and our board appoints this guy who no one's ever heard of. This is really hard to take, especially after losing a manager the quality of David Moyes. I hate to say it, but I'm really worried about both the immediate and long term future of this club." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 As i sat down at my desk for the first day of my new job, i was filled with a mixture of terror and excitement. This was my dream job... I'd been an Everton fan since I was 4, and now I was responsible for their footballing fortunes. I decided I needed to get off to a quick start, and immediately set to work looking for ways to cut our over-sized wage bill, which was about £35,000p/w over what it should be. I saw that at the end of the upcoming season, there would be around £160,000p/w worth of players out of contract... most of whom would not be needed in the future. So, I wasn't TOO concerned, as the wage bill would sort itself out so long as i could keep things going for this season. However, then i saw the perfect opportunity to sort the wages out in one swoop. I called Francis Jeffers into my office, and told him that I was terminating his loan deal from Arsenal. We already had Thomas Radzinski and Wayne Rooney vying for the "quick, small striker" spot in the team, so i decided we could do without the out-of-practice Jeffers. Next, I met with my Assistant Manager, Alan Irvine, and the team of coaches, Chris Woods, Andy Holder and Jimmy Lumsden. I outlined to them the basic coaching techniques and schedules that we would be using. They seemed receptive to my ideas, and we went off to continue our different tasks. Throughout the rest of the morning, I had meetings with various players who i informed were not part of my plans, and as such were transfer listed. They all accepted my decision, a few promising to change my mind with their performances in pre season, which I was sceptical about, but promised to give fair consideration to. During the afternoon, I decided to test the transfer waters. I contacted Fulham manager Chris Coleman about the wantaway Sean Davis, a player who both myself and David Moyes have long admired. I tabled a £3m bit for the tenacious young midfielder, and the Fulham boss said he would get back to me later in the week. That evening, was Everton's first pre season friendly... talk about thrown in at the deep end. I decided to let Alan Irvine handle the team (with my input of course). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Pre Season Friendly Bristol City 0 - 1 Everton First choice Keeper Richard Wright was out with a long term injury carried over from last season. Thomasz Radzinski away on international duty with Canada Starting Lineup Martyn, Hibbert, Pistone, Yobo, Stubbs © McFadden, Naysmith, Gravesen, Linderoth Rooney, Campbell an uneventful match was won for Everton by substitute Duncan Ferguson with a typical towering header from a Kevin Kilbane corner in the 85th minute. After the match, new Everton boss Jamie Mellor said "well, the performance in that match wasn't too bad for starters. we pretty much dominated the game, but that is no more than we should be doing in this sort of contest. Duncan's done well at the end there, and it's nice to see him reacting positively to me transfer listing him. All in all it was a good run out. I decided to change the whole team at half time, because, even after 45mins there were a lot of tired legs out there after the long summer break." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Tues 15th July As i arrived at my desk this morning, i find a message telling me that Middlesborough manager Steve McLaren has been in touch and wants me to get back to him. I call him back, and he informs me that he is making a formal offer of £4.9m for Thomas Gravesen. I had seen Steve at our friendly Sunday, but hadn't known what he was there for. I told him I would think about it, and get back to him later in the day. When I called him back, I informed him that I wanted a 30% sell-on clause written into the deal. He agreed, and I gave him formal permission to contact Thomas. In between these two phonecalls, I received word from Fulham that my offer for Sean Davis had been accepted, but that i was now facing direct competition from Newcastle for the players signature. This worried me a little, but I hoped that the fact that i could guarantee him 1st team football would sway him to joining us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Wed 16th July Today I received £500k offers for the transfer listed Lee Carsley from both Aston Villa and Spurs. Both offers were accepted, as the player was not in my plans, not having even made the subs bench in Sunday's friendly. I myself also had two transfer offers accepted today. A season long loan deal for Massimo Maccarone from Middlesborough, and a £200k deal for young Norwegian midfielder Daniel Braathen. Towards the end of the day, i received two new offers for Thomas Gravesen, from Fenerbahce and Aston Villa. Both of these were negotiated up to match the offer from Middlesborough. Thu 17th July Today, I was able to unveil my first two signings as Everton manager. Massimo Maccarone joined for a year on loan, and I was delighted to announce that Sean Davis had turned down the option to go to Newcastle in order to join us. Lee Carsley also joined Spurs for half a million. I had landed my major target for pre-season in the signing of Davis, and things were starting to look up... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Fri 18th July Today we embarked on a short pre season tour of Germany, which I hoped would get the squad morale up, along with giving us much needed match practice. Bergedorf 3 - 2 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Pistone, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Gravesen, Davis Rooney, Maccarone A lively match, which started off with chances at both ends. In the 19th minute, Thomas Gravesen gave the small band of Toffees fans what could turn out to be a parting gift, when the ball was squared to him by Naysmith on the left, and he lashed the ball home from fully 30 yards. The game quietened down until half time, when the Everton boss once again made a full change of personnel. Mellor will have been a little worried by his decision though, as they then proceded to concede 2 goals in the space of 4mins. First the defence backed off the German striker, who slotted home from inside the area (no doubt Mellor will be having words with defensive coach Jimmy Lumsden). The second however, there was little anyone could do about, as Mattias Jungworth slammed the ball into the top corner from 35yards, giving Nigel Martyn no chance. After 62mins, Niclas Alexandersson gave Everton some hope with a scrambled goal from a corner. This hope, however was dashed as, 4mins into injury time, they were beaten by a header from a corner, which squirmed in off the far post. After the match, Mellor offered these comments, "Obviously we're not happy with the result here, but the name of the game at this stage is fitness... and I feel we are making great strides in that area. I felt we were unlucky to lose the game, we had many opportunities to win it. But at the end of the day, if you don't take your chances, you're going to be made to pay, whatever the level." I was cheered up later in the evening when my P.A telephoned to inform me that Daniel Braathen had signed. I rate this youngster highly, and was glad to hear he would be flying out to join us in time for our next match. Sun 20th July Today, Thomas Gravesen signed for Middlesborough in a deal worth a little under £5m plus a 30% sell on clause. I was sorry to see Thomas leave, but needed the money to finance further squad rebuilding. I set about searching for a replacement. In other news, Edgar Davids signed for Barcelona in a deal which starts at £8m. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Mon 21st July Today, we have the second match of our German tour. Siegen 0 - 4 Everton Starting Lineup Martyn, Hibbert, Pistone, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Linderoth, Davis Rooney, Maccarone Everton were in fine form today as they demolished this small German outfit. The scoring started after 15mins when, after good work from Sean Davis, Linderoth found himself in the clear, and smashed the ball into the top corner. The advantage was doubled when, on the 19min mark, Wayne Rooney beat 3 men, before flicking the ball over the last defender to the onrushing Maccarone, who took a touch before slotting past the keeper. Jamie Mellor once again shuffled his pack at half time, replacing the majority of his starters. Four minutes into the second half, Kevin Kilbane flicked the ball on for fellow substitute Duncan Ferguson, who, in one fluid motion, swivelled as the ball dropped over his shoulder, and smashed a volley into the top corner, further enhancing his claim for a first team place. The rout was completed on 56mins when Steve Watson headed home a Kilbane corner from the right. Daniel Braathen impressed in his second half debut, running his marker ragged, going past him time and time again. Manager Mellor was understandably happy after the match. "I couldn't have asked much more from the lads, they've put in a quality performance tonight. I'd especially like to congratulate Daniel Braathen. He's only been with the squad for a day or so, but he's already shown what a prospect he is." Tue 22nd July Today, i rejected a £500k bid from Charlton for Alessandro Pistone, telling Alan Curbishley to throw in Scott Parker and we might talk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Wed 23rd July Tonight was the final match of our German mini tour. The opposition was a bit of a step up from the previous two games. Karlsruhe 4 - 2 Everton Starting Lineup Martyn, Hibbert, Pistone, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Linderoth, Davis Rooney, Maccarone Today's match took a little while to get going, but then burst into life in a 7min spell. Firstly, on 15mins, the Karlsruhe goalkeeper failed to deal with a through ball from Sean Davis, and Tobias Linderoth was able to tap the ball into the net. Four minutes later, the German side were level, a comedy of errors gifting an opening to Saenko, who rounded Nigel Martyn to score. But three minutes after that, Everton were in front again. A thunderous freekick from James McFadden struck the foot of the right hand post and rebounded across goal. Maccarone was about to convert when he was brought to ground. The Everton fans cries of "OFF OFF!" were ignored, somewhat to the bemusement of the players, but a penalty was given, which Maccarone himself converted with aplomb, the ball grazing the inside of the post on its way into the goal. Things settled a little until half time, when Everton manager Jamie Mellor made his usual rash of Eriksson-esque substitutions. However, these may have disrupted the balance of the side, as, direct from the kickoff, Saenko took a few strides, and slammed the ball at goal from fully 40 yards... substitute goalkeeper Iain Turner could only palm the ball into the top left corner of his net. Six minutes later, disaster struck for Everton, as Turner dived for a ball, and collided with the post. He lay clutching his shoulder as medics attended to him, but was stretchered off, leaving Kevin Campbell to take his place in goal. The match went downhill from there, Campbell conceding two goals, in the 70th and 85th minutes, giving the game to Karlsruhe. "It looks like Iain is going to be out for around 8 weeks, as we think he has broken his collarbone. I felt we were doing pretty good up until that point, but obviously any team is going to struggle without a goalie. The tour's been good, but i think we're all looking forward to getting back to Bellefield" said Blues boss Mellor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Thu 24th July Today, i was delighted to have a £3m offer for Mikel Arteta of Rangers accepted. Hoping to bring him in as soon as possible to plug the gap left by Gravesen's departure. Sun 27th July Today I unveiled new £3m signing Mikel Arteta to the assembled press and fans. He will go straight into the squad for Thursday's friendly vs Millwall. His top notch passing ability should add some guile to our steadily improving midfield. Arteta: "I'm delighted to have joined Everton. I have great faith in the new manager's plan for the future, and look forward to working with him, and my new team mates, and to testing myself in one of the greatest leagues in the world." Thu 31st July A friendly back on English soil, and a chance to watch our new signing in action. Millwall 1 - 3 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Arteta, Davis Rooney, Maccarone Everton started well in this match, Rooney putting in a pinpoint cross from the right to the edge of the area, which Maccarone spectacularly volleyed home. Millwall however were level after 23mins when May climbed above McFadden to flick the ball on to Cahill to smash past Martyn. The game stayed level until the last 8mins, when, buoyed by a few timely substitutions, Everton went on the warpath, bombarding the Millwall goal. The pressure paid off when Radzinski found an opening, after the ball was squared by Braathen. Four minutes later, it was 3-1, when Linderoth hammered a free kick goalwards. The ball took a wicked deflection off a Millwall defender, stranding the goalkeeper, and tying up the match. Jamie Mellor was unsurprisingly buoyant afterwards. "I'm really pleased with the performance here today, and to be honest, it could have been far more. We bossed the game, and, but for one little defensive lapse, should have kept a clean sheet. The boys are looking much fitter, and they look like they can't wait for the season to start." Millwall manager Roy Aitken was full of praise for the Toffees. "The new manager might not have much experience, but he's certainly got those lads working well. Lets be honest, if it weren't for a great performance from our keeper, and more than a little luck, we could have been really hammered out there today." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 **Any comments on the story will be greatly appreciated... if anyone could be bothered to read this far that is** Sun 3rd Aug Our final friendly of the pre-season, and a last chance to fine tune, and do a little experimenting. Crystal Palace 2 - 1 Everton Everton will have been disappointed to have lost this, their final match of the pre-season schedule, especially in the manner in which they did so. They went behind after 35mins to an Andy Johnson goal. It was a well worked goal, although Jamie Mellor might ask questions of the positioning of a couple of his defenders. This is how the match looked like ending, until the 83rd minute when Wayne Rooney popped up to head in a Gary Naysmith cross. Then, with seconds remaining, after good work from Anton Smith, Gareth Williams received the ball in the box, and slid the ball past Nigel Martyn between the Everton sticks. "Obviously I'm gutted at having lost this game, especially after having worked to get back into it," said Mellor after the match, "We weren't at our best today, but we've got a little while to work at it before the big kickoff... Overall I'm pretty happy with the way preseason has gone, we've faced a nice selection of opponents, who've tested us in different ways. Now we'll just have to see how it comes together in the league." In other news, Manchester Utd today signed Nicolas Anelka for £13m from their cross-town rivals City. Wed 6th Aug The Premiership Title Odds were today published by Skybet, with Everton being placed 6th favourites with Spurs, at 40-1. "I think that's probably a fair reflection of the league," said manager Mellor, "To be honest I don't think we have much of a chance of the title, but we're looking at qualifying for Europe in some shape or form, then building from there." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipsix3 Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 That's not a bad start, especially if it's your first try like you said Will be interesting to see how you do in balancing the books, especially as you seem to be matching departures with arrivals Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 24, 2004 Author Share Posted January 24, 2004 Sat 9th Aug Today, Chelsea announced the signing of Lilian Thuram at £12m. A spokesman for their supporters stated his delight that their Russian benefactor's millions are going to shore up the team's defence, as well as bolstering it's attack. Sun 10th Aug Arsenal today beat Manchester United at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, to capture the season's first piece of silverware, the Community Shield. The match ended in a 1-1 (Pires, Ferdinand) draw, and went to a penalty shootout, in which the United players contrived to miss every one of their spot kicks. It was left to Lauren and Edu to tie up the match for the Gunners. Mon 11th Aug The Roman Legion at Stamford Bridge today improved their backline even further with the £10.5m signing of Brazilian centre back Lúcio. But with established internationals like Gallas, Desailly and Terry already on the books, how long before somebody gets fed up at the lack of first team action?? Today I also received £2.7m bids from Man City, Middlesborough and Celta Vigo for Tobias Linderoth. While Toby is not in my first XI at the moment, he is an important back up. With that in mind, I informed the respective managers that a deal could only be struck if they were willing to take the player at the end of the season. All agreed, and were granted permission to speak with the player. Sat 16th Aug We have been drawn at home to Cardiff City in the 2nd Round of the Carling Cup. The tie will be played on the 23rd Sept. This is an eminently winnable match, and from a financial standpoint, I'm pleased to have been drawn at home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 24, 2004 Author Share Posted January 24, 2004 Finally, the big day is here. The opening day of the Premiership season, and my first "proper" game in charge. FA Barclaycard Premiership Middlesborough 2 - 2 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone An exciting contest, and a fair result. Both sides played attacking, attractive football as they went in search of a win on the opening day. Everton started the better, and took the lead on 13 mins. A great through ball from Rooney to marauding Arteta, who slotted home with precision inside the keeper's right hand post. However, the travelling fans' jubilation did not last, as the Blues found themselves first level, then a goal behind in a poor 6min spell. First, on 28mins, a mistimed leap for a header from Tony Hibbert allowed Zenden on the Boro right to receive the ball and cross for Job, who nodded the ball into the net. Then, after excellent work from ex-Evertonian Thomas Gravesen, Michael Ricketts got off a first time shot, which was only parried by Martyn, and the rebound was smashed home by Szilard Németh. The sides emerged for the second half unchanged, with Middlesborough starting well. However, after 64 mins, Rooney received the ball from Maccarone, and set off towards goal. The 17 year old went past Alan Wright and Gareth Southgate with ease, before curling a 20yard strike past Carlo Nash in the Boro goal. From then on it was all Everton, as the away side battered the Middlesborough goal, but to no avail, and both sides left the Riverside with a point. "I thought we were a little unlucky not to get the win today," remarked Toffee's manager Jamie Mellor, "but i guess having gone a goal down away from home, we've got to be happy to have come away with anything. We definitely need to start taking our chances better though." When asked about the in-form Gravesen, and whether selling him may have been a mistake, he replied, "Thomas played very well today, and caused us some problems. But you have to remember that his replacement, Mikel Arteta also had a very good game, and in fact scored our first goal of the day." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Wed 20th Aug Defensive midfielder Tobias Linderoth agreed personal terms on a £2.7m deal to join Middlesborough at the end of the current season. I'm a little disappointed to see the player leave, but the additional funds will be important in the coming close season, and Toby will continue to play an important role in this transitional season." FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 1 - 1 Leeds Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone An evenly fought and contested match, which neither side really did enough to win. New Everton boss Mellor was paraded before the crowd prior to kickoff, receiving a good welcome, despite rumblings of discontent aimed at the board. The afternoon however, started to go downhill for Everton as, in the 27th minute, Leeds winger James Milner stabbed the ball home after Alan Smith's 15 yard shot was parried by Nigel Martyn. After the goal, the Toffees started to put more pressure on United's goal, finally making the breakthrough in the 42nd minute. A Leeds clearance was met by Alan Stubbs, who headed the ball back into United's half. Rooney picked it up, and ran at the defence, going past one before burying a shot low past Robinson from the corner of the box. Both sides had chances to finish the game late in the second half, but first Smith, then Anatoli Todorov squandered their best openings. Mellor commented after the match, "Obviously I'm not very happy with the result today, I would have like to have won my first home game in charge, but I can't fault the effort of the players. One or two of the chances maybe should have been finished off, but that's something we'll have to deal with on the training ground." Fri 22nd Aug Today i received bids for two of my players. Glasgow Rangers bid 500k plus a 50% sell on clause. The young forward is not in my first team plans, and is even being surpassed in the reserves by Michael Symes, so I accepted. The second bid was for £3m from Real Sociedad for Alessandro Pistone. Now, while the player was originally going to be in my first XI, he has been replaced by Unsworth, and a £3m offer for an injury prone defender, could not be turned down, so this too was accepted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Sun 24th Aug FA Barclaycard Premiership Portsmouth 1 - 0 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton's indifferent start to the season continued at Fratton Park today, as they were undone by a 25th minute strike from Yakubu. The ball was chipped forwards by Patrik Berger, and nodded on to the unmarked Yakubu by veteran Teddy Sheringham. The Nigerian striker allowed the ball to drop before firing home. Questions could perhaps be asked of Everton keeper Nigel Martyn, who many feel should have kept the effort out. Everton were never really at the races in a game which Portsmouth could have won by more than the single goal. Dejected Toffee's boss Jamie Mellor said, "No excuses, we simply weren't good enough today. We fell well below the level I expect of my players. One or two of them need to look at their level of commitment and effort." Tues 26th Aug Today, Alessandro Pistone and Nick Chadwick signed for Real Sociedad and Rangers respectively, relieving some of the financial burden currently weighing down on the club. In other news, Claudio Pizarro signed for Newcastle United, for an initial fee of £15.25m. Sat 30th Aug I was today pleased to hear that several of my players had been called up to represent their countries at international level. Daniel Braathen (Norway), Linderoth (Sweden), Naysmith (Scotland), Kilbane (Ireland), Yobo (Nigeria), and Rooney and Wright (England) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 hehe, good to see the toffee **** with just two points from three games on the story, been a good start so far (espeically for a first attempt) oh, and welcome to CMS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gino Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Just started a (non-story) game on 4.1.4 with Everton myself so it'll be interesting to see how you go on! Good start! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Terk: hehe, good to see the toffee **** with just two points from three games on the story, been a good start so far (espeically for a first attempt) oh, and welcome to CMS <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> it gets worse before it gets better too and thanks for the kind words and welcome... any advice also much appreciated (on the story, not the game). One mistake i've already noticed is that i forgot to take a screenshot of the league table until 10matches in... which is somewhat frustrating... will just have to make do with the progress chart, to figure out where i was after certain matches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Sun 31st Aug After a poor start to the season, I found myself in the dressing room, talking with my players, with the team 17th in the Premiership after 3 games, having only banked 2 points. As if to make things worse, Wayne Rooney and Alan Stubbs had been ruled out before kickoff with thigh and groin strains respectively. Anatoli Todorov and David Weir took their places. I told the players i needed better performances from all of them tonight, as we were facing our toughest opponents of the season so far. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 0 - 1 Newcastle Utd Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Weir, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Todorov, Maccarone A lacklustre Everton, stripped of Wayne Rooney, slumped to their second defeat in a row, this one infront of their home crowd. It was a match the Toffees never looked like winning, Newcastle having 11 shots on goal to their 3. However, it looked as if They were going to cling on for the draw until the 84th minute, when David Weir, in for the injured Alan Stubbs, brought down Kieron Dyer in the box. Up stepped Jermaine Jenas to confidently guide the ball past Nigel Martyn, and give the Magpies the win. Everton manager Jamie Mellor was livid after the match. "I can't find anything positive to say about that match. We need to buck our ideas up pretty quickly, and one or two of the lads need to start showing some of the form we see from them on the training ground. The only player I have a good word for at the moment is Nigel Martyn, who stopped us from being even more embarassed today". Shortly after kickoff, i received further bad news that my deadline day £1m bid for Lionel Morgan of Wimbledon had been rejected, and the transfer window slammed shut without further new faces joining the club. Elsewhere, Arsenal were able to spend £9.25m to land Turkish forward Tuncay. Players leave for international duty on Monday. Hopefully the break will catalyse our season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Sat 6th Sept FYR of Macedonia 0 - 1 England England ease past FYROM with a 1-0 win in Skopje. Michael Owen's 28th minute winner was set up by a beautiful 30 yard chipped through ball from Everton's Wayne Rooney. In truth the scoreline could have been much worse for Macedonia, whose manager Nikola Ilievski admitted that England had been by far the better side throughout. Wed 10th Sept England 7 - 0 Liechenstein 1-33 favourites England thrashed Liechenstein in this Euro 2004 qualifier. Owen (2), Gerrard (2), Bridge, Rooney and Joe Cole were the scorers. It was a superb performance by the home nation, with three of the goals in particular oozing class. England were already 1-0 up through an Owen goal engineered by Rooney when Wayne Bridge chipped the ball to Steven Gerrard, and the Liverpool midfielder smashed a curling, dipping thunderbolt of a volley home off the post from 25 yards. Ten minutes later, it was 3-0 as Bridge hit a curling shot off the crossbar, Rooney latched onto it, but his shot was well blocked by the keeper. Jurzik made a hurried clearance, which only found Bridge about 30 yards out, and he didn't even let the ball bounce before lashing it in off the underside of the bar. Owen set up Rooney for the fourth, before the Everton forward returned the favour for number five. Number six was another Gerrard special, as, on the left hand corner of the penalty box,he received a chipped ball from Joe Cole, and almost tore the net with his volleyed finish. It was left to Cole himself to finish the rout in the 73rd minute. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Welcome to the forums This is a good start certainly, and well written - pity the results aren't so good eh? Still Wayne Rooney will no doubt save you as usual Good luck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Results have been... to put it mildly, ****ing awful. Perhaps should concentrate more on the actual matches rather than getting stuff written down for the story nahhhhh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Sun 14th September Yesterday, it was announced that Wimbledon were going into receivership, and that the administrators would no longer turn down any reasonable offers for players. I took advantage of this to table a £250k offer for Lionel Morgan, who I had tried to sign on deadline day. The offer was accepted late last night, and today Lionel came to Bellefield for a medical, and agreed terms on the move, which will occur on Jan 1st 2004. FA Barclaycard Premiership Tottenham 1 - 0 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton slumped to their 3rd consecutive league defeat today at White Hart Lane. Manager Mellor kept faith with the players who have been underperforming recently, giving them the task of making up for previous failings. The only two changes were the return from injury of Stubbs and Rooney. Everton dominated this match from start to finish, but were unable to put away any of their 19 chances, and were undone by a 12th minute goal from former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp. It was the only shot on target Spurs could muster all afternoon, but was enough to send them away with all three points. There was controversy at the end of the match, when referee Eddie Wolstenholme blew the final whistle, just as Wayne Rooney was about to pull the trigger from about 8 yards. "I'm bitterly disappointed with the result," stated manager Mellor after the match, "I don't think anyone could have complained today if we'd come away winning by two, three or even four goals, and yet, we've somehow managed to end up with nothing. The only thing I can really say is that if we keep playing in that manner, we won't be at this end of the table for long." When asked about the manner in which the game ended, Mellor replied, "I don't like to criticise referees, they have a really tough job. Let's just say that if Mr Wolstenholme would be willing to sit down with me for a few minutes, I'd love to have a little chat with him." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Sat 20th Sept A week of hard work on the training ground ended with the visit of current Premiership Champions Man Utd to Goodison. I was understandably nervous, given our recent form, and was desperate for a result to build upon. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 0 - 0 Man Utd Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton will hope to have turned the corner with this, a creditable draw against Champions Manchester Utd. It was a fairly scrappy affair, possibly due to a rash of early substitutions caused by injuries to Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Sean Davis and Massimo Maccarone. Neither side could really get a grip on the game, and while both teams had chances to win, a draw was a fair result, and one Everton would doubtless have settled for before kickoff. Mellor said after the final whistle, "Well, that was hardly the greatest spectacle ever, but i'm pleased with the way the lads have battled out there today, especially after losing two players so early on. Sean Davis especially is vital to us, he really runs our midfield for us. Thankfully neither of the injuries look like their going to be too bad, and both should be back for the Carling Cup match in midweek. Let's just hope this is where we can turn our season around, and kick on up the league." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Tues 23rd Sept Carling Cup Second Round Everton 1 - 0 Cardiff Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton's players gave their manager his birthday present a day early, as they registered their first win of a so far difficult season, progressing to the second round by dispatching Cardiff. This was one of the most one sided 1-0 victories you could wish to see, with Cardiff not managing a single shot on target. However, Everton's continued reluctance infront of goal, which prevented them from registering a more convincing scoreline, will trouble their manager and fans alike. The match was settled in the 30th minute when, having beaten his man down the left hand side, Wayne Rooney crossed for Mikel Arteta to prod home his second of the season. Of further concern to Mellor will be the fact that Rooney hobbled off just after half time, with a suspected calf strain. "I'm very pleased with the win," said Mellor, "it's certainly been long enough in coming. A decent cup run is important to us in a number of ways - both financially and in that it provides a possible route into Europe for us." Asked about Rooney, the manager replied, "He's pretty sore at the moment, and it doesn't look like he's going to make the Birmingham game on Monday, but we're still keeping our fingers crossed. He's very important to us." Fri 26th Sept In the draw for the Carling Cup Third Round, we were paired with Wimbledon. The tie will take place at the National Hockey Stadium on the 29th October. Late this afternoon, i received a knock on my door from veteran physio Gary Simpson. He informed me that after being involved in football for nearly 5 decades, he was going to retire at the end of the season. I thanked him for his many years of service to the club, and made a note to start looking for replacements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 Nice start - a very readable tale indeed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 26, 2004 Author Share Posted January 26, 2004 442 Magazine Interview Everton Boss Andy Stevenson: Good morning, thanks for talking to us. Jamie Mellor: Good morning, thanks very much for inviting me in. AS: No problem at all. You've had a pretty tough start to the season, haven't you? JM: Yeah. This is definitely not where we wanted to be at this stage in the season, but I'm confident that we will turn it around sooner rather than later. There were some good players at the club when I came along, and I like to think I've brought in a few more. Sean Davis in particular I think has been playing well so far this season, and it's no coincidence that in the last couple of games, Sean has been more influential, and our results have improved somewhat. The main problem we've had so far is that we just don't seem to have been able to finish off the chances we've created. In our last match for example, against Cardiff, who, while a good side, are from a lower division, we had a great number of chances, but only managed to score one goal. AS: What sort of expectations did you have when you joined the club in terms of achievements this season? And, how have these expectations changed after your less than stunning start. JM: Well, when I arrived, I hoped that we could get ourselves firmly into the top half of the table, and maybe push on and claim a European place. On top of this, of course, I knew that we needed to cut the wage bill at the club. Having seen the start we've made, I still believe that a European berth can be achieved. After all, we are only 6 games into the season. Obviously, if we want to achieve what we've set out for, we can't keep get results like those we've had so far. Three points from a possible 18 is entirely unacceptable. It's ironic, I think, that our best performance of the season, and best result, came in our hardest match on paper, against Manchester Utd. AS: What about long term aims? JM: Obviously, I'd love to be at the club for an extended period of time. In that time, I would love it if we could eventually start to challenge the sides at the top of the leage... the Man Utds, the Arsenals... It's not something which is going to happen overnight, obviously, but it's got to be what we're aiming for, otherwise what is the point in coming to work each day? AS: You mentioned the financial situation at the club. How bad is it? JM: Everton are in a far better position than most clubs in the league at the moment, but we're still not in a position at the moment were we can go out and spend £20m or £30m on a single player. Our owner Bill Kenwright absolutely loves this club, and would do anything for them. However, he isn't the Roman Abramovich type who can bankroll a huge spending spree each season, and we're not willing to jeapordise the future of the club by excessive borrowing and spending. I think we need to try to emulate Manchester Utd, bringing players through from our youth system, and signing one or two as well, and building from there. Obviously if some mysterious billionaire were to come along and pour cash into the club, I might not complain too loudly, but I'm more than happy to go on as we are at the moment. AS: Now, the question that you knew was coming... Wayne Rooney. You've now had the chance to see him at first hand each day in training. How good is he? JM: [Laughs] Well, I don't really know what else to say that hasn't already been said. He's one of the most naturally gifted players I've ever seen. He can do things with a football that most could only dream of. I think the thing that really sets him apart is his first touch. When he scored "THAT" goal last season against Arsenal, I thought the way he pulled the ball out of the air was every bit as impressive as the final shot. But I don't want people to forget that we have a number of other talented youngsters at the club. Players like James McFadden, Daniel Braathen, Mikel Arteta and Anatoli Todorov can all represent Everton for years to come. One of the things I wanted to do when I joined was bring in young talent... players who can remain at the club for a considerable period. AS: Finally, is there anything coming up that you're particularly looking forward to in your future at the club? JM: Well, obviously we have the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool coming up just before Christmas, and the FA Cup. I'd love to take Everton to a cup final this season, whether in the Carling or FA Cup, but to do that, obviously there's quite a few games that need winning first. AS: Thanks for your time today Jamie, and good luck. JM: Thankyou. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted January 26, 2004 Author Share Posted January 26, 2004 Mon 29th Sept FA Barclaycard Premiership Birmingham 2 - 1 Everton Starting XI Martyn, Hibbert, Unsworth, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Naysmith, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Maccarone Everton manager Jamie Mellor must be wondering what he has to do to turn his side around. After drawing with Manchester Utd, and beating Cardiff in the Carling Cup, Everton fans must have been hoping their bad start to the season was behind them. In this match, they had the better chances once again, but failed to convert. They fell a goal behind after a terrible mix up between Martyn and Stubbs gifted the ball to Figueroa inside the area on 27 minutes, and the Argentinian tapped into an empty net. The situation worsened for Everton on 76 minutes, when David Unsworth tugged back David Dunn in the area, and Robbie Savage slotted home the penalty. Sean Davis scored a consolation goal on 83 minutes. As consolations go, it was a stunner. Joseph Yobo played a free kick to Rooney at the back post. The young England striker nodded the ball back to Davis about 30 yards out, and he took it first time, hammering a crashing volley into the top right of the Birmingham goal. This sparked a flurry of Everton attacks in the last 7minutes, but they were unable to find an opening to level the game. "I thought we were unlucky to lose today, but at the end of the day, that is no excuse for the position we now find ourselves in," stated a depressed Jamie Mellor after the final whistle, "We've now slipped into the relegation zone, and the players need to know right here right now, that I won't stand for this underachievement any longer. You're going to see changes to our starting lineup for the next match, as I bring in some of those players who have been performing well in the reserves. Hopefully this will give us the spark we need to kickstart our season at last." Wed 1st Nov Sean Davis was today awarded the Goal of the Month Award for his stunning volley against Birmingham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 ****** Sorry about the massive delay in continuing this story - two things caused it - firstly i got too involved in PLAYING the game (and making notes) and secondly been busy with work and stuff******** PS. the last date in the above post should (obviously) be Oct 1st, not November. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Sat 4th Oct International call-ups today - Daniel Braathen, Gary Naysmith, Wayne Rooney, Sean Davis, Richard Wright and Anatoli Todorov were summoned by their respective nations. Ahead of today's match against Fulham, i decided that something needed to be done, to halt our alarmingly bad start to the season. The fans had been getting restless, and I knew that I would really start feeling the heat. Sitting 18th in the table, i brought Richard Wright back into the side as he finally recovered from a longstanding injury. Dave Unsworth, and Steve Watson were dropped, being replaced by Naysmith (who dropped from ML to DL), Tony Hibbert and Kevin Kilbane. Duncan Ferguson also replaced Maccarone up front. I instructed the players to go all out for a win, and let them know that I wouldn't accept anything less that 100% from each and everyone of them. More nervous than at any point since I started in the job, I took up my seat in the dugout as 3pm rolled round. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 3 - 0 Fulham Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © Everton finally recorded their first league win of the season today, and not a moment too soon, for under pressure manager Jamie Mellor. The afternoon got off to the best possible start for The Toffees, with England striker Wayne Rooney celebrating his call up to the national squad earlier in the day, by slotting home from 10 yards, after good work from Mikel Arteta in only the second minute. The tension, both in the Everton players, and fans was visibly lifted, and they started to increase the pressure on Fulham even more. Rooney returned the favour after 28mins, flicking on a header, from Sean Davis's chipped pass. The header landed squarely in the path of the young Spaniard, who finished calmly past Van der Saar. The victory was secured 10mins after half time. Kevin Kilbane, who impressed on his first start in an Everton jersey, beat his man down the left, and fired in a pinpoint cross. The ball was met on the volley by the left boot of Duncan Ferguson, and he buried his shot beyond the outstretched hand of the Fulham keeper, into the bottom right corner of the goal. "Words can't describe how relieved I am to finally have that win under our belts." gushed Jamie Mellor after the final whistle, "I've felt for a few weeks now, that maybe we haven't been getting the results our performances have deserved, but today everything finally clicked for us. The lads who've come into the team today have all performed really well. Wayne's also had a brilliant match. Their defenders really didn't seem to know what to do with him, and he's a handful for anyone when he's in that sort of mood." The Everton boss will now only wish that he and his side did not have to wait two weeks for their next match, after this morale-boosting victory. Sat 11th Oct England today fought out a 0-0 draw with Turkey in Istanbul, thus qualifying for the Euro 2004 Finals in Portugal over the summer. Liverpool's Chris Kirkland starred in goal for England, keeping the home side at bay as they pounded the visitors' goal towards the end of the match. Sat 18th Oct Thankfully, all my players had arrived back from international duty free of injury, and I had a full squad to choose from for today's vital match against Leicester. I decided to keep the same starting line-up that had performed so well against Fulham two weeks ago - telling them to simply do the same again. FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 3 - 0 Leicester Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © A second 3-0 victory in two games for Everton had the home fans in raptures, as they and the team finally look to put their horrendous start to the season behind them. After 33mins, Wayne Rooney had the Goodison crowd on their feet as he scored a wondergoal to bring back memories of last season when Everton occupied a loftier position in the Premiership table. Rooney received the ball from Arteta just inside the Leicester half, and set of on a run. He beat 3 members of the Foxes' defensive line, before lofting the ball delicately over the onrushing Ian Walker from the edge of the box. The game tightened up from there on in, until the 73rd minute, when Rooney turned provider, laying the ball on for the substitute Daniel Braathen, who beat Walker from 8 yards as the keeper came out to narrow the angle. Sean Davis capped an accomplished performance from Everton in the final minute of the match, when, responding to a thru ball from Yobo, Walker rushed from his area, to beat Rooney to a header. Unfortunately for the some-time England man, the ball only fell to Davis, who drilled home from 35 yards, past the stranded goalkeeper. A delighted Jamie Mellor had this to say: "I'm very pleased for all the lads today. They worked very hard for the result, and thoroughly deserved the victory. Obviously it was a piece of sheer brilliance from Wayne that got us on our way today, but that's the sort of thing he can bring to the side. I'd also like to say a word about Richard Wright. He hasn't put a foot wrong since coming back from what was a very serious, even career threatening injury. Today he was again excellent - especially during the period after our first goal, when Leicester were really threatening to get back into the match." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Sat 25th Oct FA Barclaycard Premiership Blackburn 1 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © Everton manager Jamie Mellor fielded an unchanged side for the third match in a row, and was rewarded with a third consecutive victory, this time away to Blackburn. The 3 points gained here propelled them up to 12th in the league, leaving them only 2 points from a place in the top half. Wayne Rooney was once again the star of the Everton show, bagging both goals in this creditable away win. Mellor must have feared the worst for his side's mini-revival when, in the 4th minute, Aussie Brett Emerton curled home a beautiful freekick from about 20 yards, leaving Richard Wright helpless. However, the goal only served to galvanise the Everton defence, who did very well to withstand intense Blackburn pressure for the rest of the first half. The second half was much more even, with Everton's improvemen aided in no small part by the introduction at half time of the lively Daniel Braathen. The young Norwegian caused all sorts of problems for the Blackburn defence, but as the minutes ticked past, it seemed like it just wasn't meant to be Everton's day. Then, in the 84th minute, a defensive header from Alan Stubbs landed at the feet of Rooney on the halfway line. The young striker advance about 15 yards, before firing a sharp pass out right to 75th minute substitute Massimo Maccarone. The Italian ran at his defender, who backpedalled into the box. Maccarone looked up to see Rooney arriving in the penalty area at full speed. The pass into Rooney's path was perfect, and the England front man stroked his 5th goal of the season home past Brad Friedel. From there, if there was to be a winner, only one side was going to score it, as Everton threw everything they had at the Blackburn goal. In the 90th minute, their pressure was rewarded. A Kevin Kilbane corner from the left was swung out to Li Tie on the edge of the box. The Chinese international played a quick ball back to Kilbane, surprising the Blackburn defence. The winger then crossed into the crowded penalty area, and who should pop up with the header into the far corner, but Rooney, one of the smallest men on the pitch. The scenes of jubilation in the Away end signalled a hard fought victory for Everton, and the belief that the tide was finally changing in their favour. "Well, I'm delighted about the result of course, but I'd rather not have too many games like that," said Jamie Mellor after the match, "It's no good for my nerves at all. Again, what can you say about Wayne Rooney. He had a quiet match i thought, but that's the mark of a great player, that he can suddenly pop up and change a game in the space of a few minutes. Again though, i can't go without mentioning Richard Wright. He was our best player on the day I thought, and he stopped Blackburn from being totally out of sight before half time." FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 Arsenal 10 27 2 Chelsea 10 23 3 Newcastle 10 21 4 Liverpool 10 21 5 Tottenham 10 20 6 Man Utd 10 18 7 Birmingham 10 16 8 Man City 10 15 9 Wolves 10 14 10 Aston Villa 10 14 11 Blackburn 10 13 12 Everton 10 12 13 Southampton 10 12 14 Portsmouth 10 11 15 Leicester 10 9 16 Charlton 10 9 17 Middlesborough 10 8 18 Bolton 10 7 19 Leeds 10 6 20 Fulham 10 2</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 Wed 29th Oct Carling Cup 3rd Round Wimbledon 0 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © A comprehensive, straightforward win for Everton against First Division strugglers Wimbledon. The Toffees' newfound confidence really showed, as the MK Dons were more or less finished off in 4 first half minutes. The architect of their demise was Wayne Rooney, who has been in sparkling form for resurgent Everton of late. The first goal came on 17mins, after a fine sequence of passing from Everton. The ball finally found its way to the head of James McFadden, who flicked it on to Rooney on the edge of the box. Rooney took the ball on the volley, crashing his shot in off the underside of the bar, leaving Steve Banks no chance. A similar finish came just 3mins later, when Kilbane found Ferguson in space on the left. The big Scot played a delightfully chipped cross in to Rooney, who took the ball first time on his left foot, and curled a second volley of the match past the Wimbledon keeper. From there on in, Everton eased off, preferring to play possession football in a match they were never in any danger of losing. The match was finally killed off in the 68th minute, when Steve Watson met a Kevin Kilbane corner, planting his header past the flailing arm of Banks and into the Wimbledon net. When the final whistle blew a little over 20mins later, Everton had restricted Wimbledon to only 1 shot on goal, and that was off target. "I'm very glad to be in the next round of the cup," said Jamie Mellor, "and especially to have gotten there with such an assured performance. I know some people have said that this competition has been devalued of late, but at the end of the day it still provides a route into Europe, and that is something we are definitely looking towards at this club." Sat 1st Nov After several excellent displays for us over the past month, I was delighted today when Richard Wright was named the Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Month for October. It is a fitting reward for the excellent form he has been showing of late. I was a little less pleased to be drawn away from home against Man Utd in the 4th Round of the Carling Cup. However, given their history of fielding a weakened team in this competition, I hold out great hope that we can make it to the next round. Sun 2nd Nov FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 5 - 0 Wolves Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © Everton were yet again unchanged as they ran amock against a poor Wolves side at Goodison today. For once, it was not Wayne Rooney however, but another young striker who was the star of the (late late) show. The rout was begun by Duncan Ferguson in the 19th minute. Arteta slid the ball through to Ferguson, who fired in a shot from the edge of the box. The hand which Matt Murray got on the Scot's strike was not enough to keep it out of the Wolves net. Everton did not score again until the 58th minute when Steve Watson fired home the loose ball after Murray had blocked substitute Anatoli Todorov's header from a James McFadden corner. It was Todorov who was to take the plaudits (and the matchball) in the end however. There were only 10mins on the clock when the young Bulgarian, on as a half time substitute for Duncan Ferguson, latched onto a McFadden cross to head home. His personal tally was doubled 3mins later when he slotted home a penalty, after McFadden had been felled in the box by Okoronkwo. Todorov completed his hattrick in the final minute, when a loose ball from Okoronkwo fell at his feet in the box. He wriggled free of his marker and finished coolly into the bottom corner. "Obviously after that second half, and especially that last 10mins, Anatoli is going to take all the headlines tomorrow," stated manager Jamie Mellor after the match, "but I'd like to reserve some praise for James McFadden. He's had a great game today. He set up one, won the penalty for another, and was involved in two more of our goals. I felt the other team really struggled to cope with him down our right hand side today, and his willingness to run at defenders with the ball really sets opponents on edge." FA Barclaycard Premiership Standings <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 7 Man Utd 11 18 8 Man City 11 18 9 Everton 11 15 10 Aston Villa 11 14 11 Portsmouth 11 14</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 Good to see you've turned around the bad start to the season! I started a game with the Toffees a couple of days ago myself so I may have start my own story so we can compare seasons. Its interesting to see the different transfer deals you've made compared to me, where you seem to have concentrated on the midfield and up front (davis, Arteta, Todorov, Maccarone). I've signed 2 centrebacks and a midfielder (Mexes, Radoi and Kallstrom), but have left the strike force alone (Rooney, Radzinski and Jeffers are all playing very well so far). Good luck in the upcoming derby game! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 yeah, you should definitely start a story. considering there are a fair number of Everton fans on these boards, i've never seen an Everton story before in terms of team strengthening, i felt that (as in r/l) it was definitely our midfield that needed bulking up the most. our defence isn't too bad (at least on paper ) although someone will need to be brought in to replace Stubbs before the end of the season. I brought in Todorov so i could send Jeffers back to Arsenal. Not because he is no good, simply to cut a big chunk out of the wage bill. (which allowed me to bring in Arteta, who has been a revelation - after a slightly shaky start) i've actually played through into the 2nd season on this game - not telling how it all turns out though. although i will say i have some nice surprises coming in terms of end-of-season transfers, so stay tuned. nice to know someone's reading this. looking forward to seeing your story too. cheers J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 heh i was thinking myself that there wasn't a toffee story at all and i'm making one myself today but i have to say i'll be watching this one closely nice job Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nadessico: heh i was thinking myself that there wasn't a toffee story at all and i'm making one myself today but i have to say i'll be watching this one closely nice job <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> wow... we're going to go from no Everton stories to 3 in short order and thanks for the compliment next part should be posted a little later tonight. J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Sun 9th Nov FA Barclaycard Premiership Southampton 6 - 4 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © An absolute feast of goals today at the St Mary's Stadium saw Southampton overcome Everton in what was definitely not a day for defending. The scoring started in the 17th minute, when McCann found Beattie with a long cross-field ball. Beattie crossed well for Kevin Phillips, and the ex-Sunderland man rose to head home from less than 6 yards. The lead did not last long though, as Everton hit back 3mins later through their own England striker, Wayne Rooney. Winger James McFadden found Rooney with a delightful thru ball, allowing the England man to advance on Saints' keeper Niemi unhindered. The big Fin blocked Rooney's first shot, but could only parry it back into the youngster's path, and "Roonaldo" slotted home from a narrow angle. Southampton's lead was restored in the 24th minute, when Le Saux picked up a poor clearence from Mikel Arteta, and squared for McCann who buried his shot past Richard Wright from 10 yards for his first ever goal in Saints' colours. Ten minutes later, and the lead was doubled. A long ball from Kenton was nodded down by James Beattie, and David Prutton hammered home a swerving, dipping volley from all of 30 yards. Four minutes later though, and Everton had halved the deficit. Arteta, making up for his earlier mistake, chipped the ball over the head of Lundekvam, allowing Rooney to run onto the ball. The forward rounded the Southampton keeper, and fired in his second of the match, and 10th of the season. Half time came with the score at 3-2, but the second 45 minutes was to continue in much the same free-scoring style. Thirteen minutes into the second period, David Prutton rose to head in his second goal from a Graeme Le Saux corner, restoring Saints' two goal cushion. The very next minute however, they were pegged back yet again straight from the kick-off. Davis played the ball to McFaddeno on the right, who slipped it to Arteta. The Spaniard played an exquisite ball over the top to second half substitute Todorov, who confidently finished past Niemi. However, it was to be a false ray of hope for the Toffees, as Southampton effectively killed the game with two goals in two minutes. First, in the 64th minute, McCann grabbed his second, capitalising on Everton keeper Wright's failure to hold a Brett Ormerod close range header, to finish calmly into the right hand corner. Then, two minutes later, substitute Jo Tessem, who had only been on the field for 5mins, buried his header past Wright from another Le Saux corner. At that point, the match was really over, but Everton salvaged some pride when, in the 66th minute, after good work from McFadden and Naysmith, Sean Davis played in Arteta, who crashed in a volley on the turn from the edge of the box. The score remained the same for the rest of the match, despite Everton's best efforts to throw anything they could think of at Southampton to try to get back into it. It was a deserved win for Southampton, in a match which could have easily had another three goals for each side. "I can't really complain about the loss today," stated a downcast Jamie Mellor afterwards, "we defended atrociously at times, and deserved to concede the goals we did. The only thing that stings is that we've gone away from home today and scored four goals, which really should be enough to win the game. The lads upfront have all performed well, but we really need to have a look at our defending over the next week, especially our positioning from set pieces." Wed 12th Nov FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 0 - 0 Bolton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © Everton will wonder how on earth they have managed not to win this game, having been on top of their opponents for the entire match. They managed four times as many shots of goal as Bolton, but found Jussi Jääskeläinen in inspired form. The Finnish stopper kept out everything Everton threw at him, and earned the man of the match award for his trouble. Of Everton's 15 shots on target, their best opportunity fell to Mikel Arteta, who found himself with the ball in yards of space, only to shoot straight at Jääskeläinen from inside the Bolton 6 yard box. Wayne Rooney also hit the bar with a crashing drive from fully 35 yards, and landed a beautiful lob onto the roof of the net with the keeper stranded. "There's not much to say about games like that. We should have won, plain and simple. We know it, the fans know it, and I'm pretty sure the opposition know it." stated a disappointed Mellor after the match, "On another day, we could have won that match by 3, 4 or even 5 goals, and i don't think anyone would have cause for complaint. But sometimes that happens in football, and we'll just have to pick ourselves up and get on with it. We've got a really tough game in 10 days against Arsenal, and we'll have to devote all our efforts to preparing for that." FA Barclaycard Premiership Standings <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 9 Blackburn 11 18 10 Southampton 11 17 11 Everton 11 16 12 Charlton 11 16 13 Aston Villa 11 15</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Mon 17th Nov Today, I had a £4.5m offer for Valencia striker John Carew accepted by the Spanish club. If we can agree personal terms with the player, he will join at the end of this season. Carew will provide the perfect replacement for Duncan Ferguson, who I don't believe will be physically up to the challenge of another Premiership season - and certainly not at the level which I hope we will reach next term. Wed 19th Nov Carew and his agent today flew in and we were delighted to agree terms on a 4 year deal with the giant striker. He will sign for us on 1st July next year. Sat 22nd Nov FA Barclaycard Premiership Arsenal 3 - 0 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Ferguson © Arsenal won comfortably in a match that they had sewn up before half time. Their dominance was obvious from the first whistle, and was confirmed as early as the 8th minute when Freddie Ljungberg received a flick back from Thierry Henry, and smashed in a driven shot from 30 yards. The game was finished off in a six minute period later in the half, with two strikes from the Gunners' near-£10m signing Sanli Tuncay. The first was a simple finish from inside the six yard box, after Henry's shot had cannoned back off the post. His second, a header from a cross by the marauding Sylvain Wiltord, signalled the end of Everton's challenge for the match. The Toffees improved after the break, worrying Arsenal at times, mainly through the aerial threat of Duncan Ferguson. However, they never gave the impression that they were a threat to Arsenal's lead. Everton's cause was not aided by the fact that Sean Davis and Wayne Rooney, arguably the side's most important players, both had terrible games today, failing to exert any influence over procedings. "We were never really at the races today. Arsenal are the best side in the country at the moment, and if we wanted to have any chance in the match, we really needed to bring our A-game. That didn't happen, and we lost the match. I would like to spare a positive word for Joseph Yobo, who was a cut above today, and helped stop the scoreline from becoming even more embarassing." When asked if their recent upturn in fortunes was proving to be nothing more than a fluke, Mellor replied, "No, i don't think so. I don't think there are many neutrals who would have expected us to get anything out of today's game. The last couple of matches before today have been a little odd, but i feel confident we can get back to winning ways sooner rather than later. Thurs 27th Nov West Brom today came in with a £1.1m bid for young midfielder Leon Osman. I called the player into my office, and explained that I was accepting the bid, because I thought it was best for his career to be playing first team football - something he would have a better chance of at WBA. He thanked me for my honesty, and I thanked him for all his hard work in training and for our reserve team. Fri 28th Nov Today I was faced with a tough decision. Aston Villa made a £2.1m bid for Tomasz Radzinski. Now, while I knew that Radzinski's pace could be an asset to us, I also knew that he was not even close at this point to making it into my Starting XI, with both Rooney and Todorov ahead of him in the "little man" stakes. I decided to let the player go, and wished him well for the future. Sat 29th Nov Duncan Ferguson had picked up a slight thigh strain in midweek, so Kevin Campbell would start up front along with Wayne Rooney. I left the rest of the side unchanged, giving them a chance to make up for the poor showing against Arsenal last week. Leon Osman signed for WBA today for £1.1m and a 30% sell-on clause, and reserve team goalkeeper joined Nottingham Forest for £750k FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 3 - 2 Man City Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton battled hard today and were rewarded with a victory against Man City, breaking their run of 3 games without a victory and propelling them into the top half of the league for the first time this season. The Toffees were once again inspired by Wayne Rooney, who set about the City defence from the kick off, as if determined to prove that his poor showing last week against league leaders Arsenal was a one off. He was rewarded in the 21st minute, when Kevin Campbell, in for the injured Duncan Ferguson won a header wide on the left. Sylvain Distin should have dealt with it easily, but the French defender slipped at the vital moment, and Rooney was onto the loose ball like a flash. He ran at the Sky Blue's goalkeeper Marcos, forcing him to backpedal, before calmly slotting the ball inside the Brazilian's near post. Everton were totally dominant at this point, and looked certain to increase their lead. But instead, it was Lars Ricken who levelled things for City two minutes later. Everton's defence found themselves out of position, and were unable to deal with Sommeil's ball over the top. Ricken controlled well, but was forced out wide by Joseph Yobo. Nevertheless, the German midfielder somehow managed to slide the ball into Richard Wright's goal from the narrowest of angles. This goal only seemed to increase Everton's (and Rooney's in particular) desire to win the match. With 10mins remaining in the half, McFadden received the ball on the right. With a drop of the shoulder and a quick step-over, he went past Distin as if he wasn't there, before sliding the ball perfectly into the path of Rooney about 10 yards outside the penalty area. The youngster set off towards goal, beating Salvador Carmona with ease, then lifting the ball over the onrushing Marcos and into the empty net. Halftime came and went, and the score remained the same, which it did until the 75th minute. Rooney received the ball in the box from substitute Daniel Braathen. The Everton no. 18's volley was blocked by Marcos, but only fell to Li Tie - only on the pitch at that point for 10mins - who finished into the unguarded City goal. The Toffees seemed to be cruising at the point, but with 9mins left on the clock, Luis Enrique (on loan from Barcelona) received the ball from a Ricken cross, and glanced his header into the far corner. This set up a frantic final few minutes, as Man City tried in vain to claw back another goal. Everton's defence stood firm, and the three points stayed at Goodison. "I'm delighted to have secured the three points today, and to have emerged from that little run of bad results we've had of late. Let's hope from here we can push on up the table." When asked to describe Rooney's contribution to the cause today, Mellor remarked, "Wayne was fantastic. He was nowhere near his best against Arsenal - but that could be said of the whole team - but he's gone out and shown what he can do today." Mellor was stern when asked what he thought about reports that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Man Utd were lining up end of season bids for the youngster, "No way is Wayne Rooney for sale. He is the sort of player you build a team around. He isn't going to be going anywhere while I'm in charge here." FA Barclaycard Premiership Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> P Pts 1 Arsenal 14 39 2 Liverpool 14 31 3 Newcastle 15 29 4 Man Utd 14 27 5 Tottenham 15 27 6 Chelsea 15 27 7 Birmingham 15 26 8 Blackburn 14 21 9 Southampton 14 20 10 Everton 15 19 11 Man City 15 19 12 Charlton 15 17 13 Portsmouth 15 16 14 Aston Villa 15 16 15 Wolves 15 14 16 Leicester 14 14 17 Middlesborough 15 13 18 Bolton 15 12 19 Leeds 15 11 20 Fulham 15 6</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 wow Carew, if u get him ur set lol how do u get rooney to score lmao, he puts the ball over the bar more than Jonny Wilkinson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 ummm... i can e-mail you what player instructions i have him set on if you like... your e-mail in profile? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 yeah it is Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 meh, toffees good to see the mighty reds still way above you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Terk: meh, toffees good to see the mighty reds still way above you <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> give it time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Mon 1st Dec Tomasz Radzinski today agreed to join Aston Villa for £2.1m, and will sign when the transfer window re-opens on 1st Jan 2004. Wed 3rd Dec Carling Cup 4th Round Man Utd 0 - 1 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton progressed through to the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup with a victory against what was a far from full strength Man Utd side. Everton however will take pride in the fact that they triumphed despite the presence of first teamers such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, David Bellion, Diego Forlan, Christiano Ronaldo, Kleberson and Tim Howard, and the fact that they themselves lacked talismanic striker Duncan Ferguson, still out with a thigh injury. The match was decided by a solitary goal, scored 4mins after half time by, who else, Wayne Rooney. Li Tie, receiving the ball from Gary Naysmith on halfway, chipped a beautifully weighted ball forward. Kevin Campbell rose well to flick the ball on to Rooney, who finished decisively with his first time shot. Alex Ferguson responded by throwing on substitute Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the Dutchman must have thought that Everton defender Joseph Yobo was glued to him, so well did the Nigerian shackle him. "Ecstatic." replied Jamie Mellor, when asked how he felt about this away victory, "People will say they didn't have a full strength team out there, but there were plenty of players who would grace any Premiership side - and certainly a couple I'd love to have in my squad. I thought Joseph Yobo was spectacular today - especially after van Nistelrooy came on. You're talking about one of the top strikers in the world, and Joseph completely neutralised him. I take my hat off to him. Sat 6th Dec As if we didn't have it tough enough in the last round, we were today drawn against Arsenal in the Carling Cup Quarter Final. The only consolation was that the match will be played at Goodison. The tie is scheduled for the 17th December. Mon 8th Dec For today's match, I brought in Daniel Braathen for the injured Kevin Kilbane, who picked up a strained neck in the Carling Cup victory over Man Utd. With a little luck Kilbane should be back in time for next week's match with Chelsea. In the meantime, I have no doubt that Braathen can provide more than adequate cover on the left side of midfield, having performed admirably in the reserves and when coming on as a substitute for the first team. FA Barclaycard Premiership Aston Villa 1 - 2 Everton Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton recorded a well deserved away victory today against Aston Villa. Kevin Campbell opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Daniel Braathen, making his first start for Everton did well down the left hand side, beating Mark Delaney before putting in a cross which Campbell headed towards goal. Villains keeper Thomas Sørensen parried the ball out to Wayne Rooney, who took one two many touches and was tackled by Gareth Barry. The loose ball eventually fell to Campbell who smashed home from less than 5 yards out. Hardly a classic, but it got the ball rolling. For the next 30mins, Everton threatened to embarass their hosts. Every attack looked as if it would lead to a goal, but a combination of lacklustre finishing and last ditch defending conspired to send the teams in at half time with only the single goal separating them. The second half brought a dramatic improvement from Villa, aided by the introduction of young Stefan Moore. The 19 year old was involved in the build up when, after 60mins, he picked up the ball just inside the Everton half and advanced before laying off a short pass to pre-season signing Gerard, who flicked it over Alan Stubbs to Darius Vassell, who controlled well before slotting his shot past Wright. Everton however, did not wait long to reply. Seven minutes later Rooney latched onto a flick-on from Kevin Campbell to score a carbon copy of his goal against Man Utd a little less than a week ago in the Carling Cup. From there, Everton continued to pressurize the Villa backline, looking to add to their lead, but several excellent saves from goalkeeper Sørensen kept the score at 1-2. "Today was a good day for us. The only downside i would say is the fact that with the number of chances we had, it would have been nice to win by more than a goal. But at the end of the day, I'd happily take another 22 one goal victories from here to the end of the season, wouldn't I?" joked Mellor after the final whistle in this, Everton's second away win in the league this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Tues 9th Dec The FA Cup 3rd Round Draw took place today. We were picked out of the hat first in our tie, putting us at home for the match. We were swiftly followed by 1st Division West Ham. Can't complain about that draw, and will be hoping to progress. The tie is to be played on the 3rd Jan 2004. The pick of the 3rd round matches however, was to take place at Highbury, with holders Arsenal taking on their London rivals, big-spending Chelsea. One of these sides - both of whom must be counted among the favourites to win the whole competition - will be exiting the Cup at the first time of asking. Sat 13th Dec FA Barclaycard Premiership Everton 0 - 2 Chelsea Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Inspite of Daniel Braathen's fine form in their last game, Kevin Kilbane returned from injury today, and went straight into the first team for this tough match against Roman Abramovich's Chelsea. It was a game which Everton could not have expected to win, and, assuming that was the case, they weren't to be disappointed. Despite having just as many chances to score as Chelsea, the Toffees' finishing let them down, and Chelsea were able to claim all three points. Jesper Gronkjaer scored Chelsea's first. A good ball from Duff down the left found Mutu hugging the touchline. The Romanian ran at Alan Stubbs, before firing in a left footed cross. Joseph Yobo perhaps should have got his head to the ball, but instead it sailed over him, and was met by the rising Gronkjaer, moving in from the righ flank. The rest of the first half was all Everton - the hosts trying to force their way back into the match, but to no avail as the back two of John Terry and Lucio stood firm. The second half began in much the same way as the first ended, but gradually Chelsea came back into the match. After a short period of pressure, they doubled their lead - Mutu receiving the ball outside the box from Veron, taking two steps forwards before curling the ball past Richard Wright. Everton had chances to get back into the game, but nothing was going their way - typified by Wayne Rooney who hit the woodwork no less than 3 times during the second half. "I feel that losing the game was a little harsh on us," stated a despondent Mellor at the after match press conference, "but anytime you make mistakes such as we did today against a team like Chelsea, you're going to be punished for it." Wed 17th Dec Carling Cup Quarter Final Everton 3 - 0 Arsenal (aet) Starting XI Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell A fantastic victory for Everton at Goodison as they overcame Arsenal in extra time to advance to the Semi Finals of this season's Carling Cup. While the Arsenal side was not exactly full strength, it certainly had enough quality players to worry the Toffees - players such as Cole, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Jeffers and Tuncay lined up at the start of the match. Everton set out their stall to defend early on - weathering an intense storm from Arsenal as the Gunners sought to demolish the Toffees. Through 90mins of action they repelled the Arsenal advances - limiting them mostly to long range shots - although one chance which fell to Francis Jeffers required a world class save from Wright to keep the scores level. Finally the referee blew his whistle, signalling the need for extra time. At this point Mellor played his trump card. He replaced Kilbane with Braathen, and brought Ferguson and Todorov on for Hibbert and Campbell, switching to 3-4-3. It was a change which Arsenal had not expected and, having already used their 3 substitutes, they were ill-equipped to respond to it. Only two minutes of the extra period had elapsed when Todorov and Braathen combined, the Norwegian receiving the ball just outside the box, skipping past two tired Arsenal challenges, before burying past Jens Lehmann. Two minutes into the second half of extra time, the lead was doubled. Rooney ran at Ashley Cole down the right, getting the better of his England colleague and playing a beautifully weighted through ball to Todorov. The Bulgarian took it in his stride, but smashed his shot straight at Lehmann. The big German could only parry the ball though, and it fell at the feet of the onrushing Rooney, who seized the opportunity with both hands, finishing calmly for his 15th of the season, and sending the home fans into raptures. The strain was now really showing on Arsenal players' faces as they stretched themselves more and more in the hunt for a goal. Cole was lucky not to be dismissed for a badly timed challenge on Rooney with the youngster through on goal. After 111 mins Everton's dream match was completed. A long, high pass was pulled out of the air with stunning ease by Rooney, who looked up. With everyone, including the Arsenal goalkeeper thinking he was going to try to repeat his wondergoal from last season, he shaped to shoot - before cheekily laying the ball off to Braathen who was completely unmarked and able to fire home past the out of position Lehmann. The home fans went berzerk, as did the players and staff on the touchline as Everton progressed to the next round. "Absolutely over the moon." beamed a delighted Everton manager after the final whistle had sounded, "We knew today was going to be tough, and it was. Even with some of their first teamers missing, Arsenal were always going to be a threat - and when they brought Henry on with 10mins to go in normal time, I was just keeping my fingers crossed all our hard work wouldn't be for nothing, but Joey (Yobo) and Stubbsy did us proud through the whole match - although they look knackered now!" Asked about the substitutions, he said, "Yeah, well, sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don't. Thankfully the changes i made today worked out better than I ever could have hoped. Daniel (Braathen) was a revelation when he came on as was Todorov. Duncan also caused them a lot of problems, but then, we know he's capable of that. Wayne was also stunning today - I think the last goal pretty much sums him up - almost the entire stadium wanted him to shoot when he brought the ball down in that position - but he was two steps ahead of all of us, and the vision he showed to slide the ball across to Daniel was superb, and another example of why Wayne Rooney won't be leaving Everton while i'm in charge." Thur 18th Dec Veteran centre back David Weir today agreed to join Aston Villa for 240k at the turn of the year. While I'll be sorry to lose the Captain of my reserve side, i understand that he both wants and needs to be playing first team football, which is something I cannot offer him any more. I wish him well, and thank him for years of great service to the club. We have been drawn against struggling Leeds in the Carling Cup Semi Final. The first leg will be played at Elland Road on the 21st Jan 2004. This draw was as good as I could have hoped for - Liverpool will play Man City in the other Semi. 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TopToffee Posted March 4, 2004 Author Share Posted March 4, 2004 Mon 22nd Dec And so we come to the first Merseyside Derby of the season. This is the one fixture any Everton (or for that matter Liverpool) manager wants to win. Tony Hibbert picked up a knock in our marathon victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup, so he is replaced on the right of defence by Steve Watson, but otherwise my side remained unchanged. The FA, in their wisdom had scheduled the match for a Monday night, and it was bitterly cold as the two teams took to the pitch at Anfield. FA Barclaycard Premiership Liverpool 2 - 3 Everton Starting XI Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs ©, Yobo McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta Rooney, Campbell Everton pulled off a famous victory against their old enemy tonight - and at "Fortress Anfield" no-less! Liverpool were the clear favourites going into this game, riding high in the table and with their best players in fine form. Unfortunately for them, no one gave Everton a copy of the script. The team from the Blue side of Stanley Park set about their opponents from the first whistle, not allowing them any time on the ball, and mounting several quality attacks. They received their reward as early as the 14th minute. Steve Watson took a poor freekick from the right hand side which hit the first defender, but rebounded to James McFadden. The exciting young Scot cut inside with the ball, reaching the right hand side of the penalty area before lofting in a delightfully delicate cross. Everton no. 9 Kevin Campbell, shrugging off his advancing years made his run from the edge for the box, timing his leap to perfection, and burying his header beyond the outstretched arm of Chris Kirkland, silencing the home crowd. This however was the catalyst for a spirited Liverpool revival. They bombarded the Everton goal, and a combination of good fortune and the form of Richard Wright were required to keep them at bay. In the 34th minute however, Everton could hold on no longer. A poor headed clearance fell to Dietmar Hamann, who layed it out wide to Steve Finnan. The former Fulham man played the ball to Steven Gerrard on the edge of the box, who blasted a powerful shot towards Richard Wright's left hand corner. The keeper seemed to have the ball covered, until the shot took a deflection off Smicer and into the opposite corner. Everton looked crestfallen. To have resisted so well only to be pegged back by such a cruel twist of fate took its toll on them. It was no surprise then that a minute before half time Liverpool took the lead. Gerrard once again received the ball in space from Finnan, and this time the England international made no mistake, curling his shot beyond the helpless Wright and sending the Kop wild. Half time came and went, and Everton manager Mellor sent out the same players to try to win the game. Two minutes later however, he had to withdraw James McFadden with what looked like a twisted ankle. Daniel Braathen took his place, playing out of position on the right of midfield. As the game progressed, it looked like Liverpool would hold on for the win - both sides had chances, but neither could convert. Then, in the 74th minute, a Liverpool header from a corner dropped to Sean Davis on the edge of his own box. His long volleyed pass forwards bounced over the head of Hyppia and fell to Rooney, who took off at pace towards the Liverpool goal. Kirkland came out to meet the boywonder on the edge of his box, but Rooney lobbed over the advancing keeper from fully 25 yards - the ball bouncing perfectly on the line as it landed, before nestling into the far corner. The last 15mins of the game was some of the best end to end football you could ever wish to see- both sides having chances, and both Keepers needing to be at their best to keep them out. This continued until, with 1min remaining on the clock, Rooney picked up the ball just inside his own half, with no support. As his team-mates tried to catch up, Rooney headed for goal, taking the ball past 3 backpedalling Liverpool defenders before guiding a curled shot past Kirkland, securing the match for Everton. The roof was almost lifted off the away end, and Rooney was mobbed by every one of his team-mates. The final whistle blew shortly after, calling time on a classic derby match - especially if you're a Bluenose. Manager Jamie Mellor had tears in his eyes as he spoke of his delight at winning the match, "It's been far too long since Everton had a derby victory to celebrate - but we certainly have one now. Wayne was nothing short of sensational today. He really took the game by the scruff of the neck, and he was rewarded with two brilliant goals. I just hope this is the first of ma......" he uttered before being dragged away by his celebrating players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heskey Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I hope you lose a lot! Good story, shame about the chosen team somones got to support them I suppose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Liverpool 2 - 3 Everton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> u any idea how much that has made my crappy day, a good day? 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 Heskey: I hope you lose a lot! Good story, shame about the chosen team somones got to support them I suppose.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> just because i beat the RS no need to sulk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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