Dear BBC, Why oh why oh why?
Posted by Ian Marshall's Double in Everton | 8 February 2006
If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same;Rudyard Kipling
Last night's game was pretty self-evident and in all honesty the last thing we needed considering the run we are on at present.
It's hard to know what to think of Everton at present. When they are doing well, you find yourself being remarkably harsh on the players. It's like demanding that Sheedy and Steven are replaced after a quiet-ish extra time in the 1985 Cup Final. When the team are struggling like mad, you find yourself discovering positive aspects in the commitment of the likes of Mitch Ward and Carl Tiler.
This is a team on a great run but its pretty clear they are not world-beaters. A few thoughts from last night;
- How surprised were you when you heard that Richard Wright had some ‘freak’ injury? This is the bloke who injured his shoulder falling out of his loft
- Maybe Chelsea’s pitch is in such a state due to Joe ‘temper tantrum’ Cole beating it with his fists in frustration when a decision doesn’t quite go his way
- Did the two managers agree to swap Valente and Maniche at half time as they share the same double chin?
- Still thought Hibbert played well, he truly is the king of the last ditch tackle
- Great to see Carsley back, some serious competition in midfield now
- This game could have been a serious 7-0 candidate earlier in the season, it’s a mark of some progress that it wasn’t
A final non-Everton thought from the cup replays. Nepotism is rife in football, with Paul Dalglish, Gavin Strachan and Darren Ferguson all getting games above their station due to some kind of unswerving Sunday Morning football dad mentality.
Next in this long line is Alex Bruce, son of Steve. Having had a Captain Caveman-esque collection of lower division clubs for such a youngster, he popped up at centre-half for his old man's team on Tuesday night. And who's that being muscled out of the way for Reading's equaliser, yep, our Alex.
Moving from one former United so-called 'hard but fair' man to another, Saturday sees the visit of Mark Hughes t'Rovers. Preview to follow shortly.
