News Archive –Feb

Traore to undergo more tests

Everton expect to learn more on the treatment options open to Lacina Traore within the next week, with the Ivory Coast international set to see specialists in London and Paris to assess the extent of his hamstring injury.

Martinez concerned over potential use of video technology

Roberto Martinez has urged caution over the further intrusion of video technology into the game as the International Football Association Board prepares to meet to discuss the possible use of replays for fourth officials to analyse contentious incidents.

Everton vs West Ham United

With the home straight of the final 10 games of the Premier League season approaching and an FA Cup Quarter Final at Arsenal looming next weekend, Everton enter a crucial phase of their season as they prepare to welcome West Ham United to Goodison Park this weekend. Jagielka is out but Alcaraz and Lukaku are fit to play for the first time in a month. KO is 3pm.

• Global TV
• Live Matchday Forum
• Memory Lane — Match 27

Coleman not ready to give up 4th

Seamus Coleman admits that it is going to be difficult for Everton to finish in the Premier League's top four this season but says he can't let go of the dream. The Irishman is determined to help the Blues finish as high as possible and secure European football for next season.

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Alan Myers a big loss to Everton FC

"Before Alan returned to the club there was a definite feeling of them and us where the fans were concerned, but Alan changed all that. All of a sudden there was someone actually listening to the concerns of the fans and any problems they had."

Alan Myers leaves Everton post

Everton have announced that Director of Communications, Alan Myers, has left the club for personal reasons just six months after he assumed the role.

Trio called up by England

Leighton Baines and Ross Barkley have been called up again by England manager, Roy Hodgson, ahead of the friendly against Denmark at Wembley on 5th March, while John Stones is included in the England U21s squad.

Traore loan spell in the balance

Everton expect to find out this week which treatment option Monaco will select for Lacina Traore, a decision which will determine whether he remains on loan with the Blues or returns to the French club early.

Three more matches moved for TV

Everton's upcoming Premier League fixtures against Arsenal, Manchester United and Southampton have all been rescheduled to accommodate live televised coverage.

Jagelka now out with hamstring injury

Phil Jagielka is out of Saturday's match against West Ham United with a hamstring injury that Roberto Martinez expects will sideline him for a couple of weeks. The defender will also miss England’s friendly against Denmark next week.

Deulofeu is “very happy” at Everton

Gerard Deulofeu has been speaking in glowing terms of Everton and how comfortable he is playing for the Blues this season.

Duncan “made up” following move to first-team coaching duties

Duncan Ferguson says that he is absolutely delighted to have been handed the chance to join Roberto Martinez's backroom staff, describing his new first-team coaching role as a fantastic opportunity.

FA powerless over Arsenal allocation

The Football Association have responded to the outcry over Everton's reduced allocation for next month's FA Cup Quarter Final tie at Arsenal by admitting that the final decision rests with the host club's Safety Advisory Group.

McGeady approaching full fitness

Everton had to start from scratch rebuilding Aiden McGeady’s fitness levels following two months on the sidelines at Spartak Moscow before the Irish winger made the move to Goodison Park in January. But hard work in building his fitness since then promises to improve Everton's forward play, says Roberto Martinez.

Summer deal agreed for young winger

Everton have confirmed a deal to sign 15-year-old winger Stephen Kinsella this summer. The Irish teen will sign a scholarship deal with the Blues ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.

Blues host supporters' club day

Evertonians from around the world will take part in a special flag parade at Goodison ahead of the match against West Ham United.

U21s beaten at Norwich

Everton's U21s went down to a 2-1 defeat at Carrow Road after Jamar Loza scored to restore the home side's lead with five minutes left.

FA urged to “stand up for Everton”

The Football Association are being urged to intervene in the ticketing controversy over Everton's allocation for next month's FA Cup Quarter Final at Arsenal.

• Walton MP Rotherham weighs in

“We Go The Game” Launched

Everton is turning the spotlight firmly on its supporters and calling on fans to share their stories about life as a Blue for a unique new competition.

Traore facing more weeks on the sidelines

Everton have provided an update on Lacina Traore, confirming that that striker will be out for a period of what Roberto Martinez describes as "weeks rather than months" after tearing his hamstring in the warm-up at Chelsea last Saturday.

Fan Zone to Play Host to Food Bank Appeal

Everton FC is calling upon the generosity of supporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against West Ham United by asking them to bring donations to a food bank to help those less fortunate across the city.

Traore to undergo tests on fresh hamstring injury

Everton's medical staff will assess the extent of the injury to Lacina Traore's hamstring after the Ivorian pulled up during the pre-match warm-up at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Lesson learnt re counter-attacks

Roberto Martinez believes Everton's performance at Chelsea showed they have learnt their lesson from the derby defeat to Liverpool in that they were not caught out on the counter-attack.

Loan duo recalled from Tranmere

Everton have recalled Matthew Kennedy and Matthew Pennington from their respective loan spells at Tranmere Rovers.

Chelsea used ''every trick in the book''

Roberto Martinez accused Chelsea of using ‘every trick in the book’ to grind out a narrow victory over his top-four chasing Everton side.

Blues' resistance broken at the death

Everton were just three minutes from earning a hard-fought goalless draw but were crushed by an injury time goal that broke the Blues' faltering resistance. The Blues had had the best of the first half, Leon Osman forcing a good save from Petr Cech, but the League leaders steadily increased the pressure after the break, eventually forcing home a gut-wrenching injury time goal.

• Full match report
• Match summary and discussion

A bit of progress on a new stadium

Sir Terry Leahy, special advisor to the club, claims that Everton have made a "bit of progress" and are "putting together the financial jigsaw" to move to a new stadium.

Chelsea game will be a big tell for Martinez

Roberto Martinez admits that today's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will be hugely instructive in how his team measures up in their chase for a Champions League place.

U18s come back to beat Newcastle 5-2

Everton Under-18s came from 2-0 down after just 23 minutes to win 5-2 at Newcastle United on Saturday with goals from Davies, Birch (2), Connolly and Brewster.

Chelsea vs Everton

Everton head to West London tomorrow for what is something of a go-for-broke clash with Chelsea where a surprise victory would go a long way to re-opening the conversation with regard to potential Champions League qualification. Lukaku is back in training but is ineligible so with no other injury concerns, Martinez just needs to settle on his starting XI, particularly with regard to who starts up front. KO is 12:45.

• Global TV
• Live Matchday Forum

Season Tickets for 2014-15 on sale now

Season Tickets for the 2014-15 campaign are now on sale

Elsewhere On The Web

Tony Hibbert: deal or no deal

Luke O'Farrell asks whether Everton should offer the veteran fullback a new deal or look for a longer-term backup to Seamus Coleman.

ESA calls on Arsenal to honour Cup allocation guidelines

The Everton FC Shareholders Association has publicly called on Arsenal to provide an away ticket allocation for next month's FA Cup quarter final that is in keeping with both the traditions of the competition and FA rules.

Junior loan switch to Norway

Everton have decided to switch Francisco Junior's loan deal from Vitesse Arnhem in Holland to Stromsgodset in Norway for the rest of the season.

Ferguson handed first-team coaching role

Duncan Ferguson will make the step up from reserve-team coaching to Everton's senior set-up starting on Monday.

Arsenal cup date and allocation set

updated Everton's FA Cup Quarter Final against Arsenal will kick off at 12:45pm on Saturday 8th March, the club have announced, but the club will receive a reduced allocation of just 5,186 tickets.

George Green — Everton starlet

George Green has been gaining media attention as Everton's U18 side push through to the Quarterfinals of the FA Youth Cup, Green scoring braces in the previous two rounds.

Antolin Alcaraz now fit to return

Roberto Martinez has declared that Antolin Alcaraz is now fully fit and completely recovered from the injury problems and muscle fatigue that have blighted his Everton career so far — not helped, so Martinez says, by having to play three games inside a week when he did return briefly, earlier in the season.

Elsewhere On The Web

Why corners are something Martinez will never rely on

Greg O'Keeffe at the Echo takes an interesting look at the noticeable de-emphasis placed on corners by Everton since Roberto Martinez took charge.

The Blues have scored from just one corner this season and that is a reflection of Roberto Martinez's preference for retaining the ball than playing the percentages with balls into the box.

[F]or students of Martinez’s approach during his spells in charge elsewhere, the shift in focus will come as no surprise.

The Catalan admitted as much in an early season interview. The key, as he consistently maintains, is about his side imposing themselves on the game via possession.

Set-pieces? He can take or leave them. Largely because the risk of losing the ball as a result is just not considered worth it.

Naismith declared fit after concussion

Steven Naismith suffered concussion in a collision with Jordi Amat during the closing stages of Everton's FA Cup victory over Swansea City on Sunday, but has now been declared fit to face Chelsea on Saturday.

Oviedo back in the gym

Bryan Oviedo is back on an exercise bike three weeks to the day after he underwent surgery on the double leg-break he suffered at Stevenage in the FA Cup Fourth Round.

Blues advance in Youth Cup

Everton Under-18s travelled to Sheffield United in the FA Youth Cup this evening and progressed to a quarter-final date at Charton or Arsenal thanks to a 2-0 win.

Coleman eyes silverware

Seamus Coleman says that winning the FA Cup "would be massive" and would provide a stepping stone to greater things for Everton.

Vellios keen to prove himself

Apostolos Vellios is keen for an opportunity to prove himself to fans who doubt his value to the Everton first team as he continues to be overlooked by Roberto Martinez.

Arsenal Away in the Sixth Round

In the Sixth Round of the FA Cup, Everton will play Arsenal at The Emirates after they defeated Liverpool 2-1 in a lively encounter this afternoon.

• Comments on the Arsenal - Liverpool game

Elsewhere On The Web

Everton standing area under review

Streetendblue has looked into the pros and cons of a standing area at Goodison Park and knows all about the history of the club and the songs we sing.

Arsenal or Liverpool in Round 6

In the Sixth Round of the FA Cup, Everton have been drawn to play away at Arsenal or Liverpool, who are set to play later this afternoon.

Everton prevail to knock out Swansea

Everton booked passage to the quarter finals of the FA Cup for the third successive season but they had a couple of lapses from Swansea City to thank for turning the tie their way. Lacina Traoré had taken less than four minutes of his debut to flick home the opening goal but his effort was cancelled out by Jonathan de Guzman's header. The second half was finely poised until an awful back-pass by Neil Taylor let Steven Naismith in to calmly slide home before Leighton Baines converted the killer goal from the spot after Naismith had been tripped in the area.

• Full match report
• Match summary and discussion
• Ken Buckley: From My Seat

Roberto states his belief in the Blues

“I believe 100 per cent this club is equipped to win the FA Cup and 100 per cent Everton should be a club fighting for trophies. You look at the history, the heritage and the fans."

Everton vs Swansea City

With the unexpected benefit of a full week's rest, thanks to the postponement on Wednesday of the Premier League clash with Crystal Palace due to dangerously high winds, Everton take on Swansea City this Sunday in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Lukaku is still out while Alcaraz is lacking match fitness but Traore is expected to make his debut, either from the start or as a sub. KO is 1:30pm with live coverage on ITV.

• Memory Lane — FA Cup Fifth Round
• Live Matchday Forum

Ross Barkley returned too soon

Roberto Martinez has admitted that he rushed Ross Barkley's return to match play following the young player's rapid recovery from a fractured bone in his foot.

Everton advance in Liverpool Senior Cup

A very young Everton XI booked their place in the Liverpool Senior Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win at Marine AFC on Thursday evening. Calum Dyson's third-minute opener and George Newell's close-range finish gave the Blues a first-half lead the hosts could not surmount.

Malaysian Toffee blown away by club hospitality

An Everton fan from Malaysia who has waited 30 years to see the Blues play at Goodison Park saw an evening of disappointment turn into one to remember thanks to the efforts of the club.

Sharpy's Blue Rose mission

Blues legend Graeme Sharp gave three female Season Tickets holders an early Valentine’s surprise when he arrived at their houses armed with blue roses on Monday to thank them for their continued support.

Everton vs Crystal Palace

Everton are back at Goodison Park this evening for the first of two vital home games in the space of five days, with improving Crystal Palace the visitors in the Premier League before Swansea City come to town for an FA Cup Fifth Round tie on Sunday. Traore could make his debut off the bench while Deulofeu and Barkley will be looking for more playing time as they continue their comebacks from injury. KO is 7.45pm.

• Memory Lane — Match 26
• Global TV

Everton vs Crystal Palace — OFF

Everton's clash with Crystal Palace was called off at 7.10pm this evening on the advice of Merseyside Police who cite concerns over building damage in the area around Goodison Park and fan safety due to the hurricance-force winds sweeping the northwest.

• Memory Lane — Match 26
• Wednesday evening football thread

No change in Barry situation for Martinez

Forced to answer more questions about Gareth Barry's future in the wake of media speculation linking the midfielder with Arsenal, Roberto Martinez has reiterated that no discussions will be held until the summer.

Lukaku targets return against Hammers

Romelu Lukaku says that he expects to make his return to the Everton squad on 1 March for the visit of West Ham United as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained in last month's Merseyside derby. The Belgian has also clearly stated his readiness and desire for Champions League next season, saying that he is ready for European club football's biggest stage.

U21s pegged back by Sunderland

A brace by Harry Charsley had Everton's U21s on course for victory in Southport this evening but two goals by Adam Mitchell earned Sunderland a 2-2 draw.

Elsewhere On The Web

Striker shortage threatens to undermine European push

Points make prizes, as Bruce Forsyth once regularly pointed out on Play Your Cards Right, and should Everton fall short in their quest for the prize of Champions League football, the points dropped at White Hart Lane may be the ones that prove fatal.

Elsewhere On The Web

Roberto Martinez bringing his Spanish dynamic to Everton

Roberto Martinez is bringing his Spanish background and philosophies to Everton in his first season at the helm.

Second-half lapse costs Everton

Everton suffered their fourth defeat of the season, edged out of another tight encounter by a moment's lack of concentration when Adebayor rapped home a second-half winner as the Blues' defence was caught napping by a quickly-taken free kick. Everton easily had the better of the first half but found it increasingly difficult to create chances as the game progressed and, disappointingly, couldn't find a way back to into the game.

• Match summary and discussion
• Full match report

Distin reaping rewards from focus and commitment

Sylvain Distin says that while good genes have played a part in his age-defying form in recent years, his real secret is his focus and hard work in keeping himself in peak physical condition.

Change in mentality sparks Mirallas

Kevin Mirallas says that a combination of his own attitude and more freedom to play in his preferred role under Roberto Martinez is behind his recent sparkling form which has come at just the right time for Everton.

McCarthy: Chase for the top four is touch-and-go

James McCarthy says that Everton aren't making any predictions of making the Champions League this season, saying that the manager and players are just looking to pick up as many points as they can.

Wolves U18s 0 - 1 Everton U18s

Everton’s Under-18s defeated Wolves 1-0 on Saturday as Tyrone Duffus was the scorer of the game's only goal.

Roberto Martinez on Constancy and Direction

Roberto Martinez has been talking more about the things he has been doing as Everton manager, specifically with regard to implementing change gradually, so as not to disrupt the good spirit of the Everton dressing room.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton

Everton's Champions League qualification credentials will undergo another potentially stern examination on Sunday as they travel to London to face Tottenham Hotspur. Deulofeu and Traoré could make the bench after recovering from hamstring injuries while Coleman is expected to start after being sidelined for a month.

• Memory Lane — Match 25
• Global TV
• Live Matchday Forum

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Alcaraz ruled out for Spurs game

Updated Antolin Alcaraz has suffered a new blow in his injury-plagued season at Everton and has been ruled out of this weekend's trip to Tottenham.

Baines reconfirms Everton commitment

Leighton Baines admits the fresh start and the challenges posed by manager Roberto Martinez persuaded him to commit his long-term future to the club. Baines signed a new four-year deal last week to finally end the continuous lies spouted by the press claiming at times dogmatically that he definitely would be moving to Manchester United.

Prince Rupert's Tower bathed in Blue Light

Roberto Martinez visited Everton Park on Tuesday evening to shed light on Everton Football Club’s illustrious heritage, flipping the switch which turned the iconic Prince Rupert's Tower permanently blue.

Gerard Deulofeu set to return

Gerard Deulofeu is expected to return for Everton's trip to play Tottenham on Sunday after almost two-months out with a hamstring injury. The player on a season-long loan from Barcelona is raring to shine for the Blues between now and the end of the campaign, and will return an even better player according to Roberto Martinez.

Everton announce new Umbro deal

Everton have unveiled a new "technical partnership" with Umbro that will see the sport brand manufacture the club's playing strips and training wear for the next 5 years.

U21s draw away at Spurs

Everton Under-21s played out a goalless draw away to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

Everton In The Community Reaches £1m Goal

Everton in the Community has seen out its silver jubilee year in style and celebrated turning another year older with the announcement that they have achieved their £1million fundraising target.

Elsewhere On The Web

Derby Days – Liverpool-Everton

Copa90's latest edition of their look at local derbies came to Anfield this past week for the latest edition of Everton vs Liverpool.

The last quarter is very LFC-centric but some familiar faces to online Blues are interviewed early on.

Elsewhere On The Web

Sligo agog when Dixie Dean came to town

A brief article on Dixie Dean and other greats to have graced English football but also played in the League of Ireland.

'The most satisfying win of the season'

Roberto Martinez was thrilled with the way in which his team responded to the disappointing display at Anfield on Tuesday, hailing Kevin Mirallas's sublime winner as the sign of a star player.

Mirallas magic completes superb turnaround

Kevin Mirallas pulled off another moment of dead-ball brilliance five minutes from time, curling home an inch-perfect free-kick that helped Everton to the League double over Aston Villa for the season. The visitors' gameplan was working to perfection after Leandro Bacuna had put them ahead in the first half. But another accomplished finish by substitute Steven Naismith levelled matters with 16 minutes to go and Mirallas grabbed the points after he'd been fouled 25 yards from goal. The win moves the Blues back into fifth place.

• Memory Lane — Match 24
• Match summary and discussion
• Full match report

Everton U18s 3 - 1 Blackburn Rvrs U18s

Everton Under-18s recorded a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday morning at Finch Farm with goals from Harry Charsley, Callum Connolly and Jordan Thorniley.