Everton Season Diary: November 1997

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EVERTON SEASON DIARY
November 1997

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NOVEMBER 1997

30th: Peter Johnson dismisses the demonstrations against him as coming from "less than 1% of the fans", and "unrepresentative of the true Evertonians" — comments guaranteed to further inflame the growing feeling that the Everton Chairman must go, and go soon, in order for there to be any meaningful change of fortune at the club.
29th: In a desperate display of inept football, Everton crashed to their 5th defeat in a row, losing 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park. Bookings for bad boys Ferguson and Bilic take them both to 5 yellow cards and automatic 3-match suspensions. Bilic, will now miss FIVE games in succession! After the match, between 1,000 and 3,000 fans in the Gwladys St End stage a sit-in, chanting slogans against Chairman Peter Johnson, until they are forcibly evicted by the police. The demonstration continued in Goodison Road.
28th: Peter Johnson reacts angrily to the accusation that fans are unconvinced about his committment to the club. Another leaflet campaign and a possible mass demonstration are planned for tomorrow's match in an effort to help him understand the depth of feeling and resentment over his succession of broken promises.
27th: The Stuart / Tiler & Ward swap-deal with Sheffield United has been completed. Also, the transfer of Thomas Myhre from Viking Stavanger has finally been agreed for around £800,000 plus appearance incentives. Everton reserves draw 1-1 at Aston Villa.
26th: Mitch Ward debuts as Everton lose 2-0 at Chelsea to two late penalties. Slaven Bilic is sent off for committing a professional foul to give away the second penalty. Jon O'Connor is dropped from the squad.
November 25th: Blades journeymen Carl Tiler and Mitch Ward are part of a swap package Kendall is negotiating, with Graham Stuart going to Bramall Lane along with a £500,000 sweetener. Ward has in any case been taken on loan, so he is available to face Chelsea tomorrow.
24th: Pressure mounts on Peter Johnson as rumours of bids for control of Everton FC do the rounds. Joe Lewis's ENIC group, and Lady Grantchester, the Moores heiress may be interested in rescuing the club.
23th: Howard Kendall is in Denmark but will not confirm he was looking at Brondby striker Ebbe Sand.
22nd: At Aston Villa, Everton crash to their 3rd defeat in a row and drop to the bottom of the Premiership Table. An early lead is again squandered, although Jon O'Connor finally makes a sub appearance in the 2-1 defeat, which turns out to be Graham Stuart's last match for the club..
19th: The Thomas Myhre transfer is still a possibility as Everton fax their last offer to Viking Stavanger.
18th: The most inventive and far-fetched Everton story to do the rounds is quashed by none other than the world's richest man: The Sultan of Brunei is NOT about to buy Everton FC!
17th: Former Chairman, Dr David Marsh, has resigned from the Everton Board of Directors, along with Richard Hughes. They will not be seeking re-election to the newly reduced 8-man Board. Strong rumours of Peter Johnson's desire to sell his 68% stake are vehemently denied by EFC.
November 15th: Andy Hinchcliffe plays well in the unfamiliar left centre-back role for England in a 2-0 friendly win against Cameroon at Wembley. Phelan misses Ireland's loss to Belgium through injury, and Bilic is suspended from Croatia's draw with the Ukraine in World Cup Qualifying playoff matches.
14th: Everton FC Co Ltd had an operating loss of £2.9M on a turnover of £18.8M in the last financial year to 31 May 1997, with merchandising showing a downturn, and an overdraft of £4.4M. Four of seven potential sites for the New Goodison Park in Liverpool have been identified – Gillmoss, Kings Dock, Pleasure Island, Speke airfield. Michael Ball (captain) and Danny Cadamarteri (goalscorer) help England to beat Russia 3-2 in European U-18 Championship qualifier at Crewe.
13th: After reviewing his booking of Slaven Bilic at Blackburn, referee Paul Alcock confirms that the foul on Chris Sutton deserved the yellow card, although we all thought Slav was booked for dissent! Terry Phelan's calf injury has forced him to pull out of the Ireland squad for the World Cup playoff in Belgium on the 15th.
12th: Former Blue, Tony Cottee, joins Birmingham City on a month's loan from Leicester City, where he has made only 2 appearances this season. Gary Speed, Welsh captain, gives away one of two free kicks which the Brazilian artisans punish in their 3-0 friendly win over Wales in Brasilia – John Oster also plays in this match.
11th: Everton Reserves lose 1-0 to Pontins League table-toppers Leeds United at the Halton Stadium in Widnes. Michael Branch limps off after only 20 mins with yet another injury – his hamstring.
10th: Protracted negotiations for the signature of goalkeeper Thomas Myhre continue...
8th: Despite leading for most of the match, Everton lose 2-3 at Blackburn Rovers, with two goals coming in the last 10 mins. Slaven Bilic is again booked for dissent, despite making a vow of silence before the game.
November 7th: Andy Hinchcliffe surprisingly retains his place in the England squad for a friendly against Cameroon on the 15th.
6th: In The Times FA Youth Cup 2nd Round, Everton have been drawn away to Blackpool on or before December 13th. The latest in a long line of embarrassing PR/commercial gaffes by the club is revealed to the nation on BBC1's Watchdog: old replica shirts were sold as new, with "one 2 one" logos stuck on top of the old Danka logo.
5th: Three possible sites are reported to be under consideration for the New Goodison Park:
- Kirkby Golf Course
- The Garden Festival site in Aigburth
- Cronton Colliery, near the M57/M62 intersection, and almost in Widnes
4th: Mervyn Day joins Everton on a 3-yr contract as goalkeeping coach. Gavin McCann joins Parkinson, Grant, Thomas and Barmby on the mid- to long-term injured list. Farrelly is back in training and Thomas may also be fit.
3rd: Thomas Myhre has returned to Norway as Everton struggle to agree a fee with his club, Viking Stavanger. In a personal hearing with the FA, Slaven Bilic was fined £1,000 for "uncomplimentary remarks" he made to the referee after picking up two yellow cards at Newcastle.
2nd: Everton crash badly at home to Southampton, losing 0-2 in front of the Sky TV Cameras, and slip to 17th in the Premiership.
1st: Nick Barmby is set to miss tomorrow's match. He has a niggling groin problem that could be a hernia.

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EVERTON SEASON DIARY November 1997

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November 1997