Mirallas lauds Everton's 12th man

, 10 March, 47comments  |  Jump to most recent

Kevin Mirallas has called on the Everton faithful to provide the support that will help push the Blues through to the next round of the Europa League.

Speaking in the Liverpool Echo, the Belgian forward describes how much of a boost the travelling army of Evertonians has provided the players on their European travels and how their continued backing is as important as ever.

“It is amazing," Mirallas says. "Whether we play home or away, all the time it is full. When we played in Wolfsburg and in Lille, even in Krasnodar, the fans came.

“It's great for the team, because sometimes when you play away it can be difficult. But when we play away with Everton there are always a lot of fans there, and that helps."

Mirallas has been in and out of the team since mid-December due to injury and erratic form but he is expected to be in the starting XI for the home leg against Dynamo Kyiv given his impressive displays in the big Europa League games so far this season.

The 27 year-old knows that the away game in Ukraine will be tricky and he admits that it's going to important that Everton get a good result in Thursday's game at Goodison Park, particularly given the team's patchy domestic results of late.

“The first game now is at Goodison, and it is very important that we have the fans behind the team," he continues. "We know that when we haven't played so well, we have had problems, so when the fans are behind us it is better.

“All season, the fans have been behind us. Now it is up to the team to make sure we win this game. When you have problems in the Premier League, the Europa League can be a different level. It's better for your head that you play another kind of team.

“It's very exciting now, because the best teams have stayed in the Europa League.

“It's important for the country now, we represent the last team from England in the tournament. All the country will be watching Everton in the Europa League now.”

 

Reader Comments (47)

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David Hallwood
4 Posted 10/03/2015 at 22:28:11
As one of the 12th man/men, I call on the 11 to stop talking and start playing.
Terry McLavey
7 Posted 10/03/2015 at 23:34:59
Really? And yet you need a new challenge?

Well, hereÂ’s one... try putting in 90 minutes for us! But you probably have tired arms as well as legs polishing your fucking gold Bentley!

Terry McLavey
8 Posted 10/03/2015 at 23:44:34
ps: I really hope the players read these posts, but I doubt it. Somehow, I don’t think this gets through to cuckoo land where they all reside! We’re proud of the Blue shirt – it’s about time YOU LOT were!
Oliver Molloy
10 Posted 10/03/2015 at 23:53:34
Or maybe Kevin knows there will be no Champions League clubs queuing up to sign him!
Sean McCarthy
11 Posted 10/03/2015 at 23:53:30
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Someone wake me up when this farce of a season is finally over!!!

Mark Andersson
12 Posted 11/03/2015 at 00:03:42
Wow so many negative posts already. His quote about "all the country will be watching us" made me laugh.

We could win the damned Europa League and still barely get a mention in the media.

I have more chance of winning the lottery, so I might just buy a ticket.

Peter Healing
13 Posted 11/03/2015 at 00:21:39
Has that bloke ever played the full 90?
Chris Gould
14 Posted 11/03/2015 at 06:27:23
ItÂ’s worth noting that ThursdayÂ’s match will be KyivÂ’s 5th in 15 days. Whereas we should be well rested.
Phil Sammon
15 Posted 11/03/2015 at 06:54:02
Well rested?! No such thing for Everton this season. We flit between Â’rustyÂ’ and Â’exhaustedÂ’.

Still, at least weÂ’re never short of an excuse.

Stephen Brown
17 Posted 11/03/2015 at 07:32:35
Sean McCarthy – I couldn’t agree more! This season is making me ill! And as for these half hearted rallying cries from the players well as the old saying goes actions speak louder than words!

LetÂ’s hope they can Â’man upÂ’ (hate that saying!!!!) soon.

Nevertheless I hope the crowd is fully behind the team over next 6+ home games as we need it!

Vinny Garstrokes
18 Posted 11/03/2015 at 07:48:54
I think that he read that carefully prepared sound bite which was prepared by somebody else really well!!!

It is a given that we will be doing our bit – you lot just get on and do yours!

Chris Gould
19 Posted 11/03/2015 at 08:04:02
Phil 15: I was going for a little optimism as opposed to the usual (completely understandable) negativity. The Premier League Everton and the Europa Everton are two different teams playing in parallel universes.

One doesnÂ’t seem to have any effect on the other. Good form in Europa League does not produce momentum, confidence or belief in the Premier League. Dreadful form in the Premier League doesnÂ’t have a negative impact in the Europa League. It really is like a different set of players. ThereÂ’s genuine belief and verve when they play in Europe. 3 days later thereÂ’s nothing.

I for one am thankful for the distraction of Thursday night football.

Brin Williams
20 Posted 11/03/2015 at 09:20:13
Hey hey, letÂ’s not forget this is the same Â’Super, super super KevÂ’ that is lauded when he scores.

Hero to Zero really does exist.

Marc Williams
21 Posted 11/03/2015 at 09:38:04
Yeah Kev, theyÂ’re really great them fans eh!

TheyÂ’ll be there for the full 90 mins again this Thursday, thatÂ’s two times 45 mins. You might like to try it some time... Instead of turning up for 10 mins and disappearing for 35!

Alan Bodell
22 Posted 11/03/2015 at 09:45:15
I’ve followed the Blues for more than 50 years and, for the very first time, I couldn’t give a fuck if we went out of this tournament because it’s obviously distracted and weakened us on our Premier League performance; with all the PL money at stake for next year, I know what I rate higher – and it’s survival.

Many on here keep saying we won’t go down but just look at QPR, Burnley and Leicester – their teams are fighters fighting and we look like fucking sheep every game.

Out of the Europa League, survival and re-group for next year – hopefully under new management.

Jeff Beaumont
23 Posted 11/03/2015 at 10:46:23
Chris @ 14.

The inevitable excuse if we donÂ’t will be that we lack match practice.

Jim Knightley
25 Posted 11/03/2015 at 11:55:22
Yeah, fuck off Mirallas. I do not care if you are our most destructive midfield player, you attempted to better your own career after seeing us fail to realise our own potential. And this, after we rescued you from the anonymity of the best team in Greek football, and persuaded you to join us instead of the lowly Arsenal.

And fuck you for praising our fans, and attempting to positively interact with a fanbase you pissed off with recent antics. You should just stay quiet and give up.

I only want players who want to play for this club at Everton. Unless they are Hibbert, or Osman, or Naismith before he got good, or Robles before he played in the team properly.

I just want us to go out of this tournament anyway. I do not care if it is a welcome distraction in a horrendous mess of a season. Clearly tired legs and not tactics are to blame, and as Alan says, QPR, Burnley and Leicester, with their 13 defeats, 4 draws and 1 win between them in their last 18 league games, are fighting.

This is my vote for the most miserable, and at times ill-informed, thread. Congratulations, we are all pissed off about the league. Some of us had the foresight to be pissed off before the season began, before suddenly coming into the realisation, and associated tantrums, because something was wrong. But this is a thread primarily related to the Europa League, where we have generally been fantastic, and done the double over the hot favourites for the competition.

The majority of us want Martinez out. Everyone of us is pissed off about our Premier League form. But letÂ’s have a little positivity when it comes to the Europa League, which still offers a potential chance for Champions League football, and at worse, a means to increase our differential ahead of (hopefully) later European adventures when weÂ’ve changed management, and gone back to working with what we have, rather than we hope we have.

Daniel A Johnson
26 Posted 11/03/2015 at 12:10:48
We need a 12th man, Mirallas, as we are not quite sure if you can be bothered to turn up and play half the time, mate.
John Keating
27 Posted 11/03/2015 at 12:19:30
See HowardÂ’s on the ball: "Teams have sussed us out "
Unbelievable that heÂ’s just worked that out... then again, maybe not!
Jimmy Kelly
28 Posted 11/03/2015 at 12:23:21
Spot on, Jim, this stuff with Mirallas is getting ridiculous now. He made an ill-advised comment, he missed a penalty that maybe he shouldnÂ’t have taken, and suddenly heÂ’s getting slagged off left, right and centre.

He’s always been in and out of games, he’s always had questionable bravery, and he’s always been prone to poor decision-making. That’s why he cost £6m and plays for us. Suddenly all those things are ’proof’ that he wants out.

In terms of natural talent, heÂ’s way above any of our other attacking players and he would be playing at a much higher level if the above werenÂ’t true.

Now heÂ’s trying to make positive noises and build some bridges and weÂ’ve got people knocking him for it. Probably the same people who say Phil Neville was a poor captain because he waved his arms and shouted, and JagielkaÂ’s a poor captain because he doesnÂ’t wave his arms or shout.

Oscar Huglin
29 Posted 11/03/2015 at 12:38:35
Terry #8 - If the players read these posts, we wouldnÂ’t even have a first eleven to support. Naismith would have been sold on a free before we even realised how good he could be, Coleman ditto, Distin ditto, Osman would have left years ago, Lukaku would have been sold on despite him being one of the biggest prospects in world football...

Some of the negativity on these pages is scary.

Kevin Tully
30 Posted 11/03/2015 at 12:42:22
John # 27 - Now thereÂ’s a player who should definitely keep his trap well and truly shut. The WORST Â’keeper in the PL this season. Put back into a side when his competitor for the jersey has just kept 3 clean sheets.

I would be too embarrassed to even show my twatting beardy face – never mind trying to analyse why we are so shit. You, Mr Howard, need to look in the fucking mirror. You will see a shit goalie staring back at you.

Chris Leyland
31 Posted 11/03/2015 at 11:17:27
Can I ask a simple question? Why do some people assume that there is a correlation between us going out of the Europa League and our Premier League form improving as a result or vice versa?

Will we suddenly tonk Newcastle 4-0 if Kiev turn us over tomorrow? But, if we beat Kiev, then will we lose 1-0 to Newcastle or scrape a late draw?

IÂ’d like to suggest an alternative way forward: the players actually try performing in both competitions. We progress in the Europa League and pick up the wins needed to stay up in the Premier League. It shouldnÂ’t be that difficult, should it? I donÂ’t go to a meeting in work and say some really incisive points and then, three days later, go to another meeting and be really shit because I was good at the one three days earlier.

Andrew Ellams
32 Posted 11/03/2015 at 13:10:28
I think the difference in our form between the two competitions has been they way the different opposition has approached the game as opposed to us.

Now we are into the knockout stages in Europe, and coming up against players and coaches who are more experienced and wiser in these competitions, itÂ’s going to get a lot tougher. These people know how to play two-legged knockout football. DonÂ’t expect the same naivety we saw from Young Boys.

Patrick Murphy
33 Posted 11/03/2015 at 13:37:33
The cynical side of me says that those players who want away from Goodison in the summer are merely putting themselves in the shop window when Europe comes around and it canÂ’t just be down to coincidence that the performances on the domestic side and the European stage are so vastly different.

Similar to the cup replay at West Ham, if we had shown the same attitude and fighting spirit in the PL as we showed that night at Upton Park, we would probably have many more points on the board.

But it could of course be that the players donÂ’t feel the pressure in the EL and are therefore more relaxed and thus perform better.

I can see both sides of the argument regarding Europe – if Everton progress, that is a good thing for the club and the players... but, if that progress fails to herald an improvement in domestic results, it might well get in the way and become a hindrance. On the other hand, if we go out of the EL, the players may still not improve on the domestic front and we continue to worry about the unthinkable.

Everything really depends on how the players perform domestically; if they do that better than they have done thus far, progress in the EL will be welcome.

Will Firstbrook
34 Posted 11/03/2015 at 14:14:54
Amen David Hallwood.

Sick of the talking in the press. Start producing on the pitch!

Tony Draper
35 Posted 11/03/2015 at 14:56:53
In the EL, a large majority of the clubs involved (like us) are "Hopefuls".
The PL is not the only league dominated by a "favoured few". If anything, other European leagues are even more predictable.

Then there are the "Wounded Few", who believe that they really belong in the CL.

Consequently the football is more adventurous and less sterile, so more clubs "give it a crack" to get to the "interesting stages", or sod off and stop wasting their time.

Presently, we are in one of the "rounds of limbo".

Tim Michael
36 Posted 11/03/2015 at 16:43:08
Once again, we have players coming out in the press talking about what either the team or in the Mirallas case, what the fans need to do.

Mirallas – the fans have supported this team through the most boring and mediocre season that I can remember. They've turned up both home and away filling both GP and away sections regular as clockwork. The fans do the full 90 mins so why can't you!!

Howard – it's not your fault that the manager cannot see how poor a season you've had but either way it's another player PR disaster by coming out and rattling on about EFC being sussed out this season. No it's not! Fundamentally the biggest loss of points is down to individual errors and one of the biggest culprits is you!!

I know there is an obligation to Uefa to bring in a player to talk to the press but if there is no requirement, every one of the players should get their heads down, stop talking and get on with job of getting us out the mess that they got us into. In fact the club should throw an embargo over everything until we are safe in the PL. We are all fed up with the same old dross coming out on a weekly basis.

Jamie Barlow
37 Posted 11/03/2015 at 17:04:53
Kevin, can you do an interview for our paper?

Nah, fuck off!!!

ToffeeWeb masses – fuckin' big shot!!! Probably too busy cleaning his gold Bentley.

Yawn!!

John Keating
38 Posted 11/03/2015 at 17:33:39
Kevin 30
Kevin itÂ’s not just Howard and Mirallas! TheyÂ’re all getting in the act!!!

Now me personally I love Naismith. He is the only one this season thatÂ’s broken sweat and at the very least tried. We can all say about his lack of skill nah nah nah nah but tell me one player who has tried harder?

Anyway heÂ’s now blabbing about winning that shite EL and admitting "maybe possibly thereÂ’s room for improvement in the league," "teams have sussed us out," etc etc etc. What a load of shite!!!

Surely the Club can afford to take the hit, pay the fine and keep these arseholes as far away from the media as possible – especially the clown who is manager !!

John Keating
39 Posted 11/03/2015 at 17:41:52
Chris, the EL really has nothing to do with our form in the PL.We played shite football before the EL started. We played shite football during the EL games and we played shite football when the EL had a hiatus! Basically, we are shite !!!

Results in the EL have 100% NOT given us confidence in the following PL games. The EL has been a distraction to supporters on the total incompetence of the manager and his staff. Had we gone out at the group stage, I very much doubt we would be discussing Martinez’s future – he would have been gone!! This is the sad fact.

Whilst we are progressing in the EL, supporters are continuing to give Martinez the benefit of the doubt regardless that he is jeopardising the major issue, our Premier League survival.

Last season, we had a thread when we were discussing the possibility of getting into the CL. I said at the time that I would love us to come 4th but if we couldn’t then I would prefer we dropped down and out of the EL placings – that didn’t go down too well. Well, that’s how I felt then and nothing’s changed

Tim Michael
40 Posted 11/03/2015 at 17:45:49
John #30
See my point in #36

The club are obligated to bring a player to the media conference and to be fair to Naismith he was asked more questions about our PL performance than the EL. However, he spewed the usual gubbage about winning the trophy. It wouldn't have mattered who was sat there with Martinez, the same old nonsense would have come out.

I agree with you about keeping all players away from the media but in the EL situation Uefa are a law to themselves. You do what they say. Just look how they take over a stadium prior to PL game.

John Keating
41 Posted 11/03/2015 at 18:05:19
Tim

YouÂ’re right of course. Just pisses me off treating the supporters like idiots!

Tim Michael
42 Posted 11/03/2015 at 18:07:18
John,

Yeah, they are treating the fans like fools and the manager is the worst culprit.

Eugene Ruane
43 Posted 11/03/2015 at 17:54:03
Anyone who knows the form after being arrested knows rule number one is 'say fuck all.'

All over the country, on Fridays and Saturdays, drunks (drunkenly) blab in interview rooms.

"Yeah I twatted him but only coz he fuggin..um...was..yer know"

Months later, stone cold sober, as they stand in court hearing back the drivel that'll will probably convict them, they must think 'why couldn't I keep my fucking trap shut?'

Frankie Howerd: "A case of loose lips sink shits, I said loose....oh suit yerself, dear."

Okay so speaking to the press isn't quite the same, but there is one similarity – the more you say, the more they have to hang you with.

I've read many over the years say 'Well they have to do it, they're obliged, the press expect...' etc but my response to that was always Duncan Ferguson.

Player/manager opinions (no matter who they are) usually make me sigh, but I suppose it's not really a big deal and these lads are only getting the welly now because of our position.

(Right now, Lukaku could express admiration for Mother Theresa and responses would be along the lines "Mother Theresa!? The lazy twat should be fucked off to Calcutta himself!!!").

I do wish they'd all say fuck-all though, be less chatty Cathy, more Big Duncan

Or if you're Tony Soprano, Gary Cooper.

Link

Tom R Owen
44 Posted 11/03/2015 at 18:56:10
The guy proved what a total cunt he is by insisting on taking the penalty against WBA.

ANY club coming in with a half decent bid - take it and fuck off. You aren't half as good as you think you are, Mirallas.

Dave Abrahams
45 Posted 11/03/2015 at 18:54:01
Eugene, loads of footballers use thousands of words and still say fuck all.

Harold who comes on here uses very few words and speaks volumes.

James Stewart
46 Posted 11/03/2015 at 19:14:04
@43 Spot on. Love that Sopranos clip as well. Such great writing... miss that show!
Kevin Jones
47 Posted 11/03/2015 at 20:20:34
Eugene your posts really make me titter. I was reading that with a Frankie Howard voice. Just watching Chelsea, what a fucking disgrace that team are. The people in charge of football should throw the cheating lowlife whinging heap of fucking dog turd out of the competition. I'm going to say something now I never thought I would ever think, never mind write down.

I hate them worse than The RS.

Anyhow can' t wait for tomorrow, feels like I haven't been the match for ages. COYB.

Jamie Barlow
48 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:18:28
Kevin, sometimes I wish our players bent the rules and harassed the ref a bit more but seeing the way those lot behaved tonight was embarrassing.
Trevor Peers
49 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:26:17
Steady on, Kevin (#47) you have a short memory; think back to last year the RS with rat boy and slippy almost won them the league with some of the most despicable cheating and diving in the history of football. Let's not get carried away, I'd put anyone before that scum to win any cup.
Kevin Jones
50 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:28:11
Agree to a certain extent Jay and that's why I think Naismith should be our captain. However, if we ever get to that level I'll stop going.

Good news anyway the arseholes are out.

Dave Abrahams
51 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:37:15
Trevor (#49), amen to that. I've never disliked a team more than Liverpool, even when I was young and innocent I couldn't stand the bastards.
John Keating
52 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:38:05
TrevorÂ’s right! They were the pits.

Chelsea are a disgrace to football but last season the RS set the standard.

Tom Bowers
53 Posted 11/03/2015 at 22:55:34
The referee in the Chelski game should be suspended after sending Zlatan off. The play-acting reaction by Oscar was a disgrace and the referee fell for it. It was a 50/50 at best and Oscar acted like he had a broken leg. Good on PSG for fighting all the way with 10 men.

Oh, by the way, Mirallas, start earning your wages and the crowd will get behind you. Don't criticize the Goodison faithful who pay your wages.

Andrew Laird
54 Posted 11/03/2015 at 23:14:49
Eugene #43 "Mother" Teresa was an evil, sadistic greedy scumbag who delighted in the suffering of the people who she supposedly cared for in the forced putrid conditions she advocated without the use of science and medication. I hope Romelu does more research before his next interview.
Mark Andersson
55 Posted 12/03/2015 at 00:35:43
Had to laugh at that statement: "Stop treating us like idiots" Well, we are when you think about it, we let a game of football that we have no control over make us become so irrational.

I'm as guilty, I get caught up in it all, the little voice in my head screaming get a grip man... The rational side of me agrees, and yet here I am reading every post every day, getting my pent up frustration fed.

I still think Martinez will take us down, and I used to be a "glass half-full" guy.


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