COLUMNIST KEN BUCKLEY
From my seat: Liverpool (H)
Comments (28) : A regulation 2-0 win over a bottom three side at home could not have been better received had we have beaten a top side.
The very late change of Ref. which saw Mr H Webb replaced by a Mr S Gerrard made little difference to the outcome as the Blues whilst not at the top of their game and not as fluent as in previous games easily overcame the once mighty now minnows Liverpool.
The pre-match chat centred on who was missing from the team and how it might affect the outcome, when the club text came through showing Jagielka 'in' many a spirit was lifted. The walk up to the ground was devoid of any Red?s singing their awful songs just a multitude of Blues mostly deep in conversation rather than singing. If you didn?t know it was a sell out the queue at the Blue Dragon chippy was so long it gave the game away along with enough horse manure to feed three fields of rhubarb along Goodison Road.
The game started with the Blues exerting the early pressure and both Jags and Distin wasted good chances when finding themselves free in the box, I guess that?s why they are defenders. Liverpool were offering little and it took a good 20mins for Howard to be called upon when he touched a glancing header from Torres over the bar.
It was the Blues showing the greater threat without really creating much where it matters and lacking the fluidity of previous games until about 15mins from the break when Coleman made a dash for the corner flag, turned his man cut in and pulled one back to Cahill who put his laces right through it leaving Reina to merely turn around and fish it out of the net. This time Cahill did his boxing with the corner flag celebration with a vigour not previously seen and the crowd joined him with great gusto. The Red away support was silenced so we gave them a quick chorus of ?Going down? just to cheer them up. Osman went down with a knock on the ankle from a wayward boot that Ref. Gerrard deemed no foul!. The outcome of this was that Ossie had to be replaced for the second half by Bilyaletdinov.
Many of us worried how we might start the second half as in many games we have given a goal away early but today it was us on the front foot. Just 5mins in and the ?Mad Greek? headed a cross out which was picked up by Arteta some 20yds out and he smashed a humdinger past Reina and but for the net it would have reached the park. Oh joy, 2 up against ?them? . Did the Blue hoards celebrate.
We then played a cagey game but with confidence we let them dictate in the middle third but such was our concentration and marking very few if any route to goal opened up. The chances that did come were of a forced ?hoof? nature hoping for no more than a mistake from our rearguard whilst we looked for every opportunity to counter attack, like top sides do when 2 up, Our rhythm was disrupted a little between the 70th and 75th minute when Heitinga and Arteta respectively hobbled off with what looked like lower limb injuries to be replaced by Hibbert and Beckford.
Hibbert went to right back with Neville taking the Heitinga role and Beckford joining the impressive Yak and the manager using tactical nous going 4-4-2 thus ensuring the visitors could not just throw everyone forward. We allowed Liverpool plenty of the ball but kept them mainly at arms length and breaking when we could. From one of these breaks Beckford was put in by the Yak but he hurried his shot and it flew over. Liverpool had one last chance near the end when the disinterested looking Torres fluffed.
Injury time and the away section emptied in spectacular fashion as the Blues saw it out with no alarms. Final whistle and mayhem broke out. Cahill removed his shirt and flung it to the deck as he did a highland dance around it. Players and fans hugged and cheered. ?going down- going down? reverberated and then a massive rendition of "If yer know yer 'Istory" rang out. All seemed to be at it for a good 10mins and then the victorious exit from the stadium. Seeing the Liverpool players leave the field though left me with a very satisfied feeling. Back to our ?Ale house? for the inquest and along Goodison road the horse manure was now well trodden into the tarmac and the ?Blue Dragon? was still doing a roaring trade. Fans were high 5ing, singing and abusing any stray Red that hove into view by way of a derogatory song.
Overall I have seen much better games and better performances from us but this was ?The Derby? where the result is all important no matter how it is achieved. Looking for a MotM you could say all of ?em as everyone put in a shift, personally I enjoyed the performances of Cahill, Distin, Jags and Yak and Arteta looking like he his coming back to form. I hope the injuries we picked up today are not to serious as when you looked at our bench today we are not blessed with the deepest of squads.
Spurs away next and no doubt a different game and different challenge awaits
but the last 2 results will have given us much needed confidence so getting
something out of the game is not beyond us. Enjoy your week as the bragging
rights are all ours and, as the banner in the Park end said, ?God bless the
Yanks?
UP THE BLUES
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I think we really showed Liverpool up in this game? not necessarily in quality, but most certainly in commitment to the cause. There were eleven warriors in Blue out there and the reds didn?t know what hit them! We got the result our team performance richly deserved.
I find it rather amusing how good Woy seemed to think his team played. If that?s the best they?ve got then they?ve got a long hard season ahead. Shame. For us on the other hand, I think there?s a lot more to come ? particularly with a seemingly born again Yakubu leading the line!
My only negative comment is reserved for the 2nd half after we had scored our 2nd. We defended too deep and invited reds to attack. Altough they didn't get in our box often I was worried sick of the long range shots. Reminded me of the Ben Afra goal out of nowhere.
Billy needs to buck-up in defending and tracking back. All in all, a great weekend. Spurs (A), Stoke and Blackpool (H) or next 3 matches and I believe we're good enough for 7 points. Onwards and upwards, COYB!!
Also, it's almost amusing how "Moyes gets it right" when he runs out of choices! But right it was and as good as it gets rubbing the RS noses in it. And, who knows how much the Blues sold themselves to potential buyers / investors with the redshite-loving world media looking on? Will we tap the potential?
Love this bit "Moyes gets it right" when he runs out of choices! Sad but proving to be true when you look back to the previous years.
Annoyed we didn't press on in the 2nd half, they really where shite , we could and should have put them bottom.
Spurs next and we need to play better than that , to beat a decent team.
I got home from the game around 10:00pm last night and have just watched the replay on Football First. Does anyone agree with me about the referee? I though that although there were no really serious incidents Webb seemed to certainly favour Liverpool and certainly Gerard and Carragher. I have see the tackle by Carragher on Cahill and he didn't even get booked but the worse thing about these two was the constant moaning and whingeing to Webb throughout the game.
The incident with Beckford when he kicked to ball into the empty net and them had 3 or 3 of the Jolly Red Boys waving for another card and Reinna's dash to moan to the referee were disgraceful. Gerard is over protected, didn't he elbow a Sunderland player just a few weeks ago? Reminds me of how Robson used to get away with murder because he was "Captain Courageous" or some such rubbish.
Well done Everton for a great win and for keeping your dignity when surrounded by such rubbish. Justice, that's been an interesting word this past week. Well done Everton, players, manager and fans. Great day, great win.
Difficult choice for a Man of the Match but the fact that Distin was rushed to hospital after the match ? to have Torres removed from his arse pocket (boom boom) and Yak's shoulder charge on one of their little baldy fellas must mean those two share the spoils.
I bet their two centre halves haven't had a roasting and battering like they got from the Yak in many a year.
But Osman was excellent first half ? especially when he went in on the boyhood blue / fat landlord early doors. Btw how much does Carragher moan?? Man alive I thought Torres was a crying get but old JC takes the biscuit on that one.
And the "greatest fans in the whole wide world" didn't sing their scarves-aloft song at the end - just disappeared quick sharp. What happened to walking on thru the wind and rain and all that bollox.??
Phone ins afterwards just priceless. Every Tom, Dick and Jethro from Essex, Cornwall and Somerset bleating on to Alan Green.
Like the old joke says ? if you found Tim Cahill or Mikel Arteta in bed with your missus, you'd tuck them in and make them a bacon sarnie.
Up the Toffees.
They are the spit off Mr Burns and Smithers, with Woy behaving like Homer it's happy days at Anspringfield..
Hopefully Ossie, Mikky and Johnny are all fit again asap.
Well done and thanks Ken..and to one and all within the toffeeweb community and evertonia everywhere...had to watch the game on tele but the atmosphere seemed spot on, as expected.
COYB!!!
I thought they tried to kick us off the pitch and we didn't receive much support from the officials.
So glad to hear the final whistle, I always thought the cunts would get a jammy deflected goal or something! but worth it to see Stevie G's face at the end, self-defence my arse the jury must have consisted of Laughapool supporters! What a memory I have ! Just disappointed the 9 points deduction didn't happen, I would have had a erection for a month!!
I watched the game again last night and MotM for me was Timmy... when he dropped back into midfield he broke up so many moves and kept Steve G La quiet. Immense.
We are unbeaten since he ditched the trackkie and came over all continental-like.
He still looks like he's been forced into his Sunday best by his mum, but long may the magic continue.
Thanks for the report Ken, excellent read as always. Let's hope Moyes & his team can build & maintain a bit of momentum now.
Thank you? the Everton players, for serving up a magnificent derby victory yesterday and for not being too greedy for silly wages (with one exception ? you know who you are).
Thank you? David Moyes, for leading the team to victory and for celebrating Mikel?s goal exactly as any of us would do.
Thank you? Bill Kenwright, for not loading the club with debt in order to chase some unachievable goal and for not selling the club to the first shyster who comes along waving a cheque.
Thank you? every man woman and child in Goodison yesterday for screaming the place down and keeping the faith.
You, the players, the manager, the chairman and the fans? really are true Evertonians.
John Coghlan ESSCA, ESCLA, COYB
COYB !
No worries. I just wish I'd had time to go along the Bullens Road as there is anther bit of history along there too.
If there are any local Evertonians with a video camera, please finsh the job off for all the ExPat Blues across the world. It's like getting sent a bottle of HP sauce back in the 1980's wrapped in a copy of the Echo to make you feel homesick.
On a positive side, the smell of piss has long gone. Even the police horses seem to have been trained. Is that a good thing?
Those who go every week don't realise how much many thousands of us would just LOVE to be there on match day.
So to all of you young Evertonians, enjoy it while you are able to go the match. When you move away, you will search the web for any information about EFC and appreciate any memories of matches - just like last Sunday.
The only good thing that has changed it the smell of piss seems to have gone. The police horses even seem to have been trained to piss on the toilet. Wonders will never cease.
So what.
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1 Posted 18/10/2010 at 04:22:02
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Well we did it using the tried and tested ingredients of hard work, togetherness, and a return to pressing the ball ? something we have been lacking during our more adventurous football phase. We now find ourselves 2 points behind Villa and 3 off 6th spot with the best GD outside the top 5.
What a difference a day makes! Let's savour the day and enjoy our moment but hopefully we can now build on this as we face another injury crisis.
COYB