Everton v N'castle - Match Report - Premiership 2005/2006

Everton: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Neville, Arteta, Cahill, Van Der Meyde, Davies, Beattie

, McFadden

Bench: Kilbane (Van Der Meyde), Bent ( Beattie), Osman (Arteta), Kroldrup, Wright

Everton v Newcastle. Last season this game put us is Europe's elite Club Competition, this season a win would give us back a bit of dignity after last weeks horror show in the Midlands. The boys did not disappoint.

Before the action started, Goodison Park showed their respects to George Best, the flawed genius, who fight for life ended sadly on Friday. A superb round of applause from both sets of supporters was in a way fitting from the normal sombre minutes silence, as we said thank you and goodbye to a true footballing giant. Admittedly a tear was wiped away from my eye, and I don't mind admitting it, as once again Evertonians did our club proud with their respect to a footballing super star. Well played to all.

As they say sometimes callously, life must go on, and so Everton's fight to get out of the drop zone. Newcastle games over the years have produced some tasty encounters and this was no different. Undoubtedly this was Everton's best performance of the season, and the game was end to end full of passion, controversy and quality, welcome to the English Premiership at its best.

Chances from Andy Pandy, Faddy and Mikky Arteta could at any point given the Blues the lead in this engrossing encounter. Newcastle rallied with talisman Shearer on probably his last visit to Goodison causing mayhem up front with the annoying Ameobi. Nige was called on, on several occasions to spare the Blues blushes, as the game flowed from end to end, mainly thanks to the help of the non fussy Harry Webb who was officiating. He did mess up big time when Faddy handled on the line, but as Moyesy rightly pointed out in his interviews afterwards, it was probably pay back for the awful decisions against us at West Brom last week. Nil nil at the half, and as we said at half time, an enteratining nil nil at that.

H-T 0-0

Just as our bums touched the seats for the start of the second half, Joey had thundered a header into the back of the net from a pin point Mikky Arteta corner. One nil, and it was no more than Everton deserved. Flowing football ensued, and Biffa and Faddy linked up together well, the former having his best start of the season to me. His work rate was top dollar, creating chances at one end, clearing off the line at the other end. He won 90% of all the aerial challenges, and if this is the sign of things to come, happy days. It was just unfortunate that the best Everton move of the match was fired over by Biffa when it would have been easier to score, but for effort and work rate, well played.

The game was getting niggly, little battles all over the pitch. Souness took Babayaro off, before he was probably sent off. At the end of the first half, he and Tiny tangled, punches were swapped, and Everton were playing on him to rattle him again. One time Everton target Scott (greedy arse) Parker took Mikky out, and earned a deserved yellow with it.

Chances came and went, and Faddy and Tiny should have wrapped up the game with an injury time scramble, but Given saved well three times. The ref blew, Everton moved out of the bottom three again, but this time played like a team in the top half of the table.

Starman goes to Biffa Beattie. A fantastic performance by Mikky Arteta aswell, whose quality gets better every week, and Joey who was once again solid at the back, but for his sheer work rate, Biffa edges it.

Lets hope it is not another false dawn, and we need an embarrassing result to jolt us into a great performance. Consistency is the name of the game now, and all Blues demand it. Well played lads, you did us proud.

Cahill Is Fouled by Babayaro

Weir Wins A Header

Lavo
Reports
from
Goodison Park

Blue Kipper Star Man

Best Yet

Goal

Quality

Showed Promise

Vital Stops

Quotes After The Game

Moyesy says: "It was a good game, I enjoyed the game. From our point of view, I think we deserved the three points in the end, and I enjoyed the performance of the players today. I was disappointed that we didn't compete at West Brom. But this week I thought we did compete, and we had to. I have got to say Newcastle have got an exceptional team, real good talented players. And I knew that we had to try and be at our best to get that result.

Everybody went away thinking there were chances at both ends, it was a good game. From our point of view a second goal would have given our defenders confidence, we could have scored three in the second half, we had that about us. We were much better in the second half than we were in the first half, and we put Newcastle under enough pressure and we created enough chances to score three but the one today was good enough.

I thought it was handball. I have had the chance to see it on the screen, you can't tell from the dugout if it was or not, you tend to be able to tell by the reaction of the players and all the Newcastle players reacted. But what about us last weekend, West Brom's penalty was outside the box and their goalkeeper later picked the ball up outside the area. Either of those decisions going our way would have changed the outcome. I hoped last week's decisions would have been right just as I would like this week's to be right. They didn't go for us then but this time we had one in our favour. It was an old-fashioned game of football, some challenges got found out, some didn't. But I felt we deserved the points and I enjoyed the performance of my players. "

Off The Ball

* Emre with his gloves on and a duffle coat under his shirt. He just didn't fancy it.

* All the prawn sandwich brigade in the Directors Box who could not be arsed coming out for the second half, and missed Joey's winning goal. Serves you all right.

* The Stadium announcer telling all the Newcastle fans to st down during the match. They all then stood up to everyone's amusement. What did he expect !!

Everton Team News

Everton should welcome back Nuno Valente into the left back berth, to give Moyesy a nice headache in the midfield with Phil Neville pushing back into the holding role, probably at the expense of Simon Davies. Also back in contention, and no doubt raring to go against his old club will be Big Dunc, who ironically has not scored in the Prem this season, so who knows, as they say football is a funny old game. Definite starter will be Tim Cahill, as Moyesy will re shuffle his pack after last weeks debacle against the Baggies.

Scapegoats after last week will probably be Kilbane, Benty and Davies, but in fairness no one can hold their head high after the capitulation, and the players if true to their word will at least have a good crack at the skunks.

Moyesy says: "I would hope I didn’t have to say anything about desire but I have. I would hope the approach to every game is the same. We will go out on Sunday and hopefully put on a much better performance than last week. I wasn’t happy with the performance last week. The players have shown me that they understand that and hopefully we will get a reaction. We work hard and we are in it together - it’s not them and me, we are all in it together so we will take the criticism together and they got plenty from me on Saturday, that’s for sure. They have looked good in training but what matters is what they do when they cross that white line come Sunday.

I think we had the wake up call long before that, we probably went to West Brom in good fettle thinking we would get a good positive result and we didn’t." (26/11/05)

A reminder that due to the unfortunate death of a true footballing legend that was George Best, Everton along with every other club in the country will stand to pay their respects with a one minute silence before kick off. As normal we know that all Blues fans will respect the silence, in a tribute to a one off footballing genius.

Everton from: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Valente, Neville, Arteta, Davies, Van der Meyde, Kilbane, Cahill, McFadden, Osman, Beattie, Bent, Ferguson, Kroldrup, Wright, Li Tie.

Lavo's Everton XI To Start: Martyn, Hibbert, Weir, Yobo, Valente, Neville, Arteta, Cahill, Van der Meyde, Beattie, Ferguson.

Lavo's Bet: £10 on Big Dunc, First Goalscorer (7/1)

About The Opposition

What a difference a season makes. This fixture last season sealed Everton's Champions League berth, whilst this season, Everton are looking for the points to avoid being in the drop zone at Christmas, The Skunks in the Summer brought in to everyone's surprise Michael Owen along with Albert Luque and one time Everton target Emre. Owen is fit to play tomorrow alongside veteran striker Alan Shearer. Marvellous, fuckin' marvellous.

Newcastle from: Given, Harper, Ramage, Babayaro, Bramble Boumsong, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia, Solano, Luque, Bowyer, Brittain, Clark, Faye, Shearer, Owen, Ameobi, Chopra

Moyesy says: "We know we are going to have to defend very well against the forward players that Newcastle have got to get a result. Newcastle have got a very good team just now and for us to get a result, we are going to have to be at our best. But we are at home and will try to make that count." (26/11/05)

Last SeasonThe Skunks at Goodison Park

Match Reports 2005/2006

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