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Season 2008-09
Everton (a) Premier League
 
  Date: Sunday 5th October 2008, 4pm
Live on Sky

Venue:
 Goodison Park

Conditions: 
f**king lovely

Admission: £29-33 (all lower tier)

Programme:
£3
 

Everton

Newcastle United

2 - 2

Teams

Goals

17 mins In a rerun of his miscalculated challenge against Hull, Butt upended an opponent towards the byline of his own box. Baines however looked to have lost the ball before Butt connnected with him, but not the ball. Referee Webb correctly awarded a fourth penalty against United in seven games and Arteta sent Given the wrong way from the spot 0-1.

35 mins There were questions over Coloccini again as Baines found space down the left and the Argentinean was rooted to the spot as a looped a cross to the near post for Fellaini to react ahead of Given and Cacapa and stab home his first Everton goal  0-2.

45 mins Seconds before the half time whistle sounded, Geremi was gifted the ball by Yakubu on the United right. His long looping cross found an unmarked Steven Taylor beyond the far post at the Gwladys Street End and he headed the ball back across Howard. Game on.  1-2.

Half time: Everton 2 Newcastle 1

47 mins Barely 70 seconds after the restart, Taylor found himself in space down the United right as Pienaar gave the ball up as a lost cause. He pulled the ball back from the byline for Damien Duff to steer home a low shot - TV replays confirming that the defender had been played onside. 2-2.

Full time: Everton 2 Newcastle 2

We Said

JFK post-match quotes (compiled from various sources): 

"It’s a big job – I understand that, and I’m aware of that. And anybody would need locking up for not taking this job.

"Now, I’m really looking forward to the home match with Manchester City in a fortnight’s time.

"The players showed real character, and they deserve all the plaudits. They worked hard and were maybe unfortunate not to get maximum points.

"It’s a great start, and the main thing was not to get beaten. I’ve been in the game long enough to know what was in store for me had we got beaten, but that’s all done and dusted.

"I was delighted with the overall performance from everybody concerned. I had a few choices to make about what shape to go with, and one idea was to play Damien Duff up front with Michael Owen.

"We went with that, having practised keeping the ball on the ground. We had ideas on catching them out. It was all plusses from everybody, and we’ve got something to build on now.

"It was disappointing that we gave away two goals, but I didn’t harp on about that at half-time – I kicked it into touch.

"It was about us getting back in the game. I was delighted with the goals. It was two crucial moments to score – one just before half-time and one just afterwards.

"“In the second half, for long periods, I was reasonably confident we would edge it and win it 3-2.

"I’m not interested in doing press. Anything I say will be on TV and radio because what’s been written in the press has been scandalous.

"Nothing that has been said has been true and they have dug up every Tom, Dick and Harry that ever played for me and I let go to have a go at me. 

"I don’t mind being criticised on results but if people start looking for me I won’t accept it. I’m capable of doing a good job here if I’m left to get on with it.

"What was said in the past has gone. What you see with me is what you get and there’s no grudges, no problem.

"Don’t you want us to be in a better position when I leave than what we are now?

"Wouldn’t you rather, when these eight or 10 games are over, see us on 15, 20 points or would you rather us be stuck on four? Would that make you happy?

Speaking about his appearance in the tunnel towards the end of the game that marked the second and final one of his touchline ban:

"If the FA want to be that trivial that’s up to them but I just went down to make a substitution. I couldn’t get a reception on my phone, that was all.

"That was all I was doing down there and I was going back anyway, so there was no need for any policeman to have a word with me or anyone. I wasn’t told to do anything.

"I was very pleased with the comeback, great character. But I’m frustrated, we had two kicked off the line and the players gave me everything.

"We played two small strikers against two well-developed centre-halves, but we passed the ball round them at times.

"We had other opportunities. The character was first class – everyone would have felt at 2-0 down that it was all over. But we stuck at it and almost won it.

"The situation at the club cannot get any lower. And everything that has been said this week hasn’t helped much. 

"You
(journalists) have a job to do the same as me but what I could not understand with you lot is that the job I have taken is for ten games, but I cannot see what is being gained by all the sarcasm that has been flying around.
"

They said


David Moyes
said: 

"There's never a good time to concede a goal. But that was bad. We gave Newcastle a lifeline.

"It changed my mood, it changed the crowd's mood and it changed the players' mood because we were all anxious in a game that we had been in total control of.

"We were cruising at 2-0 up and I was about to go into do a positive speech at half-time, but then we conceded. Not only that but we conceded another in the first minute of the second half. 

"During the break I told them how important the next goal was. We knew that they would be lifted by their late goal.

"But I thought overall it was better. There were signs that the players were going to get a bit of confidence back but obviously the end result has knocked us a bit.

"It was a good goal by Fellaini and I was pleased because I thought he had an influence in the first half. But we've got to remember that he's a 20-year-old boy who has come into a side that hasn't peaked in his performances so far.

"Hopefully we will start to get some form now. For a bit of the game today we were performing well, but in the end it wasn't enough to get the three points.

"We are a bit fragile at the moment, anxiety crept in. Even during the half-time period. Their dressing room clearly got a lift and ours was down because we had controlled and dominated the half, so to go in just 2-1 ahead was annoying.

"We kept working hard. I know some fans were booing at the end, but they were disappointed we did not win the game."

Stats


Being beaten by Blackburn meant that we'd lost four league games on the bounce for the fifth time in our Premiership history (Dec '97, Apr '05, Jan '08, Mar '08 & Sep '08). However avoiding defeat here prevented us from moving us into uncharted territory with a fifth successive loss.

One has to go back to the grim times of March 1991, when a run of five Division Two defeats for Kevin Keegan & Co. ended with that unforgettable 1-0 home success over Pompey.

Restricting the awfulness to top flight games only, our last five game losing streak in Division One came back in December 1986 (somehow we avoided doing it in the relegation season of 88/89).


Toon at Goodison - Premiership Years

2008/09:
Drew 2-2 Taylor, Duff
2007/08:
Lost 1-3 Owen (pen)
2006/07:
Lost 0-3
2005/06:
Lost 0-1
2004/05:
Lost 0-2
2003/04:
Drew 2-2 Shearer 2 pens
2002/03:
Lost 1-2 Robert
2001/02: Won 3-1 Bellamy, Solano, Acuna
2000/01:
Drew 1-1 Unsworth og
1999/00:
Won 2-0 Hughes, Dyer
1998/99:
Lost 0-1
1997/98:
Drew 0-0
1997/98:
Won 1-0 Rush (FAC)
1996/97:
Lost 0-2
1995/96:
Won 3-1 Ferdinand, Lee, Kitson
1994/95:
Lost 0-1 (FAC) 
1994/95:
Lost 0-2
1993/94:
Won 2-0 Cole, Beardsley

Full record against the Toffees:
  P W D L F A
SJP 74 41 17 16 137 74
GP 75 19 15 41 89 145
League 149 60 32 57 226 219
SJP(FA) 1 1 0 0 4 1
GP 4 1 0 3 1 5
SJP(LC) 1 0 1 0 3 3
GP 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cup 6 2 1 3 8 9
CS 1 0 0 1 3 5
Tot 156 62 33 61 237 233

Both Steven Taylor and Damien Duff scored their first competitive goals of the season, the former netting his fourth on what was his 91st Premier League appearance (including 5 as sub). 

Duff meanwhile celebrated a second Premier League goal in a Newcastle shirt on his 43rd appearance in the league (including six as sub).

Ex-Mag Louis Saha failed to find the net against his former club,having added to the three he got for Fulham against us with one for Manchester United when he last faced us, back in February 2008.

Michael Owen meanwhile failed to score at the home ground of his boyhood favourites for the first time since April 2000. Drawing a blank in front of goal ended a run of five goals in four games at Goodison Park for Liverpool and Newcastle.

Waffle


Joe Kinnear may have been banned from the touchline here after a 2004 indiscretion, but United's interim boss was ultimately grateful to the Football Association for not leaving here with...sweet FA.

Forced to watch proceedings from the stand and consequently missing both Newcastle goals while on the "apples & pears" to the dressing room, Kinnear had been able to restore Guthrie to the side after his three-match ban.

And that not only allowed United to field something approaching a "square pegs in square poles" lineup, but saw them exploit space on the field caused by Tim Cahill's absence for the opposition - after his midweek appeal against a red card failed.

Despite that however, Newcastle still contrived to fall two goals behind for the sixth successive game to mediocre opponents and were apparently heading for a fifth straight loss on this ground as Kinnear left his seat.

Enrique's comeback had lasted 39 minutes and at that point things looked bleak indeed for United, with only an N'Zogbia cross-shot and a Taylor effort blocked by Baines to show in attack. 

It was our makeshift right back though who inspired an unlikely comeback, scoring one and making the other, his header on the stroke of half-time changing the complexion of the game. 

JFK also takes credit for another inspirational C word rant - the C word this time being confidence. 

Twice now he's spoken to the side at the interval and twice they've gone out and scored quickly - the goal here getting us back on terms rather than halving the deficit as it had against Blackburn. And when Duff put in a second, the confidence visibly returned and with it, the prospect of a win.

That didn't come to pass though, with N'Zogbia's close-range shot blocked and Kinnear trying to help conjure up a winner by defying his touchline ban to shouting instructions from the player's tunnel.

At the other end, Given made a superb save to deny James Vaughan and fellow substitute Victor Anichebe was inches wide with another effort. 

That caused home fans to grumble ever more noticeably, even though their side registered a first home point in four attempts this season - little comfort after surrendering a two goal lead just days after losing to your local rivals and then exiting the UEFA Cup to some Belgians.

In amongst the Tourettes talk though there were presumably some tactical words of wisdom from Kinnear, as he benefited from having something to work with on the field.

Guthrie's industry was welcome, Duff found some end product at last and Geremi looked a good deal brighter, partly because this was his first game in eight days after three starts in the previous week.

Someone had done some work on Everton and targeted Baines as being weak when balls dropped in behind him - we once targeted him in a different way; as a transfer possibility when at Wigan.

There's still plenty for Kinnear - and whichever man from the past he digs up as coach - to put right on the killing fields of Darsley Park though, specifically:

The set pieces, or rather the effete wafts that masquerade as corners. Fine whoever takes them for every attempt that fails to clear the first man - our delivery remains horrendous.  

And leading on from that, the ability to poach scruffy goals by getting the ball into danger areas and forcing it in. Some of our lot seem to think loading the box means putting a new game on their Wii...

Another typically manic week in the Magpie madhouse then ended with a morale-boosting point and JFK attempting to joke with some of the pressmen who he'd labelled "slimy c**ts" 48 hours earlier. 

His side had done enough to avoid yet more crisis club headlines during the international break and with the prospect of Gutierrez and Beye returning thereafter, there were hints that the corner could just have been turned after our Black September.

This point took us above Stoke into 18th, while Spurs remained bottom after losing at home to Hull City. And with those two sides meeting the day before we return to action at home to Man City, at least we can avoid sinking to rock bottom, regardless of what Robinho and his new pals conjure up.
 
Under those circumstances - and given what's gone on here lately - this draw felt like a win. 

Whether it's merely temporary respite or the start of a more solid resurgence though remains to be seen, but if nothing else it was nice to be able forget about takeovers, boycotts and whatever else and concentrate on our favourite F word - football.

Biffa
 

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Page last updated 08 February, 2017