Goodison this week is a happy place again thanks to another win over a team from the capital, this time an away win at Upton Park the home of West Ham United. A single headed goal by Lee Carsley from a great cross from David Unsworth and this good ship Everton rolls on and climbs the table to reach eighth place, back amongst the Big Boys, but this is only the start, let us not get carried away with ourselves! Yes it was a good team performance on Sunday and that is what we have to try and do week after week, but we now have two away matches in a row.
I would love to say that a point from each and I would be happy that cannot be the case, for one is a Worthington Cup tie at St.James' Park Newcastle and they are getting results in Europe at the moment to keep their Champions League dream alive they are doing well and good luck to them ! Maybe they won't see the Worthington Cup as such a big thing they have other things on their minds! Only a fool would suggest that a Newcastle team would go into any match thinking we don't care about this we have bigger fish to fry! Everyone at Everton maybe quietly thinking, this could be a good time to catch Leeds and Newcastle they do have one eye on Europe and Everton don't, well not for a while yet ! (Bits of this were written before the Leeds game, can you tell – Ed.)
It has been a great couple of Sunday's for Everton and the followers of the Blues, sixth place in the league now and looking good! Yes this has been a long time coming. I would just like to say that I am delighted with the steady improvement of this side under David Moyes, he and everyone at Goodison deserve special praise for the way that they have handled the job from day one. They did not come in and shout that they were going to do this and that they have just gone about there business in a quiet and efficient manner and thus climbing the table in the process, Well done for all your hard work so far just keep doing what you are good at and the Evertonians will back you to the hilt! They always do anyway, the difference being this time we have a team and a Manager that is worth their salt.
I would like to say that it has been a great week as an Everton fan. One away win at Upton Park was good but to follow it up with a win at Elland Road and for young Wayne to score the goal and help the team achieve what no Everton team has achieved for 51 years!
Maybe no the doubters will believe that this team are on the way back and in time maybe a force to be reckoned with once again. But lets take this a step at a time, I have said that I would be happy with a place in the top half of the table and a push towards a European place would be a bonus, I would still be happy with that, but I believe and maybe David Moyes does too that given time this team can go on to bigger and better things. It is worth taking notice of some of the Newspapers now looking at Everton for the Worthington Cup even though they are facing an away trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, how times are changing.
That will be another hard match and another away day for my Everton pals Andrew and Tommy. These guys must clock up some mileage following the Blues and I think they would be worthy of the Fan Of the Year vote that can be found on the club website, I will certainly be voting for them. Other Everton News First of all I would like to wish former Everton favourite Joe Royle all the very best of luck with his new job as manager of Ipswich Town. I know that the club won their first match under him; this was a European match that they won 1-0 but they lost their first league match 1-2 vs Crystal Palace. I hope that the Ipswich fans get behind Joe and give him all the support in the world as he is a decent guy and deserves a chance even if he did play for their rivals Norwich! Everton look to be in the money....well the accounts are looking up and we are getting some of the money that Perugia owe the club for the Marco Materazzi but it is going straight to the bank .The figure is £500,000 that could go to Wayne's new contract. One player leaving Everton on loan is George Pilkington who is joining Exeter for a month, good luck to George and may he come back to Goodison a better player. Bad news for Nicolas Alexandersson, he is suffering from a knee injury that shows no sign of improvement. We can only wish Nic all the best and hope to see him return to action soon. Everton are still trying to persuade Welsh Manager and former Everton player Mark Hughes, to let them have winger Mark Pembridge for the Blackburn match this month, I hope that Sparky sees sense and lets Mark play for his club, surely if you can beat Italy then you can beat Azerbaijan - you still have John Hartson!
Scottish News I was one of the lucky ones to get a ticket for the Battle of Britain-Celtic v Blackburn at Celtic Park last Thursday. I enjoyed the match and I would like to thank Stella for keeping her ear to the ground and helping me to get to the match it was very much appreciated. I was mixing with the good and the great and that was just wee John and Stevie. Former European Cup Winners Simpson, Yorke, Cole and many others I was able to talk to after the match as well as the star of the show Mr Larsson, the Celtic hero of the hour! I was a very interesting night to say the least with the atmosphere in the surrounding areas and the packing of pubs making it almost impossible to get a drink but hey this is Glasgow we are talking about where there's a pub there's a way!
Scottish results this weekend were as follows.
Celtic 7 Aberdeen 0
Dundee 0 Rangers 3
Kilmarnock 1 Dundee Utd 2
Livingston 1 Dunfermline 1
Partick Thistle 2 Motherwell 0
Hibs 1 Hearts 2.....Neil and Grigor I have never see two Hearts fans so happy for a long while!
One interesting bit of news before I go there was a vote on a Celtic webpage asking if Martin O' Neill left who would they like to see replace him? The candidates were David O'Leary, Tommy Burns, Mick McCarthy and David Moyes...guess who won the vote? Mr Moyes!
This is how well this man is thought of since the turning fortunes of Everton Football Club! E-Tims was the website if anyone is interested. Mr Chairman you have been warned.
Special praise for Tomasz Radzinski who has ran has socks off for the team in the past few weeks for the club, keep it up Tomasz and the rest of the boys and all the best for the trip to Newcastle for the Worthington Cup match on Wednesday it will be a tough match! COME ON YOU BLUES!