Funny how things rarely work out like you plan.

Blackburn had turned up with no notable strike-force; Gallagher, Davies and Sutton all thankfully absent. Everton trotted out the most defensive minded team we must have started with in years. I guess the final scoreline should have been there to see before a ball was kicked.

We played a 4-4-2 with four centre-halves, Short, Materazzi, Watson and Unsworth; it was Short and Unsworth who took the full-back roles. The more obvious full-backs – Cleland and Ball – accompanied Collins and Hutchinson in Midfield. Barmby and Ferguson were up front. The other big surprise of the day (as far as I was concerned) was that not only did Tommy start the game but Simonsen wasn't named as sub.

First Half

The game kicked off and half-an-hour later I looked at my watch to see only five minutes had passed. This game was so drab that all sense of time became distorted. Yawns quickly replaced cheers, conversations amongst fans wandered way off the subject of football. Like the game, the crowd never got going. To attempt to describe any of the action would probably make it sound more exciting, or more likely to produce a goal than it was.

I'll mention only two incidents from the first half. Firstly, Duncan got gifted a ball by a poor Flowers clearance. Although he was clean through and unmarked his first touch was useless and he went way too wide. Making the best of a bad job, he slotted the ball to Barmby who had a clear opportunity, but the shot was tame.

The second 'moment' of the match came just before half-time when Duncan thundered a volley with the outside of his boot. He had done everything right – this time though the post cruelly denied him. Justice I suppose – a moment of class like that was way out of character with everything else that happened in this match.

Second Half

I wasn't too concerned at half-time. I expected our traditional second-half lift. This time it didn't come. More of the sad, clueless same. As if the game wasn't bad enough, we had a referee and linesman who looked for every single half-opportunity to stop the game, as if in fear that if they didn't it may develop a rhythm and – heaven forbid – entertain the punters.

They were card happy sods too. At the end of the game it would probably have been easier for the referee to send a list to the FA of who he didn't book rather than did. The crucial one though was that Dahlin was sent off, quite rightly for elbowing Materazzi.

Barmby had been replaced by Cadamarteri who looked bright enough, but this was a day when it surely would be easy to shine, particularly in the dying stages against ten men... No one really did.

Walter gave Oster a needed vote of confidence, bringing him on in the final minutes; short enough time to make no mistakes and hopefully regain a little self-belief.

As the end came, I frequently was looking at my watch again, my long lingering was not going to be. If truth be known, I couldn't wait to get out the place, my mind was filled with thoughts of sunshine and 'shrimps on the barbie'. The only real football thoughts that cut through this were:

• how much we missed Dacourt,
• at least we hadn't lost,
• what on earth Short was doing at right-back?

We could have put Cleland (or O'Kane) there and had Barmby right wing and Cadamarteri partnering Dunc from the start. The final whistle went and a shuffled out. I didn't even wait for the final scores.

Individuals

• Myhre 6 - Not really tested.
• Short 5 - Good player, playing out of position made him look crap.
• Watson 7 - Fine.
• Materazzi 7 - Must admit for the first few games I thought this guy was Claus Thomsen with dyed hair. Starting to fit in now; confidence noticeably higher. Only criticism is that Unsworth's long-hoof tendency seems to be rubbing off on him.
• Unsworth 7 - Fine.
• Cleland 6 - Not the most noticeable player in the game. Not creative enough to be a midfielder.
• Hutchison 6 - Squad player performance.
• Collins 6 - Seen not one game with him yet where he's convinced me of half his worth. Hope all that changes whilst I'm away.
• Ball 6 - He's a World-Class full back, a good wing-back, but just an above-adequate midfielder. For all his technical excellence, and despite the fact that no way did he have a bad game, I don't think we'll see the very best of him (or the England call-up) if he gets stuck in this position.
• Barmby 6 - Usual industry, usual disappointments.
• Ferguson 6 - Other than the majestic volley, another quiet game.
• Cadamarteri 7 - Looked our most threatening player.
• Oster. - Didn't really get into the game – only on for the last few mins.

"Everton fanzine. Speke From the Harbour. Only a pound!"

The job, which although gave me a perverse pleasure, was repetitive; The smart-alec scally kids taking the mickey, people looking at you as if you were an idiot, and constantly having to move to escape being trampled by police horses was an experience.

Having started my 'apprenticeship' selling fanzines on Wednesday, I recognized a few familiar faces barging past me...a case of déjà-vu. One of these familiar faces was my ex-girlfriends Mum, who having made the trip up from Manchester, was embarrassed into buying a fanzine by myself.

Taking the same old seat in the ground, sitting next to the same old people, I noticed that we were playing with four centre backs in defence: Short, Watson, Materazzi and Unsworth, as well as two 'defensive' wing backs: Cleland and Ball. Blackburn were operating with one striker, Dahlin, so it was hardly surprising that the game resulted in an 0-0 scoreline was it?

As always, the lad sitting next to me was eating some kind of pastry dish during the opening quarter of the match. Today it was 'Scouse Pie', which nearly got thrown over me after just 10 minutes when Ferguson and Cleland both had shots charged down by the Blackburn defence. The lad, with a plastic fork in his hand, jumped up with the pie, lost his balance and nearly knocked the lady in front of him. This, for me, was the most entertaining moment of the first half.

The game quickly turned out to be war of attrition. The play was camped in the centre of the park, with both keepers having little to do, in fact, I can't remember Thomas Myhre having a save to make.

The flow of the game was not helped by having a 'card happy' referee who brandished no fewer than eight yellow cards (and one red). Mike Riley appeared to be intent on stopping the game every five minutes to add his own unique blend of nonsense into the proceedings. He seemed to be very keen on getting involved whenever possible and this in truth helped to spoil the game. Even though we missed his tenacity in the middle of the park, thank God Ollie Dacourt wasn't playing...

However there were some noteworthy moments. I noted four. Four in forty-two minutes.

A shot from Nick Barmby was well saved by Flowers; just before the half-hour Jason Wilcox had a 'goal' disallowed for offside; Collins mis-hit a shot from 18 yards; and Barmby missed another after a knock down from Collins.

However, there was one spark of excitement in the forty-third minute. On the edge of the penalty area, Barmby nodded down for Ferguson to chase. With Flowers stranded, Big Dunc smashed a right-foot shot against the bottom of the upright.

Apart from this incident, the first half can be summed up in one word: dire.

Everton have not conceded a goal in the second half of a Premiership match this season, so when the half time whistle blew there was a least a bit of optimism in my heart. However, as we haven't scored at Goodison this season any hopes that I had were quenched. We were not going to score today, we're saving all our Goodison goals for the Derby.

At least, that's what I believe anyway...

Danny Cadamarteri was brought on for Barmby to inject a little bit of pace in to the proceedings and he chased, harried and without having too much luck, his work rate was a joy to watch. His efforts nearly produced a goal. A long throw from Ball found Danny in the 6-yd box, but in the ensuing goalmouth scramble Everton were unable to find the 'goal-den touch.'

The main talking point was the sending off of Martin Dahlin for elbowing Marco Materazzi in the face. The game itself will not make the headlines; the sending off might.

After the sending off, Everton launched high ball after high ball into the box for Duncan Ferguson. This tactic is quickly becoming synonymous with Everton and is frustrating to watch. Blackburn, like most teams, were wise to this tactic and dealt with 'the threat' quite well. As three out of the four games at Goodison have ended, the scoreline was 0-0.

The entire game can be summed up in one word: dire.

After the last game I wrote an analogy that 'the School of Science was returning after a long vacation.' After today's game the verdict is: "could do better."

Martin's MotM: Marco Materazzi.

Having adapted to the pace of the English game, Marco is improving with every game. He looks assured on the ball, possesses good vision and combines these attributes with being a good ball winner.

1. The changeable weather
2. That we didn't score
3. We missed Ollie in midfield
4. That we played with four center backs in a flat back four
5. That it was played today

And then there was Marco Materazzi...

And that was really about all there is to say about the game, one or two notable incidents apart. So what I'll do is elaborate on each of the statements.

The problem with today's game was the changeable weather.

This is purely personal and might be completely irrelevant to everyone else. At 2 o'clock I was deciding how many layers of clothing I'd need. I settled for three and an outer coat. It seems that over the "summer" I turned rather nesh. A pleasant morning had given way to a cool and misty afternoon, this following the forecast rain.

Got to the ground at about 2:20 and watched the highlights from Wednesday's game on TV Everton. No way should Materazzi's first effort have been disallowed. Danny was the guilty party hovering in an offside position, but interfering with play....never! Anyway, less of that, more of today.

I made my way up to my seat and was hit by the sun, breaking through the cloud. The players had gone in by now and when they re-emerged it was midsummer again (sorry, that should have read, at last) and I was ruing the fact that I hadn't seen fit to apply a layer of Factor 10 sun-block on my aging skin. This change in the weather was obviously the reason why the referee (Mike Riley) applied the rules the way he did. He was obviously under the impression that this was a game of beach football. Shots allowed only from long range.

The problem with today's game was that we didn't score.

Obvious in its simplicity really. Not helped by an official who had patently read the leaflet..."The Best Form Of Defence Is A Referee". He had made his impression on the game after only 15 or 20 minutes. Four bookings. Number of fouls worth the name (forget about those attributable to the latest FIFA directives) – one.

Peacock on a clean-through Barmby. Other referees might have brandished a red. Mr Riley took the common sense approach. He did, I think, get that one right. The others were farcical. Every time each side went forward Mr Riley blew the whistle. The only time Blackburn managed to break free and Wilcox found the net, the linesman's flag was up, rightly, for offside.

As for Everton, we got the break once, a delightful chip from Materazzi found Barmby in space; he flicked it on to Ferguson who, advancing towards the Blackburn goal, hit a thunderous drive across Flowers and into the bottom right hand corner of the... post. We were all dancing and shouting in the Gwladys Street before we realised the ball was still in play.

Save for a wicked deflection in the second half which nearly dropped behind Flowers, and a timid drive from Hutchison just before that, we really didn't do much else to break free of Mr Riley's shackles.

The problem with today's game was we missed Ollie in midfield.

Now this is in no way to say that we were awful in midfield. The fact is, had Ollie been playing he could have been off again. His tigerish attitude would have seen Mr Riley really enjoying himself, brandishing yellow and red alike.

After twenty minutes I was thankful that Ollie was already suspended. Playing and offending today he could have missed the game on 17th October. In the end, the bite that was needed for one side to emerge victorious over the other really wasn't there. Mr Riley saw to that.

The midfield of Ball, Collins, Hutchison and Cleland (later replaced by a timid Oster, obviously still reeling from his treatment on Wednesday), whilst being effective, were never electric.

The problem with today's game was that we played with four center backs in a flat back four.

Unsworth on the left, Materazzi and the ageless Watson in the centre and Short on the right. Now, I know we're strong in the depth of our centre-back squad, but this was a bit strange to say the least. At first I thought we were lining up with a back six (Ball and Cleland playing on the left and right of the back four), with three in midfield (Barmby joining Collins and Hutchison) and only Ferguson up front. Sanity prevailed in the 4-4-2 that we played with. I'm not so sure that Short's best position is right back, though. His distribution was woeful today. Nevertheless Blackburn were so poor up front, without Davies, Gallagher and Sutton, it didn't really matter.

On the left, however, we looked particularly solid with the rediscovered Unsworth settling well and Materazzi imperious in everything he did. He controlled the air, was magnificent on the ground and in one charging run up the middle, during the second half, played a one-two with Cadamarteri (on for Barmby at half time) that really deserved a goal. Offside. Mr Riley again. As it happened, Marco didn't put the ball in the net, but if he had........

Marco was booked late on for raising his foot, I think. I confess to being so bemused by Mr Riley's thought processes that I can't quite remember. He was (Marco that is) instrumental in the dismissal of Martin Dahlin. The two of them had had a running battle all through the game. Nothing violent, just the usual shirt pulling, niggling, you get the picture. This time though, Dahlin had had enough. Up came the elbow, down went Materazzi clutching his face, out came the red card (after discussions with the linesman).

The problem with today's game was that it was played today.

On another day Mr Riley wouldn't have officiated.

And then there was Marco Materazzi

I remember the rock who was Brian Labone. I remember the commanding presence of Kevin Ratcliffe. I remember the quick feet of Duncan McKenzie (this may be one comparison too far!) and now I see Marco Materazzi. He's taken a few games to settle in but I can't wait to see him paired with a fully fit Slaven Bilic. If Slav thrives on having confidence in his fellow defenders then on his return we should finally see the form which won him rave reviews in the World Cup.

Marco is my new hero. Today was a game when nobody played particularly badly, but nobody played particularly well. But Mr Riley the referee apart, the one person who stood out in this game was Marco.

For vast swathes of this match nothing happened. Everton boss Walter Smith was aware that he needed to come up with a tactical master stroke if they were to score their first home goal in the Premiership.

Sure enough, the ball was whacked up to big Duncan Ferguson and his knock down fell to John Collins, who could not convert.

Blackburn darted around diligently but with three strikers missing – Chris Sutton, Kevin Davies and Kevin Gallacher – failed to muster a single shot.

"It's raining problems for us," Roy Hodgson poetically pronounced before the start. At least his side set out to play imaginative football.

As half-time approached Ferguson looked more interested. He ran on to a through ball but his routine shot was saved. Then he streaked away and unleashed a sublime effort from 19 yards which smacked against the post and into safety.

Danny Cadamarteri, architect of Everton's resurrection against Middlesbrough last week, came on as substitute and injected youthful life into Everton's veins. He ran fast at Blackburn and Stephane Henchoz was left striking an ungainly pose as Cadamarteri flew past him on the wing. But with Blackburn scattered, the pull back rolled tantalisingly behind the loitering Ferguson.

Hodgson, a picture of apoplexy on the touchline recently, was unimpressed with referee Mike Riley. "The yellow cards – five for Blackburn, three for Everton – were like confetti at a wedding," he said.

Precious few other participants in a truly awful contest can stake a similar claim. While Everton could gather crumbs of comfort from a handful of chances and Blackburn can point to the valid excuse of the absence of three quality strikers, the performance and outcome did nothing to repair the inconsistency and lack of confidence dogging both sides' respective starts to the season.

Hearts were in Blackburn mouths at the end of each half. First Duncan Ferguson struck the post with a straight and true shot after latching on to Nicky Barmby's knock-down. It was one of the few occasions the Scottish striker had escaped the attentions of the otherwise excellent Swiss defender Stephane Henchoz, who suffered stomach cramps at half-time from suspected food poisoning.

A deflected David Unsworth header and a snatched lob by Danny Cadamarteri at the death were honestly evaluated as mere "huffs and puffs" by Everton manager Walter Smith. "We are struggling to get the breakthroughs in terms of goals. That would have lifted the game a little bit. It is up to us to step up our efforts in that department. When we have got an early goal we have gone on to create a few chances."

His counterpart, Roy Hodgson, had to deploy winger Damien Duff, himself short of match practice, with Dahlin. He is hopeful that that the injured Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher will be back for their second-leg Uefa Cup trip to Lyon on Tuesday. Kevin Davies, hospitalised with a throat abscess, is a long-term absentee.

Hodgson's problems were compounded when Dahlin was dismissed for elbowing Marco Materazzi in an aerial challenge. Words were exchanged with the linesman, who had reported a spitting incident.

Duff had already been substituted for Dunn, who in turn was sacrificed as Blackburn attempted to protect the status quo. "It was a purely tactical move. David Dunn is a bright player and a bright prospect and I was looking forward to giving him 20 minutes but you couldn't have expected him to make an impact on the Everton defence alone. You have got to have something happen to you in your debut to make you remember it," smiled Hodgson. The Blackburn manager had little else to laugh about.

"The ball was either in the air or in the stand. But I have to be proud of my team. We gave a gritty, hard-working, determined performance. I do not think the performance merited seven bookings and a sending-off. At the moment we are on the wrong side of the referees. Maybe, in the fullness of time, that will change. With a view to matches in three or four weeks' time, this match was a disaster," observed Hodgson, topping up the suspensions.

Both sides operated a strict 4-4-2 formation without any noticeable width. Even Blackburn's Jason Wilcox, the only recognised winger, was sucked into a midfield melee that was responsible for four yellow cards in the first 23 minutes.

With Everton using four recognised central defenders, Blackburn's predictable attacks were comfortably smothered. The home side, marginally more threatening after the introduction of Cadamarteri, were similarly blinkered in their use of the central channel and Ferguson as a focus.

Everton have not scored an FA Carling Premiership goal at their house of horrors for 7hr 23min, a run dating back to the 1-1 draw with Coventry City last May. Hence, they have not won a league game at home this season and, on Saturday, their failure to kick a team that was already down was alarming.

The lack of confidence afflicting both these sides indicated that an exciting, flowing game was never on the agenda. However, the simple virtues of passing and control can never have been so betrayed.

On only two occasions did Everton and Blackburn produce any quality. Three minutes before half-time, Nick Barmby headed down into Duncan Ferguson's path and the striker hit the post with a low shot from 20 yards. For Rovers, a promising move between Henchoz, Tim Sherwood and Damien Duff saw Jason Wilcox find the net. Alas, the offside flag had been hoisted

Indeed, such was the footballing bypass that Mike Riley, the referee, provided most of the talking points. He booked eight players, three from Everton and five from the visitors, and sent off Martin Dahlin, the Blackburn striker. Dahlin and Marco Materazzi, the defender, had been involved in a clash moments earlier, allegedly a spitting incident, and then, after 79 minutes, Dahlin appeared to elbow Materazzi in the eye while challenging for a high ball.

Walter Smith, the Everton manager, insisted that the match was not a "war" and joked that his side, even if they cannot score, are on course for a "world record" in bookings, a total that stands at 28 for the season. Hodgson was less jovial. "The yellow cards were like confetti at a wedding," he said. "It will be a disaster for us in a few weeks when the suspensions start."

Such problems can wait, though, for Hodgson's thoughts today will be focused on the Uefa Cup. Blackburn must score at least once in normal time to stand a chance of beating Lyons in the second leg in France tomorrow and they hope to have Sutton and Gallacher, key strikers both, fit.

Kevin Gallacher and Chris Sutton, the successful striking partnership of last season, were both injured and Kevin Davies may have been struggling to find his form because he has been carrying a mystery virus.

Roy Hodgson was left with Swedish international Martin Dahlin and Damien Duff, who fortunately complement each other, the sprightly Duff running on to Dahlin's perceptive distribution.

But the Blackburn midfield are having difficulty connecting with a forward line of any description and yesterday Everton were able to build their moves with confidence.

The home side's first breakthrough, however, had a lack of self-belief that belies their failure to give Everton fans a goal to celebrate in the Premiership at Goodison this season. Duncan Ferguson and Alex Cleland were neat and slick about carving an opening but when the ball finally fell kindly for Nick Barmby, the shot lacked confidence.

John Collins, too, snatched at an excellent chance 15 yards in front of goal, although his distribution continues to be the source of most Everton pride. Three minutes before the end of the first half Ferguson drilled in a solid shot that hit the upright.

Blackburn seemed to lack concentration at the back with a blue shirt first to reach most loose balls. With Everton then uncertain how to punish the visitors, this encounter lacked calibre.

In what is becoming something of a tradition, Everton manager Walter Smith brought on Danny Cadamarteri for the second half. It was a crowd-pleaser if nothing else, particularly as the young striker replaced Barmby, who has so far this season played like a disappointing firework – there is a lot of promising writing on the packet but when the fuse is lit there is a whirr rather than a bang. Cadamarteri is far more energetic, although possibly slightly over-elaborate, and he too incurred a degree of wrath when all that was required of him was a simple lay-off to Ferguson but he judged the angle poorly and another chance was lost.

The suspension of Olivier Dacourt gave Don Hutchison an opportunity to run midfield for Smith's team. He made a reasonable job of it and was prepared to be a jack of all trades, mopping up at the back and teasing defenders on the edge of the Blackburn penalty area. A particularly worthy Hutchison display left Collins with a nicely set up opportunity but again the Scottish midfielder failed to capitalise.

No one could blame Dahlin for feeling frustrated as Blackburn edged their way towards complacency with no hint of taking the lead but he undermined his team's cause further by striking Marco Materazzi in the face. A lengthy discussion between referee Mike Riley and his assistant resulted in the widely anticipated red card in the 79th minute.

Manchester United (1) 2  Liverpool (0) 0           55,181
Irwin 19:pen, Scholes 79.

Aston Villa (1) 1 Derby County (0) 0               38,007
Merson 15.
Charlton Athletic (0) 1 Coventry City (0) 1        20,043
Hunt 74.  Whelan 69.
Chelsea (0) 2 Middlesbrough (0) 0                  34,811
Pallister 46 (og), Zola 81.
Everton (0) 0 Blackburn Rovers (0) 0               36,404

Newcastle United (1) 2 Nottingham Forest (0) 0     36,760
Shearer 11, 89 (pen).
Sheffield Wednesday (0) 1 Arsenal (0) 0            27,949
Briscoe 89.
Tottenham Hotspur (1) 3 Leeds United (2) 3         35,535
Vega 14, Iversen 71, Campbell 90.  Halle 4, Hasselbaink 26, Wijnhard 61.
 

Leicester City (0) 1  Wimbledon (0) 1              17,725    
Elliott 87.  Earle 75.

West Ham United (0) 1  Southampton (0) 0           23,153
Wright 60.
 

Club                          P    W    D    L   GF   GA   GD   Pts
Aston Villa                   7    5    2    0    8    1    7   17
Derby County                  7    3    3    1    6    3    3   12
Wimbledon                     7    3    3    1   11    9    2   12
West Ham United               7    3    3    1    7    5    2   12
Newcastle United              7    3    2    2   13    7    6   11
Manchester United             6    3    2    1   10    6    4   11
Leeds United                  7    2    5    0    8    4    4   11
Liverpool                     7    3    2    2   12    9    3   11
Chelsea                       6    3    2    1   10    7    3   11
Arsenal                       7    2    4    1    6    3    3   10
Sheffield Wednesday           7    3    0    4    8    5    3    9
Middlesbrough                 7    2    3    2    8    8    0    9
Tottenham Hotspur             7    2    2    3    8   14   -6    8
Charlton Athletic             7    1    4    2   11   10    1    7
Everton                       7    1    4    2    4    5   -1    7
Nottingham Forest             7    2    1    4    5    9   -4    7
Leicester City                7    1    3    3    6    8   -2    6
Blackburn Rovers              7    1    2    4    5   10   -5    5
Coventry City                 7    1    2    4    4   12   -8    5
Southampton                   7    0    1    6    3   18  -15    1