Still An Evertonian - Off to Pompey

David Unsworth today completed his move to Portsmouth, ending his twelve year association with the Blues. Unsey who rejected a deal at Everton has signed a three year deal at Pompey, were he will be reunited with one of his old managers Harry Redknapp. Unsey has made over three hundred appearances for the Blues, with the highlight of his time being the Cup success of 1995. Many of us who questioned his ability, cannot deny that he was a Evertonian through and through, and Bluekipper.com send their best wishes to Unsey .

Unsey says: "Harry and I have always got on well. I came down on Friday and the decision was immediate, it wasn't a problem.

Leaving Everton at any stage is regretful. I'll always be an Evertonian. It was time to move on. I didn't get what I wanted so I had to move on. When I knew Portsmouth were interested I thought I'd give it a go." (12/07/04)

After the cock up with Bolton Unsy has signed for Portsmouth.(10/07/04)

Notlob in For Unsey

A deal is close for Unsy. Bolton Boss Sam says: “Talks are progressing very well with David and we hope to reach an agreement soon.” (14/05/04)

U-Turn

Everton have made Unsy an offer of a two year deal. Back in November Michael Dunford said he would NOT get an improved offer. What's that all about then?

Moyesy says:"We’ve offered Tomasz Radzinski a new deal as we have done with David Unsworth.
We’ve offered them both two-year contracts. It’s just a case now of waiting and seeing. We’ve made those offers and we’ll wait and see what happens." (04/05/04)

Things Can Only Get Better

If selected David Unsworth can't wait to get out at Goodison tonight against Spurs. The reason being he wants to put behind him the nightmarish defending he and the rest of the back four were involved in, at last weeks drubbing in Newcastle. Unsey especially believes that Joey Yobo, and himself let their team mates down, with some basic school boy stuff, and that the defeat was a blip, in an otherwise good season for the back four. His words not mine!!!!

Unsey says: "There were a few positives to take from the game at Newcastle. Obviously, defensively, myself and Joe made a couple of bad mistakes, which unfortunately, when you play in the positions that we play in, if you make a mistake, you get severely punished. Forwards make mistakes, midfielder's make mistakes, they can go unnoticed, but the mistakes that we made were poor from our perspective. Defensively over the season, we’ve done well and Joe’s done very well. I’ve been enjoying playing at centre-half again. I’ve felt that I’ve done okay, but unfortunately when you make mistakes against top-quality opposition you get punished. I don’t think it matters who you play alongside at the back, because we have had a lot of changes, but we’ve played quite well. Alan’s had a good season, Joe’s had a good season, Sandro’s had a good season and I don’t think I’ve done too badly either. It’s okay when everything’s going well, but you get tested when they’re not. Midfielders and forwards always get the plaudits when things are doing well - and quite rightly so and defensively you go unnoticed. But when things go wrong, you’re in the spotlight. We’ll have to show a lot of character to bounce back from a bad result and show your worth. Joseph and I can’t wait for Friday’s game." (09/04/04)

300

David Unsworth played his 300th league appearance for the Blues when he came on for Stubbsey at half time against Boro.

Unsy says: "I’m very proud and glad I was able to make the appearance at Goodison in front of the home support. It was good to be back playing, especially at centre-half. It has been a frustrating period but I am experienced enough to know that's football. I’d have played on the right-wing to get that 300th appearance today. (28/03/04)

Unsey Wants to Stay

Unsey's agent has quickly squashed any links with a move to either Bolton or Man City

Hayden Evans, his agent says: "David wants to stay with Everton, that is it. He wants to see a new deal done with Everton. We held talks last year and they offered a one-year deal, but he has just turned 30 and he wants a longer contract. There was no agreement, but it was all very amicable and Everton just went away to consider their options. David is playing really well and he wants to stay, so as his agent that is what I am working on. There are no problems with David and Everton, at the moment the only club we are thinking of is Everton."(03/03/04)

Physio Basil Rathbone gives Unsey no more than a 50/50 chance of being fit, for Saturday's encounter with the Shite.With only Stubbsy and young Peter Clarke the only other available centre halves at the club, Moyesy is sweating on Unsey to pull through in time. The quicker Nigeria get knocked out of that bleedin' cup the better.

Basil Rathbone says: " He’s making slow progress, so he is still a doubt for the weekend. As we all know, he sustained some severe bruising to his back. He had a precautionary x-ray, which was clear, but at this stage he is still in some discomfort. But we will have no idea on his availability for the derby until later in the week." (29/01/04)

Unsey a Derby Doubt

David Unsworth is considered a major doubt for this weekend's derby clash against the Shite at Analfield. Unsey who was substituted in the Fulham game, has done his back in. He is claiming he did it in the match, but Mrs Unsey was looking very sheepish this morning, as she took the kids on the school run.

Basil Rathbone says: "David landed awkwardly during the first half of Sunday’s game with Fulham and has badly bruised his back. He arrived for treatment at Bellefield in severe discomfort, but we’ll continue to look at him every day, although he is very sore and at this stage, he is a doubt for the weekend." (27/01/04)

Unsey says: "It’s very sore at the moment to be honest. I woke up this morning and my back was in spasm and I just have to take it day by day and hope that it will settle down. There’s never a good time to get an injury, but with the derby coming up, I suppose you could say it’s worse. But, fingers crossed, I’ll be okay for Saturday." (27/01/04)

Our Day Will Come

Unsey has warned Fulham to expect a different match, when the Londoners travel up to Goodison for their Fourth Round FA Cup Tie, a week on Sunday. Unsey believes with a bit more lady luck, Everton could have had a cricket score against the Cottagers.

Unsey says : "After seeing what I saw on Saturday and after beating them earlier in the season I think we are the better team. We certainly have nothing to fear when we play them in a couple of weeks time at Goodison. We should have come in at half-time well up. We were disappointed to concede the penalty but we should have had a couple, and that is not sour grapes. We threw the kitchen sink at them. They have cleared off the line, had a bit of luck and got the win." (13/01/04)

Dunc is Awesome

David Unsworth believes Everton's decent run of late, coincides with Big Dunc playing some of the best stuff of his Everton career. Unsey insists that Dunc gives us that extra option up front, along with the pace of Rad, and the skill of The Duke. Unsey comment's come at the same time, that the Big Man has said he can rent his two bedder apartment in the Med at a knock down rate this Summer.

Unsey says : "He’s playing as well as I’ve seen him for a long time, and his fitness is great. He’s worked really, really hard and I’m delighted to see him back in the team. Duncan’s unplayable sometimes. You know you’ve got an extra option of putting the ball up in the air to him, especially when you’ve got Wayne and Radz either side of him, running in to the spaces where he can get the flick-ons. I’m sure we’d all like to see defenders getting the ball off the goalkeeper and passing it through the midfield to create an opportunity for the striker to put the ball in the back of the net. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Sometimes when you play the long ball to Duncan, it works very, very well and sometimes it’s not a bad option to use. We don’t want to pump it up to him all the time, as we want to play football. But there are times against the opposition when it’s another option. He’s been awesome in the past few weeks." (12/01/04)

Hungry For Cup Glory Again

Unsey along with the Big Man are the only two of the current squad, who have tasted FA Cup glory back in 1995, and Unsey is hungry for more. After last season's disappointment at the hands of Shrewsbury time is running out for the defender to taste Cup glory again, and he is stressing the importance of team work to take us hopefully all the way.

Unsey says: "The only way to win cup games or indeed, football matches is as a team. No one individual can make a team and I think if you look at any successful side every team unit has gone on to do good things and that’s what we’re trying to achieve here. Shrewsbury was a nightmare but in fairness to them on the day they were superb and we were awful. When you put those two elements together it doesn’t matter who you play and the same will apply against Norwich. If we’re not on the top of our game then we’ll struggle. They’re a decent side who are flying. They’ve got loads of confidence so they’ll give us a game, there’s no doubt about that. We prepare exactly the same for the games against teams in different divisions. I’m sure the staff will have had them watched and they’ll know the key areas where their strengths and weaknesses are and things like set pieces will be taken care of. You train exactly the same for every game. In 1995 the Norwich game was the only game I missed that particular season in the cup and we came out worthy winners that day. Let’s hope that it can be another omen this year. As you get older and a little bit more experienced I think these days and these games are a little bit more special. You’ve got to grab every opportunity that you can towards the end of your career and hopefully I’ve got a few more years left but they’re big games for us." (02/01/04)

No Movement Till The Summer

Moyesy is dismissing claims that the Blues board are set to offer Unsey an improved offer, to that which was originally on the table. From today Unsey can talk to whoever he likes, but he is still refusing to talk to his next door neighbour, over a fencing dispute.

Moyesy says: "That's not the case. The situation is exactly the same as it was. David is doing very well, but we don't plan to do anything until the summer. David is aware of that and is just getting on with his job." (01/01/04)

Two Year Deal ?

David Unsworth's excellent performances at centre back may have earned him more than the year only offered on his new contract. It is believed that when Everton open negotiations with a host of players in the Summer of 2004, Unsey will be offered a two year deal, that he had been wanting all along. Unsey who has been with the club on and off since he was eighteen, is said to be so delighted with the news, that he is planning on buying his missus, a three year old Mondeo that he has had his eyes on for a while.It is not known when the M O T is up though.

Unsey says: "I have really been enjoying playing as a centre back. It has been great to get back there. It took a bit of getting used to again, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. We have had some really decent performances and results. It would obviously be a big disappointment to leave, but that is football." (31/12/03)

Mind Games

David Unsworth who is not doing too bad himself lately, deputising at centre half, has joined the growing chorus of people commenting on The Duke. Unsy reckons that it is a great boost for the Blues when Wayne comes off the bench to terrorise the opposition defences, as they are scared shitless by his talent, though Unsy never said shitless I did, because they must be.

Unsey says: "When Wayne comes on as a substitute, I know how the other defenders feel, and it’s fear. I know what it was like at Old Trafford on Boxing Day against Manchester United. They had Giggs, Van Nistelrooy and Scholes on the bench and for players like that to come off the bench, it’s scares the hell out of the opposition. I would put Wayne in that category with them and it’s great for us. He’s awesome. His ability is different class and he showed that against Birmingham, not just with his goal, he had another couple of strikes. I thought his touch was good, he looks pacy and strong and he’s doing really well." (30/12/03)

Should I Stay, Or Should I Go

Unsey is still adamant that his future may still lie away from Goodison if an increased contract offer from the club is not forthcoming. With him playing his best football for a long time, as a temporary centre half, it looks like from January 1st, Unsey will become a free agent to find a club and probably a Summer time move.To quell any rumours that have been circulating, bluekipper.com can categorically deny that Real Madrid have not yet made an offer for the defender, but you never know.

Unsey says: "As it stands at the moment, the club offered me a deal and they turned round and said that there would be no other offer. So it looks as if that, somewhere down the line, be it January or in the summer, that I might be leaving. It would obviously be a big disappointment to leave, but that’s football. You never say never, and you don’t know what’s around the corner, but as I said, as it looks at the moment, that there’s a possibility I could be leaving. I come into training every day and I do my best as that’s what I’ve always tried to do. I’ve not been someone who’s tried to influence people incorrectly, as I’ve tried to do things in the right way, by showing a good attitude. As long as you’re in the team, you’re in the shop window and you never know who’s watching. So from that respect, you’ve just got to try and stay in the team and I’ll continue to give my absolute best for the club, and that will never change until the day I’m no longer an Everton player." (20/12/03)

Keep Up The Good Work

Moyesy has given utility player Dave Unsworth a huge vote of confidence, since the defender has stepped into the centre halves position admirably. With Joey Yobo off on an extended jolly in January and February, Unsy could have saved the club some much needed cash, by stepping into Joey's boots, with recent displays. That could free up some money to strengthen the team in other positions if cash is made available to the manager.

Moyesy says: "David Unsworth has done well and shown me that we may not be desperately in need of bringing another centre half in. He has certainly eased the headache for me over losing Joseph Yobo to the African Nations Cup. I am now not feeling quite so vulnerable about our defensive options when Joe goes." (19/12/03)

Stuck In The Middle With You

Davey Moyes has heaped praise on contract seeking defender David Unsworth. Unsy has been filling in at centre half, owing to a host of injuries, and in doing so Moyesy could have uncovered his best position. It is not long ago that Unsy was Dave Watson central defensive partner in the Cup Final victory of '95, and also being touted around as a potential England centre half, earning himself a cap in the process.

Moyesy says: "Unsy’s done really well for us, I’m delighted with him. It was a bit of makeshift solution, and I know that he has played there before and you can see that he has done it before. So we’ve been pleased with what he’s done, because we’ve been so short of defenders, with David Weir, Joseph Yobo and Alessandro Pistone all out injured. At the moment, we can ill-afford another defender having an injury, but we’ll just have to get on with it. (12/12/03)

More Ruthless

Everton have to be more ruthless in front of goal according to David Unsworth. Unsy who was part of the back four that kept another clean sheet at the weekend is telling our forwards to get their fingers out. Hear hear.

Unsy says: "It is not a case of singling anyone out, but as a team we are going to have to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal. We could have nicked it in the last couple of minutes when we hit the post. Last year those kind of chances were hitting the post and going in. We need a little bit of luck but we also need to be more ruthless. We have got a platform now because we did well in midweek and we have done well as a team in as much as we dug in and showed grit. Now we have to match that with more quality in front of goal. In this league if you win two on the bounce you can climb a lot of positions. That shows you how tight the league is.Last season we were nicking a 2-1 or a 1-0. You are talking the difference of a few millimetres between hitting the post and scoring." (08/12/03)

No Forest Approach For Unsey

Contrary to any rumours doing the rounds, Moyesy has come out and told the supporters, that there has been no contact from any club regarding Unsy's availability.

Moyesy says: "There has been no contact from Nottingham Forest and we have received no enquiries from any other club for David Unsworth. (06/11/03)

Its Not The Money

David Unsworth has told the fans that he has rejected his new contract, not it seems on the basis of the financial side of it, but on only being offered a one year extension.He explains that at turning thirty he was hoping to finish his days at the club which he joined from school.It seems though with Everton already saying that they were not willing to change their minds over his contract, that Unsey has got an extremely difficult decision to make in the next few months.

Unsey says: "I’m confident that everything can be sorted to everyone’s satisfaction, but the biggest thing to me is getting back in the first team. The only way that I can make the situation change is by getting back into the side and playing football well. It’s the only thing I can do and it’s the only thing I will do.The situation is very simple. The club offered me one year deal and having just turned 30 I turned that down. The issue has never been about the pay cut. I thought that maybe there could be a chance of another couple of years and hopefully if I get back in the team and play well and that’s how it stands at the moment. I want to reiterate the fact that not at one point was there ever any major discussions about the financial aspects of it. The only issue here for me, as always having played for Everton, is that I want to stay as long as I could. I’ve been offered a year and at the moment we've declined that and that’s the way it stays. I continue to do what I’m doing, which is try and get my place back and train as hard as I can and work a bit harder to try and get that opportunity again. Never at one point have I thought about moving on, as these things, 99% of the time, are out of your hands. I left the club once before I knew very little about it, these things happen very quickly as it certainly did for me. There is always talk of leaving the club or going somewhere else and at the end of the day you’ve got to decide. But when a club says they don't want you or they want to sell you, that picture is very black and white. You don’t want to stay where you’re not wanted. That happened to me once before and I was given the opportunity to come back here again which I grabbed and never at one point did I ever think that I’d come back and leave again. We’re all adults, there’s no bickering, no animosity, I speak to the gaffer everyday, there’s no problem there and I will continue to give my best for Everton Football Club." (06/11/03)

Moyesy says: "David’s turned down an offer of an extension to his contract which he’s entitled to do so we’ve no problems and we'll continue using Unsey as we have been doing throughout the season." (06/11/03)

New Contract Rejected

Everton stalwart David Unsworth rejected a new one year contract with Everton, as the star has been asked to take a pay cut.In the new age of football realism, David is probably going to be the first of many at Goodison who will find themselves in this position when their contracts are coming to a close.Unsy is one of the longest serving players on the Everton staff, and has made over 300 appearances for the Blues, with his high point being the 1995 FA Cup win over Manchester United.

Michael Dunford says: "We have made David a fair offer which he has rejected for now. There will not be another offer from Everton.It does entail a pay cut, but that policy is pretty general throughout football now.More realism is coming into the game and unless you are a megastar, and with all due respect to David he is not in that category, that's the way the game has to go." (04/11/03)

New Contract Talks

Unsey's 30 today. So it was a great birthday present when Everton opened talks with him to extend his contract which runs out at the end of the season. Unsey, the great Evertonian, can count himself lucky to get the nod from Moyesy, as there are other players in the same position, who may not get the same treatment. Especially with The boss of the people's Club wanting to bring in more young blood.
Ian Ross says: "We have held preliminary talks with David Unsworth and his representatives."
All the Best Davie! (16/10/03)

Sub v Stockport

Rhino finally got a bit of football last night when he came on as one of a trio of subs, after Everton had gone into a 3-0 win. (25/09/03)

"Can We Play You Every Week?"

Unsey likes playing Fulham at home. He's scored a couple in the last few seasons.

Unsey says: "Fulham at home seems to be a nice fixture for us, I've scored a couple of goals against them. It's nice to get off the mark, but most importantly, we got the three points. I thought that in the first half, we were right at them and in their faces, played some good one-touch football and created a lot of chances. But in the second half, we shut up shop. It was a bit scrappy, but the job had already been done. We got a rollicking at the end, because he wanted a clean sheet. Unfortunately, we didn't do that, but we deserved the win and had a good team performance." (24/08/03)

Fighting Talk

Unsey fancies our chances this season, starting at the arse on Saturday.

Unsey says: "We played well against the top teams last season and we played really well against Arsenal. We will go there to have a right good go and we're expecting to get something. Everyone said what a good season we had, but we were absolutely gutted at missing out on the UEFA Cup on the final day. As long as we don't lose sight of what got us our success last year, be even more committed, fitter and do more pressing, then we will be looking to improve. We had a team plan for the majority of the season and we stuck to it. We have set our standards now. We finished seventh, but we felt we should have finished higher." (15/08/03)

David Unsworth Last Season