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About As Bad As It Gets

On the way home we tried making light of the situation. I mean, from the outside looking in you would have to laugh at the ridiculousness of relegation candidates Wigan turning up at apparent Champions League hopefuls Everton and having the audacity to batter them 3-0. Looking at the bigger picture however and it’s sad that Moyes will in all probability leave Everton with nothing to show for his 11 years of service.

Gary was shocked I was driving the game today such was his, and it’s fair to say the vast majority of attendees to yesterday’s disaster. He felt, as seemed perfectly reasonable, that I’d be keen to join him in celebratory mode once Everton had booked their place for another trip to Wembley. As it turned out the only thing I could be happy about following yesterday’s farce was that I had driven the game and was able to drive far, far away from Goodison Park as quickly as possible once the game was over.

It all started nicely…the day at least. The pub not too busy and everyone in good spirits. Whilst confident we’d concede goals with Mucha and Heitinga amongst our back line, I was also optimistic we’d be able to score more than them, particularly following Wigan’s 0-4 pounding to our beloved neighbours last weekend.

The queues outside Goodison Park were vast as we made our way into the ground just as the teams came out. Phil Neville the only surprise inclusion in place of Gibson. My assumption was that Gibson was left out due to his thigh injury though as he came on later in the game it seems this was just a poor decision from Moyes. Robles took goal for Wigan with Everton-curse Paul Scharner playing in defence. Kone led the line in attack. We attacked towards the Gwladys Street in the first half.

I thought we started with reasonable zest and tried to take the game to Wigan though they stood firm and soon got a foothold on the game. How different things might have been had Jelavic snap-shot just drifted past Robles or Distin’s header had found the corner as intended, though that was about as good as it got for Everton.

Wigan easily could have scored before the y ran riot. The impressive Maloney very unlucky not to score after his curling effort clipped back off the inside of the post and away. Everton failed to take heed of the warning and were alerted again to Wigan’s threat to goal when Kone headed over with a reasonable chance; and were then given their final warning when James McCarthy’s free kick was well saved by Mucha. Disaster was about to strike but we can’t say we weren’t warned…

Figueroa headed in from the resultant corner. Tuts and groans throughout the ground (the delighted Wigan end aside) though you felt we’d get going again before long. Sadly Everton located the self-destruct button and pressed it firmly…Phil Neville the culprit, inconceivably playing a shocker of a pass straight into the path of McManaman. The Evertonian still had a lot to do but he did brilliantly and finished past the onrushing Mucha. Perhaps Mucha shouldn’t have come out so hastily, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it again since but the Slovakian was beaten and unless Everton could buck their ideas up and quickly so too were Everton.

Just in case there were any lingering hopes of grabbing a replay out of this one they were extinguished when Gomez finished coolly to put Wigan three goals to the good. Everton deflated. Some of the crowd now at breaking point. Myself – stunned. Just completely stunned. You knew Everton’s bottle had gone when from the restart the ball was played to Coleman who looked up for options though with no movement ahead of him anywhere he played it back to Mucha who could only smash the ball into the crowd. That was too much for many of the Goodison faithful already. Some perhaps left then. I imagine Everton made a bit more cash than normal on Chang sales at the break.

This is where Moyes is very fallible in my opinion. Why on earth Gibson wasn’t in the starting XI anyway was a stunner, but having picked Neville who’d made an awful error for one of the goals, had been booked and was an obvious choice for a more positive replacement, he still waited until half time to replace him. Gibson should have took to the field there and then as we clearly needed to make more of an assault on Wigan before half time. The game didn’t have to be dead. One goal could have changed everything but it just wasn’t going to come at all. I thought back to around this time nine years ago when Everton were 0-3 down and getting battered by Manchester United. His response then – bring on Naysmith, Rooney and Radzinski and go for broke. We then saw a determined Everton full of character come out for the second half and get the score back to 3-3. OK, we succumbed to a 3-4 defeat in the end but the application was there. You left the game at least proud of Everton’s efforts. We didn’t see even a glimmer of that drive yesterday and the solitary half time introduction of Victor Anichebe for Phil Neville didn’t inspire confidence that anything similar was to happen this time. Where was our fiery and determined manager of those years ago yesterday when we needed him? Gibson should have been on sooner with Barkley and Anichebe on at the break also. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain in going for it here. Osman and Jelavic should also have made way at the break. Fellaini was playing awful also but would probably have been worth keeping on just in case he came to life.

The crowd still tried to encourage the team as much as possible in the second half but as passes repeatedly went astray and basic errors were continually made all over the pitch it got tougher and tougher for the crowd and the players didn’t show nearly enough required character and endeavor to get back into the game. Breaking point for many came when Fellaini tried to do something about it and carried the ball forward but then hopelessly misplaced his pass and looked to the air in frustration rather than attempt to retrieve the ball. The crowd told him as much but he still did nothing about it. Moyes quickly subbed the Belgian who just strode off for the most part and went straight down the tunnel apparently amidst a chorus of boos. We’ll do well to even recoup our £15m this summer on the basis of that display.

The clock ticked on, the dream faded and pockets of empty seats mushroomed throughout. Substitute Barkley (who replaced Mirallas just as the Belgian seemed to be coming to life) hit the side netting late on when perhaps he should have scored, though if not for generally alert defending by Distin (by a mile our best player on the day) throughout the second half and good sweeping up by Mucha a fourth for Wigan probably looked more likely than a goal for Everton. Gary departed long before the full time whistle. Ste and I left in injury time when Wigan made a substitution. Phone off and straight to the car.

On the way home we tried making light of the situation. I mean, from the outside looking in you would have to laugh at the ridiculousness of relegation candidates Wigan turning up at apparent Champions League hopefuls Everton and having the audacity to batter them 3-0. Looking at the bigger picture however and it’s sad that Moyes will in all probability leave Everton with nothing to show for his 11 years of service.

Who replaces him, what happens to the squad and how we progress without him are three of a number of questions which will need answering in the summer as I’m sure he’ll be departing.

10 games to go. 30 points to play for. Hopefully our squad can somehow react and finish the season well. I wish I cold be more positive but I just don’t think our tired squad has enough about them to finish the race and can only see a struggle from now until the seasons end.

Perfect opportunity then for the team to show their metal next weekend against the Champions.

Player Ratings:
Mucha: Possibly at fault with the second goal but made some good saves otherwise and swept up to good effect in the second half. Hard to blame Jan really. 6
Baines: At least kept going though couldn’t produce enough at the top end of the pitch. 6
Distin: Easily our best player. Man of the match. 8
Heitinga: Was made to look quite the fool quite frankly. Glaring back at the crowd when they tell you so won’t win you any favors either Jonny. 4
Coleman: Improved slightly towards the end but didn’t get going or up the pitch enough. 5
Neville: Awful. Don’t know why he started the game. Dreadful error for the second goal. Only contribution was a shot from the edge of the box which was a few yards wide. Is probably at the end of his Everton days this summer. 3
Osman: Kept on going at least as he skippered in the second half. Is trusted by Moyes as he does at least show some character and doesn’t hide like some of his colleagues but should have been replaced by Barkley at the break given he wasn’t playing well and had already collected a booking. 5
Pienaar: One of few to emerge with any credit as the effort was at least there. 6
Mirallas: Was poor for the most part but was just showing some signs of coming to life when he was replaced by Barkley. One of many poor decisions by Moyes. 5
Fellaini: Looked as though he’d just got out of bed throughout. Didn’t get involved and didn’t look interested in doing so. Was booed off more for his reaction to losing the ball, and then the way in which he departed the field. Perfect opportunity for him to get the fans back onside next Saturday of couse. 3
Jelavic: Started well and was busy but as the team faded so did he and he had no confidence or endeavor to get into realistic goalscoring positions in the second half. The drought continues and he should be dropped for Anichebe. 3

Substitutes:
Anichebe (for Neville): Got involved but failed to impact on the game as we hoped he might have done. 5
Gibson (for Fellaini): Would have helped his cause to come into the game earlier than he did. He just couldn’t impose himself on the game in the 25 minutes he had. 5
Barkley: Showed some positivity and was a little unlucky not to score. Should surely be more involved for the remainder of the season now. I don’t see what we have to lose by giving him a run in the team. 7

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