bluekipper.com - Everton v Reading - Match Report - 2007/2008

Everton: Tim Howard, Phil Neville (c), Joseph Yobo, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, Leon Osman, Manuel Fernandes, Lee Carsley, Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Andrew Johnson

Bench: Tony Hibbert, Jorge Nuno Valente, Stefan Wessels, Andy Van der Meyde, James Vaughan for Fernandes(45m)

The week had been dominated by yet another scandalous referring performance that went against us last week, that was until The Yak asked Mark Thatcher to drive him back from the Africa Cup of Nations. His excuse didn’t wash with Moyesy and the Nigerian hit the headlines on Friday being left out of today’s squad for disciplinary reasons.

We were up against a Reading side that had lost six on the bounce but had also beaten us earlier in the season so we were looking to avoid a double. With Cars, Timmy & Joey back from international duty it was anyone’s guess on the line up. Nuno was the unlucky one to miss out as Joey was accommodated in the middle (albeit on the wrong side – showing how well The Jag is playing) and Roger moved to left back.

Having been entertained by Jim Pearson in the BK lounge we strolled in the winter sunshine to the old ground, giving Dixie the usual lucky touch on the way. We knew what was at stake today, Villa had already won and gone level on points but we still held on to 4th place, a win would take us three points clear and four ahead of the shite who play Chelski tomorrow – could be the perfect weekend. A win would also be the perfect tonic before our trip to Norway on Wednesday.
The ground looked packed, the fans were up for it but boy were we in for a big surprise! This was the proverbial game of two halves, yes, both of them were shite!!

It was one of those days were the opposition were frightened of losing and we had nearly half the side who were under par. Whatever the reason it was dire. Give Reading their due, they knocked it around far better than us, they saw much more of the ball and won a good few free kicks well within range which they spurned, if they had applied any threat up front then we may have been in trouble. As it was Tim hardly had a save to make. That didn’t stop us having the usual palpitations in the last few minutes!

In the first half we created just three chances, both in the final few minutes; firstly AJ skipped in from the left edge of the box and hit a snap shot straight at their keeper. Ossy then popped up to produce a bit of magic on the right just inside the box, before sent up Timmy who skied it into the Park End then right on half time Timmy headed just over from Our Tater’s corner.

So we went in all square. Just a quick note about the dick’ead’s who booed as the team came off for the break – fuck off! We are 4th, the opposition are determined not to lose as they’ve lost the last six, we have five of the side not playing well and they need our support. Trust you weren’t booing at the final whistle?

HALF-TIME EVERTON 0 Reading 0

Moyesy was seeing it just like the rest of us and he made the change. Manny was brought off before he broke sweat and Vaughany was introduced, things got immediately better, we have a star in the making in young James Vaughan and now his injury looks well behind him, he made difference from the off. Chasing, running down his opponent, winning balls in the air, linking with AJ and in general a threat.

Cars had an early dig which went just wide before The Jag had a rehearsal for what was to come. Tater swung in a corner from in front of the church and both The Jag and Vaughany went for the header, it sailed just over.Then came the breakthrough. It came initially from a free kick taken by The Jag on the right, just inside his own half, he found Roger marauding forward on the left and he won a corner. Tater took it, Ossy put it back into the box after it was cleared and The Jag nodded it back across the goal and into the net. Cue relief! Reading ironically appealed for offside but The Jag’s first Premier League goal stood.

Despite the second half being almost as bad as the first we did have some chances. Ossy skimmed the bar with a cross cum shot from the right, Vaughany pulled off a great overhead kick that was just saved and AJ missed when it seemed easier to score. AJ had run his socks off as usual for the cause, he had a chance to ease our nerves when he rounded the keeper and was pushed just wide to the right but having done the hard work and with the empty net at his mercy, he put it into the side netting.

We withstood the last ten minute barrage (why do we always do this?) and held on for the three points. It was really unusual when the whistle went, yes there was a cheer, but not the usual roar. Grand Old Team struck up over the speakers and there was only a muffled rendition. We knew we had not played well but we were relieved to win. Job done, three points and now three points ahead of the pack in 4th place. This wasn’t winning ugly, this was winning Beardsley ugly.
Glad we got this performance out of the way before the UEFA Cup on Wednesday; hopefully The Yak has had his smacked arse and will have served his punishment so the squad can get back to business. Bring on Brann, Michael, where’s my Elk sandwich?

Star Men today were in short supply. Roger did well at left back and Cars got his foot in regularly to break up their play, AJ worked hard and Vaughany did well when he came on after the break. We won’t mention the howlers so my Blue Kipper Star Man goes to The Jag, not only did he score his first Prem goal and our decisive goal, he won numerous headers and produced one goal saving tackle and he now looks the real deal. COYB C’mon Chelski FTRS

FULL-TIME EVERTON 1 Reading 0

Swiss Tony
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Stats

Goals

Bad Boys

Prem Table

Blank Day

Clean Sheet

Back In The Back

What The Fans Think

* Great result from a poor performance. Arteta, Cahill and Osman (the players who make us tick) were all below par. AJ can't buy a goal at the moment. So top performances by Lescott, Yobo and Jags including the goal got us 3 points. These are the games you look back on and could have easily lost, but this keeps us nicely in 4th spot. Lemo

* Performance poor, result superb. Is it true that Rafa Beneath Us was asked about his prospects of finishing in the Top Four, and replied that he did not know the Everton job was up for grabs. Mike / Aintree

Fans Match Report

Every weekend it seems now until the end of the season is a big one, with points being won and lost by all the teams battling for that lucrative fourth place entry into The Champions League. Everton we know have the experience in achieving it, and currently we are the front-runners. Going into the game though we knew Villa had just dismantled King Kev and his hapless Geordies, and in doing so they did their goal difference the world of good. The shite are off to London for tomorrow’s clash with one of the Countries top three clubs, so it was vitally important that the Blues turned on the style against Reading. More importantly though is that we came away with three important points in our quest for the Champions League football next season.

The Yak and rightly so in my mind, was stood down for the afternoon, and probably that public humiliation hurt more than the rumoured £80k fine imposed on him. Arguments were heard prior to kick off, had Moyesy shot himself in the foot by leaving out his top goal scorer, especially when we have not scored a Premiership goal for one hundred and eighty minutes plus.

Joey was back on time unlike his Nigerian teammate, and came in next to The Jag in the centre; Roger filled the right back berth. Five men as expected packed the middle, leaving AJ up front.

Reading came to Goodison on the back of six straight defeats, and didn’t we know it. They were sharp to every ball from the off, Everton were caught napping as Reading fought tooth and nail from making it seven straight losses. Love him or loathe him but Stephen Hunt runs the show for Reading, a nasty piece of work, but his commitment to the cause was commendable. In saying that, the crowd needed a spark to get going, and it was not coming from the boys in Blue, but the unlikely ally of Hunt himself. Steve Coppell must have been seething with the Irish wild man, when he had done the job of silencing Goodison Park; Hunt cranked them up a few decibels when he lost the plot with Harry Hill.

For ten minutes or so it sparked Everton into life in an otherwise painful first forty-five minutes. The fans bellowed their dissatisfaction with the players as the ref blew for the interval. Where our fellow Blues prior to kick off right over the Yak issue, Moyesy needed to make some changes, and make them fast.

H-T Blues 0 Reading 0

The change came in the shape of James Vaughan, with Manny making way at the start of the second half. The youngsters running instantly put a different feel on the second period, and you could see the Blues urgency at last.

Tiny went close after great work out wide from Vaughan, and AJ with his workload halved was seeing more of the ball. Mikky and Ossie looked like different players from the first period, but Reading were holding strong. Speculative efforts from Harry Hill were becoming the order of the day, but then on the hour mark The Jag popped up at the far post to loop his header in from the acutest of angles to give the Blues the lead.

The Reading defence went mental, chasing after the linesman claiming for offside, but the Blues celebrated never the less. It must have been close as the powers that be at Goodison never showed the replayed goal on the big screens for fear of sparking a riot on the pitch. I for one hope it was ten foot offside, after some of the ludicrous hands we have been dealt this season by officialdom. It would still however only go half way to making amends for the crap decisions we have had to contend with from the poor and biased men in black. Vaughany went close after the goal with a superb overhead kick brought the save of the match from Hane..., Haneh...., Haneham...., the bald lad in Reading's goal.

The game will not go down as a classic far from it, but at the end of the day the stats will show Everton 1 Reading 0, and three points to the Blues. We have to beware though, that one team will chase us to the death for that fourth spot. After a tricky few weeks they are back on song, but that’s what you get from a Martin O’Neill side, and the demolition of The Skunks yesterday showed they will go toe to toe with us till May.

Rafa Beneath Us was asked would he finish in fourth place this season, and he is rumoured to have replied that he did not know that the Everton job was up for grabs, boom, boom.

Full Time Blues 1 Reading 0. Mike / Aintree

Fans Match Report By Graeme Holmes

At the end of a week when an extra Premiership game could be going around the world, fans in Melbourne, Miami, and Yokahoma would hardly have been excited at the prospect of this kind of game coming to a stadium near them in the future - neither would I and 20,000 others be keen to shell out a fortune to go and watch it. However, today was about getting 3 points in the push for 4th place, and we did it and kept another clean sheet, so it was mission accomplished.

The opponents were workmanlike and were desperate for points in their bid to beat the drop, and the atmosphere was flat, which must have affected the team, as we turned in a fairly poor performance. We had the usual early penalty turned down for a blatant handball by Cisse, but the ref evened this out near the end when he could have penalised Carsley for a similar offence, although not as deliberate. The whole of our midfield struggled again to create any worthwhile chances, and I can decide whether this is just a temporary dip in form, the loss of Pienaar, or the introduction of Fernandes. The jury is still out for me on Manny - I liked him last season, but so far he seems to play deeper than Carsley, and never seems to be where the ball is. Once we revert back to the midfield we had before the African Nations, I think we will see the good football return. However, Mikel's set pieces need extensive practice as he never seems to get it past the first defender.

Yesterday, my team selection would have been slightly different to Davie's, but thats why he is the boss and I am just a mere fan. I would have stuck to the successful defensive partnership of Jags and Roger, and kept Joe Yobo on the bench, throwing in Valente for the seemingly always injured, Baines. Additionally, we had to go for 2 up front at home against a weaker side, and that was proved after Half Time when James Vaughan made the difference and swung the game in our favour. I would have left the jaded Timmy Cahill on the bench, as a trip round the world in midweek was hardly ideal preparation. Finally - The Yak. Yes he should be disciplined and ultimately fined for his indiscretion, but was leaving him out the correct choice? He was hardly going to be bothered about another day off, and surely he should have been made to play, and go out and 'apologise' to the fans in the best way he can. This could have rebounded on us and thankfully it didn't, but leaving out your top scorer is only likely to benefit the chasing teams.

Anyway, this game will be forgotten about at the end of the season and the 3 points may prove to be vital towards us gaining 4th place, especially if Chelsea do the business this weekend. Man of the Match for me was Jags - with vital contributions at both ends of the park in the 2nd half. Graeme Holmes

Quotes After The Game

Moyesy says: "It was a good win and throughout the season you win all different ways. I don't think we were fortunate but we had to grind it out. I was a bit worried that we wouldn't score today. We can and will play better than we did. Credit to Reading who kept going right to the end and kept us under pressure.

The goal needed to come from somewhere, we made chances in the second half. It was given onside, correctly so, and it was a terrific header back across the goal. Not only did he score the goal but he made a really good saving tackle that probably stopped a goal. I have been saying for a few weeks now that his form has been really up there.

We thought we needed to try and liven it up. The pitch wasn't the best and we felt we needed to get it up to the forwards a bit quicker and play off that. James Vaughan certainly did make an impact."

Off The Ball

Who's At The Bluekipper Lounge

Jim Pearson Tells Another Tale From His Time At Everton

Seventies star Jim Pearson will be our guest. Members please note that he will be on the pallets at the earlier time of 1.20pm.

Also please note that the Bluekipper Lounge will be closed after the game due to a private function.

Scores On The Doors

Everton Team News

International week has certainly took it toll on the Blues line up for tomorrow's clash with Reading. The Yak is definitely out, with his walkabout in Nigeria after his countries exit from the African Nations Tournament. Moyesy does not want to dwell on the incident, but no doubt The Yak will be told in no uncertain terms, he can pull those stunts at Pompey, Boro and alike, but at Everton we will not stand for having the piss took out of us. Peanuts and Big Vic are definitely out, and Leighton Baines is 50/50. Tiny Tim has flown back from Australia, and although he will be knackered, he may well have to start in a 4-5-1 formation. Joey Yobo is back, but with the form of The Jag and Roger, he may well have to wait a week or two to win his place back.

Reading come to Goodison on the back of six straight defeats, and The Blues have a great chance of opening up some daylight between themselves and the rest of the chasing pack for the fourth spot. We have not scored admittedly in our last two Prem matches, but Reading have the second worst goal difference in the Premiership with minus twenty two. Football its a funny old game.

Moyesy says: "All I would say is that it is an internal matter. Yak has been in this morning, I have spoken to him and he won't be included in tomorrow's squad.
Joseph Yobo is back and he is available. He has a big battle to get his place back because Phil and Joleon have done really well. Steven is injured and won't be available for the game, he's got an ankle injury he picked up in training at the African Nations. There will be no Tommy Gravesen and there's a doubt over Leighton Baines. Victor is injured and won't be available."

Kipper's XI To Start: Howard, Valente, Lescott, Jagielka, Hibbert, Carsley, Neville, Arteta, Osman, Cahill, Johnson,

Everton from: Howard, Wessels, Hibbert, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Jagielka, Baines, Valente, Carsley, Arteta, Osman, Fernandes, Cahill, Johnson, Vaughan.

Last Season v Reading

Naughty Boy

Back From Aus

Haaaaarrrooollllld

IF ANY EVERTON FAN WANTS TO WRITE A REPORT OF ANY OF THIS SEASON'S GAMES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO. JUST E-MAIL IT TO info@bluekipper.com AND WE WILL PUT IT ON THE SITE.

Lavo's Best Bet

* With The Yak and Big Vic out the goal scoring duties will land for AJ, Tiny, Mikky and co. Now admittedly my tipster tipping has been abysmal of late, but AJ has to break his duck soon, and was unlucky with last weeks disallowed effort. With The Yak back at least in body, AJ will know that the pressure will be on him. Get on him at 5/1 to open the scoring.

About The Opposition

Ivar Ingimarsson is suspended while winger Bobby Convey also misses out as he is in the USA receiving treatment on a knee injury. Cameroon's Andre Bikey is banned for the Africa Cup of Nations final after a bizarre incident involving a medic on the pitch, but will stay with the team in Ghana.

Steve Coppell says: "I know it is not easy for the fans. If I had paid money to be on the terraces last week [against] Bolton I wouldn't have been happy. It's down to me. I'm the manager. I'm responsible, I pick the team, I pick the way we play. If we are not getting the results then it is my fault 100%. I still have great faith in my players and what the season has to offer."

Reading From: Hahnemann, Federici, Murty, De La Cruz, Rosenior, Sonko, Cisse, Shorey, Oster, Matejovsky, Hunt, Harper, Doyle, Kitson, Lita, Long, Golbourne, Kebe.

Match Reports 2007/2008

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