By: Brian | March 15th, 2011
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A happy Tuesday to everyone, this article marks the beginning of what hopefully will be a long and fruitful partnership between the Everton Offside and Royal Blue Mersey. This article comes to us courtesy of Tom at Royal Blue Mersey, and I hope everyone enjoys.
This week marks the ninth anniversary since David Moyes’ appointment as Everton manager – A remarkable achievement given the trigger happy nature of Premier League chairman these days. He is the third longest serving chairman in the division behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger and only the fourth manager to reach 500 Premier League points alongside the aforementioned pair and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp. It hasn’t always been good times but if you consider the state we were in when he arrived, definite progress has been made. I remember being thoroughly depressed at the dismal 3-0 FA Cup defeat against Middlesbrough at the Riverside – think this year’s game at the Reebok only worse. The team is now unrecognizable from that rabble. To mark the occasion I have, for each year of Moyes’ reign, picked my favourite goal. Starting with the very first strikes just seconds into his first game…..
March 2002 David Unsworth v Fulham
Wayne Rooney’s goal against Arsenal ran it close but David Unsworth’s volley after just 30 seconds of Moyes’ first game takes my vote. The players, so, so poor the week before against Middlesbrough, appeared re-invigorated against Fulham and despite Thomas Gravesen’s sending off just before the break doggedly held on for a vital 2-1 win. Plus I backed Rhino to score the first goal – the drinks were on me that evening!
February 2003 Thomas Radzinksi v Southampton
The 2002/03 season was a vast improvement on the previous few campaigns with Moyes starting to exert his influence on the squad. We were suddenly competing at the top end of the table again and come February were in the hunt for a European spot. Southampton were doing well too and would end the season in the FA Cup Final. They led for much of the game at Goodison through James Beattie (remember him?) before Tomas Radzinski headed home the equaliser from a magnificent Wayne Rooney cross with just seven minutes remaining. Then, in injury time, the ball was pumped towards the Pole on the right wing. He ran at the Saints defence before going on the outside and unleashing an unerring, right foot thunderbolt that nearly burst Antti Niemi’s net. Goodison went crazy.
December 2004 The Carsley Derby
The 2003/04 season was one big fat disappointment, with the club achieving their lowest ever Premier League points total and ending the campaign 17th – just one place above the drop zone.
With England’s new hero Wayne Rooney abandoning us on deadline day the following summer my hopes for the season were to somehow try and avoid the drop. So to see the club rocket up to 4th is still something I find astonishing. The highlight of 2004 was undoubtedly the Lee Carsley derby, a result that put Everton in third, uncharted territory for us in the Premier League era.
The goal came midway thought the second half when Carsley collected Marcus Bent’s lay-off and side footed home from the edge of the area past a wrong footed Chris Kirkland. The sight of all the players jumping on top of the midfielder, with Tim Cahill signalling to the crowd at the summit, is one of the Everton images of the decade.
April 2005 Big Dunc at it again
Another year of two halves, spring 2005 saw the Toffees secure 4th place and a spot in the Champions League qualifiers. They took a huge step towards that by beating Manchester United for only the second time in 10 years, with the man who scored the winner back in 1995 doing so again. Duncan Ferguson, successfully employed as a super-sub for much of the season, stooped and twisted his head onto Mikel Arteta’s swirling free kick to put the Blues on their way to a memorable win. Such a pity then that all that good work was tossed away the following autumn!
September 2006 Andy Johnson’s derby
After a dismal end to 2005 Everton recovered to finish the season 11th and in the summer, with the banks obviously feeling generous, Everton stretched the overdraft to sign Andy Johnson for £8.5million from Crystal Palace.
He had an immediate impact, scoring on his debut against Watford then against Spurs at White Hart Lane before Liverpool arrived at Goodison.
Tim Cahill slid the Blues on front on a sunny Saturday lunchtime on Merseyside before Johnson capitalised on a Jamie Carragher mistake to slot home the second just before the break. With time running out in the second half Johnson was on hand to head home his second and Everton’s third after Carsley’s shot was only parried by Reina.
I was always a fan of Johnson and felt Moyes insistence to play 4-5-1 worked against him. In the end though £11million is a good deal considering what he has done since though he will be remember fondly by Toffees supporters for this match in particular.
April 2007 Faddy’s wonder strike.
There are last minute goals and there are last minute goals. With a nervy Everton clinging onto their European place for grim life Darren Bent’s last minute equaliser for relegation threatened Charlton looked to have secured the Londoners a point. But James McFadden had other ideas. We all knew the Scot had talent, but his inability to show it on a regular basis was what frustrated the fans. His time at Goodison will be remembered by Blues fans mainly for this goal, where he knocked the ball over an advancing defender before volleying low into the bottom left corner to secure the three points and sending Everton spinning into Europe for the first time since 1995.
February 2008 Yakubu v SK Brann
A weary end to the 07/08 season and a slow start to the 08/09 season means the choice is limited when picking League highlights from 2008. Thankfully our European run gave me plenty to choose from. Had we gone through the Fiorentina game would have been a definite contender, but the agonising defeat tarnishes what was a magical night at Goodison. My pick instead goes to the Yak on a goal-filled night against SK Brann at Goodison. Several spectacular goals were scored but my favourite was when the Yak dummied to strike and sent two defenders sliding across the floor before cutting inside and lazily putting the ball in the other corner. The Nigerian was in fine from that season, with that goal summing up his confidence at the time. It makes his decline in form and subsequent departure all the more frustrating.
April 2009 Jags’ penalty
Only one contender for this in my eyes. True the eventual defeat to Chelsea takes the shine off the semi-final win and the game itself was pretty dreadful. But Evertonians across the World won’t forget the penalty shoot-out that began with horrendous miss from Tim Cahill but ended with Phil Jagielka slamming home the winning kick – with two Tim Howard saves sandwiched in between.
The cheers from the Everton end following the winner and the sound of Z-cars booming over the Wembley PA system makes the hairs stand on my neck even now.
April 2010 Jack Rodwell arrives
Another season of two halves, the 2009/10 season only picked up after Christmas and the run we embarked on was the main reason why we were so optimistic at the start of this season. The Man United game was the undoubted highlight, with the Toffees coming from behind and storming to a 3-1 win. The pick of the goals came from Jack Rodwell, who seared his way through the United defence before calmly stroking home into the bottom corner. I think Fergie has had his eye on Rodwell ever since.
There have been plenty of other highlights (and lowlights) in the last nine years but what are your favourites? And will Moyes still be in the Goodison hotseat to celebrate a decade in charge? His comments recently suggest he won’t. – please Leave your comments below.
Category: Opinion
Tags: Everton, FA Cup, Opinion, Toffees, Wayne Rooney
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