Ah, Everton. A team I should have some fondness for because they’ve got noisy neighbours like us and while I was growing up for some reason most of my friends wore their blue and pretended they were Neville Southall or Tony Cottee, but I don’t. It annoys me how they go from one season to the next flitting between challenging for Europe or escaping relegation. It annoys me how they spend most of their games playing without a striker and have done for a couple of seasons. It annoys me that they claim to be well supported but rarely fill their stadium. It annoys me that Tim Cahill is now playing on the other side of the world and not picking up points for my fantasy team. Most of all though, they annoy me because they always seem to play better against us, even though our record is very good against them, recently they’ve been a tougher nut to crack.
Today’s ITK is: “keane, bentley and giovani are leaving, and kranjcar will stay. Beckham is still on, and that a new striker is on the table…
A little interval for all you rumour whores out there. Of course, all of that isn’t really ITK, even though it’s come from the internet’s biggest egomaniac transfer leaker. The beauty of ITK is it’s ability to change at any point and when things don’t happen there are always reasonable sounding excuses. For example, lets say Keane doesn’t leave. The reason for it will probably be because he won’t take a pay cut and would prefer to sit on the bench. Beckham doesn’t come to Spurs? Well, that’s down to not being able to agree the image rights part of the contract.
Sorry, I digress. As fun as the whole transfer window is the ITK stuff really bugs me. I’ll do a separate piece at some point in the near future about possible signings, rumours and Mr Golden Balls himself. Back to what’s really important at the moment, Everton.
Hopefully, players don’t get as distracted by all the rumours and Sky Sports News constantly at The Lodge as we fans do because we’ll have to be on top of our game to get 3 points tonight and put more pressure on those above us. I mentioned Tim Cahill being away on international duty and given how important he is to them, that’s a massive plus for us.
I don’t see this game being much different to the previous game at White Hart Lane. Everton will pack the midfield and try to play on the break. A strange thing to do for a home side but that’s David “Mr Adventurous” Moyes. I heard somewhere that a large proportion of Everton fans are actually in favour of him leaving the club. I’m not sure about that myself, given the small income the club generates and a lack of funds that make Arsenal look like Man City, his ability to keep them in the top flight has been nothing short of miraculous. However, I do understand why some would feel that way. I can’t think of too many situations where a spurs crowd would accept a lone striker and hoping for a 0-0 game after game after game.
Wow, I really am babbling today, sorry about that. So, with Everton playing a five man midfield it’s there the game will be won and lost. It’ll be interesting to see if Moyes decides to go for five men across the middle or four with one sitting just in front of the back four to keep an eye on vdV. Both could be effective but personally I’m not sure man marking vdV with the other players we’ve got would be beneficial. Whoever Moyes could put on him wouldn’t be as intelligent as our Rafa.
Bale was marked out of the game at White Hart Lane by a combination of Coleman and Neville. I can’t see Moyes changing that template having had such success but if he had any sense and if Coleman passes a late fitness test he would. Coleman tore us a new one in the same fixture last year. Remember the one? 2-0 up and not even out of first gear? Second half Coleman pushed forward from his right back role, ripped Bale to shreds and suddenly it’s 2-2. Could’ve been an off day for Bale but Benny handled him fairly easily at WHL although then Everton barely got out of their half after they grabbed an early goal. Surely tonight they’ll have to go on the attack? That’s when we’ll be at our most dangerous.
If a side was ever made for counter attacking football it’s this Spurs one. Don’t tell my mum this because it’s a little bit rude but I’m still waking up half way through the night in a state of arousal having dreamt about our second goal on boxing day. Yummy with a capital Yum. It’s why we’re such a difficult team to face. What would you do? Defend and let us come on to you, hoping to sneak a goal on the counter or from a set piece? How about attack our previously* leaky defence and just try to outscore us? Then you’ve got the problem of leaving space for quite possibly the best midfield in the country to play in. The only solution I’ve been able to come up with so far is pretend you’re Manchester United, because we’re scared of them, or resign and manage Spurs. 
So, it’s going to be a tense affair as it seems it so often is. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Jagielka is playing so we’ll have to score our own goals tonight but with Crouch being a little bit crap and Pav being, well, a little bit crap too who will lead the line with Rafa? Personally I think it’ll be Crouch. Or maybe Pav. I don’t know. In all fairness to both of them it doesn’t really matter. They’re not the guys that make our team tick and they’re rarely the reason we get any points.
We need Modric to control the game and not Arteta. We need Palacios to win the duels and not that big hairy bloke who looks like a cross between sideshow bob from the Simpsons and an ice cream. We need Bale to make Neville look like his older brother. We need Lennon to make Baines defend more than he attacks and if Pienaar really wants to come to Spurs, we need him to do everything possible to make sure Everton lose.
Stat Attack
I like my stats but I always look at them with a sense of, “it’s about time they beat us then”. Make up your own mind with these:
- Everton haven’t beaten us at Goodison since 2004
- David Moyes has only lost 3 league game to Harry Redknapp
- Everton have lost 99 league games at Goodison
- Spurs haven’t won in Merseyside in their last 6 visits
- Redknapp has only won once in 27 visits to Merseyside
- Spurs have managed back-to-back away victories only twice under Redknapp
If I could be greedy and have one last Christmas present I’d appreciate a 3-0 at half time lead so I can relax while we add another couple in the second half. Oh and it’d be nice if the game on the red side of north London ended in the draw. Go on, I’ve been a really good boy.
COYFS
*previously could be a little presumptuous as it’s only been 2 cleansheets so I hope I haven’t jinxed tonight
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My ITK tells me we will win 1-0.
moyes’ ability to keep them in the top flight is nothing short of miraculous? everton?! they’re one of the biggest clubs in the league they should be pushing for europe on a yearly basis! Moyes seems to avoid all criticism but every year it seems everton start dreadfully, then come flying back in the latter half of the season. This must have something to do with how he prepares the team pre-season. tonight’s game is guna be tough, we need to be right on our game – because we’re not like man u in that we just somehow sneak it (not often anyway), we have to perform. will b a big three points if we can get it, COYS
agreed, this is going to be a tough one. Hard to call too. As for Everton being one of the biggest clubs in the league, that’s purely done to the fact that there are so many “small” clubs in the EPL nowadays. Financially they’ve got nothing to offer and as I said they don’t even fill their ground on a regular basis. Granted, they should be doing better than they do but mid table is probably the best they can hope for when you look at their squad of players. With the exception of Cahill and Arteta, they’re very limited and they don’t have the money to buy.
Always a very hard game and as you say, will be a big three points if we get them.
Bale might not be our match winner himself tonight but if we can use the space that triple marking him provides then he contributes indirectly to our play.
We have to start Crouch and VDV up front to give them a chance to show their excellent partnership again. Plus of course lazy Pav usually goes missing away.
Shocking that such a rich successful club as Spurs with such awesomeness in defence and midfield has so ordinary a set of strike options.
If only that ITK was a roundup of our jan tranfer window activities, I’d be happy.
I think the writer is being quite harsh on Everton, who have always been a massive club with a big fanbase, and who have won the league far more times than ourselves.
I think it’s our luck that Everton never have any money to spend because they have matched us in recent years even with our healthy spending. I think we can win tonight because for one reason or another Everton just haven’t got going (again) this season. Although I don’t think it will be a rought, perhaps 1-0.
However, I think it’s only a matter of time before Everton hit that run of good form.
I think it’s quite sad that most people who have responded above seem to think that the size of a club is measured by how much money they’ve got in the bank. Before Sky showed up, the size of a club was measured on their history, tradition, and honours list. Given that Everton are roughly the 4th or 5th most successful side in English football (look it up if you don’t believe me !), I’d say that constitutes a big successful side who are currently in a dip. Anyone referring to them as a small tinpot club (which to be fair hasn’t happened here, but is something that I have heard elsewhere) really doesn’t know much about the game.
Presumptuous tosser!
What a load of bollox. You don’t half spout some shit. Looks like your fans are starting to go like City fans now that your cash splash is coming to fruition.
Your a shit club with a shit history, no wonder every London club in the Prem sings about how shit you are.
Watch us turn you over tonight. Our season isn’t over.
thank you for your comments, they’re well thought out and swearing never makes someone look stupid. Anyway, I’m not really sure where the “Everton are a small club” thing has come from. The only comments that could possibly be viewed as such are an inability to fill the stadium and the fact the club has little or no money.
I believe the fact that Everton’s average attendance over the years is usually 5000 less than the capacity is proof of the stadium comment and a lack of spending in the transfer window shows a lack of funds generated. These are facts, not something I plucked out of the sky.
I have many Everton friends and my feeling towards Everton isn’t swayed by that fact. They’re not a club I would like to see go down because they ARE a big club. A sleeping giant if you will, but over the last few years the style of football that they play is something I don’t like to watch. With the exception of Cahill and Arteta the team is made up mainly of “cloggers”. They have won 18 major honours compared to our 19 so there’s little difference in the trophy cabinet. We happen to be having a decent run at the moment but things can change so quickly.
I even said it was going to be a very tough game.
Yes Flynn it is over, you have lived in Liverpool’s shadow, now they live in ours along with you, we will win tonight you weveryone bill defend like bitches with behind the ball even though your at home, then I predict you will come out of the game with no dignity or respect and I will see you on here in the morning saying if only Cahill had played and all that blah de blah
Haha. Well it looks as though a few people on here, not just myself, feel as though your article is mainly just trying to kick Everton while they’re down. Pointless. May the best team win.
Hi Flynny, as I said before. I didn’t say anything about the size of Everton. Purely, that you don’t fill your stadium and yet you’re meant to have a large fan base (which I believe you do based on the amount of Evertonians I know) and the fact you don’t have any money to deal in the transfer window. It’s not kicking Everton while they’re down and if I’m honest, I don’t think you’re down. Yes, you may be a few points and positions lower than you should be but you’re not far from where you’ve been for the last decade. We spent the nineties and half the naughties being crap. There’s no other way to say it, but we were. We’d win some and lose some but we never finished in a position we didn’t deserve to finish in. If someone said that to me at the time, and many fans did, I dealt with that because it was the truth.
As for the best team winning, if you were honest that would mean Spurs winning tonight. Personally I think it’ll be a draw.
Well considering our average attendance has been better than yours this season, and we’ve been shit too!
http://www.emfootball.co.uk/attend.html
I’m off the match so I’ll leave you with that 1.
Oh now you’re just being silly. At no stage did anyone say your average attendance is less than spurs. However given we have about 5 spare seats and 25,000 on a season ticket waiting list compared to your 5000 empty seats every game that’s the important thing. Enjoy your game, let’s hear you sing this season.
Fair play to Everton. They came out and attacked for a change and credit to them. Thoroughly deserved the win. We were very poor and Redknapp got it very wrong in the centre of midfield. Ah well, onto the next one.
I agree. Fair play to you & cheers for the banter.
Good luck with the rest of your season.
What a shock – the ‘massive’ club that is Tottenham Hotspur leave a whole empty stand of unsold away tickets at Goodison tonight, whilst singing songs to the home fans about having shit support. Best season you’ve had for ages and you still can’t take a decent crowd to an away game. Big club my arse!!
I have no idea where this Everton are a small club and Spurs are a big club thing has come from. The only thing I would say about the away support is in reality Spurs take one of the largest away support around the country on average and they sing up well. On the feed I was watching, even though we were basically crap for the most part I could still hear them singing. There aren’t many clubs that will take a full allocation to the other side of the country, the Wednesday night after new year. If you want a comparison, I remember the Everton away section not being full when we met at White Hart Lane earlier this season and if I remember correctly that was a 3pm kick off on a Saturday?