Opinion

Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar are players with something to prove. For the Croatian the Premier League represents the chance to show he can score goals at the highest level. Thirty goals in forty-five Scottish Premier League games represents an excellent return, however, as everyone knows – old firm games aside – the standard is lower, the game north of the border less demanding. That said David Moyes has history; he specializes in picking players from the lower leagues, players who are scouted and flagged-up by lots of clubs as having potential, but time and again it has been Moyes who has had the judgement to step up to...

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EVERTON 1 (Gibson 59) – MANCHESTER CITY 0 Suddenly and quite unexpectedly Everton have found their mojo. It arrived yesterday along with a pile of late Christmas presents which included the signing of a promising centre-forward from Glasgow Rangers and the return of a prodigal son from exile at White Hart Lane. Something had been missing this season. From the very first game back in August, a dispiriting, lacklustre 1-0 defeat to QPR at Goodison, the tempo had been dull, the football lacking in passion and fight. The spark which fanned the rejuvenation was probably struck last Friday evening when Everton defeated Fulham 2-1 in the FA Cup and a hard-working unknown...

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EVERTON 2 (Stracqualursi 27, Fellaini 73) – FULHAM 1 (Murphy 14, pen)   Everton came from behind to keep their interest in the FA Cup alive thanks to headed goals from Denis Stracqualursi and Marouane Fellaini, both created by the exquisite feet of Landon Donovan. The Fox Soccer channel transmitted this game live across the United States billed as Donovan vs Dempsey, a title reminiscent of a heavyweight showdown from Madison Square Garden. It turned out to be a one-sided bout with Donovan the clear winner after he delivered two knockout punches. On twenty-seven minutes he cut inside and sent over an accurate  left-footed cross which Stracqualursi superbly glanced out...

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It’s a tough life being the owner of a Premier League club, so spare a thought for Mohamed Al Fayed on today his seventy-ninth birthday. His club is categorized as ‘small’, it is frequently used by “buggers” like Mark Hughes as a stepping-stone to supposedly bigger and better things, he has the oligarch funded Chelsea next door and his historic stadium is bounded by the River Thames on one side and highly desirable, expensive housing, much of it owned by bonused-up City workers who wish nothing more than for Craven Cottage to just go away. He has fed the club with enough funding to keep it  mid-table and then,...

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In the absence of a takeover by an Indian industrialist, baseball-franchise-owning American or a Gulf state, or indeed investment of any kind, Everton better get used to being self-sufficient. In crude terms this means selling in order to buy. Being less emotional, more ruthless, about off-loading players who have been loyal, but are past their peak. Being cold, calculating and business like. The possibility of selling Tim Cahill for a rumoured £3.5m to QPR was met, in some quarters, by howls of anguish.  However much we admire the man these are just the sort of tough decisions which have to be addressed; Cahill is 32 years old and cost...

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