Slight Knock

Moyesy's only injury worry ahead of The Copa De Tejas is 'Sandro Pistone who has an Achilles problem. We believe the Italian defender may be in a bit of trouble with the Gaffer, as after skipping training with his injury, he was spotted sloping off to the nearest sun centre, for a fifteen minute session.

Moyesy says: "We are fine generally, the only problem we have is that Alessandro Pistone will miss a day or two with Achilles tendonitis.
Hopefully Alessandro’s problem is not that serious and he will be able to join in with us later this week." (26/07/04)

Critical Period

This season's Premiership campaign is a critical one according to 'Sandro Pistone. 'Sandro who has got a degree in Stating The Fuckin' Obvious, was talking about the forthcoming season whilst away training in Austria.

Sex God Sandro says: "After a good season two years ago last season was hugely disappointing and it is vital we can return to the consistent form of 2002/03. I hope this season that is coming is going to be my season in terms of staying completely free from injury and I am really looking forward to playing a big a part as possible.
I feel good. I twisted my ankle in the second to last game of the season and that was the reason I missed the game against Manchester City. But I have been working on the ankle over the summer and there are no problems now.
The pre-season is always the hardest period. You come from a period of rest and then you have to get fit as soon as possible for the beginning of the season. It is easier coming away as a group as there is no distraction and you can focus 100% on the training, there is good weather and it all helps. It is important because you can work properly and structure your training from the running to the work with the ball and looking at tactics." (14/07/04)

Pisto Back In Training

Our own Italian Stallion is close to full training.

Bazza said: “Sandro is making very good progress from the minor hamstring problem that he picked up in the last game. As I have said in the past, these things cannot be rushed but we are pushing him on and he has been able to start some light jogging in the past couple of days.”(10/03/04)

Pisto's Not The Only One Pissed Off

Pisto is DONALD again. He just can’t get any run going at all and the fans are getting a little bit pissed off with it. He has played 59 times in this his forth season at Everton. Obviously a talented chappie but he is no good to us if keeps getting injured. He is out this time with a hamstring problem.
Mick Rathbone said: We knew as soon as we got him off the park that it was a minor hamstring strain, so Alessandro went for a scan yesterday and that confirmed our initial diagnosis .It will be several weeks and we will take our time with Sandro. It is the same with any injury if you rush them back, then there is a chance that they will break down.” (02/03/04)

Results Will Come

'Sandro Pistone, like all his team mates, believes that the results will start coming, as the performances he believes are ok. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but all I ever hear week after week is that the results will come. Listen lads we are four points off the relegation zone, and it is nearly February, please make me eat my words, and we are challenging for a European slot come May.

Sex God 'Sandro Pistone says : "If we start scoring, then the results will follow I'm certain of that. We're playing well, certainly well enough to have taken something from our last two games. But that's football. Some-times you play really badly and put the ball in the net. Sometimes you have 20 chances and fail to score, like we did on Saturday. The important thing is to keep going and stay positive. It is frustrating, especially when we had so much of the ball. When you go a goal behind at home, the visiting team tend to close the space and make it difficult for you to play. It's always bad to lose at home. I can't tell you why we lost because, especially in the second half, we started very well - at a high tempo. We had many chances, so many good crosses into the box and the game was more or less played in their half of the pitch. We just didn't score. I only found out that I was playing at 1.30pm on the day of the game. The gaffer gave us the formation and the team and I was included. I was really, really pleased - it was a surprise. I'm okay now. I was okay in the two games I played before Christmas, but I've had an injury to my shoulder, but I've still been able to train. It's not about finding fitness again; my level is already there. I'm really happy at Everton and I'm really settled. The manager, my teammates and the entire club is great. We're just doing our jobs and giving 100 per cent and we'll see what hap-pens. I'd love to stay." (19/01/04)

Out For Several Weeks

Following Pisto's nasty fall on Saturday, he will be out for the Christmas & new year period. We can exclusively reveal that although Sandro had his arm in a sling, he could still move his arm enough to fix his hair as he glanced in the mirror in the player's Lounge after the game.

Mick Rathbone says: “Sandro’s had an x-ray, which came back all clear and it confirmed our initial diagnosis. He’s sprained the acromio-clavicular joint in his right shoulder and he’ll be out for several weeks. It will take time to heal and to settle and he’ll be in some discomfort for a while.” (22/12/03)

Stay Forever

As David Unsworth starts to think about life away from Goodison, another defender would be happy to play out his days with the Blues. 'Sandro Pistone, has delighted the female, and a few male office and canteen staff at Bellefield by saying he never wants to leave Everton. Still with eighteen months left on his contract, the twenty eight year old still has a lot of football left in him. After returning from injury, Pisto is playing some of his best football since arriving at Goodison in the Summer of 2000, and to me Everton are a better side with him in the starting eleven, and undoubtedly better looking, than anything The Premiership has to offer.

Sandro says: "Although I think it’s too early to start speaking about contracts, I would love to stay at Everton, as I really like England. As you know, I’m getting my English passport, and I’d really like to stay here at least until the end of my career." (20/12/03)

Better Late Than Never

'Sandro who came back in against Pompey at the weekend, has delighted the Everton gaffer with his return to fitness. With Everton's back four changing week to week, with injuries, Moyesy could not have been happier to see the good looking Italian return. Without any serious training under his belt, Pistone stepped in to replace the injured Tony Hibbert, to keep going the Blues excellent goals against record. Did I also say how good looking he is as well, well come on he is, isn't he.

Moyesy says: "Pistone came back a little bit earlier than expected and did well for us and we’re thankful for him coming back with probably not a lot of training under his belt. But he helped us when we needed him. We’ve been short of defenders when you get all those defenders out injured then it’s difficult to find anything else. (17/12/03)

Ready For Return

Everton fans and Moyesy were delighted to hear the news that 'Sandro Pistone requires no more surgery on his troublesome groin, and should return to action for the busy Christmas period. The twenty eight year old defender returned from his homeland last week, to start his training regime again, and in the next week or so, he should be ready for Moyesy to consider.

'Sandro says: "To be honest I was fit last week. I had just completed a full week of training before going to Italy, so it’s just about fitness, it’s going to be about a week now probably. Training this morning was ok. I just hope that I’m finally over it now. At the moment I feel ok so I’m just training and let’s see how it goes. It was great to hear that I don’t need any more surgery. I was really worried, just because I couldn’t explain what was going to happen so I was really happy when the surgeon said that there was no hernia again." (12/12/03)

Back To Italy For Christmas

'Sandro Pistone is heading back home to Italy, to see the surgeon again, over his ongoing groin problems. Everton physio Mick 'Basil' Rathbone would have preferred 'Sandro to stay nearer home to see the treatment that is being done, but 'Sandro is rumoured to have said he did not want to sit on a trolley in a damp casualty unit for eighteen hours, waiting to see a doctor. Political satire me thinks.

Basil Rathbone says: "Sandro is having some problems with his right groin.He had surgery in Italy last year to repair his right groin and the operation seemed to go well, as he was able to play after undergoing that initial surgery. Unfortunately, a couple of months ago, he had a couple of problems on his left side and he went back to Italy to have his left side done. Alessandro now has recurring problems on the right hand side and all we can do is send him back to Italy to see his surgeon because the ball is very much in their court. It’s a player’s prerogative to use whichever surgeon he favours, however, it is fair to say that we would have preferred him to use the surgeons in the North West, that we use ourselves because they have a fantastic track record. They use slightly different procedures in Italy than they do here and we prefer our procedures to be perfectly honest. That is not intended as a criticism of Alessandro’s surgeon in Milan, who is obviously a very eminent surgeon, but it’s just that we would prefer the British procedure to be used." (01/12/03)

Sex God Returns

Sex God 'Sandro Pistone has been given the all clear to return to full training early next week.He shall meet up with the rest of the squad when they return from their Club 18-30 jaunt in Tenerife.He has made quicker progress than expected after his hernia surgery, and returned to Bellefield a couple of weeks ago to be under the watchful eye of the Blues backroom staff, and any of the girls out of the office who could get a glimpse of him in their dinner hour. I can't write any more now, as just thinking about him makes me, excuse me I have to go bathroom now. (13/11/03)

Back At Bellefield

'Sandro Pistone returned to Bellefield yesterday, and signaled his intention to regain his first team place.He also praised Mick 'Basil' Rathbone and all the backroom staff, who have spent that much time with getting him back to fitness.He was a bit annoyed with them all though, as they constantly followed him to the shit 'ouse, the bookies and into the sack with him and his missus, he thought at this point they were taking the piss a bit.

Sandro says: "I feel good,I’ve just started running and from now on it’s all about time to get fit again and hoping everything goes well. It’s all about progressing. I think in about two weeks I’ll be ready to play with the Reserves.It‘s always frustrating when you have an injury and you can’t play or you can’t train. It’s hard, but you have to face it and it comes for everybody in their career. You have to put your head down and work hard to be back as soon as possible.But I have to say that Everton’s physio team are fantastic. They are really with you all the time. They spend so much time with you so I think they are doing a great job." (28/10/03)

The Italian Job

Alassandro Pistone got the news he was dreading today, when it was confirmed he will need another hernia operation.Sandro currently in Italy visiting the surgeon who did last years op, will stay out there for surgery, before returning to Goodison to commence his estimated six week fitness battle.

Mick 'Basil' Rathbone says: "Sandro’s been back to see the physician who works in Milan, who looks after the Milan teams.They agree with us that he’s got the very early start of a sportsman’s hernia type thing. We’ve decided that we’ll get it sorted out as soon as possible. It’s going to require surgery eventually. With these things players can tend to play on and on but because of the logistics of him being in Italy already and the fact that there’s no game this weekend we’re all in agreement that the operation should go ahead as soon as possible. It will be about five or six weeks after that before he’s playing. It’s the opposite side to last season. He had that done and it’s ok but he’s just developing a small one on the other side." (09/10/03)

Another Op For Pisto?

Sandro had to pull out of the game with Leeds hours before the match complaining of a stomach problem. He had only just returned to the starting line-up after a back strain. He just doesn't seem to get a run in the team.

Moyesy says: "Alessandro has had a problem with his stomach. He had a hernia op last year and now it looks as if he could have the same problem on the other side. He needs rest but we also want him to see a specialist. He will fly to Italy on Monday to see the surgeon who operated on him before the start of last season." (03/10/03)

Right Back / Left Back?

Pisto has been hailed as the most skillful player at the club by some commentators. This sometimes hinders him, as he can play in both full back positions. With Tony Hibbert not establishing himself as the number one right back, because of injury & loss of form, Sandro has found himself filling in (and filling in is what it is) at right back. He should be given an extended run at left back. Last night against Stockport he was moved over to right back from left back, to accommodate Unsey, when Hibbo was taken off. Let's hope Pisto is back at left back on Sunday against Leeds. (25/09/03)
What do you think? e-mail bluekipper.com      Your Views

I Just Want To Stay Fit

Sandro Says: “That is what I am looking for – being fit for as long as I can. Last year we had a good pre-season but unfortunately I couldn’t participate in it all because I had to stop for a while because of injury. I just want to finally have a season without any injuries and play as many games as I can. I think if that happens then I have a chance. There are many, many games and the gaffer has told us that if we play well then we will keep our place in the side. I think that is right attitude. Everyone then has to give 100 per cent at all times in order to keep their place. I am ready to play wherever the manager wants me to. I just want to play as many games as is possible. There is competition for places here now and that is normal. Last season was a very competitive season at the club, so I think this one will be the same. We are preparing ourselves in a good way for the start of the new campaign. We are working hard each day and have been involved in some tough games over the past couple of weeks.” (25/07/03)

Sandro Last Season