6. Mikel Arteta - 06/07
6. Mikel Arteta - 06/07 |
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Another season and another award for Mikky after he scooped Everton's Player of the Year last night in the star studded bash at St. Georges Hall. The best may be yet to come though for Mikky, as he is in the running for the most prestigious of the lot which is the Bluekipper Starman Award, but only the lucky 650 that will be in the Olympia tomorrow night will find out whether Mikky, Roger or AJ have picked up the magnificent balsa wood trophy. Great news for Evertonians though is that Mikky has once again reiterated that he is going nowhere, and he loves Everton, and more importantly he loves us the fans, Jesus the missus will be delighted as she takes that personally you know !! Mikky says: "I've said many times I'd like to stay. Now it's up to the club to decide what they want to do. It is really nice to win the award again, and I feel tremendously close to the people of this city and the club. I feel comfortable here and enjoy my football." (09/05/07) The best little Spaniard we know is chuffed to get into Europe, but would like to finish fifth by getting something at Chelsea next week. Mikky says: "Of course you know how important it is for the club and when I saw the ball in the back of the net I took a really deep breath! I knew that David James is a big keeper and that it may be difficult for me if he picked up the flight of the ball. It was an amazing day for all Evertonians and we all enjoyed it. Reading lost, Bolton lost and only something amazing would stop us now! We knew how big a game it was and we knew that we had to be patient. It's what we've done all season and I think we've been terrific. Even with nothing to play for Chelsea are a great team but we want to finish 5th in the table so let's see what happens. That's our target now." (07/05/07) Mikky is telling his home country journalists to shut up, and stop penning articles over his impending move away from the Blues. Mikky has once again reiterated his desire to stay on at Everton and he is delighted to be playing his part in the Blues fantastic season. Mikky says: "I am fed up with it all. They are taking my words and putting them into whatever context they want to. It’s getting on my nerves. I keep saying that I am really happy here and that is true. I think that the club wants to do something in the summer and we will see what happens. But if they want me to stay for a long time and are happy with me, I will be happy to do that. I am committed to this club, I feel really happy here and I feel that I am an important part of the team. I like all the people at the club, I am made to feel welcome by people in the city and there is no reason why I should leave. Every time I am asked the question (by someone in Spain) it ends up coming out that I want to go home but that is not the case. It would be a lack of respect if I spoke about other clubs and I wouldn’t do that anyway. All I can say is that I am really happy here." (23/04/07) Mikky is on eight goals so far this season and Moyesy thinks he should get at least ten before the season is out. Moyesy says: “We have been pleased with the way the goals have been shared around recently. A few different faces have started and that has made life a bit easier. When you think back to the start of the season, it was really only AJ and Tim who were doing their bit, so that is encouraging. But I would really like to see Mikel get into double figures before the end of the season. He is certainly capable of getting a few more and he is playing well." (12/04/07) Moyesy will test Mikky's resolve in the Summer when the club will offer our Spanish magician an improved contract, in the hope he will sign it and stop the constant rumours of the midfielder's departure back to Spain. Mikky has indicated that he would dearly love to play back in his native country, but for the foreseeable future he see's his future at Everton. Well Mikky I hope the rumored £30k a week the club have on the table will also help your decision, and in my eyes your worth every penny. In fact I will chip a few quid in myself, and up it to £30,005 a week, every week, honest, I am setting up my direct debit now. Despite all the constant rumours that Mikky will be leaving us soon, one thing if for sure and Mikky is a better player thanks to his English adventure. That adventure could move to the continent next season, and hopefully with the Blues, as Mikky thinks we have enough about us to qualify for the UEFA Cup, without the need for that Inter Toto thingy ma jig. Mikel says: "You see the work rate in a game like against Sheffield United and you know that you have got to match them. You’d never find a game like that in Spain but it is really good if you can handle it, as it shows you are improving. You learn to play another kind of football and you become a more complete player. They worked really hard and we had to keep our concentration when they had possession. You can’t play in England or for Everton if you can’t handle the physical side. It is so important that we are playing in Europe. Not just for the players and the management but for the fans also. If we want to start building a better club and being more ambitious, we have got to be playing in Europe. If it meant starting in July for the Intertoto, that’s fine. It wouldn’t be great but we would accept it. Hopefully, we won’t need to play in that competition and we will get there ourselves." (09/03/07) Mikky is ready to take over the goalscoring mantle now that Tim Cahill is out for the season. Mikky already has 8 goals, but hopes to score more starting with Arsenal a week on Saturday. . Mikel says: "Now he is out, we have got to look forward. Maybe Ossie will come in. Maybe it could be Victor or Vaughany. Everyone will have a role to play from this point and it is crucial that we all do our best. Can I get 10 goals? I will try my best. I want to score as many as I can to help the team. The gaffer keeps asking me to improve the number of goals I score and I want to become a better player. If I can score a lot of goals, that will help the team. Arsenal is massive. We beat them last year and we know it is going to be really tough but we have to be strong at home if we are going to keep that position because all the teams are going to be trying as hard as us. It was a really important point against Sheffield United because the other results were good for us. Now we are in a European position and we know we have some really hard games coming up but we want to stay there." (06/03/07) Mikel Arteta feels Everton can still get into Europe even without Tim Cahill for the rest of the season. Mikel says: "We have some difficult games coming up but the team looks ready and we can do it. That is the worst thing because he is a massive player and he is a really important player. I can't believe he has been injured again because he was working really hard to get back his fitness after the injury at the start of the season. I feel really sorry for him because he is a really good player and a good mate. We need him not just because of his goals but because of his character, his workrate and his presence in the dressing room - I am going to miss him so much." (04/03/07) As far as the Boss is concerned Mikky is going nowhere. I should think so too. Moyesy says:“There is no chance of Mikel going. He is an integral part of what we are doing here and a valued member of our squad. He will not be sold. Even if someone in Spain wanted to buy him, they could not afford him.” (09/02/07) Reports have gone into overdrive that Mikky Arteta will be heading back to Spain, and more to the point Atlectico Madrid. Mikky who has been assured by Spanish Boss Luis Aragones, that playing for Everton will not hinder his International ambitions, after he once agin missed out on a Spain squad that defeated England last night. The Spanish midfielder has admitted one day he will play back in his native country, but he will not push for a move. Mikky was spotted chatting with Atlectico's Director Miguel Angel Gil Marin, after the draw against the shite at the weekend, a meeting that prompted all the current speculation. Aragones says: "I think what will be good for Mikel, for Everton and for Spain is for him to keep playing in the same form that he is at the moment, I have been watching his progress from over in Spain and I know that he is doing well. His form has been very good. But Mikel is slightly unfortunate. He is in a very difficult position as there are so many good central midfielders battling for a place. That means it will be very tough for him, so he must keep improving. I think he knows this. But he is at a good club. Everton are a big club, a massive club. There is no doubt about that. They have won lots of titles. Mikky says: "I would like to return to Spain. It is something that will always be there, but I have to find the right moment and the ideal club. If somebody wants me, they will have to talk to Everton. I am very happy here, they have treated me very well. It's true that I was on the verge of going, I have friends there like Fernando Torres with whom I have played for Spain's youth teams and we have always got on well. It's a great club that seems to have a project for the future, that is performing better every year and it's normal that they are already thinking about new players." (08/02/07) I Won't Leave Everton For Spain Mikky Arteta has no intention of quitting the Blues just to further his Spanish International claims. He puts his non selection for Spain down to the quality in depth that the Spaniards have in his position, but he realises that if he keeps his level of performance up, it wont be long till Moyesy with the aid of an interpreter receives a call from the Spanish hierarchy over Mikky. Mikky says: "I'm not frustrated that I haven't played for my country yet, but I must keep working towards it. Up to a point it's understandable that the selectors haven't picked me yet, because there are many other players in my position. I play outside of Spain and outside the Premiership's 'big four' but I don't know if that has harmed my chances of getting called-up. I hope that it's not the case and hope it is a mistake for people to think so. When I signed for Everton I knew there were teams with bigger media influence, but it does not worry me too much." (07/02/07) Everton Skipper Phil Neville, believes now more than ever Mikel Arteta's performances could be the key to winning a UEFA Cup slot this season. With the injury to AJ believed to keep him out till the end of February, Phil like us all is hoping the Spanish magician shows the form like he did at the pie eaters last Sunday. Phil says: "I said at Wigan during thewarm-up to Mikel that it was all about him producing one moment of magic – and for us he produced two! We need that from now until the end of the season because, for me, he is the key player for us. The penalty was a great penalty and for the second he had to be there in the box." (24/01/07) Mikky has reiterated that he is happy at Everton and would like to extend his contract in the Summer. He also wants to play for his country, but doesn't see the need to go back there to achieve it. Mikel
says: "I
am really happy and as long as the club want me to stay I don't have a
problem. Mikky showed Chelsea he was better than any of their midfielder's on Saturday and he still can't get over the fact Everton got nothing for their performance. He believes the next four games are critical and that players coming back to fitness will help. Mikky
says: "I'm not sure if everyone is 100 per cent, and we
have some players to recover as well, but everything looks better now
and the team has done really well and we are disappointed in the way the
game finished. It seemed as though we had the game in our hands, but then
all of a sudden we dropped the three points, it is unbelievable. If it doesn't rain, it pours as Basil Rathbone confirms that Mikky will be out of action for a few weeks. The midfielder kicked the ground in training before last Sunday West Ham clash, which he subsequently missed. The diagnosis is good considering, and no long term damage has been done, but he can kiss goodbye a trip to the South Coast this weekend, as he battles to get fit to face the Champions at Goodison a week on Sunday. Basil says: "He kicked the ground and took a hell of a chunk out of the ground. He strained the whole of his ankle. He actually came in the day after for a fitness test with a big swollen ankle! That swelling is now going down and the scan has confirmed what we believed in that he has actually jarred the whole joint and not actually damaged one particular structure. He is making pretty good progress and we are hoping he will be not such a long-term absentee - maybe a couple of weeks." (06/12/06) European football is Mikky's target, and he thinks it can be achieved if the Blues make Goodison a fortress. With the visit of West Ham today, the Spanish magician is urging the fans to get right behind the team, and show the passion that we have done of late. By the way Mikky just loves it at Goodison, and lets hope he continues to for a long time to come. Mikky says: "We need to get all the points we can at home to make it easier for us. I think if we can win the home games it will make it much easier to make the target we have got of playing European football next year. The fans are really special and even when things aren't going too well they have been supporting us every week. It is brilliant. It's full every week and everyone is passionate so I really enjoy playing there." (03/12/06) Among the 34,000 Blues fans who witnessed Mikky's match winning display against notloB at the weekend, one in particular was waxing lyrical about the Spaniards performance. Tiny Tim is amazed that the Spanish magician has not had any recognition from his country since his arrival from Spain, but the injured midfielder believes it will only be a matter of time before he does. Tiny says: "Watching from the stands I can see that we seem to play a lot through Mikel and he is a very exciting footballer. It was great skill to score the goal and Mikel has definitely got that in his locker. Hopefully he will get some recognition from Spain because for a player of his calibre not to be playing in the Spanish team is baffling." (23/11/06) Everton fans can sleep easily, as Our Tater has once again said he is staying at Everton. If he gets in the Spanish squad it will be as an Everton player. Mikky says: "Maybe the goal will be shown on Spanish television, maybe people will notice. But I want to make one thing clear because I have been reading some things I was supposed to have said that I will have to move from Everton to get into the Spanish squad. I wasn't happy with that, very angry because I did not say it. I want to stay here, I had the chance in the summer to leave, but I am more than pleased to be here. If I cannot get into the Spanish squad it is because there are better players than me, or the manager likes other players, but never because I am here playing for Everton. You need to be happy every day in your work and I am happy here. That is more important than anything else. I want to be at Everton, it is a choice I have made." (20/11/06) It's Mikky's fault that I have got a bad, bad hang-over this morning. But it's worth it. We all agree with Moyesy that Mikky is very special. Moyesy says: "It took a special player to open the game up. When that happened it stopped the stalemate. It was a special goal. Mikel had done something similar in the first half, coming off the line and trying a shot and he also tried again from a similar position but passed instead. "I told him at the break that he'd passed up a shooting chance and to try to shoot next time. Thankfully he did what he was told. I've said a few times he has the ability to get into the Spanish squad. He has skills and the ability to caress the ball into dangerous positions."(19/11/06) With Mikky coming into the form that won him the Blue Kipper Trophy last season, Moyesy has championed Mikky's cause to play for Spain. Moyesy says: "Mikel has improved no end in the last two or three weeks - he has stepped up another level again. And I have been saying for some while, particularly with the way the Spanish team are performing just now, that I am surprised he is not getting a mention. I know the Spanish team is very strong but he must be getting close to a call and I am sure his form for Everton would justify his inclusion in that group." (28/10/06) Mikky puts his goal against Sheffield United down to practicing getting in the box in training. We wonder if AJ has been practicing his pushing aswell. Mikky says: "I have been practicing in training because they all say I can score more goals. I just tried to get into the box as many times as I could and Phil put a very good ball into me. It was nice to score early and then to get the second one but after that I thought dropped back a bit too much and they gave us some problems towards the end of the first half when they created some chances. It was an important game to win because they are very aggressive and so it was a very good result for us. It wasn't easy because we had to change things around and I moved into the middle during the game. But we wanted to get back to winning and we are very happy with the three points." (23/10/06) With Andy Johnson and Tim Cahill staring for the Toffees this season, Moyesy reckons the next star to shine will be our tater. Moyesy says: "Mikel is starting to show a bit more of what he is about. He has been doing well in the past couple of weeks, but we know that he can still go up another gear and we have told him that. He looks like he is getting close to what we expect. He has been playing fine but he has still got another notch to go up and we'll be happy when he is much closer." (19/10/06) Mikky Arteta and the rest of the Everton boys were gutted at only gaining a point at the skunks yesterday. In saying that, the Spaniard realises how much progress has been made so far this season with our unbeaten start. The dressing room was very quiet as the lads thought they should have come away with all three points. Mikky says: " We knew it would be difficult as it's not easy to go to a place like that and win. Normally you would be happy to get a point. But we are all very disappointed. We should have had three points. We know that, and the dressing room was so quiet afterwards. It's unbelievable when you think our start could have been even better. Yet we have to be realistic as well." (25/09/06) Micky Arteta is loving his time with the Blues and the English way of life, so much so that he is getting a dab hand at karaoke. On Everton's recent trip to America, Micky was up belting out the Proclaimers 'I'm Gonna Be', for his team mates. Tricky one that Micky to start with, try something gentle like Deacon Blue's Dignity, it has a more of a slower tempo. The Spanish magician is not surprised at all by the lads terrific start to the season, and he reveals that Moyesy's Summer signings were made with European qualification in mind. Micky says: "Davie Weir had taught me that song, and I gave it a go and did a little dance. They took the piss, but I think they enjoyed it. I'm not surprised at how well we've done. We have a great team, but the difference between success and failure is so small. Had we won last week, we'd have been top. In the end, we felt as if we'd missed a chance. But we've learnt from last year. Sometimes you slip into trouble and you can't get out of it, but we recovered well under real pressure. We sat down together this summer and tried to work out a way to protect the team better. Objectives are relative after that. Everything depends upon how you start the season: from individuals' form in the early games to how confident people feel. Europe is the objective. This is a club that needs to be in Europe. We've made the effort to bring people in this summer with European qualification in mind, so that's what we have to target. There are three or four other teams who will fight us for those places, but we are improving. We're a better team than we were last season, and I'm proud to be a part of this club. I signed a five-year contract a year ago and, even if a few clubs made noises, Everton said they didn't want to sell me. I'm really happy. They've been really good for me. We're geared to doing better than we did last year, so I want to be a part of this, and it's wonderful to have this chance to play abroad at my age." (24/09/06) Micky like most of his team mates is ready and waiting for this weekends clash with the shite. He feels Everton have to be stronger at home this season whether it be against top teams like Chelski or the run of the mill outfits like the shite. Mikky says: "I think we are in a good run and we need to try and be strong at home this year, no matter who we play. We know we have to take things game by game and it doesn't matter how good you have played in the first three games, it is about where you finish in the season. We are looking forward and not talking about what we have done so far." (05/09/06) Our tater is happy that we have started well and wants us to enjoy it. Don't worry Mikky we are. Mikky says: "All I know is that we had a bad start last season and we are having a good one this season. We should enjoy it, go game by game, improve on things every week and see what happens. Hopefully we can keep this run going, because it's always nice to start a season properly. I don't want to think about what might happen or whether our start sends out a message to other clubs. Last year was very difficult for us in the beginning period, but it has been much better this time. The team has more confidence, we are winning games and the players have been working together for another year, which I have said before I think is important. Everybody
is playing well, and the manager is changing the team around now and we
are able to play different formations. We started with a 4-5-1 at Tottenham,
and after the sending-off we had to change things again. Every player
is doing their job, and it's not easy when you change formations because
it can take players a while to settle, but we're doing very well. Mikky Arteta was delighted with the points against Watford on Saturday even if the performance was not one of Everton's best. With two tough away trips at Blackburn and Spurs ahead this week the Spanish midfielder wants the Blues to build on our first day opening win in five or so years. Mikky says: "The win is what we wanted. It was a tough game but it was a good result to start and we need to build from here. We knew it was going to be hard and that they kicked the ball long so we were playing very deep all the time because they know how to make life difficult for opponents. But the important thing was to score and that is what we did." (21/08/06) Moyesy doesn't usually single anyone out for praise , but he has heaped bucketfuls on our tater. Totally deserved. I 'm starting to get a little moist at going to at the prospect of going to Goodison on Saturday. There's nothing better. Oh and by the I love you Mikky Moyesy says "If Mikel keeps playing as he has been doing, he will become one of the top performers in the Premiership," Moyes declared. "He will have a fantastic season if he manages to keep playing in that kind of form. "He needs to keep that up and we are trying to brush up on one or two little things with him but he has certainly got talent in abundance and he will be a big player for us this year. "We can play him on the right, on the left, in the middle of the park. All around, he is just a very, very good football player. He can pass, he can make you play if need be. We'll chop and change him in some games.(08/08/06) Mikky can't wait for the season to get underway, and he is in no doubt that if he can fire the ammo to new signing AJ, the ex Crystal Palace man will do the business in front of goal. He is delighted that Blue Bill has splashed the cash this Summer, and he trusts, which we are, that the fans are right behind the boys for this season. Roll on August 19th. Mikky says: "We've worked together in training with AJ on his runs and we want to work more on that," said Arteta. Hopefully, we can do good things. AJ has unbelievable pace and can be an asset for us. He's scored a lot of goals in the last four years. The fans are happy because they needed to see something to help them start believing again in the team." (01/08/06) Mikel is happy with a lot of pre-season games, as he thinks this will help the new players get used to Everton's style of play whatever the formation. Our tater says: "We've got enough different players to play in different ways. The gaffer has been working on that and in the next week or so our work will get more tactical. We want to find our shape and see what kind of football we are going to play. We need as many minutes on the pitch as possible to really get to know each other because we have a new keeper, a new defender and a new striker. Every team wants to improve and the other clubs are buying good players as well. All we can do is work hard and do the best we can. If everybody is 100% fit then we have a chance to do better than last year. We have more quality and we know each other better." (31/07/06) Although he has missed a week of pre-season training, Alan Irvine has stated the obvious by saying the Blue Kipper player of the season will be a top player this season for Everton Alan Irvine says: "Mikel had missed about a week's worth of training and obviously that is a long period at this stage when we are working on fitness. "But for the first 30 to 35 minutes against Bury he was absolutely terrific. He hit the wall then and for about 10 minutes before half-time in that game he was poor and it coincided with our worst period. "After half-time, he was refreshed and did very well. We gave him 45 minutes against Preston but that was always the plan. We wanted to give him a bit of a breather and we are thinking ahead - not just about the matches we are playing. "He is just a top, top player. Undoubtedly he's going to be very important to us this year. He is one of the most talented players we have got at the club and it is important that Mikel has a good season for us." (22/07/06) Mikel has been sent home from Devon with Chicken Pox! He is ok but the medical staff wanted to isolate him away from the rest of the squad. Moyesy says: "We kept him away from the other players, but we think he's past the infectious stage now." (06/07/06) At the Blue Kipper Presentation Night back last month, Mikel told us he hoped the manager would buy a top striker, so he could put a few of his famous through balls into his path. So Our tater is chuffed with new signing, Andy Johnson. Mikel says: "Andy's what we need. I think we have made a lot of effort to bring a striker in and we have spent a lot of money. So we are all hoping that he is going to be the one. We needed a goalscorer and if he does his work properly, I think he is going to play a big part next season." It is beautiful, it is like a family. Everybody is really together and I really appreciate how the people are in the team and around the club." (20/06/06) |
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