Believe me, watching the game was easy, compared to trying to write something positive about the boys yesterday. Did we bottle it, did Blackburn out hustle us, whatever the reason we were poor, very poor. I suppose we have come a long way in the last twelve months. After last weeks display at Villa, the shite getting turned over at the Toon, hopes were high of opening an eleven point, and unassailable lead.

Moyesy decided to leave Stubbsey on the bench, and stay with the eleven who performed fantastically in the Midlands, eight days previous. Blackburn signalled their intent from the off, as they chased, closed down, and hustled the Blues midfield at every opportunity. They were not afraid of leaving their foot in, and soon took care of Mikky Arteta, who could continue no longer, after a crunching challenge from Mokoena. Killa continuously frustrated by coming inside every time Pisto was looking to lay the ball off. He was up against serial leg breaker Lucas Neill, so maybe that was in his head, but you could see early on, it was going to be one of them days.

Blackburn had probably the best chance of the first half, when Dickov forced a brave save out of Nige, who in turn himself had to leave the pitch after Nige got the better of him. After Arteta went off, Big Dunc was called into the fray, as Moyesy went 4-4-2, but the predicable long ball punt came into play. Benty had Everton's best chance of the half, when he found himself one on one with ex shit 'ed Friedel, who made a brave stop at the Everton strikers feet, in fairness Benty should have done better. The game got niggly, Everton were getting frustrated, and Blackburn's game plan was working a treat.

Half Time: Everton 0 Blackburn 0

Half time we all decided it was going to get better. It didn't, in fact it got worse. Harry Hill went close with a free kick, not once but twice. The game was a poor advert for top flight footy in this country, as the watching millions must have turned their TV's off in their droves. We were not so fortunate, as the sun descended over the Goodison Road stand, our speck in the Upper Bullens, became cold, and miserable just like the game. Blackburn's confidence grew as the game went on. Everton's frustration was more apparent, as we pushed on for a goal, but Blackburn's eleven man defence were stopping us short.

Big Dunc, Ossie and Harry Hill all went close, but Blackburn stood firm. The tempo rose, but the poor showing of only 32,000 could not raise the teams spirits. The inevitable happened as Everton pushed forward. Stead who had come on for Dickov found himself in acres of space. He rounded Joey in the area, and fired a low drive in Nige's right hand corner of the Park End net. Blackburn were doing to us, exactly what we were trying to do to teams twelve months previous as we tried to avoid relegation. They out thought us on the pitch, and their energy was fantastic, as they never stopped running. Everton had no answers, as no one performed to their normal high standards.

Right that's the negatives out of the way. Positives, eight points clear, nine games left. Would you have took that after Arsenal's fourth had gone in back in August? I would. Listening to the kopites, they think that they have already won the Derby, well we are at our best when no one gives us a chance.

My bluekipper Starman was the hardest to pick yet, but I have stumped for Joey, who in my eyes was the best of a bad bunch. Keep smiling lads, there will be better days ahead.

Full Time: Everton 0 Blackburn 1

Shall We Dance

Our Tater Wins The Ball

Lard Reports from Goodison Park

Blue Kipper Star Man

Joey Yobo

 

Went Close

 

Injured

 

Should Have Scored

Honkey-Tonk Blues
By
Mickey Blue Eyes.

You can’t keep a good cook down, especially when her team has just dropped a two goal lead. So last week Nowich chair Delia got herself out on the pitch and did a more than passable impression of a policewoman at That Time of The Month. She won’t be the first to forget the vast majority of sports fans object to being told they aren’t making enough supportive noise. Invariably the result is the opposite – most simply sit on their hands in protest at being recruited into the sports equivalent of a Nuremberg rally. And Norwich went on to lose. People are either in the collective mood or they’re not and no amount of public address system exhortation will change it. But, as we know, Delia is given to this kind of public own goal. Actually I don’t mind her all that much – it’s that peculiar curl in her top lip I find untrustworthy. But it was harmless enough, which meant the media turned it into a hyped up farrago of nonsense while Norwich fans were visibly embarrassed and the rest of us merely fell about laughing.

There was another public own goal when Villa manager David O’Leary reverted to type when he retrospected our win last week at his team’s expense as the result of midfield “bullying.” Anyone who saw the game will know what a load of contemptible self-serving garbage his words were. But there’s an odd, self-destructive streak in his management PR methods and this was one such occasion. In fact the win was salutary and the result of good teamwork, spirit and some superb footy. Even the bought-and-paid-for media pundits couldn’t reach any other conclusion. All of which has got us excited enough to start believing we might get into European competition next season. As the weeks go by options for our closest competitors begin to narrow uncomfortably. If we can keep up the good form then we can’t be caught. Shades of two seasons ago when we finished seventh even after fading badly on the run-in. The outstanding question is whether Moyesy and the playing survivors of that disappointment have acquired the lessons and are in a position to do something about it.

All of which was ironic going into the Blackburn home game. Which we went into with optimism, though I never felt it was the foregone conclusion many thought it. Mark Hughes – like Dave McKay in his twilight years a truly ugly veteran player who tried to make up for lack of pace with “competitvness” with the kind of actions which made you wince – has his team doing a lot of things you figure would be better in a second rate snuff movie. They aren’t outright dirty but the kind of things they do are inclined to direct you toward a late night movie rather than watch football “highlights.” And of course regional media controlled from Manchester automatically is on ex-Manchester United Hughes’ side. I never complain about this but it is my duty to point it out to regular readers. You can guarantee the same media outlets who gave O’Leary a voice wouldn’t be bothered to do the same for Us, if Moyesy could be bothered to deploy the same self-pitying nonsense.

All of that said, we deserved to lose this game. Our midfield lost it for us. Since Gravesen left we simply aren’t strong enough all round in that department to defeat this kind of mediocre opponent in this kind of game. The only midfielder to perform was Lee Carsley. Often he was left stranded after getting a successful tackle in……………and the ball bounced loose while messrs. Cahill, Osman and Kilbane seemed incapable of winning it. But it’s no coincidence that Blackburn targeted Arteta, saw him off in the first half, and then did Tim Cahill with Thompson’s outstretched open studs. It wasn’t as though Blackbrun were any great shakes. They were no more than workaday pros with their backs against the wall – as if we needed telling about THAT kind of approach after recent years. In fact it took us an awful long time to summon a shot on goal. Did it really take us eighty-five minutes for Leon to volley wide into the Street End?

I had hardly said, “We’re going to leak one here,” before their man got clear right side and rifled one past a helpless Nigel. After that, we never looked likely, while all they did – naturally – was pack their defence. The threat of relegation concentrates minds wonderfully, as we know all too well.

So instead of us consolidating a potentially excellent position we went and blew it. Instead of performing as seductive courtesans we played like cheap whores and then paid a similar price. Pity. If we lose it now there’s nobody to blame but ourselves. The only people to gain any enjoyment in “our” camp will be the Melledrew Tendency, waiting to moan and whinge at every opportunity. Doubtless the same birdbrains who saw the Manc home defeat as some sort of unfathomable disaster, the same empty headed louts who saw the Villa game as a soaring victory, will now revert to type. In their tiny minds someone will have to be held to account. Gawd knows who the victim(s) will be this time.

Afterwards in the pub it was Mothers’ Day. As the karaoke gathered pace Stevie said mischievously, “Watch all the women divorcees sing ‘I Will Survive.’ “ Instead, the pace bounced to singalong stuff from decades ago. And Tony The Pony performed like there was no tomorrow. Smiles everywhere. Unlike the match, or the Melledrew Tendency.

Time for our midfield to get mad. And get even.