''It's just another derby''

Carragher is as mobile as long John Silver, Gerrard is on oxygen and Suarez is down the road - how can we not win?

(this delusion thing is great innit?)

Of course Baines is playing it down. Footballers never do anything else. The reality is that this game is for short and medium term bragging rights. I don't believe Europa will happen from here. So if Baines came out and said he's pumped up as its massive for us to finish above Liverpool - what would the ToffeeWeb response have been? I'd bet it would be something about lack of ambition.

I don't know how much media training these modern pro types go through, but deflecting any intent of the journalist so not to cause headlines etc is lesson 1.

Its extremely dull of course and also creates its own problem with wild conjecture getting thrown about by people trying to read into something which was uttered in such a way as to cause as little or no reaction what so ever.

A bit like the rumour Carragher has an Everton Badge tatooed on his leg, has anyone seen it?

Moyes made him say it though eh, Ross?

You couldn't make this bollocks up.

They're a perfect Rorschach test for ToffeeWeb.

- Player says something utterly dull in a daily interview.

- Link gets posted on ToffeeWeb.

- Huge thread arguing that this demonstrates that "Moyes is shit and negative and hateful" or not...

Why bother even requesting an interview if his intent was to simply bloviate .....?

We as fans obviously still make them the most important games of the season but from Everton's point of view our lack of goalscoring might be our downfall in this one.

Anichebe and Jelavic are very anaemic these days so the game on Sunday may be a mundane affair as far as Everton attacking too much.

Moyes will probably go for the usual defence in depth being the negative person he is after being frightened by RS's big win at Barcodes even without Ratboy.

This article is about Leighton Baines's view of Sunday's game. Yet the very first comment is a pop at David Moyes. That's desperate stuff, even for you.

For your information, Baines was a Red.

As for Baines is it too much to ask for the players to say nothing in the run up to the derby,every year one of them comes out with something and it never works just don't speak to any journalists before the game like Pulis is telling his players to at the moment.

I am blaming DM as it is his job to MOTIVATE the players towards Sunday, and Baines' comments hints that DM has played down the significance of the match in training.

"Baines' comments hints that DM has played down the significance of the match in training."

In a very strong field, that is a front-runner for the stupidest post you have ever written.

Fair enough. Over and out.

I think you say the same thing. Has Moyes been on the phone to you and asked you to say the same thing to just back Baines up?

Also Love the change in opinion - Baines is a lifelong blue to There was a big Reds-Blues split in Bainesy's family but I don't know what side he fell into to Who bleeding cares if he's a Red!

Brilliant!

I hope we beat that shower, ram it home there time as top dogs on Merseyside is over.

5 days til kick off and I'm winding myself up already about playing that shite.

Don't know why I get myself so excited history doesn't favour us does it.

But by god do those c##ts wind me up.

C O Y B

This isn't a bash at Moyes, it is a fact, but nothing would make me happier than if we tore them a new arsehole. I just can't see it happening.

The record under Moyes home and away against the neighbours is poor, but I also don't buy the argument that the local players care more. Having seen the likes of Kuyt and Suarez in recent games it is clear that even the foreign players understand the importance of putting in the effort in these games.

Last season we gifted them the Anfield return with a deliberately weakened side prior to a quarter final replay. Moyes, showing that his "People's Club" quote when he arrived was not the birth of some in-depth understanding of all things Evertonian, said afterwards he wished he'd rested more. Forget, if you can for a moment, the fact that we lost pathetically to a Gerrard hat-trick. We'd actually handed the initiative to them for the semi final - even after Carragher gifted us a half-time lead, their players and fans still had the belief they would prevail. A fair proportion of our fans feared the worst.

I'm absolutely on the fence about Moyes. He can stay or go as far as I'm concerned. But his disciples often say he can't be held responsible for mistakes from players (but he is when they do something great?) If he's not responsible for instilling a belief in the club, desire, and sheer will to win, then he shouldn't be a manager in my book.

I thought we were in control of that semi-final until Distin did his thing. Liverpool showed nothing up to that moment. Once we went 1-0 up I was just watching the clock hoping against hope we'd get through; I wasn't bothered about going for the jugular and scoring more goals. But my attitude was born of decades of derby disappointment and pre-dated Moyes by many years.

Yes it would be nice to get some of those away wins to show we're progressing, but it's not a stat that needs to be trotted out every week as proof that we're crap.

Yes, of course I want us to go and get a win at Analfield for the first time this century, but this and our lack to win at the other big 4 grounds cannot be related to a throw away comment by Baines that it is not any more important than usual.

Can you imagination what happens if he says "it's the most important game of my life" and then we lose? He'll never be allowed to forget it. He is playing it down in public, doesn't mean he is in private or within the confines of the club.... he grew up in this atmosphere, he knows how tense it is, maybe he needs to make himself relax a bit or he'll not sleep!! I know I won't sleep well Saturday night, and I don't think I'll even be on the bench!

Why would he never be able to forget it if he came out the woodwork and declared and we lost? If this game is not important, more important than the rest, then which is? This game is our vindication for the rest, the draws, the goal against Newcastle that you knew would come the moment Vic scored, the drubbing by the Brum, Sunderland with the sniff of euro football in the wind.

I have thought about nothing else for weeks.

The evil empire needs overthrowing.

Give it to them Everton.

Simply because nobody likes egg on their face.... I wouldn´t say it was more important either, even if I really believed it was.....

I don't care if they lose (that much, really, sort of honest) if they play to win and give it everything they can. Baines should know, this is important to us. You surely must believe to win? They have been riding on Gerrard and Suarez for a while now, who are the rest of them? Look at the teams that have held or beat the shite this season. Is this too much ambition to ask?

All I'm doing, and it seems not very well, is separating the public face from the private.... what is said in public is not necessarily the belief in private....

...and I do care whether they lose or not!

... and as for them riding on Gerrard and Suarez, I thought so too, but against Newcastle they were a team, didn't rely on any one person.... maybe a little like when we lost Rooney? All seemed doom and gloom but made other people step up their game and not rely on one person.....

Anyway, one thing we can agree on, we WANT them to have a go and try to win it.

Carragher says the derby is the biggest game and that if he could win only one game a season it would be this one. Lucas speaks about wanting to catch us.

I'd forgotten its Carragher's last derby. COYB!

One thing is for certain though: we've got to take hold of that midfield early. Because if we allow that Couhtino any time on the ball to dictate, he could hurt us big time; he's got a lovely eye for a pass. With the exception of Gerrard and maybe Sturridge, they've got nothing else.

The league table doesn't lie, does it: they're where they are for a reason; yes, they've hit a few goals in the last couple of games but don't forget they had two goalless draws before that so it's not all doom and gloom for us. The midfield is vital — that's why I hope Gibson plays.

And, if Moyes had any balls, he'd drop the very ineffectual Osman and put Barkley in. But we all know he won't, don't we? I'm just not confident for any other reason than it's Anfield.

I don't see how you can pin Baines's comment on Moyes; Leighton's a big boy and he can speak for himself.

Journalist hypes game up, player declines opportunity to stoke the fire.

Kevin,

That's what I've been very ineffectually trying to say... thanks for putting it better than I managed to.... :-(

The way they change their priorities to suit is amazing, I wonder if following the toss-up they put both nets at the end they're kicking towards and leave the other end without one, I mean it is the dark side and they have license to do or say what they want.

Maybe the players could use a little bit of pressure. Just saying, Einstein's theory of insanity and all that.