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[Season Diary]

January 2004

If it happened and it was Everton-related, it's right here in the comprehensive Season Diary.
Items are in reverse chronological order (more recent first). 

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 January 2004


News Headlines & Features


170th derby peters out to goalless draw
31 Jan - A very lively first half saw plenty of goal-mouth incidents and the odd moment of controversy as Martyn pulled off two magnificent saves to deny Gerrard, while Dudek stopped Gravesen's jinking run by saving with his legs and then pushed a Stubbs header over the bar at the other end.  The second half started with Rooney missing badly with just Dudek to beat and Gerrard again trying his luck, screwing a shot inches wide of the post after both sides came out unchanged.  Cheyrou then missed the same way Ferguson had done in the first half by glancing a free header wide from right in front of goal.  With Everton defending deep and having seemingly settled for a draw midway through the second half, Le Tallec connected with a corner but Hibbert headed off the line.
Match Report

It's all in the mind
30 Jan - As we gear up for the 170th Merseyside derby, Everton's need for a victory is urgent, not only to put one over the old enemy for the first time in five years but also create some momentum for a sustained bid for European qualification.  With Liverpool grinding their way through another erratic season, they are there for the taking if David Moyes can do something he has thus far surprisingly failed to do: inspire a decent performance in a Mersey derby game from his players in which the fans can at least be proud. 

Moyes with "something different"
29 Jan - David Moyes recognizes that his record against local rivals Liverpool is not that great.  He believes he has put his finger on something different about the way Everton should play against the reds that might just turn things in our favour... but he's not giving anything away as the anticipation over this season's Anfield derby builds up to Saturday's kick-off.  The game is on live tv for exiled Evertonians overseas: check you local listings.

Moyes own story
27 Jan - Some of you may have missed this excellent interview with David Moyes that appeared in last weekend's Sunday Times.  Moyes talks about having to change in the Premiership, after climbing through all the other divisions with Preston probably had allowed him to become a little set in his ways.  And it was double training sessions during the break in Tenerife that the players didn't like...   Absorbing stuff!

Jeffers rescues lucky Everton
25 Jan - Francis Jeffers finally claimed his first goal for Everton since his return on loan from Arsenal as he scrambled home an equaliser with a minute to go to force a replay at Loftus Road in 10 days' time.  Having dominated the first half as usual, it was the same frustrating story for David Moyes's side who missed plenty of chances to turn their vast superiority into goals.  And, again, three minutes into the second half, the opposition went ahead, this time Sean Davis fired home a rebound from close range.  With confidence visibly deflated, Everton struggled to create anything from then on until Moyes threw Jeffers on for the last 5 mins.  With stoppage time looming, Ferguson knocked down a corner and The Ears was on hand to save the tie. Match Report.

A frustating state of affairs
23 Jan - The modern game of football is all about money, with the agents the pivotal characters in numerous nefarious financial deals that are part of the downfall we are now witnessing.  Dermot Corrigian has been reading about them in Broken Dreams by Tom Bower, who covers many of the dubiuos deals that were put together in the 1990s — including a number involving our old friend Walter Smith, who made sure he became a millionaire while transfering dross like Peter Degn in and out of Goodison.

Weir off injured for Reserves
22 Jan - Everton Reserves chalked up a good win against Manchester United on their own turf after second-half goals from Steve Watson and Niclas Alexandersson, despite losing David Weir in the first half when he was stretchered off with what could be a serious knee-ligament injury.  The Everton line-up also included Gemmill, Watson, Li Tie, Nyarko, Clarke and Osman, while few names in the United line-up were instantly recognizable.  Read this report from Steve Milne.

McBride signs for Fulham
21 Jan - Brian McBride has signed for Fulham after talks with Blackburn broke down when he would not agree to a clause that would have given him a paycut if Blackburn are relegated.  The 31-year-old MLS star, who joined Everton for two months last season and scored 4 goals (what are they?) in seven starts, has to undergo a medical and obtain a work permit before he can play for the nasty Cottagers.  So we don't expect to see him in the Fulham line-up to play against Everton in the 4th Round of the FA Cup at Goodison Park on Sunday, although Chris Coleman is trying to rush his signing through.

Brickbats for the Board
18 Jan - A home defeat, in a game we should have won if we had played a little bit better — and coming on the back of last week's hugely disappointing result at Fulham — has upset many fans, not least Nick Armitage.  Who is to blame for our current misery?  Well, of course, it's the Everton Board of Directors, who's continuing inactivity during the January Sales seems unaffected by yet another worrying slide down the table toward the dreaded drop zone...

The Revival Stalls
17 Jan - David Moyes's target of 4th place looks a distant and laughable prospect following a second consecutive frustrating defeat in a game that Everton should, again, have won.  A solitary goal by former Blue, Graham Stuart, was enough for Charlton whose own uninspiring performance belied their lofty league position  Moyes chopped and changed up front again and appeared to go against everything that fuelled the recent revival, dropping Radzinski and playing Rooney from the start.  Although they applied pressure in the last third of the game, a Duncan Ferguson shot cleared off the line was as close as the Blues came.  There will still be no new players arriving this month, though...

Kenwright pondering share deal
13 Jan - Steve Allinson of the Everton Shareholders' Association has approached Bill Kenwright and Paul Gregg with a proposal that could raise up to £15M in extra capital for the Club.   The plan is similar to one employed successfully at Celtic a few years ago, and involves issuing 15,000 new shares that will be available for fans to buy after being offered to existing shareholders.  Read Guy McEvoy's analysis of what it could mean to be Buying you Share in Everton FC.

The Fulham Experience
12 Jan - Shaun Cox describes the unpleasant side of supporting Everton at away games: exposure to the mindless racist minority who persist in spoiling the experience for genuine fans, by dispensing their pathetic bile on players and supporters of both teams.  The club is doing what it can to Kick Out Racism at Goodsion, but these travelling idiots represent a more difficult challenge to the management and to genuine supporters.

Everton left to reflect on chances missed
10 Jan - Everton's poor record in the Capital continued at Loftus Road where Fulham, our opponents in the FA Cup 4th Round, ran out 2-1 winners due to a combination of good fortune and a hatful of missed opportunities by the Blues.  Campbell, Radzinski, Jeffers and Kilbane all had chances inn the first half but when Malbranque went down Naysmith's challenge a minute before the break, Saha converted from the spot. Less than a minute into the second half, Malbranque shot from an angle and it was 2-0... all that domination worth nothing.  Kevin Kilbane unleashed a 30-yard wonder strike to give Everton hope with 10 mins to go but more missed chances condemned Moyes's side to their first defeat of 2004.  Reports by Andy Westlake and Paul Trail.

Radzinski on the mark to earn valuable draw
7 Jan - There was to be no repeat of Wayne Rooney's dramatic injury-time winner of last season, but a Tomasz Radzinski goal 16 minutes from time was enough to earn the Blues a highly-deserved point against high-flying Arsenal. In a game of few chances, Kevin Kilbane saw an effort cleared off the line before Kanu waltzed through to slot past Nigel Martyn and open the scoring after half an hour. Rooney missed a glorious chance from 4 yards out and stung Lehmann's hands with a ferocious free kick in the second half before Francis Jeffers shot, the 'keeper parried and Radzinski followed up with his left foot to fire home the equaliser.

Ring any Bells?
4 Jan - Lifelong Everton fan Pete Scoffield has picked up on yesterday's criticsm by Shaun Cox of the Everton Board of Directors for their parsimony in the transfer market.  In this piece, he provides a pointed history lesson from Everton's darkest days in the lower half of the old Second Division.  Does he have a valid point?  Many fans will doubtless agree with his outrage and anger towards the Board.  What do you think?  Discuss this at our new ToffeeWeb Forum.

Ferguson at the double from the spot
3 Jan - Two penalties by Duncan Ferguson on top of Kevin Kilbane's headed opener were enough to send a confident Everton through to the FA Cup Fourth Round. A chances-filled first half saw Ferguson go close with two good headed chances before Kilbane did the business on 15 minutes to open the scoring. However, the Canaries equalised totally against the run of play from a sweet strike by Jim Brennan that canoned off the post and in. Alan Stubbs was felled in the area in each half and both times Ferguson rifled home the spot-kick to seal the Blues's passage to the next round.

toffeeweb.kfogarty.com
1 Jan - As the Internet develops, many users are asking for more interactive facilites that are better suited to their needs. Kenny Fogarty has invested supreme effort in setting up this new suite of Everton discussion forums specifically as an extension to the ToffeeWeb site, using cutting edge phpBB software.  We urge you to register and get posting so that you, our readers, can dictate the tone and content of these forums from the start.  Meanwhile, the People's Forum morphed briefly to become Mere Green Old Boys...

 

Snippets & Rumours


Yobo on target in Africa
31 Jan - Joseph Yobo scored the opening goal for Nigeria in their 4-0 win over South Africa at the African Nations Cup.

McBride scores on Fulham debut
31 Jan - Brian McBride came off the bench to scramble home the winner over Spurs in his first game for Fulham.

Shareholders Forum
30 Jan - Investment in Everton is the topic for a special Everton Sharehlders' Association Forum a week on Monday. Guest speakers include the secretary of the Celtic Trust.

Boa Morte plays racist card
30 Jan - Waiting until the day after he is charged with misconduct by the FA, Fulham's Luis Boa Morte now claims that Diuncan Ferguson called him a 'black cunt' during an off-the-ball incident in last Sunday's FA Cup tie.

Can't we leave well enough alone?
30 Jan - The newly imposed transfer windows have only been around five minutes and there's talk of scrapping them for domestic moves. Have FIFA got nothing better to do?

More disruptions on the way
29 Jan - As if international breaks weren't a big enough obstacle to maintaining momentum in the league, Premiership clubs have voted in principal for a 13-day mid-winter break starting next season. Incidentally, Scotland just did away with theirs.

Boa Morte charged by FA
29 Jan - Fulham's Luis Boa Morte has been charged under Football Association rule E1 for improper conduct during the Blues' 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road earlier this month. The charge apparently relates to obscene gestures he made to Everton fans.

Clarke may be needed
28 Jan - Peter Clarke may get another chance to show if he can make the grade in the Anfield derby, as David Unsworth is suffering with a back problem.

Kids hold Toon Reserves
28 Jan - This one slipped by under the radar on Monday, with a young and inexperienced Everton team playing out a 0-0 draw against Newcastle Reserves.

Winter wants to ruin one more derby
28 Jan - He's suffered jibes about his fake tan from David Moyes and will remain in infamy among Blues fans for allowing Gary McAllister to steal crucial yards before putting a 40-yard free kick past Paul Gerrard to win a Goodison derby in stoppage time, but Jeff Winter wants to officiate one more Merseyside derby before he retires.

Kenwright: the anti-Scrooge!
27 Jan - Bill Kenwright has arranged to lay on coaches to get 2,500 fans down to London for the FA Cup replay at Fulham next week, footing the bill from his own pocket from some of the proceeds of his West End production, Scrooge.

Morocco stun Nigeria
27 Jan - A late winner from Youssef Hadji that left Joseph Yobo standing saw Morocco secure a surprise win over Nigeria in the African Nations Cup today.  Yobo was booked after just 7 mins of the game.

Hammers... if we beat Fulham
26 Jan - Everton have what should be an added incentive to beat Fulham in the 4th Round replay a week on Wednesday as the winners have been drawn at home to West Ham.

Osman out on loan
26 Jan - Leon Osman has gone out on loan for a month to Derby County, in the quest to get some decent first-team experience under his belt.

Dunford drops the ball again?
25 Jan - Michael Dunford appears to have been caught offside when the Nigerian FA allowed other African Nations Cup players to play on for their Premiershiop clubs 10 days after Yobo had joined up for training in Morocco.

No to Bulykins
24 Jan - As usual, the latest transfer rumour is denied by Everton as being "completely untrue"... although Dimitry Bulykin has been training at Bellefield this week (go figure!).

Joey Barton — Evertonian
24 Jan - Manchester City's Joey Barton tells how he grew up as an young Evertonian youth player but had to look elsewhere when the age-group he was developing in was disbanded by Everton.

Everton Football up for auction
24 Jan - Are you interested in helping a good cause, and getting a signed Everton football as your reward?  Click the link and scroll down to near the bottom of the page... bids are up to £60 already!

Boa Morte could face FA charge
24 Jan - Luis Boa Morte could face FA action concerning the infamous 'lighter that missed by a mile' incident at Loftus Road earlier this month. A police spokesman has suggested that Boa Morte could have incited the Blues fans with obscene gestures.

Weir out for TWO MONTHS!
23 Jan - It was confirmed on Friday that David Weir has reinjured the medial knee ligament the damaged against Chelsea earlier in th season, and will now be out until at least April.

Jeffers option open to Wenger
23 Jan - Contrary to prior belief, Arsenal can recall Francis Jeffers from his season-long loan if Arsene Wenger needs him — which, with three strikers unavailable, is not out of the question.

How did he stay 4 years?
23 Jan - 'I am not bringing Jay-Jay Okocha to Everton. He's turned 30, is on XX pounds a week and is past it. Think again.' So said Walter Smith to David Prentice 2 hours before he signed David Ginola. Incredible.

O' Hanlon set for Swindon spell
22 Jan - Youth prospect Sean O' Hanlon, a defender, looks likely to join former Blue Andy King on loan at Swindon Town according to Sky Sports. The loan move was later confirmed by various sources.

Gray's advice for Moyes
21 Jan - Sky pundit Andy Gray joins the murmurs among the Everton faithful with his assessment that David Moyes needs to stick with one striking partnership if he wants the goals to start coming.

Simonsen considering his options
21 Jan - Prescient of his position in the lengthy line behind Nigel Martyn for the Everton goalkeeper's jersey, Steve Simonsen expects to remain at Goodison for the remainder of the season as cover but he is out of contract in June and likely to move on.

Pitch Problems
21 Jan - Everton may need to relay the hallowed Goodison turf again this year, as David Moyes believes problems with the pitch have affected the way Everton play.

Protecting Hibbo from burnout
20 Jan - Tony Hibbert was rested by David Moyes last Sauturday to protect him against burnout.

An Evening with Dave Watson
20 Jan - On Friday 6 Feb 2004, Everton Former Players' Foundation presents at the Guild Hall Formby: "An Evening with Dave Watson & Friends" Tickets: £35.00 — call 0151 520 2362

Watson back in training
19 Jan - Steve Watson is overcoming a thigh injury sustained when he pushed himself too hard to regain fitness following earlier hernia surgery.

Lowered expectations
18 Jan - David Moyes sounds remarkably accepting of Saturday's defeat, claiming that he got effort and commitment out of the players.... well, Davey, we need something more — a lot more, and that should be obvious to you.

Gerrard will require surgery
16 Jan - Paul Gerrard will undergo surgery on his knee to clear up a cartilege problem he likely picked up in training. The 30 year-old returned from a loan spell at Sheffield United towards the end of last year.

Parker unsettled by speculation
15 Jan - Scott Parker will not play for Charlton against Everton this weekend after he was 'unsettled' by an unsolicited approach from Chelsea.

China Tour in the works
14 Jan - Everton are planning a tour of China at the end of the season.  No details will be available for a few weeks.

T G Jones – Obituary
14 Jan - An obituary for T G Jones, who died earlier this month, appears in today's Independent.

Reserves fold in cold wind
13 Jan - Everton Reserves lost out to their local rivals Liverpool by a 2-0 scoreline at Haig Avenue this evening.  Read our Report from Steve Milne.

TV Times?
13 Jan - There are indications that both the upcoming Charlton (H) and Liverpool (A) games will be televised to overseas audiences.  Not as good as it sounds... unless we can break the current TV hoodoo!

Yobo off for up to 5 weeks
12 Jan - Joseph Yobo has flown off to join the Nigerian squad for the African Nations Cup in Tunisia.  He will return some time in February.

Contracts due to expire
11 Jan - Brian Shackley has assembled a list of dates on which the contracts of current Everton players are due to expire, and draws some interesting conclusions.

No business in January Sales
10 Jan - David Moyes has confirmed that the club has no money for new transfers in this month's mid-season window, and that no-one will be leaving Everton either!

Under-17s thrash Liverpool
10 Jan - Everton's Under-17s returned from their winter break to thrash Liverpool 4-1. The Under-19s did not fare as well, losing 2-1 at Blackburn.

Player of the Month: December
10 Jan - How some howled in derision when David Moyes spent £1.1m right on the transfer deadline for Killer Kilbane and how he has proved the doubters wrong. He is your PotM for December.

Injury worries won't dim the gloss
8 Jan - David Moyes has some injury problems in midfield (Kilbane joins Gravesen & Nyarko in the treatment room), but it was worth it in the physical contest against Arsenal that Everton could and should have won.

We deserved to win this one
8 Jan - A battling and well-structured performance by Everton deserved more than just a point against the Gunners last night, insists David Moyes.

Wenger expects Jeffers back in May
7 Jan - Arsene Wenger has revealed that it is "certain" that Francis Jeffers (who David Moyes believes left Everton too soon) will return to Arsenal and the end of his season-long loan at Goodison. He's not sure what will happen then, though.

Fixtures Switched
6 Jan - Everton will play Fulham in the FA Cup on Sunday 25 Jan; kick-off 3pm.  Also, the home Premiership game with Spurs has been moved forward to Good Friday (9 April) and will be televised on Sky Premiership Plus PPV: kick-off 8pm.

Fulham at home in 4th Round
5 Jan - Everton have been drawn at home to play Fulham in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, one of four all-Premiership ties.

T G Jones dies
3 Jan - Tommy G Jones, Everton stalwart from the 1930s and 40s, passed away today at the age of 86.  The Official Everton Website carries this glowing tribute to 'The Prince of Centre-Halves'. Obituary.

Player of the Month: December
3 Jan - A much-improved month in December gives us plenty of choices for Player of the Month, so get voting y'all!

We need a Mid-Season Boost
3 Jan - Everton fan Shaun Cox gives his opinion of the statement by David Moyes that there are unlikely to be any new Players bought by Everton in the January Sales because the club is skint.

Nyarko has chipped bone
1 Jan - Alex Nyarko has chipped a bone in his foot that will keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks.

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