Since you've been gone

So while we were in the far east playing the occidental tourist Everton rapidly look to be running out steam. A ropey win against Derby and a draw against Birmingham show how the season has cuaght up with us. The Chelsea game is slightly irrelavent, they are form team in the league and probably our only chance was to catch them on an off day becasue of the utterly pathetic scheduling of the game. Sky demanding a title challenger play two games in 4 days is utterly ridiculous.

The sheer number of games and the small number of frontline players has caught up with us in a big way whilst the likes of Portsmouth and most notable Aston Villa hit form just at the right time.

This weekend's game will be vital in securing the UEFA place. I do think if we lose the Intertoto is probably the best we can hope for. According to the official Everton webiste site "If Everton finish fourth - we would qualify for the Champions League UNLESS an English side wins the Champions League and finishes outside the top four. We would then play in the Uefa Cup.

If Everton finish fifth - we would qualify for the Uefa Cup regardless of any other scenario.

If Everton finish sixth - we would play in the Intertoto Cup UNLESS the FA decide Cardiff City can't have one of England's Uefa Cup places AND Portsmouth finish fifth. We would then play in the Uefa Cup.

If Cardiff ARE permitted to take one of England's spots, then we would play in the Intertoto Cup.

If Everton finish seventh - we would play in the Intertoto ONLY IF the FA decide Cardiff City can't have one of England's Uefa Cup places AND Portsmouth finish fifth.

IF the FA decide Cardiff CAN have one of England's places, there would be only one Uefa Cup place from the league - awarded to the team finishing fifth. The Intertoto Cup place would then go to the highest-placed applicants who haven't qualified by other means. Everton, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur have applied for the Intertoto Cup. Spurs have qualified already through the Carling Cup. Portsmouth have not applied.

Therefore, if Portsmouth finish sixth and Everton seventh, Everton would qualify for the Intertoto Cup. If Aston Villa, Blackburn or Man City finished sixth and Everton seventh, Everton would NOT qualify for the Intertoto Cup.

There is also a possibility an English side could qualify for the Uefa Cup via Uefa's Fair Play league. England are currently one of several nations who could be awarded an additional Uefa Cup place, with Everton well-placed in the Premier League disciplinary standings. Full details of this situation are yet to be clarified by Uefa."

In other news we've finally signed up Steven Pienaar for a pretty paultry £2m and Dan Gosling is close to making his debut.