Match Preview

Another six-pointer heads our way this Saturday as we visit Pompey, with another the week after against Leicester at Goodison to look forward to — we are clearly back where we fervently hoped we wouldn't be again.

After starting the season well, Pompey appear to be running out of steam.  The experienced veterans that Harry Redknapp has based his team around in Sheringham, Sherwood, Berger and Stone — quality players all — already appear to be a yard behind the Premiership.  They do have a few good youngsters, particularly in Matty Taylor, but they are too inexperienced to plug the gaps and the team looks destined for a long winter.

Upfront is where Pompey have their strength in the wily Sheringham and powerful Yakuba but, with Berger out suspended, only Stone has the class in midfield to supply them.  Even Nigel Quashie is now out for 3 months.

At the back, Shaka Hislop is out for a while.

For us?  Well, given another blank from our frontline last week — even though we actually threw Jeffers, Rooney and Radz on at once this time — changes can be expected.  The impact of Campbell may see him start though both him and Ferguson played in the Reserves' 3-2 defeat on Wednesday night, Ferguson scoring again, and it will be interesting to see who Moyes puts in the squad — never mind the starting line up.

At the back, the injuries continue with Yobo and Hibbert having late fitness tests; Weir and Pistone (and Wright) are definitely out though Watson did play as well on Wednesday.

It may have just been me but an air of desperation suggested itself in Moyes's line up on Saturday with our first three-man front line and Li Tie starting his first game of the season.  It's important that Moyes keeps his nerve and belief at this difficult time.  The 4-4-2 formation played solidly — it is what he built Preston on and what gave us success last year.  But 4-3-3 puts the onus on Rooney and, frankly, at the moment he is well off the pace.

I'm not predicting our line up this week as I am confused and I must admit very worried.  Any 11 that Moyes picks should win on Saturday but we have been down here before and we know that it doesn't work that way.

A goal for Rooney would do wonders for the team as a whole and if it were the first then I am sure it would herald 3 points but it may just be the prodigal son who kick-starts this one (which one - Ferguson, Nyarko or Jeffers?).

1-0 to the Boys in Blue and Jeffers to score.

BlueForEver

Lee Doyle

Matchday Stats

Everton have met Portsmouth 47 times in total, with 23 of those meetings coming at Fratton Park.  However, this will be the first meeting between the clubs in the Premier League.

Everton's full record against Portsmouth is:

Whilst our record at Fratton Park is even less impressive:

The last match between the two sides was on 5 October 1994 in the Second Round of the League Cup when a last minute goal by Portsmouth knocked us out of the competition after they had won 3-2 at Goodison Park two weeks earlier.  This match saw the Everton debut of Duncan Ferguson and the then manager, Mike Walker was just 34 days away from the sack.

The last league meeting between the sides was in the old First Division, on 9 April 1988 at Goodison Park with Everton running out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Adrian Heath and Trevor Steven.  The last league meeting at Fratton Park was on 21 November 1987 with a Graeme Sharp goal ensuring a 1-0 victory for Everton.

Everton have won the last 5 meetings between the sides in the league, with 2 of these being at Portsmouth.

Everton's biggest victory was a 5-0 win in the very first meeting between the two teams in the 1903 FA Cup at Goodison Park.  The biggest win at Fratton Park was a 4-1 victory in the league in the 1929-30 season and a 3-0 victory, again in the league, in the 1931-32 season.

Everton's biggest defeat against Portsmouthwas a 7-0 reversal in the 1949-50 season, which is also the club's biggest defeat at Fratton Park.  Unsurprisingly this was the season that saw Everton relegated to Division Two.

The most common margin of victory at Portsmouthis 1-0, which has happened on 2 of the 6 times Everton have won at Fratton Park.  Portsmouth's most common margin of victory is shared between 3-0 and 3-2 which have both happened twice in Portsmouth's 13 victories. The most common draw is 2-2 which has happened twice.

In contrast, Everton's record for 13 December is markedly better.  The full record is:

Everton and Portsmouth have met once before on this date in the 1958-59 season.  The match at Goodison Park ended in a 2-1 victory to Everton with Edward Thomas getting both goals.

The only other Premier League match on this date was a 0-0 draw at home to Wimbledon in the 1998-99 season.

Milestone's that can be reached in this game:

• If Kevin Campbell scores, it will be his 50th goal for Everton in all competitions.
• If Alessandro Pistone starts, it will be his 50th start for Everton in all competitions.
• If David Weir starts, it will be his 150th start for Everton in the Premier League.

Steve Flanagan

Rollercoaster Ride

After about 20 minutes, this was as bad as it gets.  Getting absolutely drenched in the worst ground I've EVER been to (completely al fresco seating in the away end, four portaloos for toilets), going 1-0 down after a lousy Gravesen pass and playing like a bloody pub team. 

By the end though, it felt fantastic — we equalised whilst still playing badly but, after that, we looked like we could score most times we went forward.  The real turning point was when Watson went off injured and Rooney came on to play as a makeshift winger and, by God, he was brilliant.  For the first time all season, he was given space to run at defenders and he skinned the full back several times with a beautiful repertoire of feints and shimmies.

Gravesen really grew in stature as the game went on and he picked out Rooney with some great balls.  Much like against Leeds, when Gravesen had options either side (Naysmith had a stormer too), he sprayed the ball around well and really drove us forward. 

The headlines will no doubt be dominated by Rooney's yellow card.  He was extremely lucky to get away with shoving Steve Stone over and his petulance was completely unwarranted as it wasn't that bad a tackle on him.  Much hilarity and relief in the away end as Rooney was sent back on after trudging towards the tunnel.  (He did the same later on when he thought he was being subbed but in fact wasn't !)

Great win; acute pneumonia a small price to pay...

Ratings:

• Martyn - 7 - couple of great saves second half - kicking a bit ropey
• Pistone - 7 - bit shaky for the first 20 minutes as he clearly wasn't match fit but it's great to have him back and his composure on the ball was a real asset
• Stubbs - 7 - generally very solid (if slow). Was bailed out by Unsie second half after missing a header.
• Unsworth - 8 - great game from Unsie. Again, pace isn't his strong point but he is a good man marker and made some decent last ditch tackles. His woeful distribution is less of a problem at centre half too.
• Naysmith - 8 - my MOM today. Defended really well but his most telling contribution was going forward and he made both the goals (as far as I could tell through the driving rain). Looked more of a menace than Kilbane down the left.
• Watson - 6 - not really on long enough to make any judgments.
• Gravesen - 8 - a beautifully weighted defence-splitting pass for Portsmouth's goal. As I said above, he looked a different player once Rooney was on to give him options.
• Carsley - 7 - today was the sort of roll yer sleeves up, trench warfare kinda day which was made for Carsley. He's not a great footballer by any means but he gives it his all, gets into the box and took his goal very well.
• Kilbane - 7 - he did a job of sorts and was unlucky not to score with one rasping drive. Never looks like beating his man and getting the ball in often enough though.
• Radzinski - 7 - should have scored at least a couple but his movement was good and he beat his man to get a great ball in in the second half.
• Campbell - 7 - we look better for having a big centre forward because we just don't have the resources to play the ball to feet for 90 minutes. Held the ball up well.
• Rooney - 8 - see above. Great skills and movement, good goal but prone to tantrums.

I'm off for a Lemsip...

Andy W