Posts Tagged ‘James Vaughan’

Fans cheer Lescott despite City flirtation

Everton 2-1 Malaga

Joleon Lescott was cheered every time he touched the ball as Everton beat Malaga in a pre-season friendly at Goodison Park. Lescott, who has told his manager David Moyes he wants to leave, might have expected a tough night but his name received the loudest applause when it was announced before the game.

Any mild dissension was drowned out by the vast majority of Toffees fans who clearly wanted to let the England international know they do not want him to join big-spending Manchester City. Everton say they have not had a third bid from City after two previous ones were rejected.

Last season’s FA Cup finalists have not had the best of pre-seasons, with only one win in six before tonight. Moyes had criticised his players’ poor attitude after Tuesday’s defeat at Blackpool and they improved markedly against the Spanish side.

Everton were ahead after 14 minutes when Louis Saha scored from eight yards after the Malaga goalkeeper Gustavo Munúa flapped at a Leighton Baines cross under pressure from Tim Cahill. Four minutes later Leon Osman guided the ball wide of Munúa from Steven Pienaar’s pass for the second.

Everton were comfortable until the break but three minutes into the second period they conceded from a stunning 30-yard free-kick by José Juan Luque. Marouane Fellaini then hit the foot of a post with a spectacular turn and shot before being replaced by Dan Gosling.

Everton gave James Wallace, James Vaughan and Jose Baxter late run-outs to complete a victory which will boost confidence ahead of next weekend’s Premier League opener against Arsenal. Lescott played the full 90 minutes and was left in no doubt about the crowd’s feelings when the Gwladys Street fans sung his name at the end.

“The crowd gave Joleon Lescott a good reaction because they understand that what we are doing is right,” Moyes said. “We’ve been very consistent on this and said Joleon would not be sold. I cannot comment any further than that.”

Reluctant hero Jagielka seals final place

• Phil Jagielka scores decisive penalty to reach final
• Sir Alex Ferguson blames pitch for fielding weakened team

David Moyes revealed he persuaded Phil Jagielka to take the decisive penalty that swept Everton into their first FA Cup final for 14 years at Wembley and shattered Manchester United’s ambitions of winning an unprecedented quintuple.

The England international emerged the reluctant hero of Everton’s passage to a final with Chelsea on 30 May, having harboured reservations over taking part in a dramatic penalty shoot-out ­following his ordeal in the Uefa Cup last season. Everton exited against Fiorentina as a consequence of Jagielka’s penalty miss in a shoot-out at Goodison Park. However, after Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand had their spot-kicks saved by the former United goalkeeper Tim Howard, the defender stepped forward to beat Ben Foster and a side weakened by, what Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, admitted, was a direct result of the Wembley pitch.

“I don’t think Phil was entirely keen on taking one, but he had scored in training this week and that stuck in my mind,” Moyes said. “I asked who wanted one and there were a few heads nodding. I looked at him and said, ‘You all right for one Jags?’ I think if he’d got his way he might not have taken one, but I didn’t have too many takers on the day.

“James Vaughan went up and he’s not played for four months, and Jags missed his last one against Fiorentina. There weren’t many to pick from to be honest and then when Tim [Cahill] missed the first against United, who are probably the world’s best at shoot-outs because they have done it so many times and won the European Cup on one, you fear the worst. But good on our goalkeeper, he made two excellent saves. It took great courage for James to go up – and Jags after what happened to him in the Uefa Cup last year. Jags has grown as a player and to take that pen shows how much he has come on in recent years.”

Jagielka was also the key figure in an otherwise drab semi-final’s major talking point, when he tripped the United forward Danny Welbeck inside the penalty area only for the referee, Mike Riley, whose appointment Moyes had questioned before kick-off, to wave play on. “I did touch him,” the Everton defender admitted. “I don’t know how much that contributed to him going down. Maybe I got lucky, but we’ll take that luck.”

The Everton manager had asked the Football Association to review Riley’s appointment last week, alluding to an alleged leniency on the part of the ­referee towards United. Ferguson said Moyes’s “mind game” might have influenced Riley’s decision, but insisted he had no regrets over ­resting several main ­players for an FA Cup semi-final.

Ferguson, who insisted Wayne Rooney should recover from an ankle injury in time to face Portsmouth at Old Trafford on Wednesday, argued: “It might have had an effect. You can’t be certain, but all that nonsense about [Riley] being a Manchester United supporter is just ridiculous stuff. Someone put that in David’s head at a press conference. You never know if it influenced him or not. All I would say is he’s got to be 100% certain to give a penalty in a big game like this. If he sees it again he’ll know he’s made a mistake but why would the lad [Welbeck] go down when he’s gone around the goalkeeper and left him stranded? It was a clear penalty.”

The United manager left Cristiano Ronaldo, Edwin van der Sar and Michael Carrick out of his squad and revealed he would have started with Berbatov, Paul Scholes and possibly Patrice Evra, who were all substitutes, had it not been for the state of the Wembley pitch. “When I saw the pitch in the semi-final yesterday I decided I didn’t want to go to extra time with my strongest squad and that we had to be bold with young players with fresh legs. This club is built on giving young players a chance and they didn’t let me down today. I now know that I can use any of them in the important games we’ve got left this season.”

The Everton captain, Phil Neville, who scored against his former club in the shoot-out, admitted the FA Cup final would represent one of the high points of his career. “It’s one of the proudest moments of my career – to lead the team out at Wembley in the FA Cup final,” he said. “They say your next achievement is the best and that is certainly how it feels. We’ve beaten the best side in the world – it’s just a really proud moment. We’ve done it the hard way.”

The defeat was Ferguson’s first in an FA Cup semi-final as United manager and Moyes dedicated the victory to the club’s raucous support. “They were incredible and they willed us on to victory.”

Football: Striker Victor Anichebe has put his place in tonight’s FA Cup derby with Liverpool and his future at Everton in jeopardy after being sent home following a row with manager David Moyes

The Everton striker, Victor Anichebe, has put his place in tonight's FA Cup derby with Liverpool – and his long-term future at the club – in serious jeopardy following a training ground row with manager David Moyes.

The Nigeria international was sent home from training yesterday as Moyes was preparing his squad for the fourth-round replay with Rafael Benítez's team at Goodison Park. It is believed Anichebe, upset at his lack of opportunities at Everton and the club's refusal to allow him to join Hull City during the transfer window, informed the Scot that he could not train or feature against Liverpool due to injury.

Moyes responded furiously to Anichebe's latest injury complaint, doubting the severity of the problem and ordering the 20-year-old, his only available forward for tonight's tie, to leave the club's Finch Farm training ground. The Everton manager has not finalised his squad for the fourth-round replay but is likely to be open to offers for the forward at the end of the season.

Everton have declined to comment on the incident, although sources have denied reports that Anichebe swore at Moyes or that the striker had to be escorted from the training ground by members of the club's medical staff.

Anichebe has made little impact at Goodison even with Yakubu Ayegbeni, James Vaughan and Louis Saha out injured this season, and Moyes has preferred to employ midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini in attack during the trio's absence. The striker, a product of the Everton youth academy who has scored only 11 goals for the club since making his debut in 2006, saw his first team opportunities hindered further by the arrival of Jo on loan from Manchester City.

Anichebe would, however, have been involved in tonight's derby in some capacity and Moyes will not take kindly to the striker disrupting his plans on the eve of such an important game.

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Premier League transfer window: Everton sign Manchester City striker Jo on loan

David Moyes has handed Manchester City's misfit striker, Jo, the opportunity to resurrect his faltering Premier League career by bringing the Brazilian to Everton on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old joined City for a then club record fee of £19m only seven months ago but, following an undistinguished spell on the pitch and a controversial time off it at Eastlands, he has been allowed to make the temporary move to Goodison Park with Mark Hughes's full blessing.

Jo has made just six starts in the Premier League this season and 18 appearances in total for City, with two of his three goals for the club arriving in a Uefa Cup win at Omonia Nicosia. While his arrival from CSKA Moscow last summer was acclaimed by the City manager, it is believed the Brazilian was signed at the behest of the club's former owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, with Hughes harbouring reservations over Jo's ability to adapt to the Premier League and his discipline. The striker, capped three times by Brazil, was fined earlier this season for missing training with tonsillitis only to be spotted clubbing in Manchester city centre and Hughes was known to be determined to part company with Jo in the transfer window.

Despite his inauspicious start to life in England, Jo's arrival at Goodison Park will come as a relief to Moyes. The Everton manager has been desperate to improve his striking options having relied heavily on a makeshift midfield pairing of Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini in attack since injury deprived him of Yakubu Ayegbeni, James Vaughan and Louis Saha. Moyes had wanted to sign Jo on a permanent deal last summer only to be blown out of the running by City's greater resources.

There is no agreement in place for Everton to sign the Brazilian permanently in the summer – the Merseysiders cannot afford his City wages or their asking price – and Jo is ineligible for Wednesday's FA Cup replay with Liverpool at Goodison. The striker is expected to make his debut for Everton against Bolton on Saturday.

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Premier League: Everton win 3-0 on Sbragia’s debut as full-time Sunderland manager

Sunderland's visit must be one of the most eagerly anticipated days in the Everton calendar. Nine Christmases ago the Wearsiders ushered in Bill Kenwright's reign as Everton chairman on the receiving end of a 5-0 rout and last season Everton heaped rare humiliation on Roy Keane in a 7-1 mauling that went straight to DVD. Yesterday, against a side without a recognised striker and with only one home win all season, Sunderland were at their compliant best once more to launch Ricky Sbragia's tenure as manager in inglorious fashion. It was never this tough as a caretaker.

"I'm pleased to be given the job but I don't feel good about losing like this," said the Scot, who was confirmed as Keane's successor on an 18-month contract on Saturday. "A lot more responsibility will be reflected back on to me now, I know that, but while I'm disappointed we can't let this affect us. The aim is to stay in the Premier League and we are not clear of trouble yet." Nor will they be on this form.

Everton could not have hand-picked better opponents to improve their measly return at Goodison and David Moyes will ponder where his sixth-placed team could have been but for a return of only 10 points from a possible 30 at home. Their total of 64 in 2008, however, represents Everton's best in a calendar year since winning the league title in 1987.

In the absence of Yakubu Ayegbeni, Louis Saha, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe, who returned as a late substitute, set pieces have gained in importance for Everton and were the source of victory for the third time in four matches. Sbragia's full-time debut unfolded promisingly for nine minutes until Mikel Arteta executed his first free-kick. Kieran Richardson, required at left-back in a defence diminished by injury and a virus that sidelined Anton Ferdinand before kick-off, set a pattern for needless free-kicks in front of the Sunderland goal with a careless lunge on Leon Osman. Arteta's response contained both power and precision and with the Spaniard finding a gap in the wall between Kenwyne Jones and Richardson the Sunderland keeper, Marton Fulop, could only palm the ball into his net.

Everton revelled in the comfort of their early lead. Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar struck up a productive rapport down the left, Phil Neville impressed in a holding midfield role and Phil Jagielka quashed what little adventure was offered by the isolated Djibril Cissé and Kenwyne Jones. Marouane Fellaini almost capitalised on a mix-up between Fulop and Danny Collins before Arteta again struck from a free-kick to set Everton on course for their first home win since 1 November. This time Steed Malbranque was at fault with a trip on Pienaar and, after his first effort struck the wall, Arteta volleyed the rebound beyond Fulop with the aid of a generous deflection off Teemu Tainio.

"We spoke about not giving any free-kicks away around the box and then we gave them two early on," said Sbragia. "We didn't do ourselves justice. We were second best all over."

Carlos Edwards forced Tim Howard into his one and only save of the contest at the start of the second half but, despite the improvement in effort from Sunderland, Everton's right to victory was never challenged. With seven minutes remaining Dan Gosling, an 18-year-old midfielder signed from Plymouth Argyle in January, marked his second league appearance for Everton with a tap-in from Joleon Lescott's cross. "The lads all gave him a standing ovation when he came into the dressing room afterwards," revealed Everton's assistant manager, Steve Round.

Man of the match Mikel Arteta (Everton)

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