JD=SuperStar
31 Dec 2004, 10:32 PM
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton
Saturday 01 January 2005 15:00
TOFFEES MISSING MARTYN
Everton will be without goalkeeper Nigel Martyn for the first time in the Premiership for 16 months at Tottenham Hotspur, where they will be aiming to get their impressive season back on track.
Their seven-match unbeaten run was ended at Charlton Athletic on Tuesday, and now David Moyes will be without the suspended Duncan Ferguson while Steve Watson is doubtful with a stomach upset. Leon Osman faces a late fitness test on a knee injury.
Everton embark on a new year with Moyes believing the club are now more attractive to the game's bigger names.
The transfer window opens on Saturday and Moyes is interested in several Barclays Premiership players as he looks to boost his small squad.
Everton are fourth in the Barclays Premiership and pushing for Europe. And, with new finance coming in, Moyes has an opportunity to buy.
The club have become favourites to land £6million-rated Southampton striker James Beattie ahead of Aston Villa and Moyes believes the prospect of such deals proves how far the club has come this season.
The Scot said: "We have money to spend, we are a big club and we are at the top end of the league.
"We are a more attractive club to join than we were, say, six months ago. What we need to do is to continue to be attractive, not just now but also at the end of the season.
"I want to manage a club good players say they want to join and have a good chance of being successful.''
The need to strengthen is apparent with Everton stretched to the limit for their New Year's Day trip to Tottenham.
Moyes knows that Lee Carsley, Kevin Kilbane and Tim Cahill are all one booking away from a suspension, so all the fears of how quickly Everton could suffer with a depleted squad are having to be confronted.
Moyes said: "It is great to have got to the halfway stage and been able to use virtually the same group of players.
"We only have 19 first team squad outfield players and we had not been stretched until the Christmas games with injuries and having to play people out of position.''
Everton are looking to get back to winning ways after their seven-match unbeaten run was ended by Charlton.
Moyes said: "It is important that we get back on track, we need to keep winning. We have had a very good season and need to keep that going.
"We have not lost successive league games this season, and I hope that statistic is still in place come the end of the season.
"But it's not a bad record, to have got to Christmas time and still be able to say something like that. If we are still saying that at the end of the season I will be more than happy.''
Tottenham Hotspur boss Martin Jol insisted his players must stop thinking about European qualification despite their superb run - as they should concentrate on the biggest test of their progress so far.
And he admitted that while Everton have prospered since selling Wayne Rooney, Tottenham could simply not afford to cash in on their biggest assets, such as Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane.
Tottenham may have taken 16 points out of a possible 18, with only a home draw against Crystal Palace preventing them from accumulating six consecutive league victories.
However, after the game with fourth-placed Everton on Saturday, they face a trip to Manchester United and a clash against leaders Chelsea.
Jol is therefore urging his team not to get carried away by their recent development, which has seen them rise to eighth place and raise expectations of a possible UEFA Cup place.
He insisted: “It is all about consistency and, if we are consistent, then you can maybe go places and do something. But I told the players that I don't think about European football now as we have 18 games still to go and it's so tough.
“When you see the league table for the past six games, maybe we are first or second, so we are doing well. But qualifying for Europe is an achievement at the end of the season and we have to achieve something now.”
Everton and Spurs are potentially competing for a UEFA Cup place along with the likes of Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Newcastle United.
And Everton are, in many ways, a testament to what is possible from a club of their stature, having similarly been one of the supposed ‘big five’ in the 1980s, only to lose their way.
David Moyes has nevertheless transformed their fortunes this season, ironically after Wayne Rooney's departure, and Jol can see some similarities in the two clubs.
“Everton had a difficult early spell and then sold Wayne Rooney. Everyone thought it would be a problem but it wasn't.
"It's all about having all your individuals thinking as a team. If you do that, you can achieve anything,” he said.
“But Everton still couldn't do it without having specific qualities. They have those, whereas we couldn't do it without Robbie Keane or Jermain Defoe.
“But I still think our main asset is our mentality and spirit, and everyone wanting to work for each other. It's one big, happy group and I want that. I've told them - even if they're not happy, they should act happy.”
Noureddine Naybet is set to return to Tottenham's defence after recovering from an ankle injury.
Naybet is likely to replace Anthony Gardner in the back-four but Spurs are still without Stephen Kelly and Thimothee Atouba due to ligament injuries.
Midfielders Sean Davies and Simon Davies are not expected to return for another month, although Davis was due to start running again today as he steps up his recovery following his knee operation.
Tottenham Hotspur (from): Robinson, Fulop, Pamarot, King, Naybet, Gardner, Davenport, Edman, Ziegler, Carrick, Brown, Redknapp, Pedro Mendes, Ricketts, Defoe, Keane, Kanoute, Yeates.
Everton (from): Wright, Hibbert, Stubbs, Weir, Yobo, Pistone, Naysmith, Kilbane, Carsley, Gravesen, Cahill, Osman, Campbell, Chadwick, Bent, McFadden.
Saturday 01 January 2005 15:00
TOFFEES MISSING MARTYN
Everton will be without goalkeeper Nigel Martyn for the first time in the Premiership for 16 months at Tottenham Hotspur, where they will be aiming to get their impressive season back on track.
Their seven-match unbeaten run was ended at Charlton Athletic on Tuesday, and now David Moyes will be without the suspended Duncan Ferguson while Steve Watson is doubtful with a stomach upset. Leon Osman faces a late fitness test on a knee injury.
Everton embark on a new year with Moyes believing the club are now more attractive to the game's bigger names.
The transfer window opens on Saturday and Moyes is interested in several Barclays Premiership players as he looks to boost his small squad.
Everton are fourth in the Barclays Premiership and pushing for Europe. And, with new finance coming in, Moyes has an opportunity to buy.
The club have become favourites to land £6million-rated Southampton striker James Beattie ahead of Aston Villa and Moyes believes the prospect of such deals proves how far the club has come this season.
The Scot said: "We have money to spend, we are a big club and we are at the top end of the league.
"We are a more attractive club to join than we were, say, six months ago. What we need to do is to continue to be attractive, not just now but also at the end of the season.
"I want to manage a club good players say they want to join and have a good chance of being successful.''
The need to strengthen is apparent with Everton stretched to the limit for their New Year's Day trip to Tottenham.
Moyes knows that Lee Carsley, Kevin Kilbane and Tim Cahill are all one booking away from a suspension, so all the fears of how quickly Everton could suffer with a depleted squad are having to be confronted.
Moyes said: "It is great to have got to the halfway stage and been able to use virtually the same group of players.
"We only have 19 first team squad outfield players and we had not been stretched until the Christmas games with injuries and having to play people out of position.''
Everton are looking to get back to winning ways after their seven-match unbeaten run was ended by Charlton.
Moyes said: "It is important that we get back on track, we need to keep winning. We have had a very good season and need to keep that going.
"We have not lost successive league games this season, and I hope that statistic is still in place come the end of the season.
"But it's not a bad record, to have got to Christmas time and still be able to say something like that. If we are still saying that at the end of the season I will be more than happy.''
Tottenham Hotspur boss Martin Jol insisted his players must stop thinking about European qualification despite their superb run - as they should concentrate on the biggest test of their progress so far.
And he admitted that while Everton have prospered since selling Wayne Rooney, Tottenham could simply not afford to cash in on their biggest assets, such as Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane.
Tottenham may have taken 16 points out of a possible 18, with only a home draw against Crystal Palace preventing them from accumulating six consecutive league victories.
However, after the game with fourth-placed Everton on Saturday, they face a trip to Manchester United and a clash against leaders Chelsea.
Jol is therefore urging his team not to get carried away by their recent development, which has seen them rise to eighth place and raise expectations of a possible UEFA Cup place.
He insisted: “It is all about consistency and, if we are consistent, then you can maybe go places and do something. But I told the players that I don't think about European football now as we have 18 games still to go and it's so tough.
“When you see the league table for the past six games, maybe we are first or second, so we are doing well. But qualifying for Europe is an achievement at the end of the season and we have to achieve something now.”
Everton and Spurs are potentially competing for a UEFA Cup place along with the likes of Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Newcastle United.
And Everton are, in many ways, a testament to what is possible from a club of their stature, having similarly been one of the supposed ‘big five’ in the 1980s, only to lose their way.
David Moyes has nevertheless transformed their fortunes this season, ironically after Wayne Rooney's departure, and Jol can see some similarities in the two clubs.
“Everton had a difficult early spell and then sold Wayne Rooney. Everyone thought it would be a problem but it wasn't.
"It's all about having all your individuals thinking as a team. If you do that, you can achieve anything,” he said.
“But Everton still couldn't do it without having specific qualities. They have those, whereas we couldn't do it without Robbie Keane or Jermain Defoe.
“But I still think our main asset is our mentality and spirit, and everyone wanting to work for each other. It's one big, happy group and I want that. I've told them - even if they're not happy, they should act happy.”
Noureddine Naybet is set to return to Tottenham's defence after recovering from an ankle injury.
Naybet is likely to replace Anthony Gardner in the back-four but Spurs are still without Stephen Kelly and Thimothee Atouba due to ligament injuries.
Midfielders Sean Davies and Simon Davies are not expected to return for another month, although Davis was due to start running again today as he steps up his recovery following his knee operation.
Tottenham Hotspur (from): Robinson, Fulop, Pamarot, King, Naybet, Gardner, Davenport, Edman, Ziegler, Carrick, Brown, Redknapp, Pedro Mendes, Ricketts, Defoe, Keane, Kanoute, Yeates.
Everton (from): Wright, Hibbert, Stubbs, Weir, Yobo, Pistone, Naysmith, Kilbane, Carsley, Gravesen, Cahill, Osman, Campbell, Chadwick, Bent, McFadden.