CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE OR BUST - SURVIVING THE EVERTON EXODUS

Friday 21st December, 2018

TOFFEE NEWS IN BRIEF…
Ryan Ledson and Kevin-Prince Boateng make the Team of the Week.
Martin Bjork’s consortium has completed its takeover of Everton Football Club from Bill Kenwright, and the report reiterates the belief that the new man is keen to bring Brendan Rodgers in as manager. But in a short conversation, Bjork admits that he intended to bring Rodgers in but says that he will consider the situation and let me know within a few days. So I have an anxious wait ahead of me before I know for sure that I’m going to be allowed to continue with this Championship title challenge. I have checked the club finances and at least the deal has done nothing to reduce my substantial transfer war chest which remains at £43 million+.
The sale of Florin Andone to Lyon is agreed for a fee that will eventually rise to £6.25 million. It will go through on 2nd January.
 
Saturday 22nd December, 2018
BOLTON WANDERERS vs EVERTON
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
Macron Stadium, Bolton. Att: 18,805.

View attachment 144943 vs View attachment 144942

Pre-Match Odds
Bolton: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Everton: 4-6 (fav)​

I switch back to 4-3-3 for this trip to Bolton Wanderers and bring Calum Chambers and Jason McCarthy back into the side, with Douglas and Lascelles making way. Aaron Lennon starts today, with Brandt dropping to the bench as I have one eye on the busy Christmas and New Year programme. The Scouting Report tells me that Bolton are susceptible to conceding early goals, so I have told the team to attack from the start and look for that early goal and I will reign them in again to a more controlled style of play later on.

They're the Wanderers, They're the Wanderers, Wandering around around around...

16 secs - The team follows my instruction and goes straight on the attack from the kick-off. Boateng passes to Roberts on the left wing and he runs at the Bolton defence, skipping past Niklas Gunnarsson to get into the left side of the penalty area and crossing low to the far side of the 6 yard box where Aaron Lennon takes an angled shot to force Martin to parry, the rebound presenting Lennon with another chance but on his weaker left foot which he flashes across the goalmouth.

4’ - Bolton’s Graham Carey steps up to strike a 30 yard free-kick at the Everton goal, drawing a smart reaction save by Boyko as he pushes the ball over the bar.

13’ - Smith and McGinn work the ball infield from the left wing and present Carey with another long range shooting opportunity which he this time fires wide of the left hand post.

21’ - As Everton counter attack, Roberts switches the ball from to left to right and releases Lennon on a forward charge. He advances to the angle of the penalty area before sending a diagonal cross into Bamford, close to the corner of the 6 yard box. He controls the ball and squeezes a snapshot between two defenders to make Martin parry the shot and scramble to recover the rebound. Then, in a separate attack, Bamford sprays a pass out to Lennon on the right wing and then sprints into the area in time to volley the cross wide of the left hand post, while under pressure from three defenders.

37’ - Veljkovic returns a corner by Roberts back to the winger on the left flank and he aims a high cross to the far post where Jason McCarthy beats two defenders in the air only to see his header rattle the crossbar. A goalmouth scramble follows but Davies clears into touch.

39’ - Carey’s free-kick from just left of the centre circle, inside the Everton half, floats over McCarthy’s head and drops to the left foot of Gunnarsson whose pings it wide of the right hand post. He seems surprised that the ball came through to him.

41’ - David Wheater’s long throw from the right touchline is headed away by Ledson, but Johnson beats Roberts in the air to win the second ball and Carey slips as short angled pass to Mark Davies on the penalty spot, but his snapshot flashes over the bar.

45’+2 - As time ticks beyond the stated stoppage time, Wheater’s long throw is headed out for a corner on the left which Carey takes, crossing to the centre. Baldock challenges and the referee penalises Jason McCarthy for handball, awarding a penalty to the home side. Sam BALDOCK fires the shot into the bottom right hand corner to send Bolton in ahead at the break. 1-0.

HT - More of a basketball match than football with end-to-end attacking the flavour of the day. We were unlucky not to take the lead through McCarthy and then the same player gave away the penalty that now has us behind at the break. I aggressively question the team’s desire and get a positive response from every player, so I send them out onto the park early, so they are ready to go when Bolton get out there.

46’ - McGinn’s chipped pass out to Johnson on the left wing is intercepted by Calum Chambers, charging the ball down with his chest and crossing the halfway line to play a one-two with Lennon and advance to the right side of the penalty area. As his progress is blocked by defenders, he pulls the ball back to Lennon whose low cross is met by Patrick ROBERTS at the back post, side footing past Martin from close range. 1-1.

47’ - Lennon passes to Ryan Ledson on the halfway line and he lifts a glorious pass into the run of Patrick Bamford, bursting between two Bolton defenders before shooting from 25 yards to pull a fantastic save from Martin, diving to his left.

53’ - David Wheater hurls in a long throw from the left touchline and Sam BALDOCK gets behind McCarthy to head in off the far post. 2-1.

60’ - Substitute Jamaal Lascelles, on for McCarthy, arrows his clearance out to the left wing where Roberts controls it and races past two defenders to get to the byline and cross to the near post. Bamford attempts a left foot volley but smashes his shot straight at the keeper and sees the ball hacked clear by a defender.

62’ - Another long throw from Wheater causes more chaos in the Everton area, with McGinn picking up the loose ball and chipping it to the far post where Dervite heads back across goal, just wide of the left hand post.

65’ - Carey threads the ball through four Everton players to put Sam Baldock in on goal in the inside left channel but he rushes his shot and sends it across goal and wide of the right hand post.

71’ - Chambers passes to Roberts on the left wing. He sidesteps Gunnarsson and races away from the Bolton right back, getting to the byline and crossing to the far post but Julian Brandt’s header is wayward, flashing back across goal and out of play.

82’ - Cauley Woodrow, on for the ineffectual Bamford, plays the ball out to Murru on the left touchline. His high cross to the far side is won in the air by Brandt, knocking it down under challenge from Baldock, to Chambers. He exchanges passes with Brandt again and then shoots for the far side of the goal but Martin makes a smart diving save.

Our long unbeaten run comes to end in a game that demonstrated the same pattern of our recent draws. We are getting crosses in and creating chances in the channels, but our finishing is erratic. Roberts had the beating of Gunnarsson throughout the match but we couldn’t capitalise on the chances created. Bolton were similar to Shrewsbury Town - the only other team to beat us in the league this season - in their up-and-under long ball approach, but Sam Baldock is only 5’7” so how he managed to cause such aerial problems for Jason McCarthy, who is 6’3”, I don’t know.
 
Saturday 22nd December, 2018
CHAMPIONSHIP - FULL CLASSIFIED CHECK - MATCHDAY 22
Sam Vokes and Adam Le Fondre both scored twice at bottom club Shrewsbury Town to ensure that Wigan Athletic close the gap on us to just 1 point. 3rd placed Millwall and 4th placed Reading battled to a 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium and Derby County are 5th after a 4-1 home win against Fulham, in which Zackarias Faour and Andreas Weimann also collected a brace each. Sheffield Wednesday have now put their poor early season form behind them to move into contention for a play-off spot with a 1-0 home win over Watford, former Everton striker Steven Naismith scoring his 7th goal of the season for the Owls. Jason *******’s of Hull City scored both goals in his side’s 2-0 home win against Tim Sherwood’s QPR.
 
Wednesday 26th December, 2018

TOFFEE NEWS IN BRIEF…
Brendan Rodgers was spotted at the Macron Stadium during our match with Bolton Wanderers, which only increases speculation that the former Liverpool manager may yet be about to replace me in the Everton hotseat, as the chosen man of the new board of directors.
An U21s friendly between Everton and Alfreton Town provides an opportunity for Jack Colback, Tom Cleverley, Callum Slattery and Ali Coote to regain match fitness, during a 3-1 win with Coote among the goalscorer.
Patrick Bamford has been working hard in training at springing the offside trap and the coaching staff tell me that he’s ready to apply what he has learned during matches. We must get caught offside about 25 times per match, so this is a welcome development.
Queen’s Park Rangers ask to extend the loan of our young centre-back Mason Holgate until the end of the season. He has made 6 appearances for them since he began his current loan spell at the beginning of October and has achieved an average performance rating of 6.93. Although I’m not particularly happy with the performances of our central defenders of late, Holgate isn’t ready to play for us yet so being loaned out is the best thing for him at the moment. So I have accepted QPR’s request.
Chris Powell has been sacked as manager of AFC Bournemouth, with the Cherries just two places above the relegation zone. John Donoghue has taken Caretaker charge of the troubled club and his first duty has been to fine Norwegian striker Adama Diomande a week’s wages due to his absence from training.
 
Wednesday 26th December, 2018
BRADFORD CITY vs EVERTON
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
Valley Parade, Bradford. Att: 23,062.

View attachment 144913 vs View attachment 144912

Pre-Match Odds
Bradford: 13-8 Draw: 2-1 Everton: 6-4 (fav)​

Jason McCarthy is dropped to the bench with Jamaal Lascelles returning to the centre of defence. Aaron Lennon does make the 18, Julian Brandt returns on the right wing.

Go on, lads - give 'em what for!

11’ - Nicola Murru throws the ball to Ryan Ledson on the left hand side and the midfielder crosses left footed towards the penalty area. From left of the spot, Julian Brandt evades two defenders to head at goal but it bounces wide of the near post.

24’ - We’re on attack mode because the Scouting Report identified Bradford as tending to conceded goals between the 16th and 45th minutes. Bamford receives a pass from Boateng in midfield and switches the ball to the left wing for Patrick Roberts, who manages to control the ball on the touchline, about 35 yards out. His high cross sails over three Bantams defenders on its way to the back post and Julian BRANDT runs in to volley home from the edge of the 6 yard box. 0-1.

28’ - Kevin-Prince Boateng tries to clip the ball into the path of Patrick Bamford, but O’Connor cuts it out with a clearing header. Roberts heads the ball back over him and Bamford beats his man in the air to flick the ball towards goal. Walker dives to his left and gets both hands to the ball, but he can’t hold it and Julian BRANDT races onto the loose ball to fire home from a tight angle, for his second goal of the match. 0-2 to the visitors.

39’ - Chambers takes a throw-in on the right wing, midway inside the Bradford half, and finds Bamford on the right of the penalty area. He turns tightly under the attentions of Gladwin and crosses high towards the far post and Patrick ROBERTS, from 12 yards out, gets up high to place a looping header beyond the dive of Walker and into the right side of the goal. Everton are rampant! 0-3.

HT - An excellent first half display during which Bradford have been simply unable to cope with the pace and precision of our attacking play. Our front three have been very good, ably prompted and supporting by the creativity of Boateng in midfield. Nevertheless, I’m going to follow the advice of our Scouting Report and move to our usual controlled system of play in anticipation of Bradford trying to launch more of an attacking threat in the second 45.

47’ - Bradford have two banks of four between Boateng in midfield, and the goal, so he opts to switch the ball out to the left for Nicola Murru to control and advance up the wing before passing short to Patrick Roberts, just inside the left hand corner of the penalty area. Roberts whips in a cross that bounces in the middle of the 6 yard box on its way to the back post where Julian BRANDT completes his hat-trick by firing home from a tight angle, 3 yards out. 0-4.

50’ - Bradford venture on a rare foray forward with Cole advancing on the right of D, with three Everton defenders in close attendance. He rolls the ball across the D to Gladwin who passes up the opportunity to shoot by laying it off to Forestieri but his low drive goes wide of the far post, to the right.

53’ - An Everton passing move breaks down and the ball is cleared to centre field where Cole wins the header and knocks the ball down to Forestieri whose return pass puts Cole clean through on the Everton goal, running right of centre. Lascelles, Veljkovic and Reyes all give chase but they cannot prevent him from taking a shot from inside the area, 12 yards out at an angle to the right, but Denys Boyko throws a strong left hand in the way to make an outstanding save, and the ball is cleared by Chambers.

56’ - Chambers throws the ball short to Lorenzo Reyes on the right wing and he plays the ball square to Ledson, who in turn passes further infield to Boateng, and he completes the switch to the left hand side with a chipped pass to Nicola Murru, just outside the left corner of the penalty area. He goes around Fisher and then slips a short diagonal pass to Roberts who stings the palms of Walker with a well-struck angled shot that the goalkeeper can only parry across his goalmouth to the opposite corner of the 6 yard box. The ball moves too quickly for Cunningham to clear it and Julian BRANDT helps himself to his fourth goal of the game, and Everton’s fifth, by firing high into the unguarded net. 0-5.

87’ - After a period in which Bradford have had more possession and sent several speculative attempts wide or over the bar, Taylor’s in-swinging corner from the left wing is won in the air just over the penalty spot by Cunningham but Boyko catches the ball in the centre of his goal.

An excellent performance and a welcome, emphatic victory after our recent run of three draws and a defeat. Bradford really suffered the backlash of our loss at Bolton on a day when everything went right for us and our attacking play really came together. Boateng has been brilliant since I introduced him into the midfield and Patrick Roberts is back to his best in terms to crossing the ball and creating chances, with Julian Brandt in particular thrives on. The young German is now up to 17 goals for the season, all but one of them in the Championship.
 
Wednesday 26th December, 2018
CHAMPIONSHIP - FULL CLASSIFIED CHECK - MATCHDAY 23
Reading give us a timely Christmas present by winning 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium against 2nd placed Wigan Athletic, which means that we have re-opened our lead at the top of the table to 4 points. The Berkshire club are 3rd. Derby County overtake Millwall into 4th place by beating them 2-0 at Pride Park, a penalty from Bradley Johnson sending them on their way. Nouha Dicko’s two goals gave Sunderland all three points at home to QPR - who had Jesse Lingered sent off - and moved his team up to 7th. Nathan Delfouneso scored in first half stoppage time to give Shrewsbury Town the win at home to Huddersfield Town, but the Shrews remain rooted to the bottom of the table. Our next opponents, Bolton Wanderers, won 2-1 at home against Fulham, with an 82nd minute winner from Sam Baldock.
 
…AND SO IT ENDS
The new board of directors, led by the new chairman Martin Bjork, has proven the speculation to be true by sacking me as the manager of Everton Football Club in order to make way for their own man. I leave the post exactly half way through the Championship season with Everton sitting on top of the league table, having successfully overcome the mass exodus of players that followed the club’s relegation from the Premier League, bringing in tens of millions of pounds and several young players who I’m sure will go on to re-establish Everton as one of the country’s top football clubs.
I’m gutted to have been removed from the post, because I believe that we would have gone on to win the Championship and, within a short space of time, compete for the major honours both domestically and abroad. This is the second time a new board of directors has removed me from a job that I was actually doing quite well, so I will just move on and find another club but this does bring my Everton manager story to an end. If I get a new situation worthy of a new story, I will post it separately.
 
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No - Lampard's still there, going into the following season. "Mental" is a very good word for it! I went on holiday and after interviewing with Aston Villa and Ipswich Town, who have both just been relegated from the Premier League, I have just been appointed at Le Havre in Ligue 1. They have already played four matches (won 1; lost 3).
 
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