Everton Season 2009/2010

[johntheclaret]

Thought I would start off a new thread, with a story that has an Aussie interest.

Everton sign ex-West Ham and Blackburn defender Lucas Neill - for just £40,000 a week

Everton have signed Australia defender Lucas Neill on a free transfer after the defender passed a medical at Goodison Park.
Everton will pay him half the wages he got at West Ham.
The 31-year-old is a free agent after failing to agree an extension of his £80,000-a-week Upton Park deal in the summer. He has seen proposed moves to Sunderland and Athletico Madrid collapse because of personal terms.

Knowing what we know about Neill, or at least knowing what we have been told about Neill, I find it a bit hard to swallow that he has moved for 1/2 the wages he was offered at WHU.

Interestingly (or not) he is the 2nd youngest player to represent Australia after Harry Kewell

[Bully]

what about the first game at home this season

[devilsadvocate]

Thought I would start off a new thread, with a story that has an Aussie interest.

Everton sign ex-West Ham and Blackburn defender Lucas Neill - for just £40,000 a week

Everton have signed Australia defender Lucas Neill on a free transfer after the defender passed a medical at Goodison Park.
Everton will pay him half the wages he got at West Ham.
The 31-year-old is a free agent after failing to agree an extension of his £80,000-a-week Upton Park deal in the summer. He has seen proposed moves to Sunderland and Athletico Madrid collapse because of personal terms.

Knowing what we know about Neill, or at least knowing what we have been told about Neill, I find it a bit hard to swallow that he has moved for 1/2 the wages he was offered at WHU.

Interestingly (or not) he is the 2nd youngest player to represent Australia after Harry Kewell

Poor Lucas, only receiving 40k per week. How will he live? It's a complete disgrace that someone should be expected to work for such a pittance.

I'm glad he's playing at the top level for our world cup preparations. It's probably a pretty decent signing by Moyes too.

[johntheclaret]

I guess this is one of the drawbacks to earning 10000's a week and being in the public eye

Everton's Phil Jagielka held at knifepoint after becoming latest victim of mansion robbers

Everton star Phil Jagielka was held at knifepoint after a gang of robbers burst into his luxury mansion as he watch a TV broadcast of his team-mates.
The 27-year-old, sidelined by a cruciate ligament injury, was sitting down with a group of friends to watch his team play Hull in the Carling Cup when three armed men burst into the £2.5million home.

The raid is the latest in a score of attacks on footballers' homes by violent armed gangs in the north-west in the past three years.

[johntheclaret]

I've posted aticles by Des Kelly before and I have put this one in here only because Cahill is an Everton player. Personally, I was prepared to let his first goal celebration (the handcuff one) go through to the keeper as a silly mistake by an emotional young man who was caught up in the emotion of scorig. But this second celebration just shows me that Cahill is just an insensitive (insert your own word in here).

I know my opinion might not sit to well on here particularly as it is about an Australian, and it's an Australian forum, but just read the article and make up your own minds.

DES KELLY: Celebrate the moment but don’t push the boat out too far

It's what they would have wanted. Can there be a more appropriate way to recognise the suffering of those caught up in the Southern Pacific disaster than dropping to one knee after scoring a goal and paddling an imaginary canoe with an imaginary oar on an imaginary sea.
Well, yes. Almost anything, now that I think about it. Put yourself in the place of one of the poor souls sifting through the wreckage of a home blasted to smithereens by the earthquakes and tsunamis sweeping through Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and beyond.

Thousands are dead. The damage is beyond belief.

Suddenly, you hear a footballer has choreographed a routine in ‘tribute’ to your plight after kicking a ball into a goal. I say ‘hear’ because it would be impossible to see.

There’s no electricity and the telly has been washed away. There are no papers, either, as the newsagent’s shop was last seen floating towards Antarctica. But no matter
. Look, I’m sure Tim Cahill had what is usually described at this point as the ‘best of intentions’ when he performed his mime. We know his mother comes from Samoa and that he played for their Under 20 side.

But there is something undeniably crass about reducing the impact of an international catastrophe to an amateur dramatics cameo on a football field. It’s the vanity of it. The idea that this posturing has some wider meaning beyond simple showing off.

Cahill has plenty of opportunities to express his compassion sincerely. He spoke eloquently enough after the game and has announced plans to raise some financial aid, which is admirable.

In fact, I’ll chip in myself. With all that in mind, maybe he might have considered for a moment that a themed ‘goal celebration’ would not necessarily be the most sensitive way to recognise mass fatalities.
Participating in no goal celebration whatsoever would have made a more telling point. Although we’d like to, it’s hard not to recall he has a habit for oddly inappropriate moments like this.
Last year, he crossed his wrists in mock handcuffs in another ‘tribute’, this time to his brother, who punched and kicked a man in a taxi rank, leaving him partially blinded. The brother fled to Australia, only returning to receive his six-year jail sentence when an extradition order was served.

Pretend handcuffs didn’t really tell the full story. To be fair to Cahill he apologised for his idiocy then and I don’t seek to demonise him unduly now.

But his reaction to this week’s catastrophe is indicative of a depressing trend throughout sport and football in particular.

Let me ask you something: Q. How many footballers does it take to change a lightbulb? A. One.

They hold it up and the world revolves around them. Seriously, when did footballers assume their trite, post-goal celebrations were somehow globally significant statements?

And where does it end? If bush fires threaten Sydney’s suburbs at some point in the near future, is Cahill going to grab a lighter from the crowd and pretend to set his shirt on fire? These days, every Premier League goal is followed by more chest-pounding than a 24-hour Holby City TV marathon.

Look at Emmanuel Adebayor. No, I mean really look at him, or he’ll wither and die from the lack of exposure. He was fined £25,000 for running the length of the pitch and sliding on his knees in front of Arsenal fans. I had no great desire to see him banned for this attack of ego, but his unprofessional behaviour should surely have cost him more than just a day’s wages.

Expectations are now so abysmally low, Carlos Tevez is hailed as an international statesman and possible Nobel Peace Prize winner for resisting the urge to raise the middle finger when he scores against one of his former clubs. Football celebrations aren’t inherently bad.

Many of them add joy and bring a little fun to our lives. I can forgive someone for ripping off their shirt and running down the wing after scoring an extra-time winner in an explosion of delight.

But the high-kicking, hokeycokey, back-flipping, self-congratulatory line dances that follow every tap-in from five yards have become utterly tedious. It’s not as if they are spontaneous.

This is rehearsed idiocy. So, some pointers for our footballers: Don’t celebrate death. Don’t celebrate injury. It’s a start, at least.

[Bully]

like richard dunne for A Villa, scored against his former club Man City on monday night, all there was from him was a smile and a small wave to his team mates and go on with the match. i was expecting him to run to the man city supporters and celebrate

[Swooper16]

its an interesting one. Cahill was applauded for his subdued celebration when he scored soon after the victorian bushfires (kissed the black armband from memory). Going to the lengths of choreographing a routine does seem somewhat excessive for showing a mark of respect. However i think the poor people in these regions probably have alot more to worry about then goal celebrations.

[devilsadvocate]

Injuries have ravaged Everton this season and it shows via their position on the table.
However, what must be really disappointing is that their fans are showing their true colours and deserting the club in droves.
I watched snippets of a replay of the weekend game against Brum and there were HUGE patches of empty blue seats. Likewise when Spurs played at Goodison, there were masses of empty areas.

For a club that argues it's bigger than Liverpool ( ), their recent crowds are an embarrassment.

Looking back at last year when Spurs were in a similar predicament (being shit, but without the injuries!!), all games continued to sell out and the fans stuck by the club.

It's the shit times that make the good times so much better......33 years JTC?

[Bully]

could be the time of the year tho, being christmas people may be spending there money on presents rather then watching a game. How much is it to watch a premier league game? and what is it equal to in aussie dollars? The arsenal game against hull had a few empty seats and also the villa game had a few patches of empty

[devilsadvocate]

could be the time of the year tho, being christmas people may be spending there money on presents rather then watching a game. How much is it to watch a premier league game? and what is it equal to in aussie dollars? The arsenal game against hull had a few empty seats and also the villa game had a few patches of empty

Arse and villa are both pretend clubs as well though

[johntheclaret]

The recession and Christmas has hit attendances so you're spot on there bully but everton has suffered more than say Liverpool

As for cost it's about $50 to watch the clarets, $100 to watch chelski, and $60 to watch everton

Still, I'll be there 28th December to help boost thier numbers

[Bully]

The recession and Christmas has hit attendances so you're spot on there bully but everton has suffered more than say Liverpool

As for cost it's about $50 to watch the clarets, $100 to watch chelski, and $60 to watch everton

Still, I'll be there 28th December to help boost thier numbers

so its different for each game or club? i thought it would be standard across the board like an AFL/ARL game here in oz?

[johntheclaret]

Yeah mate
Each club sets it's own admission price and there are different ticket prices depending on where you sit
At turf moor the cheapest set is £19 and the dearest is £25

Man U is quite cheap from around £24 upwards. Chelsea has the most expensive starting at about £42

I think £1.00 = $1.70 ish

[johntheclaret]

Everton reveal 'positive' talks in bid to leave Goodison Park for new stadium
Everton have held 'positive' talks with Liverpool council over plans for a new stadium. The two sides met following the Government rejecting their plans for a new home in Kirkby

Well it's not before time. Everton have by far the worst stadium in the EPL imo and that was reinforced when I went there for the clarets game. Ageing wooden stands and very poor facilities.

[Bully]

Great win by everton. Thank you for putting Man City back in their place, i have been coping it from a few city fans i know lately over them winning 4 in a row, but i kept saying they havent played any better or quality sides as yet. And with Evertons performance today that proved it as city looked like they never got off the bus.

Bellamy....well doesnt he have a hot head.

[Bully]

wheres cossi this morning??? great result by everton. played well all game. Roonel looked well of the mark. COuld it be no rooney no man utd???/ seen as he was no where near his best against the toffees and man utd lost??

[devilsadvocate]

Great win by the Toffees.

They're on a huge hot streak. Had they not had so many injuries at the beginning of the season, they might be challenging for 3rd.

Gossling and Rodwell are super talented and when he applies himself, Pienaar is a great player.

Let's also remember that Felliani and Timmie weren't playing and Everton are still without Jagielka too.

[Bully]

Yes if they had all there players free of injury who know where they would be sitting in the table. possibly 3rd/4th

[fish]

A little belated but: Congratulations to Everton for avoiding relegation this season.

[Bully]

yes congrats to everton, they have been playing great, who knows where they would be if they had have stared the season well