4 Jan 2003

Match Preview

The romance of the FA Cup.  A soggy Third Division quagmire of a pitch, and a team bumbling along near the foot of the Third Division... managed by an all-time Everton hero, Kevin Ratcliffe — the youngest captain to lift the FA Cup.  What more could you ask for?  How about the fact that David Moyes also played for Shrewsbury Town at one time?

This Third Round tie therefore has all the vital ingredients, and all the potential for an upset of mammoth proportions if David Moyes fails to drag the team out of the collective torpor that hung over them on New Year's Day...

Wayne Rooney may get one more chance to strut his stuff before his enforced lay-off, now extended to four matches.  David Unsworth will probably return as he may well have been part of the equation that has been missing for the last four games in which Everton have looked a pale shadow of the confident Premiership assailants who sailed up the league table on the back of six wins in a row.

On paper, of course, the gulf in class is massive.  But this is the FA Cup; there are no foregone conclusions, that's why they actually play the games rather than merely going by the form book.  It's football: anything is possible. 

Humiliation

They showed up in their thousands, travelling for miles for this fixture and left with a smile on their faces. 

But enough about the Shropshire Constabulary.  The Evertonians who made the journey certainly didn’t leave smiling — quite the opposite in fact. 

David Moyes made a few changes (some enforced upon him due to illness and injury) from the side that was dismal against Manchester City on Wednesday.  Lee Carsley started on the right in place on Steve Watson, Radzinski was handed a role partnering Rooney, Scott Gemmill came into the side for a rare start replacing Li Tie, and an even more surprising name on the team sheet was that of England U-20s captain Peter Clarke who came in as right back for his first start of the season.

A healthy number of Evertonians crammed into a packed Gay Meadow and fully expected a comprehensive Everton victory.  From the kick off, though things started to go badly wrong.  The pitch was poor for sure but wasn’t nearly as bad as expected.  A tidy Everton start saw a fair bit of possession and some decent build-ups led to Radzinski and Rooney squandering opportunities.  Shrewsbury held their own and hit Everton on the break on several occasions in the opening period with the back-from-suspension Unsworth guilty of being caught out on a couple of the Shrewsbury counter attacks.

Around about midway through the first half Everton started to lose their way.  Peter Clarke was having a nightmare in the right-back position (a couple of decent crosses aside) and Thomas Gravesen went into headless-chicken mode – kicking opponents, misplacing passes, not tracking back and complaining to the referee when he got a shove (instead of getting on with it).  In fact it was a reckless challenge that led to a free kick being awarded on the edge of the Everton penalty area which former Nottingham Forest player Nigel Jemson bent into the near top corner of the net (I haven’t seen a replay but maybe Wright should have had it covered).

Everton were rightly booed off at half time and things were so bleak that Niclas Alexandersson was brought on for Gravesen (substituted for the second time in a week).  To be fair to Alexandersson, he did show a few nice touches, yet looked reluctant to take a man on.  It was in fact Alexandersson who scored the Everton goal, cutting in from the edge of the area and producing an assured finish into the net past the hapless ‘keeper.  The away end exploded and the relief could be seen on fans and players alike.

Surely this was it now – Everton would go on and kill the game off with their superior fitness and skill levels... Well, er...

Li Tie was introduced for the tired Gemmill who, although he misplaced many passes, was perhaps the most composed Everton player today.  He looked to keep hold of the ball and pass it on the ground – something we’ve missed of late.  If memory serves me right, he also had a major part to play in the goal. 

Li Tie, minutes after coming on, missed an absolute sitter to kill the game off after a Rooney pass in the area.  From eight yards out the Chinese International somehow misjudged the ball and fell into a heap... was it going to be one of those days?

Rooney, Alexandersson and Radzinski were then guilty of missing chances that would have given Everton an undeserved lead.  I say undeserved because Shrewsbury caused our defence constant problems all afternoon.  We were hurt on the flanks and it is a must that Tony Hibbert and Joseph Yobo regain their fitness if this run of poor form is to end.

In the last five minutes, we were holding on by the skin of out teeth.  With the clock showing ten to five, the floodlights on, the Match of the Day cameras fixed on the action — it was quite obvious what was coming next.  A cross from the right saw Shrewsbury dangerman Nigel Jemson left totally unmarked to head the winner from close range.  Nobody around me could believe what an amateur display we were watching.  It was a disgrace to the shirt, the badge and the great supporters who turn out in numbers every game.

The final whistle blew and the Shrewsbury fans went mental.  The Everton players trudged off to the loudest booing heard under Moyes’ reign.  This really was a pathetic performance – on par with anything messrs Walker and Smith churned up.  To be honest, the past few weeks has been utter dross and David Moyes has a lot of work on his hands to turn the ship around.

“Disappointing” as Moyes’ predecessor might have said.

PLAYER RATINGS

• Wright (6)  Did his job reasonably well.  May have done better for the first goal.
• Clarke (4)  Played out of position but looked totally out of his depth I'm sad to say.
• Unsworth (4)  Not the Unsworth who started the season so well.  Passing was poor and he let the Shrewsbury winger have too much time.
• Weir (6)  Average performance.
• Stubbs (6)  Did okay although his passing was poor at times.
• Carsley (5)  Created nothing for us all day.
• Gemmill (7)  Best of a bad bunch of midfielders. At least he knows how to keep a pass on the ground and always looks for the ball.
• Naysmith (5)  Didn't create enough; looked too lightweight.
• Gravesen (4)  Atrocious.
• Rooney (7)  Tried to create something but it just didn't happen for him today.  Some good touches.
• Radzinski (6)  Ran his socks off and should have scored.  Poorly serviced but needs to run at defenders more — especially 3rd division standard defenders!!
• Alexandersson (6)  Didn't track back or fight for the ball but looked dangerous on it.  Well taken goal.
• Li Tie (5) Should have scored.
• McLeod - Came on too late to warrant a rating.

Paul Gregory