Everton 0 v 2 Man Utd                                                                 Wed. 26th Dec 2001

Report from last season's game

Everton : Simonsen, Watson, Weir, Xavier, Naysmith, Alexandersson, Unsworth, Gemmill, Blomqvist, Graveson, Radzinski.

Bench: Gerrard, Tal, Gascoigne, Ferguson, Moore.

Subs: Moore for Graveson (8m), Ferguson for Blomqvist (73m), Gascoigne for Alexandersson (82m).

Walter surprised us again, when he had Tommy Graveson upfront with the Rad. With Davie Weir back from suspension, it looked like Walter was making a place in the team for David Unsworth, after a decent display at Sunderland. Unfortunately Joe Max Moore was relegated to the Bench, alongside Big Dunc. At least we got that right. I hate going on about a point, but Joe Max Moore must think he's about as much use as a Johnny with a hole in it. He has played one full game & come on as sub in 2 more. He has scored 2 goals. What more has Moore to do.

The Gods must have been with Joe-Max, as Tommy Grav went over on his ankle after only 8 minutes. On came Joe, & he did OK without ever threatening the Utd goal. Everton, to their credit, had a go at Utd, & had the best of the chances in the first half.

Scot Gemmill was first to test Barthez, with a cracking drive. The keeper pushing it over the bar, with half the ground thinking it was going to drop in. Everton had effort and commitment in abundance in the first half. With Xavier & Weir solid at the back. Unsey & Gemmill running the show in the middle. Honest! Unsey is a carthorse when he plays at the back, but he's not a bad footballer, & started a lot of Everton's moves down the left. Blomqvist was usually the player to continue the move, with his drag backs, dummies, & tricks. Get him fit, which maybe hard. But he looks top class. Upfront, The Rad was full of running. He is a very clever player.

We should have scored when Unsey missed from 6 yards, sorry, metres. This was by far the biggest sitter missed by an Everton player this season. From an Alexandersson corner the ball bobbled about the Utd. penalty box, before the ball was teed up for Unsey to score. He didn't. His ears must be burning. Even now 3 hours after the miss, I still can't believe it.

Everton were impressive in the first half, with Unsworth pushing Keane aside, as though he wasn't there, Gemmill providing the graft and guille, & Radzinski the pace. Too much pace for the moaning Neville after half an hour. He was booked when The Rad skipped past him with ease, only for Neville to chop him down.

Utd got in the game, but Solskjaer's shot was saved by Simmo. Everton created another chance when Moore did the ald scissors kick over his head, the ball hitting Gary Neville before Barthez clutched it gratefully. Blomqvist, growing in confidence, continued to cause trouble for his old mates.

Half - Time: 0-0

Beckham, in his sixth match without being in the starting line-up, came on for Butt, who had been totally frustrated by Unsey & Gemmill, after 55 minutes. Although Utd were coming more into the game, Abel was having a stormer, & along with his fellow defenders was keeping Utd at bay. Duncan Ferguson came on for Blomqvist on 71 minutes, who was knackered. If he can get fit he looks like he can do us a world of good. It was just a pity that he couldn't stay on to provide the ammo for the big man.

Utd were coming more into the game, & Everton seemed to be wilting with the effort they had put in. It was no surprise when we went behind. Giggs got away from Stevie Watson to meet a typical Beckham cross with his head, giving Simmo no chance. Gazza came on with 10 minutes to go, but it was Utd who finished the stronger with Van Nistelrooy scoring. Class told in the end and all Everton's toil counted for nothing.

But Everton had many pluses from the game Abel Xavier, my Blue Kipper Star Man, should be rewarded with a new contract as soon as possible. Jesper Blomqvist looks the part. Get him fit for Saturday. Also he can supply the crosses for a fit again Ferguson. No doubt he will get injured training at Bellfield.

Quotes

Jesper says: "It was wonderful, really wonderful. I am clearly pleased with my display. It went better and better during the match."

Walter says: "When United had a bit of superiority they managed to get themselves in front. But when we had that superiority, we didn't and that's why we've lost out. Manchester United play with a certain amount of economy and we worked very hard and a bit of tiredness can creep in and we suffered from that. We had a good period in the first half, but if you don't get a goal then you'll suffer for it and that was the story of the game. There's pressure on every game because if you look at the middle of the league, there are teams that have had this type of run and they got themselves out of it, and that's what we've got to do. I've got no complaints about any of our players. The commitment to Everton has been terrific, we're just a bit short, maybe, of that extra quality."

Another bad day at the office
by
Mickey Blue Eyes.

Christmas Eve, Swansea announced they couldn't pay their players this month. Oo-er. More advance ripples from the swelling sunami. Watch out for more long before the real thing arrives. Then, another minor ripple, or it might have been the wind: Jim Jefferies resigned as Bradford manager and promptly claimed compensation. The relevant clauses in his contract must make interesting reading.

Christmas Day, with typical PR spin-doctor "taste," Leeds Suit Ridsdale announced a new contract offer for Bowyer, a rumoured increase from £16,000 per week to £25,000. It gets difficult to see just how low this piece of dirt can get on your shoe. But he keeps trying. He also tried to play both ends against the middle with an observation that he wouldn't have signed Bowyer if he knew what he knows now. Oh. Why offer him improved terms then, bastard? Welcome to football in the Scab League and its Christmas gifts.

Match day, to Wetherspoons, the Black Horse abandoned after many years patronage and without a trace of nostalgia. Texyla, Mogsy, cactus jack and Di, and briefly later, The Editor were in attendance. Makes a pleasant change to find a new pub on County Road which is clean and sells acceptable beer and food. A nice day, too, relatively speaking. Cj was moved to say it was positively Mediterranean compared to the Mackems match, a meteorological experience still seared into everyone's mind who attended.

Unsurprisingly, all score predictions were adverse. Me, I thought us likely to lose by three or four, Texyla by five (though this might have been emotional self defence against a route), and Mogsy and Di by two. A draw would be considered a moral victory. Enthusiasm for the game was undiminished, a clear example of why real fans keep the game alive in the teeth of TV opposition to rip it off to suit themselves.

Once again the playing programme was destroyed by a spread of morning games, afternoon matches and evening matches, usually supported by dickheads who think the TV money and a tidy balance sheet is all the game needs. They are of course those without conscience who toe the establishment one party line, you know, who go-along-to-get-along, or those who fall for a phony pseudo-definition of "pragmatic," which in their case should really read: opportunist. There will always be those who are content to knuckle their forehead, bow the knee or mutter, "Yes'm," with a bowed head. There will also always be those from minor thug to organised criminals all too ready to kick a man while he's down, just like the Leeds players or the SS, and then go along with what the Suits/Uniforms say. No matter, their time will run out. It always does. The real tragedy is what damage they do while the pendulum swings.

I walked up to GP with cj and tried to avoid the fast food litter and chewing gum pavement splodges. I failed, badly. But the excitement was palpable and helped to minimise distaste. You just wanted to get IN and get ON with it. Wouldn't it be nice to have higher standards in a brand new modern stadium down at Kings Dock. You betcha sweet life it would. But you can always settle for playing lower division footy at an ageing and outdated Goodison Park if you want. Suit yourself.

Teams, no Joe Max, on the bench. Davey back, Blomqvist in. The Gravedigger in. Beckham on the bench for them. Keane in, Butt in, Scholes out. Said it all, really. We attacked the Park End in the first half.

There are thousands of different ways of telling the same story. Football is a classic example. In the end, variants are interesting but climaxes are what gets your attention. So it was with this match.

In the first ten minutes you feared the very worst. Twice defence piercing passes were within millimetres of conversion by the expensive Cheesehead van Nistlerooy. Goals then might have been soul destroying. But they never came and The Blues took heart and took a grip too. After early wobbles they really got into it by sheer spirit and non-stop endeavour. They chased the Mancs all over the place and harried and hounded them into the ground. It was an inspiring sight and the crowd responded to it.

The real core of it was Davey-Abel who snuffed everything which came through the middle. This got the midfield up for it in a big way and none better than Scott and Beloved Lard Arse. Really though they all played out of their skins to the point where we all believed we were going to get something out of it. One attempted bicycle kick by Joe Max nearly came off. Then Unsy missed the best chance of the game from six metres. The crowd were on the edges of their seats, or standing up, arms extended. Support was terrific, expectant even. The Mancs teetered but never gave way. This is what The Beautiful Game is all about our Grit versus their Class. Yes, there was a time when the roles were reversed and will be again…………but right now it's us who need the grit. So be it.

It was easy to see how the Mancs have faltered this season. Two words: Blanc, Veron. Rhythm disrupted. Oh, they have enough class in other areas to make up for it. The question is whether they have left it too late. Me, I think you'd be an absolute divvy to bet against them. As usual, they are beginning to come good at just the right time. The other front runners must be casting fearful glances over their shoulders. The Mancs are coming up on the rails.

So we get to half time not knowing whether to be relieved the expected route hasn't happened or be annoyed that we weren't winning. It was exhilarating after the cold trips to Leeds and Sunderland.

Second half, the expected happened when, like all great teams, they stepped up a gear. Every now and then half chances came their way while we struggled to create anything. It wasn't a question of giving up. All our players gave everything they had and then some. It simply wasn't enough. Then they brought on Beckham, while we brought on The Yin and Gazza. Again, says it all. Of course you long for a fit Yin in these games because even half fit he had Blanc and co on tenterhooks for a short while. Fully fit and it might have produced something. Oh well.

Ten minutes left and they scored a quite magnificent goal out of nothing. Beckham, arguably the best striker of a ball in the world, wide right, half way in our half, hits over a long, long cross. It must have traveled, oh, forty metres or so, before perfectly bisecting Davey and Abel for Giggs to get a superb back header on it and leave Simmo with no chance whatever. Nobody's head went down but really we knew it was all over right there. For the first time they started passing it around in the way we had feared much earlier. Which is a genuine tribute to how well we had battled them to a near stand-still.

A few minutes left and they got another, and just as brilliant, this time from wide left. Giggs crossed it to the Cheesehead with precisely the same affect and he volleyed it in. Not before Simmo got a hand on it though and almost, almost, kept it out.

The final minutes petered out with them passing it around easily between themselves.

So in the end we felt hard done by where we had anticipated a heavy defeat. Nobody in their right mind wants to settle for that but there's no question it was a source of some pride that we gave them a scare. In our present circumstances that is no small achievement. There's no point lashing out at Smiffy because there isn't very much he can do about the situation. We just don't have the players and we have no money to get them. Wittering on about formations is as useful as pissing in the wind. You could have played our team in a hundred different formations and STILL the Mancs would have run out winners. That's the way it is. There was a time when it was different and I don't remember anyone saying much then. There will be a future time when it will be in our favour. I hope people have the common sense to remember these bad times and get them in perspective.

So now we have lost three in a row and dropped a few places. Lose on Saturday to the Addicks and the swamp starts clinging to our wellies again.

Can't you take a joke or wha?

IO.OOAM Boxing Day : Ferguson could be on the Bench.

We have heard that Big Dunc has done enough in training to warrent a seat on the bench. The idea being he could come on for the second half.

Everton from: Simonsen, Gerrard, Watson, Weir, Stubbs, Unsworth, Naysmith, Alexandersson, Xavier, Graveson, Radzinski, Tal, Blomqvist, Gascoigne, Hibbert, Cleland, McLeod, Chadwick.

Blomqvist may play his first full game against his old team today. We think he could come in on the left for Idan Tal. Lets hope he does what all former Everton players do when they come back to Goodison. Have a blinder & score a goal. Alan Stubbs is back in the squad after recovering from his injury. Davie weir also returns after his 1 match suspention, leaving Unsey, thinking "I was captain at Sunderland, but could be on the bench against the Mancs."

Jesper says: "Definitely it will be strange. I was there for three-and-a-half years and I know most of the squad very well, so it will be a weird feeling. It would be great to play against United. Everyone knows they had a little bit of a rough spell a few weeks ago, but they have recovered as Southampton found out last weekend.”