For most of the first half we were totally in control and indeed until we went two up they weren't really in the game at all...then with Sheffield United down to 10 men Everton suddenly remembered that they were Everton and retreated into themselves and the Blades came much more into the game. If AJ had put away a chance from the edge of the box just before half time it would have been game over but gradually chances started to fall to United and a less profligate team would have scored...had they I don't know if Everton could have rallied and taken control again. The Blades were never in control of the game but Everton just seemed to be totally disrupted, distracted and utterly lacking in fluency. This week substitutions seem to shore things up (Osman, McFadden and Anichebe) and looking back I suppose the fans' nerves were probably unjustified, it's just life as an Evertonian. It has to be said, however, that Goodison was like a morgue on Saturday...strange as the place has been bouncing since our super-strong start to the season. We didn't give the team much of a lift...perhaps after the previous two games we were just too depressed.
It's nice to get back in the winning habit...even if replays show that both goals were dodgy (there was a push on their defender just before our opener and AJ was tugged back but was pretty happy to go to ground). Warnock did a Warnock afterwards bemoaning the referee Dermot Gallagher (hinting that he was a homer due to the fuss Everton had made of him 'cause it's his retirement year). They should take heart from how they rallied and didn't give up even though they were down to 10...Everton should just bank the points and get on with it, take it as recompense for some of the wins we've let slip through our fingers recently. Honourable mentions go to Joleon Lescott who, on what we've seen so far, is a brilliant player and Phil Neville who ranged forward and delivered a superb cross for our first goal even though it was obvious he was going to get clattered late by the defender. Arteta played well whilst the rest of the team were playing well but too many people went missing in the second half for me to sit here singing their praises. Beattie took a superb penalty but again didn't put himself about enough. Davies was positive and strong after his recent superb showing for Wales.
BBC Match Report
As we grumbled our way out of Goodison the lovely autumn day turned pretty wintery so we nipped off home sharpish pausing only long enough to grab a yummy lamb korai. Once home teletext told us that good old Waterloo had won down at Exeter. That's a hell of a result, they've invested a lot in the team and infrastructure and have ambitions of getting to the Guinness premiership (if the money men don't declare themselves untouchable and abolish the promotion/relegation system). Nice to see the lads get something for their efforts after weeks of hard slog being undone by little dodgy spells where they ship two or three tries.
Exeter website match report
The Heineken Cup kicks off this weekend amid lots of big-talk by our celtic cousins about how they rule the roost in terms of the relevant quality of the Guinness Premiership and the Magners League...So far they've certainly lived up to their hype with Leinster punishing Gloucester and the Ospreys beating Sale whilst Llanelli went to the Madjeski to win against London Irish. Let's hope the Tigers can tear a strip off Munster.
So far so good for the Cardinals as they won the opening game of the world series and Scouser Beth Tweddle deserves kudos for winning Great Britain's first ever gold at the Gymnastics World Championships (asymetric bars).
Sunday meant we had a curry to burn off...my throat was destroyed after the match and so my attempts at hymns in Mass were very much like strangling a cat. After Mass we got the bikes out and cycled over to Camp Hill...it's funny how you only notice the 'Hill' part of the name once you are trying to cycle up it. Once we'd got there and my pulse had returned to something like normal (lots of fitness work to do I'm afraid) we kicked a rugby ball to each other with varying degrees of success and played some frisbee...who could ask for more?
As I write this United and the rednoses are just kicking off...let's hope the sh*t doesn't hit the fan as it has done, quite literally, in recent meetings.
Everton have a new investor in Robert Earl. The founder of Planet Hollywood certainly talks a good game in this News of the World interview. Welcome aboard Robert.
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