ToffeeWeb Season Diary
Season 2008-09
 2007-08 |
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February 2009
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News Headlines & Features Quality goals flatter BluesEverton 2 - 0 West Bromwich Albion 28 Feb - Everton kept up their quest for European qualification and pulled within two points of Arsenal with a 2-0 victory that probably flattered them on the day. As expected, they struggled to adjust in their first full game without Mikel Arteta; Joleon Lescott, with 4 yellow cards, sat this one out too and Leon Osman started on the bench. Ultimately, West Brom paid for their profligacy and some poor defending that allowed Tim Cahill to nod home unchallenged a Leighton Baines free kick. Louis Saha sealed the points with 20 minutes left with a beautiful turn and shot that confirmed that Everton should still have enough to beat most teams even without their Spanish magician. Everton vs West Bromwich Albion Team News 28 Feb - Jack Rodwell is the latest headache to plague David Moyes after emerging as a doubt for the visit of West Bromwich Albion this weekend. The teenager hasn't trained all week after taking a heavy knock against Newcastle last Sunday and Louis Saha has a slight thigh strain but could be fit enough to start on the bench. Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar are touch and go after recovering from injuries of their own and both Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert are eligible having served one-match bans. Everton cut season ticket prices Reduction throughout the stadium 25 Feb - Everton have announced that reductions to season ticket prices for 2009-10 have been made in all areas of Goodison Park and fans can save even more cash by taking advantage of the club’s Early Bird offer. From March 16 until April 18 supporters can save an additional 10% on the standard price, with a further £10 off for those who buy their season tickets online. The most significant savings are for adults and juniors in the Family Enclosure stand with the club determined to make Premier League football more affordable for families. Prices start from £399 for adults and £149 for juniors. Arteta's season is over Anichebe to undergo scan on his knee 23 Feb - Everton have confirmed the worst fears over Mikel Arteta with the news that he has been ruled out for six months after rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Spaniard went down in a challenge just three minutes into yesterday's goalless draw with Newcastle and seemed to know immediately that he had suffered serious injury. A succession of scans last night revealed the full extent of the problem and he will undergo surgery by Ramon Cugat, the doctor who operated on Cesc Fabregas, in Spain this week. He may miss the start of next season depending on the pace of his recovery. Victor Anichebe, meanwhile, has severe swelling from his knee to his ankle and will undergo a scan to determine if there has been any damage to the knee following Kevin Nolan's studs-up tackle. Injury-hit Blues can't find knockout blow Newcastle United 0 - 0 Everton 22 Feb - Everton left St James Park with a point but were frustrated by further bad luck on the injury front and their own lack of incisiveness in attack as 10-man Newcastle held out for a goalless draw. The Blues took control of the game from kick off but were severely disrupted just three minutes in when Mikel Arteta was stretchered off with a serious-looking injury. They lost Victor Anichebe too when he hobbled off just before the break after Kevin Nolan was sent off for planting his studs on the Nigerian international's shin. Unfortunately, while Tim Howard didn't have a save to make, the Blues were disappointing at the other end, their two close calls from corners in the first half all they really had to show for their dominance. Newcastle United vs Everton Match Preview 21 Feb - One defeat in the last 13, progress to the last eight of the FA Cup, and real self-belief seemingly coursing through their veins, Everton enter the last third of the Premier League season hoping to keep alive the outside chance of Champions League quailfication. Their cause would appear to be undermined by the loss Fellaini, Pienaar, Osman, Tim Cahill and Hibbert this weekend, though — those absentees may open the door for Castillo, Van der Meyde or Lars Jacobsen as Moyes picks from a small complement of senior players — but Louis Saha should return to the bench. KO is 4pm on Sunday. Rodwell inks new deal at Goodison Young star signs on until 2014 19 Feb - Rising star Jack Rodwell has committed his future to Everton by signing a new five-year contract with the Blues. The 17-year-old, whose old deal was set to expire this summer, put pen to paper on the new terms today and put paid to any lingering rumours about his desire to stay in the face of interest from three of the so-called Sky Four clubs in his services. Rodwell, who made his debut for the Club as a 16-year-old substitute in the Uefa Cup last season and scored his first senior goal against Aston Villa last Sunday, would be contracted to Everton until 2014 under the new deal. Time to marvel at Moyes ... and his long journey of discovery 17 Feb - "Not only does the Everton board appear united in its determination to hang on to Moyes with limpet force... its manager has made board members look like absolute paragons of good football sense. They are entitled to at least some of that distinction because not every Moyes season was marked by unbridled progress. On two occasions he was required to fight for his football life, and risk a near full dressing room of unsigned contracts and less than perfectly contented performers, but both his fortitude and his nerve were swiftly recognised." — Just a snippet from, one of the increasingly frequent media plaudits for Moyes and his achievements as Everton Manager. Everton 3 - 1 Aston Villa Emphatic win sets up QF date with West Ham or Boro 15 Feb - Everton turned a thirst for revenge into an emphatic display and brushed third-placed Villa aside to book a place in the last eight for the first time under David Moyes. The Blues got off to the perfect start when Stilian Petrov stopped Tim Cahill's goalbound header on the line and Jack Rodwell turned in the rebound to notch his first Everton goal after just three minutes. Villa responded, though, by winning a penalty on their first attack, which James Milner squirmed in under Tim Howard's body. Not to be outdone, though, Everton retook the lead midway through the first half when Victor Anichebe was felled in the box by Steve Sidwell and Mikel Arteta slotted home from the spot. The second half was a little more nervy as the home side sat back and Howard pawed John Carew's flick past the post while Gabriel Agbonlahor missed a sitter. But Cahill wrapped things when he turned Anichebe's clever cross past Friedel to make it 3-1. Full report Everton vs Aston Villa FA Cup 5th Round Preview [Link fixed] 14 Feb - Everton clash with Premier League opposition for the second successive round as Aston Villa come to town for a mouth-watering FA Cup 5th Round tie. Steven Pienaar is suspended, Marouane Fellaini failed a fitness test on a back injury and Jô is cup-tied but Louis Saha may be fit enough to take a place on the bench. Up front, Tim Cahill must shake off jetlag from his trip to Japan with Australia to lead the line solo once more. KO is 2:30pm with live coverage on Setanta Sports. Fellaini out with a back injury Pienaar suspended 12 Feb - Marouane Fellaini has been ruled out of the 5th Round FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Sunday (not Saturday, as indicated in this report). He has failed to recover from a back injury. And thoughts that Saha could be available seem premature, as he didn't do too well in training and could also miss the game. Definitely out is Steven Pienaar, suspended after picking up five yellow cards. Jagielka gets England nod Howard and Cahill also in action 11 Feb - Phil Jagielka got another chance to throttle Fernando Torres' game when Spain and England met this evening but that left David Villa free to do his worst as the home side ran out 2-0 winners over Fabio Capello's men in Seville. Meanwhile, Tim Howard survived a kicking by Mexico's Rafael Marquez in a goalmouth melee that saw him red carded as the USA beat their rivals 2-0 in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. And Tim Cahill played 85 minutes of Australia's 0-0 draw with Japan as the Socceroos earned the point they needed to retain their lead in their qualifying group. Jô makes his mark at Goodison Everton 3 - 0 Bolton Wanderers 7 Feb - Fearful of a letdown after the high of Wednesday night, there was nothing of the sort in an excellent display by the Blues who dominated for most of the match, playing some beautiful flowing football. Cahill incredibly missed a golden chance early on but Everton finally got the break when Jô won a penalty on his debut and Arteta scored. Jô then did it all himself, chesting down well, turning and stroking the ball past Jaskeleinen. Everton flagged a little understandably, but another penalty in injury time allowed Jô to make it a memorable debut brace for a very happy Everton team and Goodison crowd. Full match report Kirkby Inquiry closes 6 Feb - The public inquiry into Destination Kirkby closed today but the proposal, which includes a stadium for Everton, isn't due to go before the Secretary of State until June. The Club's CEO Robert Elstone said, "We are very happy with the way the inquiry went. We have been keen to stress there is an urgent need to move and also a unique opportunity not just for Everton but also for the people of Kirkby." Roger Lancaster, barrister for the combined authorities objecting to the project, however, told the inquiry, “It is rare indeed to be confronted by a proposal that fails every test that it should properly be measured against.” Stephen Sauvain, QC for Liverpool City Council, added, “No convincing reason has been given for why Everton could not wait an extra few years to bring forward a more considered proposal — other than the fear that Tesco might withdraw and take their ball home.” Everton vs Bolton Wanderers Match Preview 6 Feb - Everton carry the momentum gained from the cup triumph over Liverpool into a Premier League clash with Bolton Wanderers, hoping to make up ground on the top 5. Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, both of whom came off with injuries on Wednesday, are big doubts but new striker Jô is expected to make his debut following his arrival on loan from Manchester City. This one is a traditional old 3pm kick off. Gosling the fairytale hero Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool 4 Feb - Dan Gosling grabbed a place in derby folklore when his curling shot in off the post broke 118 minutes of deadlock and propelled Everton into the last 16. Despite capitalising on Liverpool's loss of their linchpin, Steven Gerrard, to injury after 15 minutes and then the dismissal of Lucas Lieva a quarter an hour from the end of normal time by seizing control of this Fourth Round replay, the closest the Blues came to making the breakthrough was when Leon Osman crashed the best chance of the game off the post. Then, perilously near the end of extra time and with penalties looming, a peach of a cross from Andy van der Meyde was controlled neatly and superbly juggled on the ground by Gosling before he scooped in a lovely shot inside the far post. Everton vs Liverpool FA Cup 4th Round Replay Preview 4 Feb - Everton go head-to-head with Liverpool for the final time this season in a do-or-die FA Cup replay at Goodison Park. The Blues' new signing, Jô, must watch from the sidelines because he is cup-tied so David Moyes is expected to name an unchanged line-up with Talisman Tim leading the line. Marouane Fellaini missed the two Anfield derbies through suspension but will play this time around. Victor Anichebe be left out after an apparent bust-up with David Moyes, though The Guardian's sources and the player himself deny it was as severe as made out in a certain gutter rag. Kick off is at 8:10pm with live coverage on ITV1. Moyes lands out-of-favour Jô Jutkiewicz loaned to Huddersfield 2 Feb - Everton have finally succeeded in acquiring a loan striker in the form of Jô from Manchester City until the end of the season. The Brazilian was a hot ticket when he partnered former David Moyes target, Vagner Love, at CSKA Moscow, but struggled to make an impact at Eastlands after a £19m move last summer. There was no confirmation of Seamus Coleman's move from Sligo Rovers after he reportedly passed a medical at Finch Farm yesterday and the mooted late loan moves for Burnley's Chris Eagles and Schalke's Kevin Kurányi didn't materialise as the clock ticked past the 5pm deadline. Lukas Jutkiewicz has joined Huddersfield Town on loan for the remainder of the season, however. Jô will wear the number 11 jersey but is cup-tied for the FA Cup tie against Liverpool this week. |
Snippets & Rumours Shareholders Association Annual Dinner26 Feb - The EFCSA's annual dinner takes place on 14th March in the Alex Young Suite, with guests that include Ray Wilson, David Moyes, Bill Kenwright, Dave Hickson and Derek Mountfield. Tickets are £35 and proceeds benefit the Everton Former Players' Foundation and a special needs school in Vina del Mar, Chile, home of CD Everton. Ruleteros suffer Chivas drubbing 26 Feb - CD Everton suffered a 6-2 defeat to Mexican side Chivas in Group 6 of the Copa Copa Libertadores after conceding four goals in the first half. The Ruleteros, currently joint second in the group, play Lanus of Argentina, the bottom club, on 11th March. Blues will face 'Boro in Cup quarters 25 Feb - Middlesbrough beat West Ham United 2-0 in their FA Cup fifth-round replay this evening, setting up a quarter final date with Everton on 8th March. Boro were the Blues' opponents the last time they reached the last eight, infamously losing 3-0 at The Riverside in Walter Smith's last match in charge. Arteta Op next week 25 Feb - Mikel Arteta will have an operation on his knee in Barcelona next Tuesday, and is expected to be out of action for six months while he recovers. Concern over Anichebe injury 24 Feb - Everton will wait and see before making a full assessment on the extent of Victor Anichebe's injuries after initial scans revealed that he strained ligaments in his knee in addition to suffering severe bruising on his shin and ankle on Sunday. Club physio, Mick Rathbone, says that only once the swelling has gone down will he know how long the striker may have to sit out. Stoke game switched back 24 Feb - Everton's home game against Stoke City, switched to Sunday 25th March a couple of weeks ago to accommodate a British National Party rally, has been moved back to the originally scheduled date on the 24th after the political party canceled their planned event. The Club have graciously offered to reimburse fans who will lose money from rearranged travel and accommodation. Moyes “fearing the worst” over Arteta 22 Feb - David Moyes admits that Everton are fearing the worst over Mikel Arteta after he was stretchered off just four minutes into the goalless draw at Newcastle with his knee heavily strapped. The Spaniard undergoes a scan this evening to determine the extent of the injury. Moyes will protect Rodwell and Gosling 19 Feb - David Moyes is determined to ensure that both young stars Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling develop gradually... which means they will be used sparingly. Let's just hope they don't get frustrated! Cup quarter final date set 19 Feb - Everton's FA Cup quarter final clash with Middlesbrough or West Ham will kick off at 4pm on Sunday 8th March with live television coverage by Setanta Sports. The Blues will find out which team they'll face after their 5th Round reply on 25th February. Blues planning Australia dates 18 Feb - Australian A League club Perth Glory have announced that they'll play a pre-season friendly with Everton if the Blues can arrange a second practice match in one of the country's eastern cities, possibly Melbourne or Sydney, to make the trip Down Under financially viable. CD Everton win first Copa game 17 Feb - CD Everton from Chile have won their first game in the Copa Liberatadores, beating Caracas 1-0. Mini-derby ends all square 17 Feb - Updated: An inexperienced Everton Reserves side were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool this evening in a game which featured a "what happened next?" moment and an own goal. Scott Spencer had set the Blues on their way when his courtesy pass somehow went through reds' 'keeper Martin Hansen's legs [Video] but Hope Akpan headed into his own net at the other end to hand the visitors a share of the spoils. Rodwell agrees new contract 16 Feb - Everton's Jack Rodwell has agreed to the terms of a new five-year contract and is expected to put pen to paper on the new deal by the weekend according to the Official Site. The 17-year-old's current terms expire in the summer and the Club are keen to get their newest star-in-the-making locked into a new contract to ward off interest from the likes of Chelsea. And the nominees are... 16 Feb - The "longlist" of nominees in the New Football Pools Football Fanzine Awards for 2009 has been compiled and you can now vote for ToffeeWeb in a number of ways across three categories: Best Online Fanzine; Best Editor; and a slew of our columnists and contributors are up for Best Writer. Vote away here by clicking on the category and then the "Vote Now" link at the top of the subsequent page. People's Clubs in progression 15 Feb - This Guardian story may gets some backs up for daring to suggest that Lerner and O'Neill at Villa have stolen a march on Kenwright and Moyes at Everton. But it's results that count: this was penned before the depleted People's Club sent the yankee billionaire's charges packing out of the FA Cup in fine style... Moyes wants revenge 14 Feb - "We were all disappointed with the way we lost to them here, when we felt we had done enough to get a draw. But they showed that they don't give in, when we equalised it didn't get to them. But we have learned from that too, we have been in a good run and tidied ourselves up from that point. That result could have sent us under, it was such a disappointment and we could have found it difficult to pick ourselves up. But it has been the exact opposite. We have picked ourselves up and got on with things. We have gone from strength to strength. We recovered from that because of the character we have amongst the players at Everton." Cahill and Australia honour fire victims 11 Feb - Tim Cahill and the rest of the Socceroos will be wearing black armbands when they take the field against Japan today as a mark of respect and mourning for the victims of the worst bushfires in the nation's history this past week. Evertonians can donate to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal by clicking here. Reserves beaten at the death by Boro 10 Feb - New signing Seamus Coleman played the full 90 minutes and Victor Anichebe an hour as the Reserves went down 1-0 to a last-minute goal against Middlesbrough. EFPF Fundraising Evening 10 Feb - The Everton Former Players' Foundation's latest fund-raising evening will take place at The Marquee at Goodison Park on Friday 27 February, starting at 7.30pm. Guests include Pat Nevin, Matt Jackson and Jim Pearson and tickets, priced at just £35, include all your entertainment and a three-course dinner…with all proceeds going towards the Foundation. Cup tickets on general sale 10 Feb - Tickets for Sunday's FA Cup clash with Aston Villa are now on general sale — Adults from £29, Juniors from £14, OAP £20 — and can be purchased online at the this link. Stoke City game moved back 24 hours 10 Feb - The home fixture against Stoke City, originally scheduled for Saturday 15th March, will now take place 24 hours later at 3pm on Sunday the 16th for "Merseyside police operational reasons". Anichebe: No problem with Moyes 10 Feb - Victor Anichebe says that the matter of his reported falling out with David Moyes over his refusal to sanction a loan move to Hull City was blown out of all proportion by the media and that he has no problem with his manager or staying with Everton. Pienaar facing two-week lay-off 10 Feb - Steven Pienaar is expected to be sidelined for two weeks because of the hamstring injury he suffered against Liverpool last week. Meanwhile, the Club, hope that Louis Saha will resume full training this week after missing the two months or so with a hamstring tear of his own. Jagielka rewarded with England call-up 8 Feb - Phil Jagielka has been rewarded for his stunning recent form with a call-up to the England squad for the forthcoming friendly with Spain. Unfortunately, there was no place for his fellow defensive rock, Joleon Lescott and Mikel Arteta was once again overlooked by Spain. Moyes nixed Kapo deal 8 Feb - Sky Sports are reporting that Everton withdrew from a potential loan deal for French midfielder Olivier Kapo of Wigan Athletic, amid concerns about the player's social habits. Police to investigate coin incident 6 Feb - While the Liverpool fans' sock-tossing stunt has been laughed off as Scouse banter by the media, Merseyside police are investigating an incident during Wednesday's FA Cup replay which left a Goodison Park steward bleeding from the forehead after being struck by a coin thrown from the stands. Moyes refuses to be drawn on Vic affair 6 Feb - David Moyes abruptly ended his pre-match press conference this afternoon after a journalist tried to press him further on the situation with Victor Anichebe. Moyes, who had insisted before-hand that just one question would be allowed on the topic, stonewalled further questions on a different topic from the same reporter before calmly getting up and leaving the room. Should ITV be Barred? 6 Feb - The Guardian sports poll today follows ITV's latest football debacle: 'Should ITV be barred from bidding for the Cup?' If you were being treated to an advert for Tic Tacs instead of watching this key moment in Everton's recent history, you can vote in this Guardian Poll. Nev makes top 10 of 'keeper's list 6 Feb - Most Blues would put him higher on this list but Neville Southall comes in at No 5 in the Mail's selection of the top 50 goalkeepers. Nigel Martyn (13) and Gordon West (29) also made the list, as did the Blues' current goalkeeping coach, Chris Woods (49). Penalty agony for Young Blues 5 Feb - Everton's youngsters couldn't emulate the success of the senior team's exploits by staving off penalties this evening in the FA Youth Cup and were beaten in a shoot-out by Norwich City after the tie ended 1-1 after extra time. Rodwell comes of age 5 Feb - Dan Gosling was the goalscoring hero but Henry Winter in The Telegraph doesn't overlook the contribution of Jack Rodwell who looked mature beyond his tender 17 years as Everton put Liverpool to the sword at Goodison in extra time last night. ITV issue statement over ad glitch 5 Feb - ITV have issued a statement of apology for the "programming error" that ruined the climax of last night's FA Cup replay for millions of television viewers. The broadcaster's coverage cut away to advertisements just before Dan Gosling scored his thrilling winner, the feed returning for many to scenes of jubilation by Everton's players. Pienaar misses Villa tie 5 Feb - Steven Pienaar will miss the FA Cup 5th Round tie with Aston Villa on 15th February after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Liverpool last night. Still time to nominate TW 4 Feb - If you haven't done so already, there's still time to nominate ToffeeWeb in the second annual Football Fanzine awards in the categories of Best Online Fanzine, Best Writer and Best Editor. CD Everton delegation to visit Goodison 4 Feb - A delegation from the Everton in Chile is on its way to Liverpool to visit Goodison Park for a historic meeting facilitated by the Ruleteros Society. Coleman signed after all 4 Feb - It's finally been admitted by David Moyes that Everton did indeed sign Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers during the transfer window. The 21-year-old Irish defender apparently cost a nominal fee of £150k or £250k and will become part of Andy Holden's reserves squad. Mo-Fro getting back his mojo 4 Feb - Ahead of this evening's FA Cup replay against the Dark Side where the big-haired Belgian gets a chance to make amends for missing the two Anfield derbies through suspension, Marouane Fellaini talks to The Guardian about settling in at Everton and his challenges adapting to the pace and intensity of the Premier League. Moyes calls for derby fairness 4 Feb - In comments reported by todays' Times, David Moyes tackles the issue of perceived bias or imbalance by officials towards Liverpool in recent seasons head-on. Citing the Pienaar penalty incident and Mascherano's attempts to get Cahill sent off at Anfield, as well as the Clattenburg derby of two seasons ago, the Everton boss says, "a bit of fairness [is] required.” Aubrey Powell passes away 1 Feb - The death was announced of Aubrey Powell and accompanied by a full page article in the Yorkshire Evening Post on Friday 30 January. Powell, a Welsh international was signed by Everton for a near record £11,000 in 1948 from Leeds Utd. His funeral takes place this Wednesday, 4 February, in Leeds |
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