It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Sheffield Wednesday - Formidable team, they will walk away with the cup. :-)) If we can draw a bunch of muppets to start with, like team 10 we will be laughing. Did not get a reaction for the comments above about team 5 so how about team 10 .lol

Newcastle v Cardiff, Southampton v Burnley... Concentrate on the league is the expression isn't it?

What a performance from Everton at the Emirates today! 4 points out of a possible 6 David who? Barkley man of the match! Blue heaven.

Irrepressible Everton Come Back to Earn a Deserved Draw
By Lyndon Lloyd :: 08/12/2013
Comments (47) jump to end
Arsenal 1 - 1 Everton
Roberto Martinez had pegged the New Year as a vague target for when Gerard Deulofeu would start making his mark on the English Premier League but the impatient teenager is on an accelerated timeline of his own making. It seems as though the narrative of every Everton game is heavily influenced in some way by the Barcelona prodigy these days and he delivered a nasty plot twist for Arsenal to digest, earning the Blues a richly-deserved point in the process.

The Spaniard came off the bench to deliver the kind of incision that Martinez's increasingly composed side had generally lacked in the final third up to that point despite an astonishingly accomplished performance over the rest of the pitch, rifling home an 84th-minute equaliser just when the league leaders looked to have cruelly won it through a Mezut Özil strike with 10 minutes left.

That would have been rough justice on Everton who would end the game with a share of possession clocked by the statisticians at 56%, having out-passed and often out-played a team who have been utterly dominant on their own patch in the League since their shock opening-day defeat to Aston Villa. Coming on the heels of a midweek win at Manchester United, it was a performance that firmly establishes the Blues as contenders for the top four and wholly vindidates their new manager's rapidly-instituted evolution in playing style.

Martinez kept faith with the side that started at Old Trafford last Wednesday and his team immediately established a vice-like grip on possession, one they wouldn't relinquish until more than 40 minutes had expired and Arsenal suddenly found some room to breathe under a suffocatingly determined and tenacious Everton display. The Blues dictated the game with a self-assured arrogance at times – this against the most consistent team in the top flight so far this season and one that can, itself, pass its opposition into a spell – and the only thing missing was the killer final ball or the right decision made in a split second to open the Gunners defence up.

It meant that while Everton would go into half time having controlled two thirds of the possession – at The Emirates, of all places! – they were no doubt ruing their failure to test Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal game during the first period.

They had a couple of nearly moments amid some wonderfully precise and confident passing. Seamus Coleman ended a break sparked by the effervescent Ross Barklely by skidding a tempting ball across the penalty area and, after the youngster had won a corner, Sylvain Distin lashed a half-volley from the edge of the box wide.

Coleman and Mirallas then both missed with more speculative efforts from the edge of the box and Romelu Lukaku, for whom chances would be like gold dust, saw a drive blocked by the defender in front of him before it could trouble the 'keeper. On the whole, though, having so much of the ball and so much say in the tempo of the game kept Howard's goal untroubled and it led to increasing restlessness among the home fans.

Arsenal, for their part, didn't manage an attack of note until the 27th minute when Santi Cazorla rolled the ball dangerously across Tim Howard's six-yard box but there were no red shirts there to convert. And it was until the last five minutes of the half that Arsene Wenger's side started to put together the kinds of penetrating passing exchanges that Martinez must have been fearing more of before the game.

Twice Arsenal sliced through the Blues defence before the break but Howard, sans beard, was alive to both situations and denied first Olivier Giroud and then Aaron Ramsey with excellent saves with his legs.

The home side carried that quicker tempo and elevated level of performance into the early stages of the second half and Cazorla had a chance when Jack Wilshere cushioned a volley across goal to set the winger up right in front of goal but he headed straight at Howard from six yards out.

But Everton remained a threat on the break and when Phil Jagielka, of all players, led one counter in the 53rd minute by scampering forward on the overlap and laying it inside, Barkley flicked it on with a beautiful backheel to meet Steven Pienaar's run but the South African probably hit his drive too true and Szczesny beat his effort away with both hands.

Back at the other end, Howard did well to push Ramsey's volley at the back post behind before James McCarthy, putting in another enormously effective, high-octane performance in the Everton midfield, somewhat harshly picked up his fifth booking of the campaign for a high-footed challenge. It means he will miss the home game with Fulham but will be available for the festive programme.

Confusion between Ramsey and Mikel Arteta just inside their own area then created a great chance for Barkley who seized on their indecision and unleashed a vicious shot from 18 yards but, again, it was too close to Szczesny, although it took an awkward double-handed parry for the 'keeper to deal with it and Coleman's centre from the rebound was disappointing in that he couldn't pick out Mirallas who would have had a clear shot on goal.

Wenger's frustration with the pattern of the game was illustrated perfectly with a rare treble substitution in the 67th minute that saw Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini all introduced to try and turn the game in the Gunners' favour. It almost worked to perfection when Flamini popped up in space inside the box but, thankfully, he pinged his shot across goal and wide of the far post.

Martinez had delayed the substitution of Pienaar for Osman for a few minutes to see how Arsenal's changes affected the pattern of the game but the veteran midfielder was introduced with 20 minutes left and he was involved in what was perhaps Everton's best move of the match, a delightful interchange of passes that ended with Osman releasing Mirallas behind the defence and Szczesny tipping the Belgian's shot behind. Everton kept the ball after the resulting corner was cleared and Distin headed over at the back post.

Mirallas was substituted a minute later and Deulofeu was introduced but he'd barely had time to get into the game before Arsenal scored. Rosicky flighted a ball over Bryan Oviedo to Walcott who headed back across goal with a first-time header and though Giroud completely missed the ball right in front of goal, Özil was on hand at the back post to bang it into the roof of the net.

How the Emirates burst into premature victory song, accustomed as they are to having things their own way here. But Everton are no wilting flower these days and Deulofeu had other ideas than an Arsenal win that would have put them seven points clear at the top of the table.

The move was created by another precocious surging run by Barkley who fed the ball to Oviedo and he delivered a rare early cross from the left into the heart of the defence. Lukaku missed with an overhead kick attempt and the ball dropped to Deulofeu about 15 yards from goal and with three defenders between him and the goalkeeper. A couple of neat touches with the outside of his right foot were all the Spaniard needed to engineer the space he needed to smash home an audacious, stunning shot that was past Szczesny before he'd had time to extend his arms.

There were a few subsequent minutes where it looked as though the momentum had shifted decisively in Everton's favour and a typically rampaging run from the halfway line by Lukaku in stoppage time carved open the chance for a clear shot on goal from 20-plus yards but powered it narrowly over.

That was almost that but Giroud almost produced a winner out of nothing when Jagielka's clearing header from Jenkinson's cross fell to him 25 yards from goal. The Frenchman took the ball down neatly and despatched an Exocet on the half-volley that cannoned off the outside of the angle of crossbar and post.

So, another terrific Everton performance earned a draw that was probably a fair result on the day and brings the Blues a return of four points from a possible six where, in recent history, they have often collected nothing. It keeps them fifth, just two points off second place and preserves their excellent recoerd of just one League defeat all season.

The manner in which they consistently passed their way around and through Arsenal was a joy to behold and marks an incredible transformation from the hesitant, profligate passing that was so often the Blues' undoing in the centre of the park in recent years.

Having established an ability to control games through possession against even the very best teams, the key for Martinez now is to find more consistent end product from his players in the final third. Some would argue that he doesn't have the players to could achieve what teams like Arsenal can the way they slice their way through opposition defences with mesmerising passing, but there were occasions today when the Blues were the Gunners' equal on that score, albeit in deeper positions.

A closer partnership between Lukaku and Mirallas would help – the latter Belgian was disappointing today – as will more experience for Barkley, something he is gaining every week, in fine-tuning his radar as to when to release the ball and to whom.

Overall, though, the way this team is developing under Martinez is hugely encouraging and his immediate challenge is to ensure that this level of performance continues now in upcoming matches which is side is expected to win. The Blues are certainly well positioned going into the Christmas programme with easier points in the offing; now they just have to take them and see how things are shaping up vis-a-vis the chase for Europe in the New Year. Onward and upward!



Reader Comments
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Craig Fletcher
927 Posted 09/12/2013 at 07:14:43 Fantastic report, thanks Lyndon.
Four more games in December, three of which are at home against Fulham, Southampton and Sunderland, there's a solid chance of us being top four by the turn of the year.

Exciting times. As always a lot will hinge on another good transfer window in January, but bloody hell at the moment if feels great to be a blue.

Harold Matthews
932 Posted 09/12/2013 at 07:43:26 Great report Lyndon but I don't know about "easier points in the offing". Of all the sides we've met this season, Arsenal were the slowest at closing down. Southampton and Sunderland will be all over us like a rash and judging by some of the recent Premier League results, nothing can be taken for granted. Like everyone else , we're in for a very tough time between now and the window and will need to be at our best in every game.
Saegaran Kana
933 Posted 09/12/2013 at 08:19:36 Well written sir and I share your enthusiasm. If we get the 12 points in the next 4 matches then we've reached 40 points at halfway point in the season. Keep it up and we're looking at 80 points by the end of it. Exciting times indeed.
Raymond Fox
935 Posted 09/12/2013 at 08:26:53 Like Harold, I think 'the lesser teams' are banana skins.
We are suited better to playing the top teams because their playing to win making the games open affairs.
In the 'easy' games we'll be running into a massed defence most of the time!

Paul Gladwell
936 Posted 09/12/2013 at 08:36:56 The thing with running into massed defences these days is we have lads like the Spanish kid and Barkley, who will always open teams up no matter how many defenders are in front of them, what a feeling to be able to even think that after years of centre mids and full backs like Gary Naismith being played wide in midfield.
Mark Palmer
937 Posted 09/12/2013 at 08:35:43 Very, very proud Evertonian right now. We were amazing - up to a point - yesterday. We're getting much more comfortable playing from the back and RM has clearly instilled a no fear attitude. And, that includes no fear of making mistakes. So nobody puts their head down if they muck up. What we need to realise is that Lukaku may get marked out of games now so others need to step up and hurt opposition defences. What's great is that now, nobody's gunna fancy playing us home or away. That hasn't happened for a long time. Well done Roberto!
Raymond Fox
940 Posted 09/12/2013 at 08:51:55 Good point Paul 936, but its dangerous to think we will perform at the same level every match, not as easy for the players to lift themselves all the time.
Were in a very good position right now,
but in the next 7 matches there's bound to be ups & downs, that's football.

- See more at: http://www.toffeeweb.com/season/13-14/comment/reports/26246.html#sthash.6LR2LQkJ.dpuf

Chris , Everton were brilliant in that first half. New manager deserves a medal.

look at the amount of possesion they had and their at the emirates.

Baklay was outstanding.

just think in 4 years time for England, him wiltshire that southampton lad on left and on right that spurs lad. What a midfield.

Shame we wont have any strikers.

Aye GF well pleased with Martinez, if he can strengthen the squad in January we will have a chance of the top four. England? no comment :O)

"Shame we wont have any strikers." Have you not heard of Danny Ings G/F?... What a cheek -):

Danny WHO LOL. Stan who the heck is he?.

Chris Carson [Send an email to Chris Carson] [View Chris Carson's profile] - 08 Dec 2013 18:20 - 2381 of 2386
What a performance from Everton at the Emirates today! 4 points out of a possible 6 David who? Barkley man of the match! Blue heaven.

It was amusing when Barkley took three Arsenal players out of the game; waited, drew them out, then turned and went between two of them.

Dil,

I've cursed the defence; put Caulker in my fantasy team.

Cheers,
KidA

G/F, Derby away... Watch and enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6MJ8wSoLIk

A big bunch of wimps since Fergie left. Fellaini is a total waste of space anyway, so his injury is a plus.

Manchester United's Robin van Persie has been ruled out for a month with a thigh injury, according to the manager, David Moyes.

Van Persie suffered the injury taking a corner during the 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. "Robin has picked up a thigh strain and will be out for a month. He took the corner we scored the goal from against Shakhtar and felt his thigh," Moyes said.

The Dutchman's absence represents a blow to the champions as Moyes tries to turn around the dismal league form that has seen them lose the last two games and has left United 13 points behind Arsenal and seven off a Champions League place.

Moyes added: "It is unfortunate because I think if you look at our record with Wayne Rooney and Robin in the team it is actually very good and we have not had them for quite a period recently.

"Marouane Fellaini has a bit of a back injury. Michael Carrick is missing and Robin is going to miss four weeks with a thigh strain. That is a big blow to us."

Gutted for them DB LOL!

And me !

Might never ever post on here again if they fail to make the Champions League next year .... like sh*te :-)

Back to the Quality League with todays big match Leicester City v Burnley. K.O. 12.15. Live on Murdoch TV.

Third against Top, should be a good contest http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25275169

Despite having to put up with a "homer" of a ref, Burnley go one point clear with a battling performance http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25275169

Well having lost to The Welsh it is hardly surprising Steve Clarke has got the chop.

O the shame of it.

:-)

From My Seat: Fulham (H)
By Ken Buckley :: 14/12/2013
Comments (10) jump to end
With a win at Old Trafford and a draw at Arsenal we turned up to meet lowly Fulham with our only concern being: Who would replace McCarthy?
We entered our hallowed house of Wisdom and Learning and, after ordering, we retired to the Room of Nonsense. In the corner, a tele was muted as it showed Man City v Arsenal; no-one seemed bothered as Christmas cards were exchanged and tales various of trips to Manchester and London were exchanged. Four points out of six away to Sky darlings seemed no more than a precursor to a routine victory at Goodison. Not all seemed normal though as our alehouse was neither full nor buzzing and the crazy scoreline from City seemed irrelevant.

The walk up to the ground in a strong wind was muted at best; although there was a fair queue at the outlets, nothing like a day to savour a possible top four berth come 4:50 pm. A lad said he had been to the fan zone and the ice rink was like using ice skates on wood but the young kids who went loved the give-aways.

As I entered our historical palace of dreams, the Sally Army Band were just coming to the end of their set and were warmly clapped off.

Teams announced and Osman, making his 300th Premier League appearance, replaced McCarthy while Mirallas was dropped in favour of Deulofeu. On the ref's whistle, we set off on what many thought would be a journey of wondrous passing and enough goals to help the goal difference stat. Footy just isn’t like that and we ended up with a game that frustrated the hell out of many assembled as it failed to live up to expectations yet would end in emphatic victory. "If you can’t win well... then just win!" came to mind from a back of the brain memory of a title win many decades ago...

The opening period of the game was best described as non-descript by both players and fans; in that period, you just knew that this game was not going to hit the heights. Players not rousing fans and fans not rousing players was the perfect mix for the game that would unfold.

Almost 20 mins gone without much to write home about and then we put a move of menace together culminating in a play that had quality in pass-and-move ending in an exquisite finish. I bet Martinez dreams of his players putting these together. Distin started it by moving it on to Oviedo who found Pienaar just infield from him and he immediately moved it up to Osman who controlled with one foot and hit home with the other. No euphoric celebrations from fans – just sort of "Well done – good goal". We sat back, anticipating more of the same, but it just wasn’t happening. Deulofeu was seeing a lot of the ball but, although his direct running was eye-catching, his final ball was poor each time.

As time went on, Lukaku was not the force that might be expected and his best contribution came when, from a Pienaar corner, he chested an effort from close range that the Fulham keeper did very well to turn behind. Coleman had an effort thwarted by the keeper; then Lukaku was put through on goal but his pass selection was poor as he really should have gone on himself. I felt for Lukaku though as he made run after run yet none of our players ever looked likely to find him and that must be really frustrating after the energy expended in making them. The half was ticking down and Barkley was just not his Arsenal self so it was left to Osman to carry the threat and he almost made something happen when he hit a dipper just wide after Barkley had made a hash of his attempt.

It was getting a tad boring now but that was lightened when a ball flew out toward the dug outs. The Fulham manager failed to control but our man Roberto trapped, flicked and returned to play – very Barcaesque!!!

As the half drew to a close, I was left to reflect on the passing game that Martinez demands: whilst being pleasing on the eye, it hasn’t yet fully developed a killer instinct – corner after corner was gained rather than an attempt on goal and, but for Distin blocking a shot and Berbatov firing over, we could easily have been level at the break.

Half-time and the chat was centred on the difference today from our exploits that half and the two previous games. That just left season’s greetings to be exchanged: "Are you going to Swansea?" And "See ‘yer Boxing Day"...

The second half commenced and Goodison was quiet... eerily so considering our position. The Fulham manager must have brought the Old Trafford hairdryer with him as his team tore into us. Early doors, both Fulham midfielders, Parker and Sidwell, forced Howard into half-decent saves.

We then had a right let-off when Kacaniklic (I checked the proey for name and number) had a Joe Allen moment and missed an open goal, bad enough to be described as "My missus could have scored that" – and hell, wasn’t he with Liverpool before Fulham???

Our contribution this half so far was getting less by the minute but the players did rouse us when Pienaar put in Oviedo, who had a good shot cleared off the line, but it was the visitors doing all the pressing; the equaliser came, as many thought it might, in that period of play, but it was possibly a bit fortunate as Barry seemed to no more than tangle with the open-goal misser and he needed no encouragement to go down. The ref deemed it a foul only – no yellow card – and Berbatov slotted with consummate ease.

Lots of chat now of how we looked likely to squander the platform gained by our last results – especially as just before, Deulofeu was seen lying on the turf, no idea why... A stretcher was called and the two blokes bringing it on started from the furthest point from him and then proceeded at a pace that would have been overtaken by a man walking underwater. The crowd gave them the hurry up but they must also have been deaf but fair play, some 30 yards from the stricken player, they broke into a three-yard jog which was cheered to the rafters. I hope those blokes are not on duty if a real emergency occurs.

Deulofeu was stretchered off and Mirallas came on. Many were not too concerned about the change as Deulofeu had not been at his best. Things were just not clicking for us but in true football fashion, the game yet again demonstrated what an imprecise sport it is. 20 mins to go and Pienaar, with a twist and turn after showing well for the ball, got to the byeline and pulled it back for the incoming Coleman to crack home. Lead restored and a celebration that said "Relief" as much as "Celebration".

Then, for some time, we went into the bad old ways under Moyes: just taken the lead and didn’t know whether to stick or twist. Passes all over the place, Fulham having a go, and poor movement off the ball stopping us operating on the break. The two players to rise above this malaise, Osman and Pienaar, slowly started to get some midfield control and, after a good joined-up move, Distin put one into the box: from my seat, it was difficult to see exactly what happened but it seemed Lukaku got something on it and Barry headed home. 3-1 – surely game over?

It did cause a few songs being attempted but never as loud by today's 33,000 as the 3,000 at Old Trafford. They did inform everyone though that "We are going to win the league". We were playing it out but you got the sense the players knew it hadn’t been their best day and – fair play to them – looked to put a little icing on the cake. Roberto wasn’t so sure so he swapped Pienaar for Stones with 2 mins to go but we still went forward as Fulham now looked drained and, on 90 mins, Mirallas was put through by Oviedo I think, and he galloped away, steadied himself, and drove one goalwards which eluded the diving keeper, hit the net, and thanks very much for the points. I bet their keeper will not want to see that one on Match of the Day!

MotM – Osman

Overall, I enjoyed the day out; although the game didn’t create much of a spectacle, it was one of those that often happen in a busy period of the season – a time when the result is more important than the performance – especially if you have success in mind...

Today, I thought it was the old guard that got us through – Osman, Pienaar, Barry, Jagielka, Distin and Howard. The younger element will have benefitted from the experience. Fourth in the league and I always take my first interest in league tables around this time; my unscientific method tells me the table changes little from here, maybe two places either way, so we shall see... Don’t put any bets on using my method though!

Next four games come thick and fast and against teams all beginning with the letter S. I wonder if that means anything? I am off back to my Brown over Bitter now and see what depths the conversation has reached in the Room of Nonsense...

Were on the up – It’s in our DNA.
UP THE BLUES

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Reader Comments
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Craig Fletcher
594 Posted 15/12/2013 at 04:14:49 For those of us not fortunate enough to be at the game; as always Ken your reports are something to look forward to.
An odd game, but ultimately the result is what mattered. Let's hope that's our "hangover" game out of the way after the excellent last two away results, and we'll be back on form in Wales next weekend.

The Deulofeu injury is unfortunate for the lad; but in much the same way that Baines' injury allowed a fringe player to really step up, let's hope Gerard's disappointment will bring the best out of Mirallas, and perhaps even Gueye could get some game time off the bench and show what he can do. New Manager, new ideas, so who knows – perhaps we just haven't seen what he can do yet.

Ajay Gopal
595 Posted 15/12/2013 at 04:17:34 Thanks, Ken. Missed your report on the Arsenal game. From the grainy feed on my PC which often froze up and the live forum, I am just relieved we got the 3 points as I am sure many Blues are. It just shows that McCarthy has turned into such an important player for us. An injury to him or Barry, and our season would be truly over.
Lukaku has been having a poor run by his standards and I think he needs a rest - I was surprised Jelavic did not get a run out today.
The injury to Geri was unfortunate - he could have been an important weapon for us in the upcoming fixture list and given Pienaar/Mirallas/Barkley a bit of a breather. Ross, Romelu & Geri are guilty of poor decision making in the final 3rd; but I guess this is part of their learning curve. I only hope that after their apprenticeship with the Blues, they help Everton on to win some silverware!

Paul Johnson
602 Posted 15/12/2013 at 05:35:01 Thanks Ken it is not just the match report it is the experience of the day. For the guys who have never been to L4 Ken paints a seriously realistic picture of being a blue. Just the mention of a brown bitter gets me all teary-eyed.
Roll on, Boxing Day: a few pints of Guinness, a couple of brandies (just for medicinal purposes), and curry and chips, 3 points off Sunderland and hopefully second in the table – a little slice of heaven.

Thanks again, Ken. Also for me, Leon was MotM: a great goal and performance on his 300th appearance. Keep it up, lad – and you may go to Brazil.

Anto Byrne
604 Posted 15/12/2013 at 06:00:13 Funny old game... Fulham have the makings of a good mid-table team with lots of good experienced footballers (Berbatov, Sidwell and Scott). It looks like they are using the '70s Southampton model.

Every credit to Liverpool (even if it does grieve me to say it) without Gerard and Sturridge pulverised Spurs. Taxi in the morning for AVB?

Yep, no surprise!