retired_lizm5285

yeah it is

retired_bbcarr

meh, toffees good to see the mighty reds still way above you :p

retired_exoticpanther33

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Terk:
meh, toffees good to see the mighty reds still way above you :p<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
give it time

retired_exoticpanther33

Mon 1st Dec

Tomasz Radzinski today agreed to join Aston Villa for £2.1m, and will sign when the transfer window re-opens on 1st Jan 2004.



Wed 3rd Dec

Carling Cup 4th Round

Man Utd 0 - 1 Everton

Starting XI
Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs (c), Yobo
McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta
Rooney, Campbell

Everton progressed through to the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup with a victory against what was a far from full strength Man Utd side. Everton however will take pride in the fact that they triumphed despite the presence of first teamers such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, David Bellion, Diego Forlan, Christiano Ronaldo, Kleberson and Tim Howard, and the fact that they themselves lacked talismanic striker Duncan Ferguson, still out with a thigh injury.

The match was decided by a solitary goal, scored 4mins after half time by, who else, Wayne Rooney. Li Tie, receiving the ball from Gary Naysmith on halfway, chipped a beautifully weighted ball forward. Kevin Campbell rose well to flick the ball on to Rooney, who finished decisively with his first time shot. Alex Ferguson responded by throwing on substitute Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the Dutchman must have thought that Everton defender Joseph Yobo was glued to him, so well did the Nigerian shackle him.

"Ecstatic." replied Jamie Mellor, when asked how he felt about this away victory, "People will say they didn't have a full strength team out there, but there were plenty of players who would grace any Premiership side - and certainly a couple I'd love to have in my squad. I thought Joseph Yobo was spectacular today - especially after van Nistelrooy came on. You're talking about one of the top strikers in the world, and Joseph completely neutralised him. I take my hat off to him.



Sat 6th Dec

As if we didn't have it tough enough in the last round, we were today drawn against Arsenal in the Carling Cup Quarter Final. The only consolation was that the match will be played at Goodison. The tie is scheduled for the 17th December.



Mon 8th Dec

For today's match, I brought in Daniel Braathen for the injured Kevin Kilbane, who picked up a strained neck in the Carling Cup victory over Man Utd. With a little luck Kilbane should be back in time for next week's match with Chelsea. In the meantime, I have no doubt that Braathen can provide more than adequate cover on the left side of midfield, having performed admirably in the reserves and when coming on as a substitute for the first team.


FA Barclaycard Premiership

Aston Villa 1 - 2 Everton

Starting XI
Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs (c), Yobo
McFadden, Braathen, Davis, Arteta
Rooney, Campbell

Everton recorded a well deserved away victory today against Aston Villa. Kevin Campbell opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Daniel Braathen, making his first start for Everton did well down the left hand side, beating Mark Delaney before putting in a cross which Campbell headed towards goal. Villains keeper Thomas Sørensen parried the ball out to Wayne Rooney, who took one two many touches and was tackled by Gareth Barry. The loose ball eventually fell to Campbell who smashed home from less than 5 yards out. Hardly a classic, but it got the ball rolling. For the next 30mins, Everton threatened to embarass their hosts. Every attack looked as if it would lead to a goal, but a combination of lacklustre finishing and last ditch defending conspired to send the teams in at half time with only the single goal separating them.

The second half brought a dramatic improvement from Villa, aided by the introduction of young Stefan Moore. The 19 year old was involved in the build up when, after 60mins, he picked up the ball just inside the Everton half and advanced before laying off a short pass to pre-season signing Gerard, who flicked it over Alan Stubbs to Darius Vassell, who controlled well before slotting his shot past Wright.

Everton however, did not wait long to reply. Seven minutes later Rooney latched onto a flick-on from Kevin Campbell to score a carbon copy of his goal against Man Utd a little less than a week ago in the Carling Cup. From there, Everton continued to pressurize the Villa backline, looking to add to their lead, but several excellent saves from goalkeeper Sørensen kept the score at 1-2.

"Today was a good day for us. The only downside i would say is the fact that with the number of chances we had, it would have been nice to win by more than a goal. But at the end of the day, I'd happily take another 22 one goal victories from here to the end of the season, wouldn't I?" joked Mellor after the final whistle in this, Everton's second away win in the league this season.

retired_exoticpanther33

Tues 9th Dec

The FA Cup 3rd Round Draw took place today. We were picked out of the hat first in our tie, putting us at home for the match. We were swiftly followed by 1st Division West Ham. Can't complain about that draw, and will be hoping to progress. The tie is to be played on the 3rd Jan 2004.

The pick of the 3rd round matches however, was to take place at Highbury, with holders Arsenal taking on their London rivals, big-spending Chelsea. One of these sides - both of whom must be counted among the favourites to win the whole competition - will be exiting the Cup at the first time of asking.



Sat 13th Dec

FA Barclaycard Premiership

Everton 0 - 2 Chelsea

Starting XI
Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs (c), Yobo
McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta
Rooney, Campbell

Inspite of Daniel Braathen's fine form in their last game, Kevin Kilbane returned from injury today, and went straight into the first team for this tough match against Roman Abramovich's Chelsea. It was a game which Everton could not have expected to win, and, assuming that was the case, they weren't to be disappointed. Despite having just as many chances to score as Chelsea, the Toffees' finishing let them down, and Chelsea were able to claim all three points.

Jesper Gronkjaer scored Chelsea's first. A good ball from Duff down the left found Mutu hugging the touchline. The Romanian ran at Alan Stubbs, before firing in a left footed cross. Joseph Yobo perhaps should have got his head to the ball, but instead it sailed over him, and was met by the rising Gronkjaer, moving in from the righ flank. The rest of the first half was all Everton - the hosts trying to force their way back into the match, but to no avail as the back two of John Terry and Lucio stood firm.

The second half began in much the same way as the first ended, but gradually Chelsea came back into the match. After a short period of pressure, they doubled their lead - Mutu receiving the ball outside the box from Veron, taking two steps forwards before curling the ball past Richard Wright. Everton had chances to get back into the game, but nothing was going their way - typified by Wayne Rooney who hit the woodwork no less than 3 times during the second half.

"I feel that losing the game was a little harsh on us," stated a despondent Mellor at the after match press conference, "but anytime you make mistakes such as we did today against a team like Chelsea, you're going to be punished for it."



Wed 17th Dec

Carling Cup Quarter Final

Everton 3 - 0 Arsenal (aet)

Starting XI
Wright, Hibbert, Naysmith, Stubbs (c), Yobo
McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta
Rooney, Campbell

A fantastic victory for Everton at Goodison as they overcame Arsenal in extra time to advance to the Semi Finals of this season's Carling Cup. While the Arsenal side was not exactly full strength, it certainly had enough quality players to worry the Toffees - players such as Cole, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Jeffers and Tuncay lined up at the start of the match.

Everton set out their stall to defend early on - weathering an intense storm from Arsenal as the Gunners sought to demolish the Toffees. Through 90mins of action they repelled the Arsenal advances - limiting them mostly to long range shots - although one chance which fell to Francis Jeffers required a world class save from Wright to keep the scores level. Finally the referee blew his whistle, signalling the need for extra time. At this point Mellor played his trump card. He replaced Kilbane with Braathen, and brought Ferguson and Todorov on for Hibbert and Campbell, switching to 3-4-3.

It was a change which Arsenal had not expected and, having already used their 3 substitutes, they were ill-equipped to respond to it. Only two minutes of the extra period had elapsed when Todorov and Braathen combined, the Norwegian receiving the ball just outside the box, skipping past two tired Arsenal challenges, before burying past Jens Lehmann.

Two minutes into the second half of extra time, the lead was doubled. Rooney ran at Ashley Cole down the right, getting the better of his England colleague and playing a beautifully weighted through ball to Todorov. The Bulgarian took it in his stride, but smashed his shot straight at Lehmann. The big German could only parry the ball though, and it fell at the feet of the onrushing Rooney, who seized the opportunity with both hands, finishing calmly for his 15th of the season, and sending the home fans into raptures.

The strain was now really showing on Arsenal players' faces as they stretched themselves more and more in the hunt for a goal. Cole was lucky not to be dismissed for a badly timed challenge on Rooney with the youngster through on goal. After 111 mins Everton's dream match was completed. A long, high pass was pulled out of the air with stunning ease by Rooney, who looked up. With everyone, including the Arsenal goalkeeper thinking he was going to try to repeat his wondergoal from last season, he shaped to shoot - before cheekily laying the ball off to Braathen who was completely unmarked and able to fire home past the out of position Lehmann. The home fans went berzerk, as did the players and staff on the touchline as Everton progressed to the next round.

"Absolutely over the moon." beamed a delighted Everton manager after the final whistle had sounded, "We knew today was going to be tough, and it was. Even with some of their first teamers missing, Arsenal were always going to be a threat - and when they brought Henry on with 10mins to go in normal time, I was just keeping my fingers crossed all our hard work wouldn't be for nothing, but Joey (Yobo) and Stubbsy did us proud through the whole match - although they look knackered now!"

Asked about the substitutions, he said, "Yeah, well, sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don't. Thankfully the changes i made today worked out better than I ever could have hoped. Daniel (Braathen) was a revelation when he came on as was Todorov. Duncan also caused them a lot of problems, but then, we know he's capable of that. Wayne was also stunning today - I think the last goal pretty much sums him up - almost the entire stadium wanted him to shoot when he brought the ball down in that position - but he was two steps ahead of all of us, and the vision he showed to slide the ball across to Daniel was superb, and another example of why Wayne Rooney won't be leaving Everton while i'm in charge."



Thur 18th Dec

Veteran centre back David Weir today agreed to join Aston Villa for 240k at the turn of the year. While I'll be sorry to lose the Captain of my reserve side, i understand that he both wants and needs to be playing first team football, which is something I cannot offer him any more. I wish him well, and thank him for years of great service to the club.

We have been drawn against struggling Leeds in the Carling Cup Semi Final. The first leg will be played at Elland Road on the 21st Jan 2004. This draw was as good as I could have hoped for - Liverpool will play Man City in the other Semi.

retired_exoticpanther33

Mon 22nd Dec

And so we come to the first Merseyside Derby of the season. This is the one fixture any Everton (or for that matter Liverpool) manager wants to win. Tony Hibbert picked up a knock in our marathon victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup, so he is replaced on the right of defence by Steve Watson, but otherwise my side remained unchanged. The FA, in their wisdom had scheduled the match for a Monday night, and it was bitterly cold as the two teams took to the pitch at Anfield.


FA Barclaycard Premiership

Liverpool 2 - 3 Everton

Starting XI
Wright, Watson, Naysmith, Stubbs (c), Yobo
McFadden, Kilbane, Davis, Arteta
Rooney, Campbell

Everton pulled off a famous victory against their old enemy tonight - and at "Fortress Anfield" no-less! Liverpool were the clear favourites going into this game, riding high in the table and with their best players in fine form. Unfortunately for them, no one gave Everton a copy of the script.

The team from the Blue side of Stanley Park set about their opponents from the first whistle, not allowing them any time on the ball, and mounting several quality attacks. They received their reward as early as the 14th minute. Steve Watson took a poor freekick from the right hand side which hit the first defender, but rebounded to James McFadden. The exciting young Scot cut inside with the ball, reaching the right hand side of the penalty area before lofting in a delightfully delicate cross. Everton no. 9 Kevin Campbell, shrugging off his advancing years made his run from the edge for the box, timing his leap to perfection, and burying his header beyond the outstretched arm of Chris Kirkland, silencing the home crowd.

This however was the catalyst for a spirited Liverpool revival. They bombarded the Everton goal, and a combination of good fortune and the form of Richard Wright were required to keep them at bay. In the 34th minute however, Everton could hold on no longer. A poor headed clearance fell to Dietmar Hamann, who layed it out wide to Steve Finnan. The former Fulham man played the ball to Steven Gerrard on the edge of the box, who blasted a powerful shot towards Richard Wright's left hand corner. The keeper seemed to have the ball covered, until the shot took a deflection off Smicer and into the opposite corner. Everton looked crestfallen. To have resisted so well only to be pegged back by such a cruel twist of fate took its toll on them.

It was no surprise then that a minute before half time Liverpool took the lead. Gerrard once again received the ball in space from Finnan, and this time the England international made no mistake, curling his shot beyond the helpless Wright and sending the Kop wild. Half time came and went, and Everton manager Mellor sent out the same players to try to win the game. Two minutes later however, he had to withdraw James McFadden with what looked like a twisted ankle. Daniel Braathen took his place, playing out of position on the right of midfield.

As the game progressed, it looked like Liverpool would hold on for the win - both sides had chances, but neither could convert. Then, in the 74th minute, a Liverpool header from a corner dropped to Sean Davis on the edge of his own box. His long volleyed pass forwards bounced over the head of Hyppia and fell to Rooney, who took off at pace towards the Liverpool goal. Kirkland came out to meet the boywonder on the edge of his box, but Rooney lobbed over the advancing keeper from fully 25 yards - the ball bouncing perfectly on the line as it landed, before nestling into the far corner. The last 15mins of the game was some of the best end to end football you could ever wish to see- both sides having chances, and both Keepers needing to be at their best to keep them out.

This continued until, with 1min remaining on the clock, Rooney picked up the ball just inside his own half, with no support. As his team-mates tried to catch up, Rooney headed for goal, taking the ball past 3 backpedalling Liverpool defenders before guiding a curled shot past Kirkland, securing the match for Everton. The roof was almost lifted off the away end, and Rooney was mobbed by every one of his team-mates. The final whistle blew shortly after, calling time on a classic derby match - especially if you're a Bluenose.

Manager Jamie Mellor had tears in his eyes as he spoke of his delight at winning the match, "It's been far too long since Everton had a derby victory to celebrate - but we certainly have one now. Wayne was nothing short of sensational today. He really took the game by the scruff of the neck, and he was rewarded with two brilliant goals. I just hope this is the first of ma......" he uttered before being dragged away by his celebrating players.

zeppelinrocker

I hope you lose a lot! Good story, shame about the chosen team somones got to support them I suppose.

retired_lizm5285

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Liverpool 2 - 3 Everton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

u any idea how much that has made my crappy day, a good day?

retired_exoticpanther33

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Heskey:
I hope you lose a lot! Good story, shame about the chosen team somones got to support them I suppose.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
just because i beat the RS no need to sulk :p

retired_exoticpanther33

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Liverpool Echo, Wednesday 24th December, 2003
Everton Correspondent Scott McLeod


Scott McLeod: Thanks for taking the time to speak with use today Jamie.

Jamie Mellor: That's no problem, happy to be here.

SMc: We're talking the day after your Everton side pulled off what must be their best victory of the season so far, at Anfield against Liverpool. How are you feeling?

JM: Well, I don't mind telling you it really hasn't sunk in properly yet. You know, I've been an Everton fan for as long as I can remember, and derby days always tend to be the best or worst day of the season, depending on how the results go. Before yesterday, Everton fans hadn't been able to celebrate a derby victory in quite a few years, and before kick off yesterday I was just so desperate to give our supporters something to cheer about. You know yourself, winning a derby - especially one as hotly contested as the Merseyside Derby - is about so much more than 3 points. It gives the fans the bragging rights across the whole of Merseyside until the next match. Evertonians have had to put up with the short end of this deal for too long now, and I'm just glad that we were able to make their time at work or school etc the day after the match a little better.

SMc: And I'm sure they're very grateful. How do you feel about the way your season has progressed?

JM: Well, I admit that at the start of this season, I was more than a little worried. We failed to win in our first 7 league games, and secured only 3 points - a run which had us in the relegation zone - not exactly where i wanted to be at the start of October in my first season in charge. At that point I was seriously concerned that my first season may end up being my last.

SMc: But before the Fulham game, you made some changes to your side, and they really seem to have paid dividends.

JM: Yeah, I just felt it was time to do something. Certain players just weren't performing, and things needed freshening up. Thankfully those changes seemed to work - In fact, they worked better than I really had any right to hope. It took less than 2mins for Wayne Rooney to set the ball rolling on our "revival". From that day onwards we have been vastly improved.

SMc: Tell me about Wayne Rooney's contribution.

JM: Well, what can I say about Wayne? He's been stunning of late. Not only has be been scoring a fair few goals for us, a lot of them have been important goals. Of course he scored two to win the Derby for us yesterday, but he also grabbed the winner in our victory over Man Utd in the Carling Cup - a match which I think has somewhat unfairly been eclipsed by the derby win. He's also been creating a lot of goals for us, and has been involved in the build-up to even more. Now, he's bound to take the headlines, and rightly so, but it's important we don't forget about our other players, especially Richard Wright, who has been rock solid for us since coming back from injury. A lot of people said that he was never going to reach the heights he should when he left Arsenal, but he's certainly doing his best to prove those doubters wrong - and long may it continue. James McFadden too, has been sensational the last couple of weeks. He really seems to be finding his feet in what is a vastly more competitive league to what he has played in before. Finally, I'd like to say a word about Joseph Yobo and Alan Stubbs at the back. These two have been wonderfully reliable so far this season - Joseph will hopefully be here for years to come, while Alan, who knows this could be his last campaign at the top level, is really going hell for leather to go out on a high. He cares about Everton as much as anyone, and was really hurting when we were underachieving at the start of the season.

SMc: Jamie, you're now about half way through your debut season as Everton boss, and your side is hovering around the halfway point in the table. Where do you see yourselves at the end of this season, and at this time next year?

JM: Well Scott, we've got a Carling Cup Semi-Final coming up against Leeds soon, and that will be one of our biggest games of the season. At the end of the campaign, I'd love to see us in possession of that trophy, and in a decent position in the league. A good FA Cup run would also be good - both for the fans, and for the extra revenue it would bring into the club.

SMc: And next season?

JM: This time next season, I'd like to be perhaps a little higher up the league, and challenging for a European spot. Although who knows - our cup exploits may see us into Europe before then. Fingers crossed.

SMc: Finally, I do need to address the persistant rumours that Everton is not a big enough club to keep the likes of Wayne Rooney, and that he will leave in the summer, probably to one of Man Utd, Chelsea or Real Madrid. What do you say to those rumours?

JM: That's exactly what they are - rumours. I don't know how many times I need to say this before people will start listening to me: Wayne Rooney is going nowhere. Wayne is a player I want to build a team around here - he certainly isn't someone who I'm going to sell. Until the day Wayne comes into my office and says he no longer wants to play for Everton, he will be going nowhere. And to be honest, I don't see that happening. I intend to take Everton back to the ranks of being a successful club once more - and if we can do that, why would he want to leave? Wayne loves this football club, and has never wanted to play anywhere else. As for Everton not being a "big enough club"? I agree that the side hasn't seen the success it should have in recent times, but what other team in this country can you name that would maintain near to full-houses approaching 40,000 fans week in week out while struggling for season after season in the league, often battling against relegation. Everton has the best fan base in the country - and one of the biggest - and I intend to do everything in my power to give them the success they deserve. And that CERTAINLY does not involve selling one of a kind players like Wayne Rooney. After all - who would I replace him with??

SMc: Thanks for setting the record straight, and thanks for talking to us Jamie. Merry Christmas

JM: Thanks for having me - and a Merry Christmas to you too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>