Part Two: Arteta’s return to Goodison – Reaction

Mikel Arteta’s return to Goodison Park was hardly the high-octane, emotional reunion it could have been as Arsenal ran out fortunate but deserved victors in a 1-0 win. Reaction to this one is multifarious to say the least, so it seems best to take it one step at a time.

First and foremost, the reception. Arteta was greeted warmly by all fans, which was pleasing – in fact it was the loudest Evertonian cheer of a quite miserable night.

Acknowledging the home supporters during the game as he was taking a corner was a nice touch from the Spaniard, so go on and prosper with our blessing Mikel, that’s the way to do it.

Next, his performance. You couldn’t fault it. Arteta moved the ball well, pivoted the play and provided an option for nearly every one of his teammates. Watching him intently in research of this post, the close analysis was thoroughly impressive.

Twice I counted more than 20 Arsenal passes from one side to the other and back again, and both times, Arteta had more than 10 touches – every other pass as he brought in the rest of the team alternately.

Control

It really was a masterclass in control though it would be disingenuous to omit mention of Everton’s lackluster showing in the first half. For the entire 45, the Toffees were sluggish, slack and downright lazy, not getting anywhere near close enough to their much more assured counterparts.

It was one of those games at Goodison where you could tell within the first few moments that we were going to concede the first goal.

And so it proved as Thomas Vermaelen rose between four Everton players to head home Robin van Persie’s corner. And though I had practically the best seat in the house to witness the Dutchman’s fantastic technical ability in swinging in the cross – sat in row 3 of the Paddock as I was – he could sod off for all I cared.

One other effect of my pitchside, Paddock location was an ability to monitor closely the performance of the linesman, as one tends to in such seats – which brings me to the game’s main talking point.

Leaving the crowd, my comment to my dad was as follows: “I really hope Moyes says something about the linesmen tonight, it really was disgraceful”. Having arrived home and switched on Match of the Day, the confirmation of that was galling.

Royston Drenthe was not one yard, but two yards onside when he scored what should have been a brilliant Arsenal-esque team goal of an equaliser. I was glad to see Moyes mention it in his post-match interview.

By his count, it was five incorrect offside decisions given against us, and that is so appallingly bad, it is actually quite suspect.

Credit where it’s due

It really is tempting to go into a big ‘officials-should-be-more-accountable’ rant now, but it seems a wiser choice editorially to give Everton some overdue credit. A fair crack of the whip from the men in black in the last two games and we could have secured a place in the Wembley vengeance-fest against Liverpool and possibly beaten an Arsenal side who fully deserve their third place in the Premier League.

In terms of the team, Jelavic was again decent but Wednesday’s performance will much more likely be filed under ‘getting there’ rather than ‘firing on all cylinders’. He went down far too easily though and that didn’t help the cause. Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines were massively disappointing, especially the former, and for me Moyes continues to mix up Tim Cahill and Leon Osman’s roles.

Osman’s slightly more advanced position requires pace and energy whereas Cahill’s move deeper is not so much a tactical switch but an admission of age. Swap them around Davey! Osman is much more the considered technician we need to see the pass and play it; Cahill has always been about instinct and action. Ossie can’t run and Cahill ain’t savvy -play to their strengths.

The two stand-out performers were Marouane Fellaini and Sylvain Distin, the latter in particular has impressed of late.

Trawling through the internet and learning of Distin’s one-year contract renewal was really the best bit of news in a while. Even when all other 10 players have been abysmal for long spells in recent games, the Frenchman has been a figure of utter class and composure. I would quite confidently suggest that he is worth the ticket price alone at the moment.

More or less perfect

Delving back into a bit of Arsenal analysis, prevailing sentiment echoes the Arteta judgement: you just can’t fault them. The key strengths to the Gunners’ strategy – ball retention, movement off the ball, stretching the play, supporting the wingers, recycling possession – were all more or less perfect, and as for the defence, well that deserves a paragraph of its own.

Laurent Koscielny was neat, efficient – he did not switch off for a second – but in Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal really have just the player they need. Several times, the Belgian absolutely slammed into tackles clearing out everyone in his path – nothing illegal, simply the aggressive statement of strength that Arsenal have lacked. Both full-backs also attacked and defended expertly for the entire game.

Having witnessed them in the flesh, take it from me that the statistic about Arsenal conceding just four goals in a run of six consecutive league victories is not in any way misleading. Arsenal’s defence looked so powerful, confident, switched on and cohesive that I actually felt sorry for them.

I was left in no doubt: a full-strength squad for the season and Arsenal would have been title contenders given Van Persie’s incredible goal scoring.

If the Dutchman stays next year and Arsenal maintain their first choice back five, with increased opportunities for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and also the return of Jack Wilshere, the Gunners have the makings of a great team. Good luck to them and particularly Mr Wenger on that one, I for one will be delighted to watch.

As for the Blues, well it’s not all doom and gloom, though it may be this Saturday when we face a Swansea side in the form of a fantastic season.

The Arsenal game will have prepared the players well for the long passages they will spend chasing shadows, which a compliment to the them rather than a criticism of us.

In terms of a Moyes report: we need a few tweaks but nothing more. Everything is getting there – at the wrong time admittedly – but we competed with the best team in the league at the moment and essentially, we were robbed, and there is no shame in that.

By Chris Smith

To read ‘Part One: Arteta returns to Goodison – Preview’ click here or to return to the homepage, click here.

Part one: Arteta’s return to Goodison Park – Preview

Mikel Arteta’s return to Goodison Park this week will be of tremendous significance to the way in which David Moyes’ team are perceived.

To honour that as an Evertonian, I will write a two-part series specifically concerning the Arsenal game. This, the first, will take the form of a preview of Wednesday’s game – there’ll be details of the second later.

Before I get stuck in, let me give you  a bit of background. Mikel Arteta used to be my favourite Everton player – one that marked a clear departure from the doldrums of Scot Gemmill and Mark Pembridge-era football at Goodison Park.

His ball retention and dead-ball ability, along with the occasional wonder goal and most importantly, his tendency to make the opposition look foolish and often inferior, rendered him a unique weapon in Everton’s previously weak artillery.

But do not let me fool you the same way, I must inform you, you have already been fooled. Arteta’s departure from Goodison was not the widely-reported hammer blow that seems to have been taken as read.

Detrimental influence

In terms of his influence, well waning wouldn’t do it justice; if not non-existent then probably detrimental given his latter years (yes years!) were defined by a chronic inability to clear the first man.

Hand on heart, I was happy to see him go, and certainly for that price. In terms of his destination, I genuinely feared that the big stage would show him up.

Gladly, that has not been the case and I have no problem admitting that.

But as far as I’m concerned, the lynchpin to Everton’s creative dimension was always Steven Pienaar and if not him then Leon Osman.

Arteta was originally brilliant but ultimately lazy, wasteful, weak, frustrating and unreliable, and for a cynic such as this one, the cracked paint that taints a pretty picture has tainted it forever, and no amount of former glory will ever restore it.

On the subject of how the crowd should greet him, I would lend support to Ian Marshall’s call for Arteta to be given a terrific reception. I certainly hope that is the case. All the hours spent cursing his rubbish corners were, on balance, ultimately worth the screamer against Liverpool, the unbelievable 93rd minute equaliser against Manchester United and the early years when he really was fantastic.

Tremendous form

Best not to dwell on the past though so let’s shift swiftly to the present. Arsenal come to Goodison in outstanding form: five consecutive league victories, eighteen goals scored, just four conceded. To make matters worse, even if Everton manage to take the lead, Wenger’s men will remain confident having come from behind to win the last four games.

As an Arsenal sympathiser, not only have I been impressed with them, I have been delighted. On a personal level, I was really disappointed to witness Andrey Arshavin’s poor form and subsequent loan departure – he was my favourite player in the world once.

Also, Arsenal’s failure to get the fourth against AC Milan was sad to see – it was so nearly the sort of YouTube classic performance that could have single-handedly eradicated their reputation as bottlers.

The ‘one man team’ tag is a slightly false one too. Imagine Liverpool without Gerrard, Manchester United without Rooney, City without Silva.

If Arsenal are a ‘one man team’, then so are all the rest, or are Van Persie and co simply their respective teams’ best players and most consistent match-winners?

And besides, isn’t Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain already (easily) one of the best players in the Premier League?

Fantastic opportunity

Wednesday’s game couldn’t be more important. If Arsenal win, they present themselves with a fantastic opportunity, one almost unimaginable during the miserable start to the season. Win would leave Chelsea with the enviable task of requiring victory away at Manchester City to avoid being left six points behind in fifth place.

Not to mention that three points would demand a home victory against Stoke of Spurs to prevent a side whose superiority seemed not only suggested but established letting slip a 12-point gap and third place.

If the will-he-won’t-he-yes-he-obviously-will Harry Redknapp-saga effect continues and Tottenham let Arsenal overtake them, that would represent a phenomenal accomplishment for the Gunners, given they were widely tip to finish fifth whilst Spurs were touted as title candidates.

For Everton, the message couldn’t be simpler: beat Arsenal and cultivate the uniquely Evertonian momentum that just might get us through against an in-form Swansea next week and most crucially, a buoyant Sunderland in the FA Cup quarter-final replay.

All pretensions at objectivity aside, we’ve got a fantastic chance. Arsenal have been brilliant as an attacking force but despite their decent defensive record of late, they have allowed plenty of chances. And now we have Jelavic.

Duncan Ferguson

Rangers are one of my numerous second teams ever since the days of Duncan Ferguson, and to a much, much lesser extent, Ian Durrant.

That is to say I knew what we were getting when we signed the Croatian and I was delighted. Day by day since his arrival, I have suggested to my dad that we have a great player and goalscorer in our midst and Jelavic is really starting to back that up.

I’d really like to see Leon Osman played inside to match the sort of role that Arteta will play for Arsenal. Not in any way a tactic to combat the Spaniard, merely because I believe the best assets to Osman’s game (article coming soon) can be utilised this way.

A night match at Goodison against one of the top four is just about as perfect an opportunity as you could be presented with to transform what has been a miserable week for David Moyes and his men into the sort of spirit-lifting spectacle that defines his reign at Goodison.

Optimism is certainly possible: Pienaar owes us one after the derby, Baines should take it up a notch as a consequence, but more so than anything, what will have me on the edge of my seat is the new man up front.

So you two on the left, Osman and dare I tempt the most curious of fates to include Royston Drenthe, my advice is simple: just give him a decent chance.

Part two will be a reaction to the game and Arteta’s performance in particular. You can expect it early on Thursday.

By Chris Smith

Premier League predictions

After previewing the next set of Premier League fixtures, the weekend can’t come fast enough for me. There are some fantastic games in store as newly-crowned Carling Cup champions Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield with confidence in both camps.  Add to the bill Manchester United’s  inevitably fascinating match-up with Spurs, and a Tyne-Wear derby at St. James’ Park (take that Ashley!) in between, we have a couple of cracking Match of the Days on our hands.

My score last week was a respectable seven out of 20 – my best so far, which is quite misleading really , because obviously that sounds rubbish – it’s not even half. But keep in mind that 20 out of 20 would represent a flawlessly perfect ability to predict that would justify the most lavish and rampant gambling that I would only end up going over board and losing everything. 10 is my aim, and so seven is fine. Those that wish to, feel to comment or email your own predictions or thoughts to cdsmith1@hotmail.co.uk or via @cdsmith789 on Twitter, I think I might do some sort of article in the future along the lines of statistical analysis and bullshit. Remember, one point for a correct result, two for a correct score.

Last week’s score: 7

Saturday March 3, 2012

Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal 12:45
Liverpool deserved their Carling Cup success last week not only if you look at the balance of play during the game, but also if you take into account Kenny Dalglish’s selections and the players application throughout the competition. Most clubs tend to suffer some sort of hangover from a game like that, but I don’t see Liverpool as one of those sides – the semi-final victory against City was followed up with FA cup success over United, for example. After Arsenal’s thrilling comeback against Spurs, I expect atypically confident showing in parts but I anticipate Suarez will find a lot of space in behind, so 2-1 Liverpool for me.

Blackburn 2 – 1 Aston Villa 15:00

Darren Bent’s injury and Robbie Keane’s exit will hit Villa hard because otherwise they are pretty poor. Admittedly, they seem to perform better away from home, though Steve Kean must have pinpointed this game as a chance for victory after facing three of the top six in the last four. Yakubu needs to regain his excellent form from before his suspension in order for Rovers to stay up. Given the large-scale protest from Blackburn supporters planned for the build-up to this game, I was almost tempted to go for a draw considering the negative effect these protests have often had on results but Kean, despite his horrendous managerial record, has proven that he can get the players to respond.

Man City 4 – 0 Bolton 15:00

So predictable has an Etihad game become that even a novice such as myself has correctly predicted the scoreline of both of their last two home fixtures. The fact that Bolton were so comprehensively beaten by the worst Chelsea side in nearly a decade at its lowest ebb for probably longer affirmed my belief that Owen Coyle’s men will be relegated. David Silva’s excellent contribution to Spain’s 5-0 thrashing of Venezuela confirmed that he is regaining top form and with Aguero playing his best football for City, the title race is about to get fascinating. 4-0 is a bit of a risk, but sod being cautious, I’m on a roll!

QPR 0 – 1 Everton 15:00

As an Evertonian, I am delighted that Djibril Cisse is still suspended following his ridiculous debut red card. With Cisse’s Liverpool past…well you know how football works, don’t you? I expect QPR to perform a lot better than they did during last week’s derby defeat to Fulham. In truth, they couldn’t do much worse. For once, they need to keep their discipline to give themselves a chance. Everton will really miss Landon Donovan whose record of six assists in nine games speaks for itself. The only comparable player to the American at Goodison is Leon Osman and if, as expected, he returns to the team, I anticipate that Steven Pienaar’s presence will unburden him of the early-season pressure he felt as a result of the South African’s sale along withMikel Arteta.

Stoke 2- 1 Norwich City 15:00

I really enjoyed watching Norwich against Manchester United, particularly Grant Holt who has been in form for nearly three seasons now. Despite this, I think calls this week for an England cap were not only premature but stupid. Maybe he could have given us a bit more up front in that famous Hungary hammering of 1953, but in 2012? Come on. And I say that as a big Holt fan. I must confess my Stoke appreciation of the last few years has dwindled of late. I find them quite boring at the moment but I predict a good, attacking side like Norwich will get a decent performance out of them and they will just do enough.

West Brom 2- 1 Chelsea 15:00

In terms of an honest, interesting critique, Roy Hodgson is probably the best manager for post-match interviews. His calm and rational reactions give great insight into the way he manages to get the best out of his players. For instance, the way in which he politely condemned his players’ costly defensive lapses at home earns him the two sensational performances and victories they have had against Wolves and Sunderland. I think the game will be much like when Chelsea played Everton who had hit a similar if less spectacular run of form. West Brom to dominate, Odemwingie to score.

Wigan 0 – 2 Swansea 15:00

Wigan cannot defend and I expect them to get absolutely turned over any time soon. They are so bad that for me their presence in the Premier League serves only to offer hope to the most disconsolate of Blackburn and Bolton supporters. They will be picked off as soon as they play someone who can exploit space and individual errors, and though Swansea have only nine points from a possible 39 away from home, they can certainly do that. Although I have sympathies for Roberto Martinez who seems like a nice sort of fella if also a tactically naive manager, his best player this season has been the DW Stadium pitch so they are doomed, doomed, doomed as I see it. Swansea to play confidently and win.

Sunday March 4, 2012.

Newcastle 3- 2 Sunderland 12:00

Martin O’Neill’s side have lost momentum at  just the wrong time. A positive result against West Brom and the Black Cats would have lost only three games in 16; more pertinently however, they now come into an away derby having lost back-to-back games for the first time since the start of December. Newcastle aren’t exactly flying having let a two-goal lead slip against Wolves and shipped five the game before that. I expect a great game because both sides are as good as they have each been in years but Newcastle’s really watchable strikeforce tips it for me.Plenty of spirit and plenty of goals.

Fulham 2-1 Wolves 14: 05 (what the hell sort of kick-off time is that?)

Wolves deserve great credit for their fightback at Newcastle and if the second-half performance can serve as a minor reference for Terry Connor’s job application, then signs are encouraging. Fulham had a great win at QPR and I was personally pleased to see Martin Jol stick it to Mark Hughes whose walkout on the club I interpreted as a confession that he needs money to succeed as a manager. Clint Dempsey will be buoyed  by sealing a fantastic away victory for the United States over Italy and he will be a big factor. Wolves will battle  until the final whistle but Fulham are a compact, efficient side particularly at Craven Cottage, so a home win for me.

Tottenham 2 – 2 Manchester United 16:10 (What’s wrong with good old 16:00?)

Matches between the top five have yielded an average of 4.9 (call it 5) goals per game. Each one of these games has been so spectacularly gripping that all defensive analysis has been rendered not so much pointless but annoying. For a fleeting, ridiculous moment during last weekend’s North London derby, I honestly thought ‘Spurs can definitely get back to 4-4 here’ and within ten seconds, it was 5-2 and I’d seen another great goal. United were fortunate against Ajax and fortunate against Norwich and though De Gea has made some sensational saves of late, if you were going to base a title prediction on the goalkeepers alone, I doubt United would steal a solitary vote from City. On balance, the mass of talent on display means you have to go for goals especially considering both out of form defences. Defeat would be disastrous for either side so a draw could be on the cards on Sunday.

By Chris Smith

The Blue Union: Every answer is a question

Recently, I have been fair getting my teeth into Liverpool for their disgraceful reaction to the Luis Suarez racism saga, and given the new, depressing development during the FA Cup tie with Oldham, it seemed there is scope for a new attack.

As an Evertonian, I should relish this, but in truth, I am sure the incident at Anfield on Friday represented the actions of an unrepresentative prat rather than Liverpool fans in general, and besides, I am quite sick of the issue now – it has dragged on too long.

And besides, there is a far more pressing concern for me much closer to home regarding Everton.

Trawling through the internet looking for something to write about, I came upon a peculiar video uploaded to toffeeweb.com

The video showed a section of the Blue Union faction of Everton supporters confronting Bill Kenwright as he exited his car outside Goodison Park before Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Tamworth.

The Blue Union were making their usual points/spewing their usual shite (“let go if you love the club”, “where’s the Arteta money, Bill?) through the car park gates as Kenwright’s driver parked right next to them.

A lot has been made of him parking specifically there – complete non-issue, it’s where he parks, that’s why they were there – though Kenwright’s behaviour was altogether wrong.

His appearance bore all the trademarks of the public politician: an undeniably arrogant, fake smile complete with faux joy and mock stiff-upper-lip that simply made him look a detached fool.

Standing ‘flicking through his Blackberry’ (apparently) facing the crowd for a full thirty seconds was a deliberately antagonistic action, and one he ought to regret.

The whole thing was a PR disaster for Kenwright, and exactly the sort of confirmation the Blue Union needs for its claims that Kenwright is not the right man for the club.

But, though I admit Kenwright was wrong, unlike the majority of Evertonians who commented underneath the video, I do not see it as a big deal at all; an ill-judged move by an old man who is  getting sick of being shouted at by angry supporters and nothing more.

I have backed Kenwright a fair bit in the past, and though I’ve developed my own skepticism towards the status quo, I continue to do so, but I have to say Bill, sort yourself out, what are you playing at?

Admittedly, this is not an isolated incident, but Bill, when there is nothing you can say to make it right, say nothing at all, and certainly do not provoke.

I read through the comments intending on using them as a source for this article, but in truth, it did little more than alienate me from Blue Unionists further as I read one inane Kenwright pun after another (Kenshite, Blue Bullshit), and I became bored and then irritated by the self-congratulatory praise for “not swearing” during the encounter.

Repressed yobbishness as a virtue; ‘go and shout at him in the street but keep it clean’.

Distancing myself from the Blue Unionists as I have and will continue to do so, I find their arguments empty and their methods laughable.

The mood of the Blue Union was summed up by the first 60 seconds of that video: every answer they offer is a question.

The harsh truth of Everton Football Club at the moment is that there is no answer; nobody wants to buy a debt-ridden club in a recession-hit area, with completely noncompetitive commercial activity, an aging stadium and no potential for development.

(Obviously).

There is one set of supporters who simply cannot swallow that extremely bitter pill, and put bluntly, it ain’t us.

The bottom line is that the continual blame afforded to Kenwright from the Blue Union not only completely misses the point, and fails to “see the bigger picture” to reference one of its tedious catchphrases, but it also damages the reputation, and thus the value of the club to potential investors.

For me it is no surprise that Everton’s home form has been wretched this term, nor is it a surprise to see Blackburn struggle despite having many decent players.

This sort of thing never helps, it only makes exacerbates an already desperate situation.

I have always viewed the Blue Union as a scar on my club – doing more harm than good – much like the protesters at Blackburn, which I think is the origin of Kenwright’s foolish “your Blue Union really betrayed this club” comment.

One of the hallmarks of Everton for me is unity and ultimately triumph in the face of adversity and this dissent, this division within ourselves is not the Everton I know, and that’s why I have never felt that the Blue Union have spoken for me, despite (and this is a big ‘despite’) having my own frustrations about the way the club is going.

I will end with a bit of advice for the Blue Union, though naturally it will fall on deaf ears.

All Kenwright-bashing aside, I really would drop the “Moyes out” line.

He is without doubt one of the best managers in the best league in the world, and unquestionably the best man for our club, and yes the last few transfer windows have been miserable, and this season has been a joke, but if you know your (recent) history, you will note that seven top eight finishes out of nine including one 4th place and an FA Cup Final appearance really isn’t too bad.

And that’s before the usual excuses have been trotted out.

So be careful is all I am saying; rid us of Kenwright and the rest of us will say ‘okay let’s take it from here’, force Moyes out of the club and we’ll never forgive you.

By Chris Smith