18. Phil Neville - 07/08

Special Players Only At Goodison

The Everton captain thinks the club must go for that special player in this Summer's transfer merry-go-round.

Phil says: "In the big games, especially against the top four, we have missed that special player a little bit, and that is what we need to find during the summer. We have to press on now and compete for players with the clubs above us. We have to be looking at the same players they are, if we are to catch them up. If we don't, fifth will be the most we can expect. If I thought this club was going backwards, I would be the first out. But I think I'm at a club that wants success, and hopefully it is just round the corner." (13/05/08)

My Goal

Although Phil's goal ward shot against Villa took a deflection before it ended up in the net, he's still claiming the goal.

Phil says: "I'm sure someone, somewhere will try to take that goal away from me, Andy Gray will no doubt go through it in the TV studio. But it was going in, I'm convinced of that. It's my goal, and I don't think the defender will want to be credited with that. Why not just give it to someone who does not score too often? It's my 11th in over 500 games over about 16 years since my first team debut at Manchester United. But it's my second this term, which has doubled my tally for a season.

The manager has been getting on at me to go forward and score more, I should be scoring more goals and he is right. It is something I should add to my game. You see the best full-backs in the world scoring six or seven a season and I only get one or two and it is something I have to improve on.

I don't score many, so my goal celebration was pretty good. I think if the stewards had left the bottom gate open at the end of the ground I would have run all the way back to my house in Manchester. It doesn't happen that often, and I have been promising my little boy I was going to score for weeks, and he doesn't believe me. Hopefully now he will believe me when he turns on the TV." (29/04/08)

Great Attitude

The Everton skipper was upset and snatched at a tracksuit top from one of the backroom staff after he was substituted in the Derby game, but made sure that he shook hands with Moyesy. Some journos have been trying to make something out of it, but Moyesy is happy with his captain.

Moyesy says: "Neville's withdrawal was tactical, he wasn't injured. He was just disappointed with the way the game had gone, and he showed it. I have no problem with that attitude. He was fine with me and just upset with the way the game had gone. I understand that, he shook my hand and I have no problem with him being upset about things." (31/03/08)

We'll Bounce Back

The Everton captain is convinced Everton will bounce back after loosing their first Premiership game in 2008. The England International seems to think other teams around us will drop points and we'll be ready to get back in the race for Europe.

Phil says: "Experience tells you that other teams are going to drop points between now and the end of the season. Whether you're going for the league or the Champions League, teams will drop points and it's how you compose yourselves when you drop those points and how you bounce back that's the true measure. Yes, we're hurting, but next weekend brings a whole new batch of fixtures. We've got a home game (against West Ham), Liverpool have an away game (at Manchester United), Portsmouth and Villa have tough games, so it's about what we do and how we bounce back. All along we've always said that Liverpool are favourites. There's still a lot of football to go and the good thing is that we now have a week off without a game and we can bounce back."

Losing AJ was a blow. The squad's a bit thin at the moment. We've got to make sure those players who are injured get back as quickly as possible. I don't think tiredness was a problem after Wednesday. I'd hate to use that as an excuse. We lacked quality rather than effort. We had virtually three days without any kind of physical training which is enough time to recover. Out there that final pass, that final ball let us down and that's something which hasn't let us down all season." (17/03/08)

No Hangovers

Phil Neville is looking at this weekends clash at Fulham as a massive test of character for him and his Everton team mates. After the huge disappointment of Wednesday night's defeat in the UEFA Cup, Phil hope that there will be no hangovers at Craven Cottage. No time for hangovers lads, as if you want more of this European footy lark, you cannot take your foot off the accelerator now.

Phil says: "Sunday is a massive test now. We had one at Sunderland last week and Fulham is another. So far we have answered just about everyone that’s come our way. I don’t agree that it’s better for our league hopes that we’re out of Europe. I want more European football, because these nights have brought out the best in us. But one thing I will say is that this last week I could see a bit of tiredness creeping in, especially at Sunderland last Sunday. So the weeks without UEFA Cup football now could mean we could get players fit, get them back rested up and really attack these last nine games.

We’ve got the quality and now we have to make sure that in the next nine games we get the reward we deserve from a fantastic season. I think we showed against Fiorentina that we’re not far away. But there are bigger tests to come from now until the end of the season and the good thing is that we’re enjoying them, although we still have a bit to learn.

The supporters have proved they can rise to the occasion, the team have, and we consistently need to be reaching Carling Cup semi-finals, and the latter rounds of European and Cup football. This is where we want to be – we want to be playing European football." (14/03/08)

Its In Our Own Hands

Everton Skipper Phil Neville is towing the party line and telling the footballing fraternity that the shite are favourites to land the fourth spot in the Premiership this season, and the Champions League prize that awaits. We all know it is a game of kidology, and Phil is quick to counter with the fact that the Blues are not reliant on any other results to land that prized fourth spot, that's right it's is in our own hands.

Phil says: "With the teams around us at the moment, there is a tight cluster of four or five clubs who all have aspirations to finish in a European place. Manchester City was one of them and they and Villa are the closest challengers to Liverpool (the shite) to finish in fourth place. We needed to win that game on Monday and we didn't just win the game, we played really well and came out convincing winners. It is always nice when it is in your own hands, so you are not reliant on anyone else. You don't have to worry about anybody else or look for results around you - when it is in your own hands.

It is always better when it is in your own hands and I think we are enjoying the games at the moment, as every game is a big game so long may it continue. It feels similar [to a title challenge] because for a club like Everton it would be like winning the title to finish in fourth place as the prize is huge. I would love to play in the Champions League again and so would everybody at this club. The supporters have enjoyed the Uefa Cup this season, they have travelled in their thousands everywhere. Imagine what it would be like to be in the Champions League place." (29/02/08)

Improvement

Pip thinks we need to improve if we have a chance of getting further in the UEFA Cup.

Phil says: "To get to the latter stages of the competition our play in the final third needs to get better, and I'm sure it will once we get everyone back. There's a lot of positiveness but I was actually a little bit disappointed after the game with our performance. I thought we could have done better. But sometimes in Europe you just have to win the game and that is what we did. The second leg is going to be another great game for us and another great game at Goodison." (17/02/08)

Feel The Forth

Our Captain insists the next 2 games can give us a great chance in keeping the 4th spot until the end of the season.

Phil says: "Our challenge is to keep up in fourth place and do well in the Uefa Cup. I have said what a time it is at the moment to be an Everton fan and Everton player so let’s not get too despondent – we have got to a major cup semi-final and let’s make this the beginning of something special.

We can’t wallow in defeat for too long because next week we have Tottenham and Blackburn which are two massive games for this football club. And if we come out of those games with six points we are going to be right up there in fourth place and that is the aim. It is what successful teams do.Get over defeats and move onto the next challenge." (27/01/08)

Cut Out The Errors

Skipper Phil Neville believes that if the Blues cut out the lapses in concentration they can compete with the so called big four (turd whack, how I hate that saying). The Captain who has won everything in the game apart from the League Cup is sure the Blues can handle the big occasions, so lets hope we get the chance at Wembley in February to prove Phil's theory. He also sticks up for his team mate Joleon Lescott who was in some quarters blamed for the second goal, when Shaun Wright out jumped the England defender to give Chelski an injury time winner.

Phil says: "The good thing about the night was that we showed we can handle playing in a semi final, a big occasion. What we need to learn from, are the lapses in concentration that have cost us in these big games. There has been nothing to choose between the teams we have played when we have played the top four teams. We came away with the plaudits but let's cut out the errors.

He was outstanding (Roger). He has been all season, I think there was a misunderstanding between him and Tim Howard. It was heart-wrenching at the end to concede a goal after all the hard work we have done. Joleon went straight back up the other end and nearly scored, he is really effective at left back when he surges forward. It was fantastic to play in. The referees have got a hell of a difficult job, but if they were allowed to referee as they did ten years ago there probably wouldn't have been a yellow card. They have got rules to abide by now, Chelsea finished with ten people on the pitch and there's probably six or seven bookings as well but it wasn't a nasty game at all." (09/01/08)

Arsenal Result Doesn't Get Skipper Down

Skipper sees the Arsenal game as a fantastic performance.

Phil says: “I’ve not been able to digest the referee’s performance at all. First and foremost we’ve got to look at ourselves. I thought we put in an absolutely unbelievable performance today. They seemed to go upfield three or four times and scored every time. You don’t play Arsenal many times and tend to out-pass them but I think we have done that. But in big games it’s about small percentages and three lapses of concentration have cost us.

You switch off for a second and teams with quality strikers like Arsenal today punish you. We’re learning all the time. Sometimes you have to take one step back to go two steps forwards. We deserved something from the game at Old Trafford and didn’t take anything from it and it was the same today so we can take a lot of plaudits but we have to keep improving in these big games otherwise we’ll keep getting turned over.

It’s a frustrated dressing room. The referee’s name hasn’t been mentioned at all because we’re looking at ourselves and asking how have we come out of this game with a 4-1 defeat? It’s as good a football as I’ve played for Everton against Arsenal for a long time. You normally accept wonderful goals against you from Arsenal, but the first goal was just a long punt upfield, the second could have been handball, and the third was a mistake.”

Phil On The Arteta Sending Off: “Foreign players protect the ball and when they do they use their arms as a shield and I think that’s all that Mikel’s doing. His arm may have connected with Fabregas’s face and if you get a bang on the nose you know how sore it is but I don’t think there was any intent there. And when you get a red card it should be for intent. When the referee sees it again he may rescind it, you never know?

I think we’re asking for consistency. What everybody wants is for two-footed challenges to be punished more severely than maybe an accidental push, arm, two bookable offences, a kicking the ball away, but the punishments don’t seem to meet the crime at the moment.” (31/12/07)

Hero's In The Making

Phil Neville loves Everton, and we love him. Phil's ambition at the Blues is to lift a trophy and make this team as memorable as our greatest ever twenty years ago. He wants this bunch of Blues to be talked about for years to come. Keep it up Phil and it won't be a problem, believe me.

Phil says: "The top four is our ambition and hopefully to win a trophy. We are in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. I have three years left on my contract and my ambition is to be talked about as the Howard Kendall team is - like the Kevin Ratcliffe's of this world as great players. That is my ambition over the next few years - to lift a trophy for this Club I love playing for." (27/12/07)

My Captain Fantastic

Moyesy has acknowledged his Captain's role in the Blues climb up the table, and runs in the UEFA and Carling Cups. Phil Neville was part of six Premiership successes at United, and Moyesy is sure that the winning feeling he experienced at United is now rubbing off at The Blues.

Moyesy says: "Phil Neville has an influence at the club that people on the outside don’t see. He’s a terrific captain in that he does everything you’d hope a captain would do, not just on the field but off the field too. With his upbringing and the club where he started with has been a great starting point through the winning and what they do and he’s trying to install that in us as well." (19/12/07)

Strength

With everyone fit Moyesy has got a great squad to pick from and the Captain agrees.

Phil says: “One of the big differences is the strength in depth we’ve got now.When the manager named the team and subs for this game, I took a look round for a moment at some of the lads who hadn’t even made the bench, and it was frightening. Players of the quality of McFadden, Baines and Stubbs not even among the subs. You just think to yourself: ‘Dear me’.

There’s no two ways about it. You just have to perform if you want to stay in. It’s a bit of a kick up the backside for us all, and you can’t even afford to pick up an injury. The quality of those waiting to step in is such that you are going to struggle to get your place back. There is real competition for places right through the team, and that’s the first time it has happened since I arrived at the club.” (26/11/07)

Right-back Always Was His Position

Phil has been given a rough ride over the last few games, even admitting his form has dipped himself, but Moyesy pulled him out for special praise after the result against Sheffield Wednesday

Moyesy says: “I thought the difference was Phil Neville. His appearance at half-time made all the difference to the team. He was excellent tonight at right-back; the crosses he put in and his ability to get forward and join in were excellent. I think he and ’Faddy’ were involved in all the goals. Right-back always was his position, but we need him to do more jobs. That’s certainly the case with the injuries we’ve got right now. Right from the opening minute of the second half, he made the difference. I think we all went ’This is great”’ (27/09/07)

Bad Play Not Fitness Was The Problem

Tiredness is not a problem after the Euro draw and Villa defeat according to the Everton skipper, but he is honest enough to say that a few players are not playing well enough, including himself.

Phil says: “Ever since I came to Everton I wanted to play Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday and, now we are in the situation, let’s get on with it, let’s enjoy it and let’s not be fearful of the challenge. People talk about tiredness – but tiredness is in the mind. Sometimes you can use it as an excuse. We had two days’ rest after Thursday’s game and on Sunday we were fresh. I don’t think fitness was a problem against Villa.

Maybe we are just lacking a little bit of cutting edge at the moment and we need to start creating chances for our forwards. There are a few players in the team, myself included, who need to play better basically. Over the next few weeks, sooner rather than later, we need to do it." (25/09/07)

Disappointed with Six Points From 3 Games

Phil wanted 9 points out of 3 games so he's disappointed to go away with 6.

Phil says: “Let’s change everybody’s perception and if we have won two in a week let’s go and win the third one. That is what we were aiming for against Reading. The lads were so up for this and we are just a little bit disappointed to not come away with a point. When you have got one in the lost column it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. If we have aspirations to stay at the top of the league we need to come to Reading and win. The first half was a probably a stalemate. We limited them to a few chances but it was a real sucker punch when they scored with literally a minute to go. It was a soft goal from us we are normally quite disciplined and our concentration is quite good so it is disappointing. We can take heart from a good week at the Club and have performed well. We need to build on this week from now until the rest of the season.” (19/08/07)

Let The WAGs Do The Shopping

Phil Neville has seen and done it all in his illustrious career. Premiership titles, European and domestic Cups, England Caps, and now the pinnacle of his career, captaining Everton. Now the Blues sit proudly on top of the finest League on the planet, and if Phil has his way he knows a way we can stay there. In the week when his work is done, he does nothing and he is urging his team mates to do the same. Feet up, the missus can do everything else. Now I totally agree with his sentiments and after a tough week in work I asked the missus to cut the grass, do me tea, walk the dog, sort the kids out and iron me clobber for the pub. I am currently writing this piece in Fazakerely Casualty Department waiting to have a stiletto shoe surgically removed from a very painful area. Oh the life of a professional footballer !!

Phil says: "Don't be going to the Trafford Centre and shopping all week, just rest and let your partner go out. Let your partner walk the dog, get some rest and put your feet up and make sure your fit for Saturday." (18/08/07)

Staying At The Top

The Everton skipper sees no reason why Everton can't stay in the top four if the team play with the same confidence and are consistent.

Phil says: "There is more. That's probably the level we need to be playing at all season to be finishing fifth or even fourth. We're going to need every member of our squad. We put in a hell of a work ethic. On Saturday we go to Reading, our third game in a week. It's important to keep learning and maybe on Saturday we'll have to play a more patient game.

It's part and parcel of our learning curve but we've definitely got the players, the team and the confidence now as we showed by going to White Hart Lane and playing without the fear we have had in the past. We're top of the league and you can't take that away from us. We just need to be consistent this season, keep our feet on the ground and make sure the performance we've produced tonight we don't fall below because that's the standard we've set now for the rest of the season. If we can finish above Spurs then there's no reason why we can't finish fifth or fourth. It would be a hell of a season for us." (17/08/07)

Going Home

Phil Neville takes half of the Everton squad to his hometown club of Bury this weekend, and it will be like a going home party. Mum, Dad, Grandma, Auntie's, Uncles and Sister all pitch in at Gigg Lane on match days, and Phil is looking forward to getting on the pie counter to do his bit. The other half of Everton's squad will pitch up in Northern Ireland, and Phil is warning his team mates that if they don't do the business at Bury, Moyesy will be on their case come Monday morning.

Phil says: "It's a nice fixture," he said. "All the family work at Bury - my mum, dad, grandma, granddad, aunty, uncle, and my sister all pitch in on a match day. I've supported Bury since I was 8 years old and I love going back there to play. It's been a large part of my family and hopefully I'll get a good reception.

Saturday is about fitness but it's also about goals, form and hopefully the right result. The gaffer is going to Northern Ireland but I am sure that if he heard that the team at Bury had lost then he'd have something to say on Monday morning." (13/07/07)