It's all in the mind

1999: Kevin Campbell scores the most recent winning Everton goal in a Mersey derby

David Moyes has predicted "something different" from Everton in this weekend's Anfield derby, the 170th league installment of England's most hotly-contested local rivalry.  On the evidence of the three performances in Merseyside derbies over which he has presided since taking the Goodison reins, a call for a different approach is welcome news indeed.

While we didn't always come away with a result, it was a signature of the Royle, Kendall (Mk III) and even Smith regimes that Everton were always the better side during match-ups with the dark side.  League placing, the form book and the huge gulf in transfer budgets went out the window on derby day as the Blues relished the opportunity to take on the Red hordes irrespective of the venue.

It was that attitude that helped keep us unbeaten by Liverpool for five years between 1994 and 1999.

However, while the attitude, performances and average league placing have all been lifted by the arrival and methods of Moyes, our form in derby matches has inexplicably suffered leading to progressively worse scorelines over the past two years.  After guiding the Blues to goalless draw in his first all-Mersey fixture, Moyes saw his team lose the next two and set an unwelcome record of four consecutive losses to Liverpool at home.

By contrast, we've beaten Liverpool just once in the last five seasons and it came, interestingly enough, at Anfield courtesy of that famous Kevin Campbell goal in the 4th minute.  So the precedent is there that we the underdogs can win on the dark side's home turf and there would be no better time than Saturday when victory would provide perhaps the last chance for Everton to launch a sustained bid for European qualification.

Not only must we bury the recent derby jinx but we desperately need the confidence that would come from shooting down Houllier's band of under-achievers in preparation for the visit of our ultimate nemesis, Manchester United.

Moyes has given no hints of the change in approach that he and his players will take this weekend, except to say that he is not talking in terms of formation or personnel.  However, it is to be hoped that he does switch things around a bit and that — where Wayne Rooney in particular is concerned — he has noticed the difference in The Boy's form (and the team's) in January compared to the mini-revival we saw in December, when he was employed primarily from the bench.

It was strange that Moyes turned his back on what was proving to be a successful strategy — Rooney's impact from the substitute's bench was a crucial element of the success last season.  It will be interesting to see if he keeps his number 18 out of the starting line-up this weekend now that Francis Jeffers has finally broken his scoring duck.

As far as Liverpool go, it's been another erratic season with Houllier doing just enough to keep both his job and, by consequence, us Blues happy — don't tell anyone at Anfield but they're never going to win the league with him in charge!  One thing is for certain: despite their recent improvement in form, they are far from invincible.

So this is a very important game in many respects.  The pack of clubs chasing the fourth Champions League place are fast running away from us so three points will keep them within reasonable proximity.  We are also due a win in a Mersey derby and if, as this up-and-down season suggests, we're going to have to be content with another mid-table finish, a triumph over the old enemy could be the highlight of the campaign!  Finally, we desperately need some momentum to take not only into FA Cup 4th Round replay at Fulham next week but also to distance ourselves from the brewing scrap to avoid the drop at the bottom of the Premiership.

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Lyndon Lloyd

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