Goals Will Stand In Our Books

Moyesy has hit out at the FA, for taking two of Leon's goal's off him, through her hilariously named Dubious Goals Panel. Moyesy is not surprised by the FA's decision after his Everton team have been treated like shite by the FA all season long. Moyesy however is unrepentant, and in Everton's stats, Ossie will have both goals credited to him, so there, Brian shit 'ed Barwick, na, na, na, na, na.

Moyesy says: "The way we've been treated by the FA already this season I'm not surprised by the decision. But in my eyes, Leon scored both goals. If he hadn't been in those positions, would we still have scored? Of course not. As far as I am concerned they are definitely Ossie's goals. But we have our own records and they will show Leon Osman as having scored six goals so far this season."

Of course these decisions make a difference to how a player's form is perceived over a season. There's still a chance Ossie could finish on 10 goals, which is an excellent return for a midfielder. Take away those two goals and he would probably have little chance." (12/04/06)

Give Us Our Goals Back

Leon Osman has had two goals struck of his tally for the season, after the fantastically named Dubious Goals Panel, credited his strikes at Wigan and Pompey as oggies.

Ossie is naturally not best pleased with the panels announcement, as I am sure the two defenders involved in the goals are either. Bail on Ossie for the first goal then this weekend, as they say,'its a funny old game.'

Leon says: "I am very upset to say the least. I felt I scored them both. People immediately gave the Wigan one to Thompson, but as he slid in he propelled my foot to kick the ball and that is how it went in the net, so I am a bit disappointed. I think at first people assume it was an own goal, but if you look back at it you can clearly see that it was my goal. I knew immediately that it was my goal and that is why I ran off celebrating it.

At Portsmouth, the ball bounced and I didn’t get a massive touch on it. But I got the bottom of my boot on the ball and it went in the back of the net, so as far as I am concerned, that is my goal." (11/04/06)

Europe Still Possible

Despite dropping 2 valuable points on Saturday, Leon is still win enough games to get into a European spot.

Ossie says: “We have to be winning our home games – especially against teams who are below us in the league. We know today was a slip-up but Sunderland came here, put up a great fight and deserved to get their point. We will now go to Charlton next weekend determined we can win. Then there is an important game here against Tottenham and the following week against Birmingham. After today’s result we know the importance of winning these games and that is what the whole team is focused on now.

It was a disappointing day. We have been winning our home games convincingly of late and today was a slip up. We tried to pass the ball about but it was a bobbly pitch, the wind didn’t help and we feel we have to be better than we were today and aim to put it right next week. We knew that Sunderland were going to be fighting for everything. They have been unlucky on occasions this season and we knew they would give their all today. So on reflection a draw was maybe a fair result.” (02/04/06)

Determined

Leon is looking forward to the derby on the back of great run of form for him and the team.

Ossie says: "We want to go over there as confident as we can be and we've made that the case after beating Villa. We didn't want to go into that game on the back of a defeat. When we played Liverpool at home, it was really disappointing and we were well beaten. I was sub and never got on either, which was especially frustrating.

It was just a disappointing night for everyone. But we will go into the next game determined and we want to put things right. We are definitely coming good at the right time, picking up points and if we can get ourselves into Europe, we will all be happy. We are on a fantastic run but we are realistic to know that we can't win every single game. There are going to be slip ups. But we will do our best to make sure that doesn't happen." (23/03/06)

Mesmerising

Stubbsey is chuffed he has returned to Everton after his jolly on the Cost North East and has seen a big change in the players since he's come back home, especially Ossie and Biffa.

Stubbsey says: "We have Ossie behind Beats creating chances, he is one of those players who gets in to positions where no one thinks he will be. He has got brilliant feet and he can be mesmerising at times. He is very elusive and he is where he is because of his performances, nothing else, he is there on merit." (20/03/06)

Pat on The Back For Ossie

It is no coincidence that Everton's great run of form of late has coincided with Leon Osman being at his best. Manager Davey Moyes believes Ossie at present is playing aswell as any midfielder in the Country at present.

Modest Ossie however thinks the Blues run of form, is down to the likes of Biffa, and Mikky doing the business. Ossie bend your own arm at a 90 degree angle and give yourself a huge pat on the back, and keep it up.

Moyesy says: " I've been very pleased with him and he has great ability. People are talking about Kevin Nolan but I think Leon is in that type of group. He is playing so well at the minute, as well as anyone in the country.

If there was any B squad football like there used to be a few years ago for players who were not under-21 and were playing well for their clubs, then Leon would be ideal. Ossie's form last year was very good. He is a player who can go through good spells but there are times when he may need resting. At the start of the season, his form wasn't so good and it took him a while to get up and running. But he is a player who plays better the longer he's in the team."

Ossie says: " We have started to get few goals from midfield since Christmas, since we have been on this run. Last year because we had the five in midfield, and this year with the four it has taken a while for us to get used to the positions and the personnel in them and hopefully you will see a few more goals between now and the end of the season. The more passes we have the more chances you get to get on the ball and the more chance you get to do things with the ball. If you are constantly booting the ball long it is more difficult to get on it and the type of players we have in the midfield unit are all the type of players who want to get on the ball and pass it, so hopefully the more games we play the more you will see from us.

Mikel has been outstanding for us this season, Phil has been doing well and Beats has started banging the goals in again and if he keeps it up he will be mentioned too. It is very important to have Beats in good form. He is a great player and he has been performing really well. He said that as soon as he got fit he would do that and he is being proved right." (09/03/06)

Hopeful For Return

Leon is hoping the extra week off will give him time to recover from a back injury so he will be fit for the visit to Newcastle.

Ossie says: "I hope I will be okay next week. I will see how it settles down but I am very optimistic. I thought I was getting on the end of Mikel Arteta's cross when I landed badly in the six-yard box. I got inside the man and stretched and just got my trailing leg caught in the ground and jarred my back. Afterwards I was getting shooting pains down my legs so I couldn't continue. It has been a good run that we have been on but it has been a tough one. A few of the lads have taken knocks along the way and this two-week break will benefit us I feel." (17/02/06)

Complete Team Effort

Ossie looked back at the Blackburn game and thought it was a fantastic team effort.

Leon says: "It was a complete team effort. Young Iain Turner was unlucky to get sent off like he did. But we all had to pull together and try and get a result. We did that and that is the type of the thing we have been doing lately and let's hope we can continue to do it. It is a great spirit that we have at the moment and it is a great squad of players. Whenever you miss out everyone is disappointed and you just have to play your best so hopefully it isn't you. I think what we faced with going down to ten men against a good passing side like Blackburn - they pass the ball around all over the place - we knew we were going to have to get in amongst them and stop them doing that any way. But to have done it with 10 men and get the result we did was a fantastic result." (16/02/06)

Everton Take Confidence Into Cup Tie

Leon reveals that he is just as confident now as he was frustrated a few months ago.

Ossie says: "It was frustrating until a couple of weeks before Christmas because I wasn't showing the form I was capable of. That went for the team as well. I came back in against Blackburn. I felt good after that and my form has picked up since. You have to realise it is eventually going to come if you are confident, believe in your own ability and keep working hard.

As a team confidence is high and we are going out believing we cannot be beaten. We will think like that at Stamford Bridge. No one expects us to win, so we go there with no pressure on us, full of confidence and on a good unbeaten run. But we believe we can go and get a result." (08/02/06)

Sparkling Form

Everton's revival has come about at the same time as Ossie's run in the team. Coincidence?

Moyesy says: "Leon's form has been really good and he is one of the players who I have talked about regularly because he is sparking back into to the type of form which was missing so much from the play in the early part of the season. But I think his all round play gives the team something and he was a big part of the opening thirty minutes against City." (06/02/06)

Good Chance In The Replay

Ossie fancies our chances in the replay with Chelski after the 1-1 draw at Goodison.

Leon says: "I would say that possibly you do put more in against the top sides because they keep the ball very well and you find yourself chasing it more than you would against a lesser team. That is two draws at Goodison against Chelsea and on both occasions we feel unfortunate not to have nicked a winner. We will go down there full of confidence and hopefully we can get a good result. We need to keep moving forward, continue being positive with our attitude and if that means going at teams right from the off and being in their faces that is what we have got to do." (29/01/06)

It's All Confidence

After his Champagne performance against the arse, Ossie is hoping the confidence will help him and the team on Saturday against Chelski.

Leon says: "I found myself out of the team before Christmas and had to dig deep and I have now managed to get myself back into the side with every intention of staying there. My confidence, as well as the team's, is now growing after the run we have had. I have scored a couple of goals and we have now gone six without a defeat.

That's our best of the season and it sends us into a game as big as against Chelsea in the FA Cup with plenty of confidence, particularly after the performance against Arsenal. It's a great thing when you can say you are unbeaten for a stretch of games, particularly after the season we have had." (25/01/06)

Champagne

Biffa gave Leon his Sky MOM bottle of Champers, revealing he had a bout of the wildies. Well done James and well done Leon. Top bombing.

Biffa says: "Obviously it is hard to pick somebody out to be a Man of the Match after a performance like that but when Ossie came in he wasn't feeling the best. He was white as a sheet but he went out there and played tremendously well.

"Other people would not have known that but he deserves special credit. He was not feeling great and he was actually sat on the toilet at half-time but he played tremendously well."(22/01/06)

I Want More

Ossie was back to his best last night. His superb performance showed us all what we missed from last season. He was a threat eveytime he had the ball. More of the same Ossie.

Ossie says:"I found myself out of the team for a while before Christmas but I have dug deep and managed to get myself in and I'm determined to stay there.

"I didn't reach my potential in the first half of the season but hopefully with a run in the team, I can stay in and I will show what I am capable of. Anywhere the manager wants me to play on the park, I'm happy to do so."(19/01/06)

1-0 and It's My Goal

Having now started the last 3 Premiership games and coming on to score in the FA Cup game against Millwall, Leon has again proved his value to the team by scoring again yesterday. Leon finished last season with 8 goals, ending up Everton's second leading scorer. This form should make sure he keeps his place.

Ossie says: “I’m definitely claiming it! The ball has bounced towards me and I’ve got my shot away, albeit with a bit of help, but it was on target anyway so it’s my goal. That’s something that we’ve been able to do over the last 18 months. If we get a goal we tend to be able to hang on to it. At the start of the season we didn’t get in front in any of our games and we were losing a lot of them. Wins breed confidence and when we get one we are capable of going on a little run. The aim is to be looking at the teams above us and try to pull ourselves up alongside them.” (15/01/06)

Pushing For A Regular Place

Leon says: "I was hugely disappointed not to be in the starting line-up but I think I have answered in the right way. But if I had come on and anybody had scored we would have all been happy to still be in the draw and it is just pleasing to watch the draw knowing we are in it. Had we lost it would have been another setback after the two wins in three days. We went there wanting to continue that run. It wasn't to be in terms of us winning but we have got to take them back to Goodison for an extra game which will hopefully help keep our run up.

The goals mean as much to us as they do to the fans. We are not a team renowned for scoring many goals in games but we have scored a few in the last couple so it is pleasing for us. I was disappointed not to start but I think I answered it in the right way and we will see what happens next week. (10/01/06)

Keeper Saved Millwall

Leon was full of praise for Andy Marshall, the Millwall keeper. Ossie scored the goal that earned Everton a replay. It was his first goal of the season.

Ossie says: "We created a lot of chances and on another day they would have gone in but the keeper made some great saves and it has finished in a draw. We are okay with that. We knew it was always going to be tricky going to a place like Millwall because the crowd get right behind the team and that is always good for any team. We knew it was going to be difficult and going a goal down didn't help but we showed the character and commitment, we created a lot of chances and if the keeper had not had such a good day we could have comfortably won but it wasn't to be." (08/01/06)

Welcome Back Mikky

Little Leon is delighted that Mikky Arteta has joined Moyesy's merry band on a permanent basis. He admits that one or two new faces would come in handy, but see's no reason while last season's feats cannot be repeated. Let's hope so Leon.

Leon says: " Players of Mikel’s quality are very hard to come by. He was here last season on-loan and fitted in really well. He played some good football and for us to push on we knew we have to secure him permanently and hopefully a few more like him. We still do need a few more because one or two injuries and we would be burst, so although the competition is rising it is also needed.

I think having a similar group has benefited us. It is easier to get people integrated because everyone is so friendly. We went to Houston last year and everyone knows what a success that was and this here is probably the same distance but in the other direction. It should be good, it will be a different experience for everyone and hopefully we will bond as well. In terms of a comparison to last year it has been relatively the same but in terms of work it has been harder that it was last season. We have taken our training to a whole new level and hopefully it will benefit us when it all gets underway." (18/07/05)

Ossie's Aim

Ossie can't wait for pre season training to get underway this Friday, and he is chomping at the bit to get started and try to cement a regular place in Moyesy's starting eleven. The diminutive midfielder found the net seven times last season, and his aim for this year is to make the first eleven from the first game onwards.

Leon says: " I’ve always believed that pre-season is vitally important. If you miss out on pre-season then you’re starting the season a good few weeks behind everyone else and sometimes you can never catch that up. I think the good pre-season helped me last year. Last year I don’t think I missed a day’s pre-season, touch wood it doesn’t come back to haunt me, and thankfully I did okay in the games we played and managed to get myself in the team to start the season. I hope that’s the way things go this season.

In the most part I was happy with my form last season. I don’t think anyone can be completely happy with every game. You’re not going to play well in every game. I know there are some things that I need to work on and improve but I’ll be doing that in due course. My aim for this year, like last, is firstly to get in the starting line-up for the very first game. I then want to go from there and try to keep myself in the team and score some goals." (27/06/05)

Happy Father's Day

Leon is experiencing Father's Day for the first time today. While he is putting his feet up and being pampered by his baby son, he's reflecting on going to Thailand to play for Everton in the Asia Trophy.

Leon says: “I’m definitely looking forward to going to Thailand. It’s going to be a fantastic trip. I’m pretty sure that most of the lads have never been there before and it will be a great experience. I’ve heard that the Asia Trophy is a prestigious tournament and with the competition we’ll face it’s going to be good.

It’s good to have a tough test in pre-season. Although it will be a friendly and it won’t be as competitive as a Premiership game, we’ll be coming up against the likes of Man City and Bolton and you just get to have a little look at them before the season starts. Being away helps the camaraderie. I think the destination has a lot to do with it though. If you go to somewhere in the middle of nowhere then there might not be things to do outside of training and everyone will be moaning. On the other hand if you go somewhere with lots to do then you’ll have a fantastic time. I don’t mind whether we go abroad or not during pre-season but others prefer it because there is more intense work. (19/06/05)

No Resting On Our Laurels

Leon wants to repeat the success the team had last season, again in 2005/06.

Ossie says: “Signing the deal has certainly made it a more enjoyable summer for me but there is no point resting on laurels or getting too complacent because if we don’t come back and do the same thing next season then it will have been for nothing. We are having a good rest but we will be coming back very determined." (14/06/05)

I was desperate to stay

Bluekipper's Young Player of The Season, Leon celebrated the birth of his son by signing a new 4 year contract, which will keep him at Goodison until 2009.

Leon says: "I am pleased to sign. I have been at this club for a long time. It is what I know and what I love. I was desperate to stay here and thankfully it has happened. This is where I have always played my football and this is definitely where I want to be playing for the foreseeable future. When I came back from my loan at Derby last year and earned another 12 month extension it meant I was in the last year of my contract again this season, which is a position I had been in for a number of years. I wanted to break into the team but I also wanted to play well enough to get a few years security rather than going year to year. I am really pleased to have done that now.

It is very satisfying to know the club value me enough to give me a four year deal. I am here for the love of the club and for the love of football. But I also have a family and it is nice to know I have secured their future as well as my own. We started talking earlier in the season but things didn’t get done earlier for one reason or another. But I am really pleased it has been done now and I can get back to looking forward to next season.” (13/06/05)

Ossie Last Season

Full Squad 2005/2006