Summer madness

Last updated : 11 June 2008 By Les Roberts
Well it's not a steering wheel down the front of his kecks that driving the Blues boss nuts (ho ho, take my wife etc) nor is it the fact that his pallid complexion ensures that he can't enjoy the sun like the rest of us.

No, apparently it's all these bloody internationals that his players are involved in....

.......

Now this is where I got all confused too as Everton have no players taking part in Euro 2008.

But it appears that this is not the only international football that is taking place this summer and it seems that Everton's African contingent have been bitten on the arse once more by the damned African Cup of Nations/African Nations Cup*

*delete as applicable according to whether you were a BBC or an ITV kid.

So in spite of the fact that there are no players representing Everton in Switzerland/Austria, the Blues still have five players away on international duty when they should be sunning it up in some Polynesian paradise/Mediterranean grothole.

Speaking of which, there has been a bit of fuss kicked up over the fact that Duncan Ferguson went on Wayne Rooney's stag do in Ibeefa.

Now the Big Fella doesn't seem to be the sort to have ever looked a pissed up gift horse in it's rancid mouth and the fat lad obviously wanted his boyhood hero there with him.

Well it is common knowledge that, and I quote the petulant little turd from a Soccer AM interview he did, "his family supported Everton" so he must've liked Big Dunc as a kid.

Anyway, I digress, Jospeh Yobo, Victor Anichebe and Yakubu have all played twice for Nigeria already this summer and Steven Pienaar is travelling with the South African squad as there are vital African Nations Cup qualifiers this summer.

And Tim Howard has made three appearances for USA who also have qualifying matches for the Americas Cup...or is that some sort of boat race?!

This is something that appears to be grinding Moyes' gears as the Everton gaffer told the offical site: "We have got five players away on international duty, four with the African nations - it's a different situation with their qualifying, so for them they have a summer of football.

He added: "It's disappointing that they have to play so much and obviously Tim Howard has friendlies and World Cup qualifiers so those boys don't have the rest they should."

Now don't even get him started on the fact that the Nigerian national team are taking part in the Beijing Olympics!

But, on the plus side, it's not as if the squad have to cope with a hectic and high-profile pre-season scehdule as, in addition to the obligatory trip to Deepdale, Everton will be bussing it to Cambridge and Nottingham Forest before jetting off to America to face Chicago Fire and the Colorado Rapids.

The only pre-season fixture to be played at home will be against, Dutch champions, PSV Eindhoven on Saturday August 9th.

And if anyone has any idea what the point of that article was then drop me a line at the usual address.