 |
Everton
v West Bromwich Albion
Goodison Park,
Liverpool. 28th August 2004, 3.00pm. |
| 26th August 2004 |
| Back
to Previous Page |
|
 |
 |
| Position |
13th |
11th |
| Form |
L L L L L W |
L L L D D D |
| Last Match |
Crystal Palace (A) 3-1 |
Tottenham
Hotspur (H) 1-1 |
Last Meeting
12th April 2003 |
West Bromwich Albion 1 (Balis
18 pen)
Everton 2 (Hoult 23 o.g., Campbell 45) |
Last Baggies win in this fixture
was 2-1 on 24th September 1980 in the League Cup.
Goals from Remi Moses and Ally Robertson in this
third round tie put Albion through to meet Preston, whom they took
three attempts to beat.
In the league, Albion last won at Goodison by a 2-0 scoreline on
1st May 1979.
Record signing David Mills and future England
captain Bryan Robson scored a goal each to give Albion the points
in the midst of the fixture pile-up towards the end of Albion's
ultimately unsuccessful title challenge. |
If ever there was a
good time to play Everton, this is it. The club is in turmoil with
rumours of a Russian take-over being apparently dashed and the uncertainty
surrounding Wayne Rooney's future. David Moyes is supposedly unsettled
and their best midfielder, Thomas Greavesen, was up for sale over
the summer.
Certain three points then?
Obviously not, as Crystal Palace found out last week. We all believe
that we are a better side than Palace, but Gravesen is seemingly
out to prove that he is worth his place in the Everton side, or
at least someone else's. This will be a tough game, but it is winnable
for the current Albion side.
My last visit to Goodison was in the FA Cup in January 1989 when
Sheedy scored with a few minutes left (it was one of the few games
I missed two years ago), and I expect this game to be as close as
that one was. There are significant similarities between Goodison
today and Elland Road twelve months ago, but it will still be a
tough task.
The Toffees have been circumspect in the transfer market so far
and, at the time of writing, are still waiting for the Rooney windfall.
Tim Cahill from Millwall is certainly a useful acquisition and Marcus
Bent is one of the strikers that apparently interested our own Gary
Megson. Two other players joined the Everton ranks in the summer,
but the names of Bjarni Thor Vidarsson and Eddy Bosnar cannot be
described as household.
No one can be too upset to lose to Arsenal on the opening day and
the win at Palace was encouraging; without a game in midweek, Everton
should also be fresher than the Baggies, but the behind the scenes
activites can only be unsettling. Albion must have a great chance
for at least a point, if not all three.
My predicted line-up is the same as that for Wednesday - Hoult;
Scimeca, Purse, Gaardsoe, Robinson; Gera, Johnson, Clement, Greening;
Kanu, Horsfield.
Barring any new signings this week of course....
Jon Want, 26th August 2004.
|
| ^ Back to Top
|
|
