Derby Day

[Rocket]

Amazing! Everton will enter the derby ahead of Liverpool by 1pt. :)

I know Moyes has good reasons for bringing Rooney along slowly, but for a match like this, you need to have your best 11 on the field to have a chance.

And to me, that means starting Campbell and Rooney up top, with Radzinski available to sub in should the Toffees fall behind.

[kerpow]

I don't think Rooney will start. All part of Moyes's "protection plan". Kev and Radz will know that if they aren't on top of their game they will be pulled off though, perhaps as early as half time.

Our defense will be a little suspect without 3 of our regular starters - Yobo, Rhino and Hibbert.

Sadly I will be somewhere above Greenland at the time of the game, flying back for Xmas and New Year. My parents don't have Sky so I'm unlikely to see any of the game at all. Damn.

Won't be on the net much either. Hope you all have a top Xmas and hopefully we'll have plenty more points on the board to sing about.

[usscouse]

Boy it’s pretty quiet around here. I thought you guys would be all rev’d up with lots of cheery banter about the “Match” I guess nobody cares.

Never mind, let’s hope that it’s a good clean and fair game with the result going to the better team of the day…..

Nah, we’ll MARMALIZE yis….!!!:)

[Toffees_rule]

Originally posted by usscouse
Boy it’s pretty quiet around here. I thought you guys would be all rev’d up with lots of cheery banter about the “Match” I guess nobody cares.

Never mind, let’s hope that it’s a good clean and fair game with the result going to the better team of the day…..

Nah, we’ll MARMALIZE yis….!!!:)

Brave words. I want to see chunks taken out of a few Liverpool players if we start losing control of the match. At least that way they'll be disadvantaged going into next week and lose so Everton can go a lofty seven points clear after the D-day victory.
;)

[usscouse]

Originally posted by Toffees_rule
Brave words. I want to see chunks taken out of a few Liverpool players if we start losing control of the match. At least that way they'll be disadvantaged going into next week and lose so Everton can go a lofty seven points clear after the D-day victory.
;)
It "sounded" like chunks were being taken on both sides. Perhaps the two teams should have taken a big chunk out of Graham Poll and then we could have had a real old fashioned derby.
Good luck you (But no too much) for the rest of the season.

I wanted marmlade...!!!

[Toffees_rule]

Originally posted by usscouse
It "sounded" like chunks were being taken on both sides. Perhaps the two teams should have taken a big chunk out of Graham Poll and then we could have had a real old fashioned derby.
Good luck you (But no too much) for the rest of the season.

I wanted marmlade...!!!

The return leg at Goodison is just a bit away in February, plenty enough time to keep tabs...once liverpool fall past 8th I think pride is something they will barely have left by the time we take make that final blow to ruin their season.

[usscouse]

LOL:)
Gawd, don't even joke..!!!
I said at the begining of the season here that I would like to see Everton up in the top 10 and a lot of blues poo pooed me saying it's too early for that!

Now you're all wondering how long the gooners will stay on top of you;)

So what do you really think now.
Top 5
top 10

I'd like to see you guys up higher than 10. It's really inhumane kicking you when you're really down.

[Toffees_rule]

Originally posted by usscouse
LOL:)
Gawd, don't even joke..!!!
I said at the begining of the season here that I would like to see Everton up in the top 10 and a lot of blues poo pooed me saying it's too early for that!

Now you're all wondering how long the gooners will stay on top of you;)

So what do you really think now.
Top 5
top 10

I'd like to see you guys up higher than 10. It's really inhumane kicking you when you're really down.

Top 8 is my bet, pushing for UEFA, there's no way we could survive CL qualifying games and the league with as small a squad as we have...Let Ipswich be a lesson...

[usscouse]

Originally posted by Toffees_rule
Top 8 is my bet, pushing for UEFA, there's no way we could survive CL qualifying games and the league with as small a squad as we have...Let Ipswich be a lesson... Smart thinking...The team can really build after good run at UAFA.
With money as tight as it is all through the leagues are the blues still going ahead with the Kings Dock project? I haven't heard anything for a while.

[Toffees_rule]

Originally posted by usscouse
Smart thinking...The team can really build after good run at UAFA.
With money as tight as it is all through the leagues are the blues still going ahead with the Kings Dock project? I haven't heard anything for a while.

www.evertonfc.tv

on the website they interviewed Bill Kenrwright, eh, the chairman, and he said things are still on target for us to move into Kings Docks.

[Toffees_rule]

And you're right about building on success, I think Moyes realises that as well. Give us just a little bit of success at a time until we have a squad and a system full of the quality players we'll need to continually have small doeses of good things than too much too fast and then burn out.

[LiverpoolFanatic]

A lot of passion but not much else in the match. :(

[usscouse]

Originally posted by LiverpoolFanatic
A lot of passion but not much else in the match. :( You just described a derby match.
"Never mind the ball, get on with the game!"

[Rocket]

Originally posted by Toffees_rule
Top 8 is my bet, pushing for UEFA, there's no way we could survive CL qualifying games and the league with as small a squad as we have...Let Ipswich be a lesson...
I disagree. I think the odds are better than 50/50 that Everton will qualify for the UEFA Cup, if not the Champion's League, and doing so provides a great opportunity for the club to increase both its revenue and its image.

It will be important, though, for the Toffees to not get too carried away should they qualify for Europe. Naturally, they'd want to spend some money to add depth to the squad -- particularly at forward.

But whether or not they qualify for Europe, Everton's primary goal for the 2003-04 season must be to continue their success in the Premier League.

[Toffees_rule]

Originally posted by vw
I disagree. I think the odds are better than 50/50 that Everton will qualify for the UEFA Cup, if not the Champion's League, and doing so provides a great opportunity for the club to increase both its revenue and its image.

It will be important, though, for the Toffees to not get too carried away should they qualify for Europe. Naturally, they'd want to spend some money to add depth to the squad -- particularly at forward.

But whether or not they qualify for Europe, Everton's primary goal for the 2003-04 season must be to continue their success in the Premier League.

Don't get me wrong, I would love us to qualify for CL football next season, but OTOH I think we'd have a more realistic chance in UEFA as it would not be as demanding on the players...the thing is to try and make sure the league remains top priority. Once we win the league and can splash some cash for some good players to deepen our squad ala Liverpool or Man U or Arsenal, then let's talk about CL. Right now my biggest fear is that we focus on Europe too much next season if we qualify that our league form takes a beating and either
1 we don't qualify for Europe again

2 we get relegated ala Ipswich

baby steps is practical and probably smart, especially since, like a lot of football clubs, we aren't exactly rolling in the black right now...and if we get Kings Docks even tighter on the kitty.