- Everton competed in a toughly fought Merseyside derby on Sunday which ended 0-0. They now face West Ham after a tumultuous week which saw manager David Moyes confirmed as the new Manchester United manager.

- As well as having a goal disallowed against Liverpool, Sylvain Distin made five clearances, the joint highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for the last round of games.

- Distin is not the only Everton player who can feel aggrieved at not having a healthier goal tally this season. Kevin Mirallas has the best shots on target percentage of the players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index who have had 50 or more shots at goal in total. He’s had 61 shots at goal with 73.7% on target, but has had a return of just four goals.

- Phil Jagielka has been a key component in Everton’s back line this season, attempting 72 tackles and winning 84.7% of them, while averaging 6.54 tackles per foul.

- Leighton Baines has been one of Everton, and the Premier League’s star performers this season and has been linked with following his manager to Manchester United. Baines has delivered 137 crosses this season, the second highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and completed 821 passes in the opposition half, the most by a defender.

- West Ham are also coming into the game on the back of a goalless draw, theirs against Newcastle.

- Winston Reid has emerged as a key player for West Ham this season, and against Newcastle he made 20 interceptions, the second highest by a West Ham player in a single game this season. The only West Ham player to rate higher in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index is James Tomkins for making 22 interceptions, again against Newcastle, in November.

- Joey O’Brien is West Ham’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index this season, in 57th place overall. The Republic of Ireland defender has won 61.8% of 76 tackles attempted this season and also made 78 interceptions.

- O’Brien’s just ahead of Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Index, who is West Ham’s next ranked player and has been the 6th busiest goalkeeper in the Premier League making 184 saves.

Bill Kenwright says a decision on David Moyes’ future will be solely down to the Everton boss, but a deal with Man Utd isn’t done.

Sir Alex Ferguson was back at work at Man United as the countdown continues to David Moyes’ appointment but as of yet no announcement has been made.  Moyes will be in charge for Everton’s next Premier League game against West Ham United on Sunday.

“I don’t know about a deal being done,” Kenwright told Sky Sports News. “David had a meeting scheduled with me and we’ve just had a good meeting.

“I think, at the end of the day, David’s contract is up in six weeks’ time and he has a right to make his own decisions.

“He’s served this club wonderfully well.”

Everyone connected to Everton Football Club is dreaming of European football next season and a strong finish to this season’s campaign will hopefully see David Moyes’ playing football home and abroad in 2013/2014.

Wednesday May 15th will see the UEFA Europa League final take place in Amsterdam between Chelsea and Benfica as both sides battle for European glory on one of the biggest stages of all.

Hancook Tyre, who are the seventh largest tyre firm in the world are an official partner of the UEFA Europa League and has a motto. That motto is “Be One with It”.

They have developed a very flashy special type of football jersey to help you “be one with it”. The Peformance Jersey jersey has all the latest cutting-edge technology to help football fans feel even more part of the action.

The Performance Jersey interacts to the game as it unfolds in many different ways. LED effects will display messages on the jersey, such as a “GOAL” message should a team find the back of the net, and even flash up a picture of the Europa League trophy! Add all that together with vibration effects and Inflating shoulder pads that bring the pressure based on the on-field situation and it will make you feel as if you’re the twelfth man on the field of play.

Fans of both teams will have the opportunity to wear the Performance Jersey in the hometowns of both clubs and be at one with the action.

Check out the video below and take a look for yourself:- (Post sponsored by Hankook Tire)

- A fabulous display of attacking football saw Liverpool rout Newcastle 0-6 at St James’ Park last weekend, with Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge both grabbing braces.

- As always this derby will be full to the brim of emotion as the two sides of the Mersey battle for supremacy in a fixture with genuine European implications. Count on Steven Gerrard being as determined as any to leave his mark on this game. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Gerrard has all the tools for the job, having joined the select group of players to have completed more than 1,000 passes in the opponent’s half this season (1,032). He’s also been one of Liverpool’s top tacklers with a success rate of 62.7% from 83 attempted challenges.

- Many Liverpool fans may have wondered exactly were their goals were going to come from following Luis Suarez’s lengthy ban but Daniel Sturridge showcased his value to the Reds’ attacking line last weekend. Sturridge is in fact almost Suarez’s equal in his ability to create chances for himself this season, having average a shot on target on average once every 34.1 minutes this season.

- Phillippe Coutinho was Newcastle’s tormenter in chief last weekend, the diminutive midfielder using his slick passing to carve the Magpies open. Coutinho is thriving in the Premier League despite concerns over his size and has on average completed a pass in the opponent’s half once every 4.9 minutes following his arrival on Merseyside.

- A Steven Pienaar goal kept Everton in the hunt for a European spot next season as they beat Fulham 1-0 at Goodison Park.

- Utilising the strengths of Marouane Fellaini will be crucial to Everton’s chances of success against a buoyant Liverpool side, but the Belgian must be careful not to let his tendency for ill-discipline catch up with him. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Fellaini has only been successful in 36.3% of his 135 attempted tackles this season.

- Look for Kevin Mirallas to test out the Liverpool defence this weekend as he has been doing to back fours all season. The elusive Belgian has established an excellent shot accuracy rate of 74.6% from 59 attempts this season so there is a strong likelihood of him being amongst the goals on Sunday.

- At the other end of the park, Phil Jagielka will be crucial in helping to keep out a Liverpool attack full of confidence after their dismantling of Newcastle. The England centre-half has one of the best defensive records in the league this season, making a defensive contribution on average once every 9.7 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season.

• Five of the last six Premier League clashes between these two teams have been won by the home team (one draw).
• Everton have won three consecutive league games for the first time this season, but all three of these matches have been played at Goodison Park.
• David Moyes’ side are without a win in their last three matches away from home in the Premier League (L2 D1).
• Tottenham have won four of their last six league matches, but just one of their last three (L2).
• Nikica Jelavic has scored in both of his league appearances against Tottenham Hotspur.
• However, the Croatian has scored just once in his last 14 Premier League appearances.
• No side have scored the first goal in more Premier League matches this season than Tottenham Hotspur (19).
• Jan Vertonghen has now scored four goals in his last five appearances (all comps) for Tottenham Hotspur.
• No side have struck the woodwork more times this season than Everton (19; level with Man Utd) in the Premier League.
• Gareth Bale has scored 13 goals in his last 14 appearances for club and country.
• Seven of the 12 goals Tottenham have scored from outside the area this season have been scored by Gareth Bale.
• In fact, no player across the top five European Leagues this season has netted as many goals from outside the area than Gareth Bale (7); a tally that is more on his own than 60 of the teams in the top five European Leagues have managed overall.
• No player has created more goalscoring chances than Leighton Baines (96) across Europe’s top five leagues this season.

- A brilliant all-round Everton performance saw them record a 2-0 victory over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at Goodison Park.

- Left-back Leighton Baines has remained superb this season for David Moyes’ side in both defence and attack. Not only has he managed to rack up 156 defensive contributions, he’s also now whipped in 106 crosses.

- Everton will miss the guile and technique of Steven Pienaar following his sending off against Man City. The South African has completed more passes in the opponent’s half than any of his team mates with 801, averaging out at a pass every 3.2 minutes according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- Moyes will be looking for more of his players to help Marouane Fellaini’s efforts in front of goal, given that the Belgian still leads the Everton squad for shot accuracy, with 66.6% testing the goalkeeper so far this season.

- Stoke battled to a somewhat lackluster 0-0 draw with West Brom at the Britannia, a result which saw them move into the top half of the Premier League.

- No Stoke player has been more willing to throw their body on the line than Ryan Shawcross this season, the centre-half racking up 35 blocks according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, a squad-high.

- Imposing French midfielder Steven Nzonzi has let his temper get the better of him at times this season but his ability to influence a game from the centre of the park cannot be questioned. He’s completed a pass in the opposition half on average once every 5.2 minutes he’s been on the field, the lowest in the Potters’ squad.

- Look for Matthew Etherington to test out the Everton defence this weekend, he leads the Stoke squad for dribbles with 15.

The biggest sticking point remains the fee, with Everton unwilling to pay more for the player than they received just 18 months ago. The South African captain’s pay rate went up considerably when he joined the Lilywhites and it was Everton’s reluctance to pay that rate in the first place that allowed Spurs to snap him up originally.

That pay rate could actually be another factor in slowing down the deal. I have no specific knowledge of the loan terms, but with player contracts typically running from 1 st July to 30th June of the following year it’s perfectly possible that the shared salary period has ended and Tottenham might now be picking up the entire bill. Whatever the state of play on that front, the Toffees will be in no hurry to complete sooner than necessary if it impacts the payroll.

Initially, the Pienaar deal was seen as something more vital to Everton than Tottenham, and in many ways that remains the case, but the imperatives have changed in recent weeks. Jack Rodwell’s return to fitness and the pre-season form of youngsters Ross Barkley and Francisco Junior have increased David Moyes’s midfield options so that Tim Cahill’s transfer to NY Red Bulls earlier this week was seen as a “changing of the guard” rather than a worrying departure. Furthermore, Manchester United’s efforts to prise away Leighton Baines have abated of late with Sir Alex stating recently that he is happy to stick with Patrice Evra for a while longer; Evertonian fears of losing their attacking left-back if Pienaar doesn’t sign is real, but no longer desperate.

One thing that could really make it all happen would be for Everton to resolve the Joseph Yobo situation. The Nigerian skipper was only one year into a four year deal when loaned to Fenerbahce two summers ago, no longer guaranteed first team football at Goodison in competition for a central defensive slot with Jagielka, Heitinga and Distin. Initially it was a “no fee, wages only” deal with a view to a permanent move last summer, but the Turkish club baulked at Everton’s valuation of the player (believed to be around £3m) and a further year-long loan for £700,000 was agreed. This time round, and Yobo now into the final year of his contract, both Everton and the player want a definitive deal with the Turkish Cup winners. The 31 year old defender has spent some time in the U.K this summer and though on Everton’s squad list he hasn’t been issued with a squad number as yet. Joseph and his wife Adaeze (a former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria) are regarded as Nigeria’s most glamorous couple and enjoy their life on the Bosphorus, but Fenerbahce’s circumstances seem chaotic at present. The chairman was jailed at the start of July and recent reports from Turkey have linked them with a 15 million Euro move for Porto’s Rolando da Fonseca because Everton won’t let them have Yobo for next to nothing! Add to that the fact that ex Tottenham man Reto Zeigler (on loan from Juventus) is going through similar problems at Fene and you can get some idea of how difficult it must be to conclude a deal.

At the height of the “Baines to Old Trafford” speculation, Zeigler was mentioned as a possible replacement for the Everton No.3, but that may have been misinterpretation of Everton’s communications with the Turks over Yobo. There is also the suspicion that the Swiss International may not be a Moyes-type player with some question marks about his off-field attitude. Spurs sent him out on loan to Wigan, Hamburg SV, where Thomas Doll was fairly scathing, and ultimately Sampdoria who eventually made the move permanent. When Samp were relegated, Juventus snapped him up on a free transfer but almost immediately shipped him to Turkey on yet another loan. Fenerbahce reportedly paid him 2m Euro last year but look unlikely to renew. All in all I’m not convinced that the former Jacques Santini signing was even a blip on the Goodison radar.

If Everton can’t conclude a deal with Fenerbahce for Yobo, both Norwich and Leicester have been linked with the defender. Dropping a division to join Leicester is highly unlikely; Nigel Pearson likes no-nonsense central defenders and the similarly-talented Sol Bamba has already been sold this summer. Carrow Road is a more plausible destination, but the player really wants to live in a warmer climate and, if all else fails, I see him going out on loan for a third consecutive year. In the same way that Spurs are probably paying all of Pienaar’s wages just now, Everton have a similar situation with Yobo, so it’s not difficult to see why a move on one would help the other.

This now has all the signs of going down to the wire, but one way or another I still see Steven Pienaar playing in a blue shirt this season, whatever happens in Istanbul.

By Rob Macardle, 7 Valleys Media & Management © 2012

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Fellaini, Osman, Bilyaledinov, Coleman, Cahill, Vellios

Stoke: Sorenson, Huth, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson, Shotton, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Walters, Crouch

]]> http://www.evertondaily.com/2011/11/27/video-moyes-keen-to-build-on-victory/feed/ 0 http://www.evertondaily.com/2011/11/26/the-teams-bolton-vs-everton/ http://www.evertondaily.com/2011/11/26/the-teams-bolton-vs-everton/#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:27:37 +0000 admin http://www.evertondaily.com/?p=1067

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, G Cahill, Muamba, Eagles, Knight, K Davies, M Davies, Klasnic, Reo-Coker, Wheater.

Subs: Bogdan, Steinsson, Tuncay, Petrov, Pratley, Kakuta, O’Halloran.

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Osman, Bilyaletdinov, T Cahill, Saha.

Subs: Mucha, Mustafi, Gueye, Barkley, Vellios, Stracqualursi, McAleny.