Everton tour report

1)The club has a new sponsor as you all may know by know and their name is Kejian.

2)New players have been signed,and Joseph Yobo's work permit has come
through. The new players are two from China,Li Weifteng and Li Tie and also one Brazilian Juliano Rodrigo.

3) Three new kits have been unvailed,the home one was modelled by
Atomic Kitten babe Liz McClarnon but they won't be available till the 30th of August.

The club went on a tour of Austria were they played two matches,here
are the scores and scorers.

Match one v SC Brunck An Der Mur won 3-1 with goals from
O'Hanlon,Radzinski and Rooney.

Match Two v SC Weiz won 10-2 with goals from Rooney 3,McLeod
3,Osman,Daley and two from Radzinski.

After this tour the club came back to England for a match against
Shrewsbury they won this match 3-0 with goals from Radzinski and two from Campbell. After this David Moyes and his Blue and White army rolled into Scotland for the club's three match tour.

All the Everton fans that I met in and around Hampden were full of
Praise for their new boss,thinking that now they had the right man in charge at last. The Blues took to the field against the Spiders with Big Dunc leading the team out in their new kit,very smart !

The travelling Everton support made themselves heard among the 1,588
Souls who bothered to turn up.A ctually I think the Everton support outnumbered the home support on Tuesday but withthe Everton fans that is no surprise. Among the Blues who travelled up north were ofcourse Andrew and Tommy and the rest of the Independent Everton supporters bus,these guys follow the Blues everywhere,Brilliant.

Here is my summerising of the Blues Scottish Tour . In their first match at the National Stadium the took care of Queen's Park with a 6-0 win over the spiders. The goals went in like this 0-1 Wayne Rooney 16 mins,good play on the left between Carsley and Loumboutis ended with a inch perfect cross from the Irishman headed into the net by Rooney.

0-2 Duncan Ferguson 24 mins, after being booed by the home
crowd,maybe some Celtic fans had come to watch, or the fact that some people thought that big Dunc had turned his back on his country when they needed him most of all,Pot,Kettle,Black are words that spring to mind here.Big Dunc maybe feels that his own country turned against him for an act or two of " daft boyness" as Frank McAvennie would say. Never mind Dunc we know where your heart lies and your own folk will always back you no matter what. Anyway
0-2 the big man finished off a neat one two with Wayne Rooney slidding the ball home from inside the box.

0-3 Wayne Rooney again 41 mins, lovely play by Naismith and Ferguson
and the big Scot returned the compliment by teeing up Rooney for his second with a shot which flew high into the net. Half-Time Queen's Park 0 Everton 3.

0-4 Kevin McCloud 49 mins,runs on to a through ball and slots a shot
past Mitchell for number four.

0-5 Wayne Rooney 55 mins-Hat-trick !!!-good work by the little
striker as he makes room for himself before shooting into the bottom right hand corner. 0-6 Idan Tal pen 77 mins,good work by Gravesen and McCloud ends up with McCloud upended in the box,penalty. Tal easly converts the spot kick.

Both Everton and Queen's Park had other chance's in the match but
There was no more scoring although Tal did miss a sitter near the end of the match,as he rounded the keeper and defenders before
hitting the keeper on the line with the ball. Full-Time Queen's Park 0-6 Everton.Flat moment of the match seeing Joseph Yobo going off injured. Everton moved through to the kingdom of Fife for their next match against Dunfermline.

Into the valleys blasted out as both teams made their way on to the
pitch.David Moyes decided to ring the changes for the club's next match of their Scottish tour,one change was the goalkeeper...but it was Paul Gerrard not new signing Richard Wright that took his place between the sticks. New signing Wright watched on as his team-mates had to overcome a tricky Dunfermline side who's play often merrited more than they got. The Pars caused the Blues no end of problems  during this match but in the end the Toffeemen proved that this tour match was not going to come to a sticky end! Or should that be East End ) ! Sorry !

This is how the goals went in in that match. 0-1 Gary Naismith 17 mins,the Scotland internationalist hols off a challenge from Bullen to race onto a long ball from Loumpoutis to fire the Blues into a 1-0 lead.

Both teams had chances to add to the scoreline but at the break the
Score remained one nil to the Blues. 0-2 Thomas Gravesen,Gravesen picks up a ball inside the Pars half and runs and unleishes a powerfull right foot shot past Ruitenbeek to put the Blues 2-0 up.

0-3 Kevin Campbel. Cambell latches on to a quick throw-in to knock
the ball past Ruitenbeek for the Blues third goal. Dunfermline did pressure Everton at times and the Blues were lucky that Paul Gerrard was on his toes to make a couple of good saves.

From East End Park to Easter Road the Moyes bandwagon roles on. David Moyes has decided that new signing Richard Wright will make his
first Everton appearance for the club at the home of Hibernian Football Club,Easter Road.Fitting that it should be Scotland's capital city that the next England keeper should make his debut!

In a very interesting and sometimes full blooded affair Everton ended
their Scottish tour last night with a two-all draw to keep their unbeaten record in their three matches. Both teams gave their all in a good match in front of Scotland's International Coach,Berti Vogts and a number of other names from the footballing world. This match got off to a bright start with both teams pressing to gain

an early advantage and the visitors nearly made the break through when Radzinski headed wide from an Unsworth cross. The match was being played at a decent pace and looked to be up for this game.Hibs had the lively O'Connor up front with the ever willing Luna and they were causing the Everton defence all sorts of problems during the match. But the man who caught my eye during the match,who seemed to be pulling the strings for the Hi-bees was Frederic Arpinon.This man was threading passes through for his forwards to run on to with ease a delight,a pleasure to watch and one the Hibs fans will hope will be at Easter Road for a long time,unless Bill finds a couple of quid from somewhere!

After 15 mins new keeper Richard Wright saved a shot from O'Connor
and at the other end Colgan saved well from Radzinski. The match was starting to hot up now and there was a few meaty tackles flying in!

Hibs were starting to assert themselves with the impressive Arpinon
pulling the strings and spraying the passes about the park.Ian Murray shot wide after of Wright's left hand post after good work down the flanks.

Just before the half hour mark Everton nearly made the breakthrough
After neat play between Gravesen and Radzinski brings Colgan into action twice with saves from Radzinski and a cracking tip over from Rooney.

Everton take the lead from the resultant corner.Alexandersson swings
Over a cross and Rooney heads the Blues in front as his header beats Colgan. Everton now have their tails up and Rooney again breaks into the box but this time he screws the shot wide.

This seems to sting the home side into action and in 37 mins a slip
By Stubbs as he misjudged a long ball to let O'Connor in to score for the home side and level the match. The home side pressed to add to their advantage and Luna headed just over before half-time.

After the break the home side came out with the bit between their
Teeth and it was no surprise when they took the lead when the impressive Arpinon slipped in McManus who ran through to put the home side into a 2-1 lead. The home side looked to be on the accendancy now but the heat was now being turned up by both sides and it was no surprise when a late tackle on Rooney ended up with players from both sides wadingin to help their team-mates!

Both McManus and Rooney were booked and Rooney was substituted for
his own good as the match started to get ugly. I must say I thought that you Wayne was on the end of some bad tackles so it was no surprise the way he reacted. Chances were created and wasted by both sides and again through flustration Gravesen swung a boot at a Hibs player and he was also booked and substituted by David Moyes.

Everton had chances with McCloud and Campbell missing them and just
When it looked as if their last tour match was going to end in defeat a corner from Alexandersson was handled by Doumbe and up stepped
David Unsworth to cooly score from the spot to make the score line at full time Hibs 2 Everton 2. So after this the last match in the club's tour of Scotland the Blues remain undefeated with two wins and one draw. David Moyes said afterwards,"I thought it was a smashing game,more like the old Scotland v England clashes of the past ".

Also thought that Richard Wright coped well and couldn't have done
anything about the goals. Only problems in the tour, Yobo injured at Hampden and Pistone(Hamstring),Ferguson(Back)-may need to see a specialist and David Weir stitches after a clash of heads with Doumbe.

Now Everton head to Wrexham and Belguim before David Usworth's
Testimonial v Athletic Bilbao. Before I go I must say how great it was to see the blues in their three match tour of Scotland,I hope that I can see them again soon as I have really enjoyed the matches and their play under David Moyes.

I have really been impressed with the trialist's that they have had
With them and I hope we can give them a deal as I think they have done enough to have the right to a Blue jersey.

Before I go I would just like to say a Big Thank-you to the following
people. Alistair MacKay,The Scottish Football Museum and all the staff at Hampden on the night of the Queen's Park game, the two Everton lads that I met on the train,Stuart Arnott and all the staff at Dunfermline and Ian who made sure that I go the bus ok, Garry O' Hagan,Shona at Rock Steady,the girls at the Press Room,the Road Sweeper in Edinburgh who helped me find my way,Barry and Lindsay who I met going to Easter Road,Jim and Alan Hossack Hibees daft-thanks for the lift guys, Andrew,Tommy,Kyle and all the fans who came up again and again,I love you all you are a credit to the club,the Everton website people,Mark and Darren and all the staff and players at Everton
Football Club-Thank-You for being so nice and helpfull and a big thanks to Stubbsy thanks for getting my jersey signed it is much appreciated!

Last but no means least a few people who have see little or none of
My these past few weeks my wife Tracey and wee girl Catherine thanks for being so understanding...Daddy's home!

Also Thanks Mum for running me home at late hours once again it is
appreciated.
 
I hope everyone enjoyed this trip as much as I did and Austin can I claim expense's now? (Editors Note: No :-)!)