Phil Neville keen to revive Goodison glory days
"He has 10 medals, from the surprisingly small, delicate one that denotes you have won the FA Cup to the more conventional hunk of gold given to those who have taken the Champions League. However, should Phil Neville lead Everton to the Carling Cup, he admits it will mean as much as any of them."
"It would be one of my greatest achievements," he remarked while preparing for the first leg of tonight's semi-final against Chelsea. "I am captain, I am older and the next medal is always the best. To take this club to Wembley would be sensational. The fans are dying for silverware."
Winning silverware is something that outside the 'big four' has gone out of fashion. There are those who would prefer a Champions League or a Uefa Cup finish to a League Cup or even an FA Cup. They talk about the importance of revenue when football is essentially all about glory.
When Neville left Old Trafford for Goodison Park three years ago, Everton had qualified for the Champions League. Their 'campaign' lasted for a single round which they lost to Villareal. The image of the then Everton captain, Dave Watson, sleeping with the FA Cup in 1995 will not go away.
"Three months after we had qualified for the Champions League everyone had forgotten about it," Neville said. "People still talk about the Howard Kendall days and those players still walk around as legends. That's what happens at clubs like this. If we win this year, it would be remembered forever.
"Technically, we are a better team than the one which made the Champions League in 2005. That team were mentally tougher than we are but, technically, we play better now.
"The mood has changed towards Everton. I noticed when I came here that the glass was always half empty. Because of the lack of success over the previous 10 years, there was negativity and now people look forward to games."
This struck me as interesting on the official site (Phil Neville : One more) :
Phil Neville wants to complete his domestic medal collection.
The League Cup is the only trophy to elude the Blues skipper and he wants to win the competition with Everton.
David Moyes’ men take on Chelsea in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening and Neville admits the prospect of leading Everton out at Wembley would be the proudest moment of his career.
He told evertonTV: "This is the only winners medal I have not got. I have two losers medals and normally I give my medals to my father.
"But those two losing medals I have kept in a drawer at home. I look at them occasionally to remind myself of what it is like to lose a major final, and it is something I do not want to happen again.
"To be the Everton captain that leads the side out at Wembley would probably be the best thing that has happened in my career.”
Interesting how he keeps the losers medals in spur him on to get the one medal that he hasn't been able to give to his dad yet.
Everton have lost our fight to play Pienaar, can't really complain about that rules are rules I suppose. We are very short on creativity in midfield now...A decent solid Everton-like performance would be great tonight. It's going to be tough, we are 4th favourites. A final would be fantastic. COYB!
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