Blackpool Review

When the fixture list came out in the summer, apart from the usual questions like ''are we at home first, last, boxing day?'' and ''when are the derby games?'', this was the game that was on most Evertonians minds/lips as they eagerly ran their finger down the fixture list for this season.

It would have been just swell to have swaggered down the promenade at the tail end of August...*coughs* Fulham Cunts! *coughs*... or even on a balmy April afternoon....*whispers*....Arsenal Twats!....*splutters*,  but as it turned out, it was gonna have to be a rainy day in November for anybody lucky enough to get themselves a ticket for a game that was last played 30 years ago.

The game itself came on the back of an encouraging point at White Hart Lane, then a roll your sleeves up gritty win versus Stoke which was a throwback to Moyes teams of old, basically a  run of results in which it had you thinking we may have turned a proverbial corner of some description....YER WHA?...as it turned out though, Holloway and his band of honest, completely impossible to hate journeymen, had something else to say about that.

Now given the way they play at home, i.e. scoring in every game there for 29 games on the trot, and generally sticking to their style of play and being well drilled, you could say that a point isnt such a bad result, but if we have any aspirations for Europe this season, never mind staying above our filthy, stinking brethren across the park, it was almost accepted that we should...NAY ....would go there and get 3 points.

As is far too familiar with Everton under Moyes reign, we had to wait until we had gone behind in order to play some of our better stuff and to actually look like we were capable of taking the game to Blackpool. The opener from Neil Eardley, me neither, was a veritable rip snorter, as every man and his dog expected the tidy looking Charlie Adam (this seasons must have Brian Howard dahhhling) to whip one in with his left peg, as it turned out though, Tim Howard couldnt get across quick enough to deny Blackpool getting their noses in front of what up until this point had been a scrappy affair.

Everton didnt have to wait long for the equaliser, well 4 minutes to be exact, and who else was it going to be, other than the man who can only score goals, Tim 'Timothy' Cahill, with a trademark header from a tired/disinterested looking Yakubu's center. You've got to love Yakubu, his big smile, his intermittent effortless finishes, Eagle hands etc, but just as were all getting giddy about his last run of games, he goes and puts a shift in like that, whether you claim that it's his style of play or not, he just didnt look bothered, simple as that.
From that point on in the first half, it was pretty much all Everton, with Coleman in particular having loads of the ball down the right hand side and causing the team who he helped promote last season, what could probably be described as a mild amount of mither, if you were a biff like.

It was also heartening to hear Holloways glowing comments about the ex Sligo Rovers man pre match, about how he would have bitten Moyes's hand off pre season to have him back, but Moyes was adament he would be getting into the first team more and more and he was as good as his word and has stuck him in from the early on in the season. I think its fair to say at this juncture we should be thankful to the likeable wacky bumpkin for believing in him somewhat and bringing out of him what Moyes clearly seen in him in the first place to bring him over from Ireland the other year.

Back to the game anyway, sort of, after just two minutes and queueing at two portakabins with just two frail old dears trying to serve 3000 ballooned Evertonians their pies and then taking our seat, we were behind again. Fuck off Everton. David Vaghan-y (Vaghany, Vaghany, Vaghany's) effort was first of all blocked well by.....errrrm Distin??? christ...despite the two arl bids not serving any ale at half time, the amount sank beforehand does make the memory a bit hazy to say the least,(Ed - Get the frig on with it!), it basically fell rather fortuitously back to him and he duly smashed it right down the centre of the goal, 2-1 Blackpool, Seasiduhhhhs na na nahhhh.

In completely un-Everton style though, again we went straight back up the other end gamefully, this time the Pit Bull-esque Coleman powering through a couple of challenges to drill one underneath Matt Gilks. As the rain started to absolutey persist it down, Moyes rang the changes, firstly bringing on the ever excellent and unexplainably poo(all at the same time) Louis Saha, to try go for the throats of our hosts, he almost managed it too, after some excellent football from Pienaar down the left initially then picking out the Frenchmans clever run through the middle, Saha seemed to get a weird little tug(not a euphamism) from the covering defender which was enough for him to be put off when clear through and miss the target completely.

After that though, with the rain at almost biblical proportions now, both sides had cause to feel aggrieved by not grabbing the winning goal. It was Evertons other sub Jermaine Beckford, who some felt was unlucky to only get 10 minutes against the type of side he used to snot them in from all angles for fun, wriggled free of two Blackpool players, only to be denied by a last ditch challenge from the covering defender. Marlon Harewood then managed to slot at the other end but was judged to have fouled somebody in the run up to it, replays show he and Blackpool supporters were entitled to feel hard done by, which despite another MOTD hatchet job making us look utter gash not to mention the big baddies throughout, probably ended up making it just about the right result.

Which leaves us up against Bolton on Wednesday then Arsenal on the weekend, both at Goodsion, leaving us with quick oppurtunity to start trying to climb up the table again. Ultimately, i havent a jeffing clue what to expect from either, i guess you'd expect to beat Bolton at home, even with Owen Coyle doing a slightly more ruthless job of what he was trying to do with Burnley. Then you have Arsenal, who have the ability to come and violently bum you out of sight, and/or completely see their collective gallic arses and dip to a sneaky 1-0 win here or there.

Its a strange feeling going to watch Everton these days knowing were capable of out footballing some of the best teams in the league, yet in the same week are capable of stinking the place out and losing to teams we shouldnt. In fact no it isnt. T'was ever thus.

Up the toffo's!


Juice Terry