ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Wigan ? Clinical and Professional

Normally I would not write game review as Ken and Santosh are doing it great but today I cant agree with either of them so I am sharing my view. I think it was the most competent performance I have seen from Everton this season.

Yes, we have played better; yes, we were more convincing the other day; yes, it wasn?t pretty... but from the first few minutes you knew that we would win it. We were in total control of the game; it seemed that Wigan were on top but for all their possession they were lacking quality upfront and I couldn?t see them scoring.

You have seen it countless of times: when it just seems that a small team will score and cause an upset, the big guns struck clinically and put the game to bed. Well, for me today this was the case, but today Everton were the team playing cat and mouse.

We hadn?t seen much of the ball but when we had it, it was always dangerous in the final third. First Carsley came close, then Mikky missed a sitter and finally AJ opened it ? from this moment we were never in danger of losing the points. Two minutes later and it was game, set and match.

The second half was more of the same ? even when Jag scored an own goal, Wigan were never really threatening and we were happy to see the game off with one eye on Wednesday. Moreover, you could feel the confidence around the team with DM stating with some arrogance that we are now favourites for fourth place and today?s clinical finishing and professional performance just proved it.

Now Davey ? prove that on Wednesday as well.

ps: I was very upset today when the top news on Skysports.com was ?Hicks rules out Reds sale? and never a mention of Everton moving to 4th with our victory branded ?Bramble blunder costs Wigan? ? it sucks really.
Stefan Tosev, Vienna Posted 20/01/2008 at 22:11:41

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Darren Gough
1 Posted 20/01/2008 at 23:50:19

Well said, Stefan.

As I commented in another thread on the Wigan game, a couple of years back and we?d have dropped points in a game like that.

I couldn?t agree with your points more ? I never believed it was going to be anything other than a win for us throughout the whole match.

As far as I can see it was a very composed away performance.

Matt Traynor
2 Posted 20/01/2008 at 23:50:37

Stefan,
I shouldn’t worry about not making the headlines on Sky Sports News. We just keep plodding along, not trying to get column inches every day in a battle of wills with other managers, team owners, or, irony of ironies, the press itself.

The coverage in Asia was very positive about how Everton were quietly efficient. I never realised that one of the pundits - John Burridge (madcap goalie who played for about 20 clubs) was an Everton fan!!

And anyway, I’d even venture that Hicks stating he won’t sell to DIC is great news for Everton fans...

Martin Cutler
3 Posted 21/01/2008 at 00:23:10

This is no surprise to anybody but I had noticed that any comment about the 4th spot is strictly fucking Liverpool..........I don’t care what the media has to say (probably because I live in the States) but for FFS before todays games there were FOUR teams on the same points NOT JUST FUCKING RS. Lets say that none of the four can catch Chelsea....well, if they can’t that means EVERTON, VILLA, MAN CITY, oh, and RS can’t catch Chelsea, not just RS.
It’s enough to drive one mental...........and lets not forget that Man City have now dropped two points and only one of RS/Villa can possibly get 3 points tomorrow........none of this is new and I know it pisses you all off as much as me but FFS it’s so blatantly bias it’s untrue.

Jason Lam
4 Posted 21/01/2008 at 08:57:03

Martin, I’m with you here. A few years back when we were holding onto the 4th, the sportcaster of the local TV evening news: "and the table stands as follows: in first place Chelsea, 2nd place Manchester United, 3rd place Arsenal, 5th place Liverpool!". They totally ignored Everton at 4th! This is the local TV MAIN EVENING NEWS which is supposedly objective and such! Not read from some deluded red shite fan! My wife totally cracked up it was so bias! I have no respect for the local TV news since!

James Elworthy
5 Posted 21/01/2008 at 10:11:17

Tonights match 6th play 7th.
I hope 7th win or at least draw.
The RS fans say they have 2 games in hand but as draw specialists they would still be behind us if they drew both games.

I am also fed up of all these pundits saying Liverpool have a right to be 4th. They are now way behind the front 3 and back in the pack for the fight for 4th.

Chris Dawson
6 Posted 21/01/2008 at 10:43:25

Just wanted to highlight another lack of media giving us credit.

Lee Dixon stated on MOTD2 that ’Everton are nearly fourth’..... NEARLY FOURTH?.... NEARLY FOURTH?.... He needs to check the table again!!!

Fuming wasnt the word.

Trev Day
7 Posted 21/01/2008 at 10:51:13

has anyone realised , if wasn?t for clattenburg we would be 6pts clear of the RS at least, and outright 4th, then maybe we would be spruking about being in with a chance to win the PL!

Mark Griffiths
8 Posted 21/01/2008 at 10:53:06

Same old, same old, the RS would still get a headline over us on the national media if we won the treble and they signed a trainee from Northwich Victoria!!

The table does not lie, if in 5 games time we are 5 points behind the shite then they are slightly better so far this season, but at the moment we are above them because we deserve it and with players missing, i keep saying this but i really do belive if they did not have mr squeeky squinty G and torres i belong in a kids breakfast commercial, then they would reallyh struggle to make the top 10 never mind top 4!!

COYB!!!

Tris Allerton
9 Posted 21/01/2008 at 10:59:57

Try this story, it made me laugh!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=509477&in_page_id=1779&ct=5

Mark Griffiths
10 Posted 21/01/2008 at 11:25:21

Tris, that is a brilliant link!!!

So funny, but very very true, if you bring in the vast difference in money that the RS have spent compared to us, it clearly show s that the crying spanish waiter is not in Moyes's league. Yeah they won the CL, but they were very lucky to win it and were outplayed by Milan.

Time will tell where we both finish and you would probably put your money on the RS maybe just getting 4th but it will be a close ancounter with Villa, Portsmouth, maybe city snapping at our tails, it makes you wonder, if Moyes had a £100M, what would we achieve??

Craig Walker
11 Posted 21/01/2008 at 12:28:47

I agree. The RS takeover is just about whether the club will be run by DICs instead of a couple of dicks. Who cares? They’ll still blow countless millions and be one piece of the puzzle away from winning the league. Torres was going to win it for them this year. Now they’re content to finish above us. I thought first was first and second was nowhere. Now they’re happy being 4th and contesting that against "small clubs".

Steve Pugh
12 Posted 21/01/2008 at 18:46:11

Mark

Whats wrong with Northwich Trainees. I’d rather watch the Vics than the RS any day