Brilliant OP....lots of details...
I'll follow mate...
Looking forward to an update
Thanks mate! Yeah I had to put a lot of details in really cause it has been a whole season, lots of changes and good fortunes!
Update coming in a sec!
---------- Post added at 02:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:19 PM ----------
Arsenal began their defence of the Premiership title with a demolition of Everton on the opening day of the 2011/12 season resulting in a 4 – 0 win for the home side.
The Gunners took control of the match early on as
Samir Nasri blasted the ball past Tim Howard to open up the scoring. Two minutes into first half stoppage time, Arsenal captain
Cesc Frabregas slotted home to make it 2 – 0 going into the second half.
Everton defender
Leighton Baines found himself walking down the tunnel after an hour at the Emirates for being sent off following a reckless tackle on Marouane Chamakh. Blues boss Duncan Ferguson looked on helpless from the dugout as
Theo Walcott got the better of returning defender Joseph Yobo to put the game beyond doubt before adding a second within ten minutes, leaving the scores at
4 – 0 to Arsenal.
Speaking after the match, Arsene Wenger spoke of his respect for
Ferguson, saying “it is always a magnificent occasion to face his Everton side, as we learnt from tough games last season.
“We played well, but at times the attack of Everton looked threatening. Ferguson definitely knows how to handle his players and keep his squad happy. I do not think that this defeat will have done much to his team’s overall morale going into the next game.”
Duncan Ferguson was unavailable for a post-match interview and sent assistant manager Dave Watson to speak to media, who commented that Everton were very poor today and cannot afford to give away games so easily.
Rodwell Error Costs Everton
The Toffees put aside their Premiership focus in order to be prepared for their first Champions League match since the 2005/06 season, but will be kicking themselves for not coming out winners against a battling Toulouse.
Early on, Everton had many chances to score through the likes of John Fleck and Louis Saha, but neither could find the net. Shortly before halftime,
Louis Saha went down after a challenge from a Toulouse defender and had to go off.
In the second half, the Blues were once again on the front foot, but still had no look finding the target. After an hour of play,
Jack Rodwell brought down Toulouse attacker Peron in the box.
Peron stepped up to the spot and fired the away side ahead with a valuable away goal to take back home.
Once again, Duncan Ferguson was not present at the press conference, so Dave Watson filled in for the missing manager. When asked about his thoughts on the match, he said that no one could fault the effort from the home side, but they are disappointed to not find a goal.
“We were good out there tonight, but it just was not our time to score,” said Watson. “The players know what is expected of them for every game, and when you have games like tonight where no one can score, well there’s no one to blame but ourselves.
“As for
Saha, the medical staff took a look at him and we can confirm that he has broken ribs, so a return probably will not be likely for at least
three or four weeks.”
Everton and England defender
Phil Jagielka has spoken out this week on a couple topics that he was willing to address about Everton.
Firstly, he commented on the rumours linking him with Aston Villa, saying that the rumours are “absolute rubbish.”
“I really do not know where they’ve come from,” Jagielka said. “There’s no way I would leave the club, especially for a team that is trying to rival Everton for league positions. I am happy here and am pleased to be working with
Ferguson. He’s a great manager and guided us to the Champions League – I’m not giving that up.
“As for our performances at the start of this season, they have not been what we have hoped for. The
Arsenal result was embarrassing and the fans especially did not deserve to see something like that. The
Toulouse game was better, but we have to find goals in the coming weeks. We have to be focused on the games that are coming and work towards even a better performance than last season.”
Jagielka also added that the Bolton match will be make or break for them as he is looking at it as a starting point for their season. Everton also have the second leg of their Champions League Qualifier coming up next week when they travel to Toulouse being 1 – 0 down on aggregate.
Everton played to host to Bolton this past weekend in what defender
Phil Jagielka described as a “make or break” game for the Toffees.
The first half was nothing special for either side, with shots flying into the stands from all angles.
Charlie Adam went down after a tackle by Bolton captain
Kevin Davies, forcing him off the field to be replaced by former Leicester man Andy King.
French striker Nolan Roux was brought down in the penalty area by Gary Cahill, which allowed
Phil Jagielka to step up and put Everton ahead after 70 minutes. A mere six minutes later,
Roux broke free of the defence and slotted the ball home giving his team a comfortable 2 – 0 advantage.
Adam Hammill then made it a nervy last few minutes with a screamer on 78 minutes, but Everton were able to hold on, giving them their first win of the season at
2 – 1.
Everton boss
Duncan Ferguson was on hand to speak to the media following the win, commenting that it was a relief to see them bounce back from two defeats in a row.
“We were a lot better out there today,” Ferguson added. “We could’ve scored more, but either way, we got the win and I’m grateful for that. I was a little weary of
Jagielka’s comments after the Toulouse match about our performances, but it seemed it could have been a boost to the lads.”
Everton now travel to France in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier against Toulouse, who lead on aggregate 1 – 0, with their goal being a valuable away one.
Scottish playmaker
Charlie Adam has been ruled out for upto
three months following an injury picked up in Everton’s
2 – 1 home win against Bolton at the weekend.
The Toffees man went down hard after a ruthless challenge by Bolton captain
Kevin Davies, who has since apologised for the tackle and said that he never intended to do such damage. Adam will not be treated by the Everton medical staff but will instead be sent to a specialist in Portugal until his injury is healed.
The absence of Adam could prove to be a costly blow to Everton, as they had Adam as a replacement for the recently departed Mikel Arteta. With key matches coming up for the Blues, including a crucial Champions League tie against Toulouse and the Merseyside Derby, Duncan Ferguson will now have to pick out a man to boss the midfield in Adam’s absence.
Everton Progress at Toulouse Expense
A fired up Everton side came out clear winners this Wednesday night as they travelled to Toulouse in what would be a crucial second leg of their Champions League qualifying round.
John Fleck looked to have made things harder for the away side after he was
sent off just three minutes into the match. Nonetheless, Nigeria captain
Joseph Yobo pulled Everton back level on aggregate with a well timed header off a corner. Former Fulham man
Clint Dempsey put Everton ahead 2 – 0 on the night with a curling effort from 20 yards out.
More corners came into the Toulouse box and
Phil Jagielka capitalized on another one to put the game and the tie beyond doubt leaving it at 3 – 0 on the night,
3 – 1 on aggregate.
Everton manager
Duncan Ferguson commented after the game that he was delighted with his side’s mentality in the match as it was a must win.
“Jarvis was incredible today,” Dunc stated. “Coming off the bench with a performance like that was a delight to see. You might say I should be praising Yobo or Dempsey or Jagielka, but
Jarvis was the hero today. Overall explosive runs down the left and then two pinpoint corners really helped us tonight.”
Everton now progress to the Champions League Group Stages, with the draw being held tomorrow.
Champions League Group Draw Roundup
Four English teams were involved in the Champions League Group Draw this past Thursday night, with reigning Premiership champions
Arsenal, former Premiership winners
Chelsea and former Champions League winners
Liverpool, as well as pessimistic
Everton all involved in the night’s draw.
Everton were the first English team to be drawn, being placed in
Group C along with finalists Bayern Munich, Zenit, and Steaua.
Arsenal were handed Juventus, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund in
Group D.
Liverpool, who won the competition in 2005, were drawn into
Group F along with Atletico Madrid, AZ Alkmaar, and Serbian side Rad Beograd.
Chelsea fans will be drooling at the knowledge that their side will face Real Madrid after being put into
Group G. Now Galactico boss Jose Mourinho was never able to win the competition with Chelsea, but dominated the domestic cups with two Premiership titles to his name. The other teams to be drawn in the group were Braga and APOEL.
Everton fans will undoubtedly be proud of their team after three successive wins in all competition, especially since the third of those wins came at Anfield in the
Merseyside Derby.
With the match wearing on, seeing no goals but a classy performance in goal by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, it was beginning to look like it could end in a draw. This was until Man of the Match winner
Phil Jagielka climbed above Kop captain Steven Gerrard to nod in John Fleck’s corner to make it
1 – 0. Numerous attacks were stopped dead at the feet of Jagielka as he personally made sure it would end as a Blue day.
Everton manager
Duncan Ferguson said that it was “an honour to see his side put in a defensive performance such as that one."
“I’m delighted for the fans, and Jagielka has really picked up where he left off last season,” Ferguson commented. “I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from them. It was great to get wins at Anfield when I was playing, and it feels just as good as a manager.”
With the win, Everton sit in 6th place with six points from their opening three matches. Liverpool are 12th with just three points from their first three games, resulting in one win and two losses.
With some impressive performances against the likes of Toulouse and Liverpool, Everton sit in 6th position at the close of August.
Phil Jagielka remarkably leads the club’s scoring charts with 3 goals in five matches.
Matt Jarvis has provided two goals to top the assists going into September. In terms of fixtures in the next month, the Toffees play host to the likes of Manchester City, Bolton and Sheffield United, while facing an away trip to West Ham.
In the Champions League, Everton travel to Steaua then face Bayern Munich at home.