Reading v Everton Match Preview - 23 Dec 06

[handbags_harris]

handbags_harris Match Preview

The Match

Reading V Everton Saturday 23 December 2006, 3.00pm kick off.

The Ref

Mr Steve Tanner of Somerset ( http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=54300 )

Current League Positions

Reading currently lie 8th in the Premiership with 8 wins and 26 points from 18 games.
Everton currently lie 10th in the premiership with 6 wins and 24 points from 18 games.

League Form

Reading come into this game without a win in 3. Their last win came on 2 Dec with a 1-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers.
Everton come into the match with only 1 win in 5, that being a 2-0 home win over West Ham United on the 3 Dec.

Latest Squad News

Reading have no new injury news so far. The only injury casualties remain Dave Kitson and Bobby Convey who are both making progress from their respective injuries.

Everton welcomed back Mikel Arteta, Leon Osman and Phil Neville to their starting lineup in the weekend match against Chelsea. James Beattie was dropped to the bench in place of Victor Anichebe who made his full debut. David Weir and Andy van der Meyde missed out completely.

History

Everton were founded as St. Domingo F.C. in 1878 in order that people from the parish of St. Domingo Methodist Church could play a sport outside of the summer months (during which time cricket was played). A year later the club were renamed Everton F.C. after the surrounding area, as people outside the parish wished to participate. They were founder members of the Football League in 1888, and won their first League Championship title in 1890–91.

More recently David Moyes has been their manager after being appointed in 2002 following the dismissal of current Scotland boss Walter Smith, and under his stewardship Everton have finished seventh, eventeenth, fourth (their highest ever Premiership finish) and eleventh in his 4 full seasons in charge.

The club rarely used to incorporate a badge of any description on its shirts. An interwoven "EFC" design was adopted between 1922 and 1930 before the club reverted to plain royal blue shirts, until 1973 when bold "EFC" lettering was added. The crest designed by Kelly was first used on the team's shirts in 1980 and has remained there ever since, undergoing gradual change to become the version used today.

Everton's most widely recognised nickname is "The Toffees" or "The Toffeemen", which came about after Everton had moved to Goodison. There are several explanations for how this name came to be adopted, the most well known being that there was a business near the ground called Mother Noblett's Toffee Shop which advertised and sold sweets, including the Everton Mint, on match days. This also led to the Toffee Lady tradition in which a girl walks around the perimeter of the pitch before the start of a game tossing free Everton Mints into the crowd.

The current stadium is Goodison Park which has a capacity of 40,569. This has been Everton's home since 1892 after the club moved across Stanley Park from Anfield following a rent disagreement. Liverpool FC was formed as a result of the disagreement, and it is that club who now play thier games at Anfield.

Famous Fans

A comprehensive list of famous fans (rumoured or confirmed) can be found at http://www.toffeeweb.com/fans/celebrities.asp

Trivia

The club's top goalscorer, with 383 goals in all competitions, is Dixie Dean. Dixie also holds the all time goalscoring record in one season, a massive 60 goals.

Goodison Park has staged more top-flight football games than any other ground in the United Kingdom and was the only English club ground to host a semi-final at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. It was also the first English ground to have undersoil heating, the first to have two tiers on all sides and the first to have a three-tier stand. Goodison is the only stadium in the world that features a church in its grounds — St Luke the Evangelist — at the corner of the Main Stand and the Gwladys Street End.

Match Odds

Reading win 5/4
Everton win 15/8
Draw 9/4

Fans Views

A variety of messageboards lit up Google, and I chose Toffeeweb (http://www.toffeeweb.com). This is what the Toffee's had to say to the questions I posed:

1) You had a good solid start to the season, but you've recently hit upon slightly harder times. What's your general assessment of Everton's season so far?

We could have gone extremely far if we'd have taken our early chances. We gave some big guns a good battering (Liverpool and Tottenham) but then failed to get crucial results against weak teams (Man City, Wigan, Fulham) which have cost us any hope of Champions League. If we are lucky we can still reach Europe, but personally, I think our season is over. [Royal Blue Jersey]

Yeah a great start but I knew it wouldnt last. Under Moyes management we do seem prone to highs and lows rather than consistency. Not that I'm complaining too much, under Walter Smith we were consistent, conistenly poor.[Sim]

Slightly disappointing - we all want this to be the season when we establish ourselves as a top 7 club, and so far our performances and results are just a little short of where we need to be. If things go badly for us in the second half of the season, Moyes's position could be under threat. [tadpole]

Easy, Good start, bad Middle (so far) [rob japan]

Good start this season but sadly we've dropped of the pace a bit! Mainly down to injuries, having only a small squad means that when one or two take a knock its hard to fill those positions with quality! Im glad to start seeing one or two of our promising younger players getting a look in tho, we all know its better to blood these youngsters in a consistent side so as were not putting to much pressure on them! Anichebe looks promising, hughes looks good, shame abt Boyle picking up an injury whilst out on loan! [The G-String Warrior]

our form at the start of the season was us at our best.our consistancy isnt good so i think we will flip flop the rest of the season and finish 8-12 position . [uknightbreed]

A bit of a disappointment with our recent dip in form mainly exacerbated by injuries to key players (namely all of them). [TX Bill]

Well, we had a fantastic start. But every time we've had a chance to kcik on and really threaten the top 4 we've shot ourselves in the foot and dropped points. It's really been quite frustrating because we really should have won against Man City, Wigan etc. and the points we've dropped to these teams has really cost us. [Welton Toffee]

A bit up and down - mainly caused by a lengthy injury list. But see 2) [ToffeeDan]

we're gradually progressing to the level the club should be at, unfortunately the quality of football can be somewhat variable [Dennis Stevens]


2) You're in the group which is currently there or thereabouts for a European qualification spot. Do you think you can last the distance and eventually qualify for Europe in either competition?

I doubt it for either of them. UEFA Cup would be a drain anyway; financially not that rewarding, and with a squad as tiny as ours, I doubt we could keep up with the matches. I think we'll get to about 8th or 7th. Europe, no. [Royal Blue Jersey]

As I said in A1, we will probably go on a winning streak at somepoint soon, then we'll be touted for europe, before hitting a bad spell again and just missing out. Or something along those lines. [Sim]

We still can - but it's going to take some spirited performances from here on in. [tadpole]

We are hit hard by injuries at the moment (entire first choice midfield out) so if we can get the first choice XI back we will give it a shot and I think (hope) we qualify for the UEFA. [rob japan]

Europe is a bit of a long shot in my opinion, we got lucky a couple of seasons ago and we failed to capitalise on that success! Moyes's signings this year have been exellent tho, once AJ bags a goal im sure he'll go on a run, Howard looks solid is is a must buy in January, an Jolean 'The Klingon' Lescott looks a bargain at £5 million, ive still not seen him make a slide tackle! So maybe if we can add a couple of loan signings in January or offload Beattie for a few million and replace him with someone who can move that will be good business! Fancy swapping Lita for Beattie????? But with the way the Premiership is this season any one can grab those places! [The G-String Warrior]

we have the capabilities to get into europe and do well . but we are so inconsistant i cant see it happening at the moment.
sometimes the inconsistancy is down to injuries , sometimes its too many first team players hitting poor form at the same time.mostly our bad results are down to narrowminded 1 trick pony tactics.i can not though remember a team 'playing us off the park' so far this season. [uknightbreed]

Getting injured players back along with a bit of luck and a good run of form, why not? I don't see anyone else in that grouping (Bolton, Portsmouth, Liverpool, etc...) running away with it. [TX Bill]

I really hope so. At the moment it's looking like no but you never know. If we can put a string of results together we could well do it. [Welton Toffee]

Absolutely, if we get our main players back we can still make around 5th or 6th. Mikel and Timmy are key absentees and AJ isn't operating at 100%. Not many teams could withstand the loss of key personnel of the likes of these 2 and more besides and still be consistent. [ToffeeDan]

"... there or thereabouts ..." is about right. I'll be pleasantly surprised if we sneak into europe, unless it's via the cup & then i'll be completely dumbfounded [Dennis Stevens]


3) You signed Andy Johnson for £8.5 million in the summer. Has he lived up to that price tag?

He was fabulous in his first few games but he's been a little off-key recently, I don't think he is at full force. He needs a goal, I'm sure once he gets another he will be firing on all cylinders again. Right now, he is definately not on form. [Royal Blue Jersey]

Mostly, hes a very good player, works hard, but right now is clearly lacking in confidence in front of goal. [Sim]

100% yes. Who did Wigan and Bolton (the other teams bidding for Johnson) end up with ? Heskey and Anelka ! Johnson's a tremendously energetic and exciting player to watch. His form may have dipped in recent weeks, but his value to Everton is enormous. [tadpole]

At first yes, hasn't scored in 10 games now..... personally I'm getting worried. [rob japan]

Deffo, he can run all day, will chase lost causes, great movement, just needs better service from the rest of the team, we cant continue to always rely on Spud (Arteta) and a cooler head in front of goal! Im sure once he grabs one against you lot he'll go on a bit of a run! [The G-String Warrior]

im more than happy with the johnson signing .but he has caught the everton bug of being goal shy recently. [uknightbreed]

Yes although he's hit a bit of dip in form as well. Much of it due to lack of service and it's been easy for the opposition to key on him when there isn't any Cahill around to worry about. [TX Bill]

He's scored 6 goals so far. He's in a bit of a drought at the moment though. His form hasn't dropped but he's just not getting the goals. I personally think at £8.6m he's been a fantastic signing. [Welton Toffee]

You can and should judge a player at full fitness (unless we are talking Shandy or Pisto, long term absentees) so yes, definitely a great buy [ToffeeDan]

Yes - he's good! [Dennis Stevens]


4) Has anybody else stood out this season for whatever reason?

Tim Cahill is our dangerman if that's what you're asking. Everyone expected Arteta (who has, in fairness, been brilliant too), Davies or Osman to step up their game but Cahill has really come on. He has been fantastic the season but was unfortunately injured and won't be back in time for our clash. He scored 7 goals in 7 games and was generally superb for the time he was playing though. You're very lucky he's injured[Royal Blue Jersey]

Yeah the one and only Lescott. Already proving that he's one of the best defenders in the leauge. [Sim]

Our other summer signings have also done well : Joleon Lescott and Tim Howard. Unfortunately Howard is only with us on loan as things stand. [tadpole]

Joleon Lescott, consistently amazing. And I'd have to say James Beattie for being consistently rubbish, however should you wish to purchase him, he will cost you 4m remember southampton? no..... crap. [rob japan]

The Klingon is the king at the minute, when we signed him, I have to admit I was expecting another Kroldrup, but he's proved to everyone what a great reader of the game he is! We have a good central partnership in Yobo an Lescott! We also need to sign Howard on a permenant deal! He has been solid and consistent! [The G-String Warrior]

joleon lescott for me was our best buy , and the best signing in the prem this summer.awesome and never fails to impress.if he keeps on the track he is on and stays fit , within 2 years every major club in europe will want him im positive. [uknightbreed]

Joleon Lescott [TX Bill]

Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Jolean Lescott have all been superb. We really miss them when they're not playing. [Welton Toffee]

Joleon Lescott, no stranger to you I suspect. Excellent. Tim Howard, largely excellent [ToffeeDan]

Lescott [Dennis Stevens]


5) Over the past 10-15 years Everton have had some distinctly average at best seasons. Despite this, you still get 40k in Goodison Park every week. Is there any specific reason for this "blind faith"?

I think, when the evertonians are in the mood, there are no better supporters in the league (then again, who doesn't think that about their own club?). Sometimes we get served up drivel at Goodison and it can turn the atmopshere sour, but if they see effort and commitment they will respond similarily. They have an enormous fanbase among the older generation in Liverpool, and happily there are still young evertonians coming through. It is definately a "fathers-and-sons" tradition that's passed on which keeps the fans coming. Blind faith? No, we just love the everton rollercoaster. Sometimes you can feel on top of the world, other times your so low it hurts..! [Royal Blue Jersey]

We're the best team in the world. [Sim]

Once a blue, always a blue (unless your name is Wayne) : we have a proud history and a healthy contempt for our neighbours across the park. [tadpole]

Other than a love of the club? probably not. [rob japan]

We are the Peoples club! One Evertonian is worth 20 Kopshites, we've had a fair share of shite over the last decade or so but as Royal Blue Jersey said, were like a father to son club, cos only a demented trophy chaser would follow us at the min! [The G-String Warrior]

supporting everton is different from supporting any other club.i know it sounds big headed or cliche , but its true.
its about good conquering evil (the kopshite) ,the underdog beating the favourite , the righteous beating the greedy , the havs beating the have nots , never giving up and beating the odds when all looks lost .its a very deep rooted typically british emotion.(hating kopites ! lol)
supporting the club is also close to being an emotionaly crippled gambling addict whos trying to regain his 'form' after hitting 'the jackpot' a few times in the past and cant quit becouse we wants to 'get it all back' .
tv is to blame for me supporting everton originally.unbiased and unknowledgable about football i watched my first match when i was 5 or 6 which featured a team in red and a team in blue.
the red team players were all scary 'baddies from the sweeney or the proffesionals lookalikes',hairy ,wore big moustaches, silly curly micro phone permed heads , or long blonde girl like haircuts , all flashy nasty gits .
the blue team looked completely average , like school boys or teachers in all honesty almost pathetic .
(note this is also where i blame tv ,or more specific beta max and vhs videos ! after watching videos like karate kid , porkies ,back to the future , teen wolf , weird science and all the other teeny bop college movies , we all know the blonde hair fancy rich kid gang are the baddies and the average scrawny odd balls are the goodies )
now in the match i can remember 2 things.the red teams players were nasty ignorant cheats and didnt deserve to win.
but the blue team really give as good as they got as the game went on , there determination desire and fight were inspirational ! proper david vs goliath stuff ! .
even though the evil cheating scum red team won , i was really proud of the blue team and the effort they had put in against the nasty scumbag knobhead twats in red.being so young, it was a very strange feeling 'losing but being the winners'.
I WAS HOOKED.
from that day 2 things happened , first i followed the blue teams games any way i could and loved the slightest snippet of information i could get my hands on.the clubs treasure chest of rich history came to light.(which is massivly important and intresting regardless of which club you may support)
secondly i relished the red team getting what they deserved and suffering as much as possible from that day on.
its probably true to say im a huge everton supporter but equally an anti-liverpool supporter ........yin and yang and all that ! lol
but thats why i support everton , all i expect from everton(the fighting 100%spirit and effort against the odds), and why supporting everton is different from any other club. [uknightbreed]

Being in the USA, I can't get to Goodison but I still support them regardless of how they're doing [TX Bill]

I don't know what it is about this club, there's just a certain something. We're pobably all suckers for punishment but hey I had no reason to support Everton, for some unknown reason I was drawn to the club when I was 5ish and I've been in love ever since. It takes a special person to be an evertonian [Welton Toffee]

Because we love the Blues. I'm a 4th generation Blue and ALL my family are Blue. Happily no Red Blood in my genes. [ToffeeDan]

we're just born lucky! [Dennis Stevens]


6) Reading FC have been a club which have traditionally been an underachieving lower league club for the majority of our somewhat long history. What do you know of Reading FC, and what do you know of Reading as a town?

Erm, Ricky Gervais is from Reading isn't he? And there's the Reading festival...
truth be told, I hadn't even heard of Reading a few seasons ago, but in fairness they've been around for a long time, 125 years is it? I think it's about time they got into the top flight and they've got reasonable fans behind them (see Wigan, Fulham, Villa, empty, ghost ground with poor fans). [Royal Blue Jersey]

Apologies for my ignorance, actually I know very little. But its always good to see a new fresh team in the top flight doing well. [Sim]

Reading is a place where it's very expensive to live, which is host to annual rock festivals. It's a good sized town which probably deserves to see some Premiership football after so many years. [tadpole]

It holds the rock festival every year and a couple of years ago I went, lovely area great festival. [rob japan]

Dont know much abt Reading as a town, i know there is a rock festival there but apart from that i know nothing! As for the football club, i remember you reaching a play off final a few years ago when Shaka Hislop played in goal You lost that tho so u probably wont need reminding! [The G-String Warrior]

i know nothing about reading apart from the fact its not pronounced ree ding (as in a book) and that twists my mellon ! [uknightbreed]

Don't know much about them other than I tipped you guys to stay up before the year started (as did Tennessee Blue Mike....) [TX Bill]

tbh I don't know much. I've never been to Reading, I only really started take notice last season [Welton Toffee]

I've been to Elm Park - saw Reading beat Saints in a League Cup tie years and years ago. Have been to Reading a couple of times, not in much of a rush to go back, sorry! Newbury is fine tho, if that helps! [ToffeeDan]

i've been to see reading many times, more so at elm park (lovely pitch) & even saw them lose out to notlob in the play-off final at wembley. i remember going to reading rock festival in '79, hearing that they're bringing out a polish edition of the local rag due to the number of immigrants, being told to stay clear of certain areas, getting stuck in traffic worse than london, there once being a "gay" pub near the station (jolly porter?), the madjeski being poorly served for local hostelries. [Dennis Stevens]


7) Have you been surprised by our successful start to the campaign? What has been the key to this successful start?

I had an inkling that Reading would "do a Wigan", they have a really good experienced manager behind them and quite a large squad for a promoted team. I think your lack of fear and simple football have been the key - keep it on the floor and keep it moving, and keep attacking every team. I think your team has an excellent attitude when they go into games that help them - kudos to Coppell. [Royal Blue Jersey]

Not really, from what I've seen you look like a decent side. [Sim]

Reading did so well last season that like many I didn't expect them to go down, but I still haven't figured out the secret of their success - maybe Coppell ? [tadpole]

Not surprised, well.. maybe mildly surprised, the key? Steve Coppell & a "together" attitude. [rob japan]

Not really, i seen a few games off u last season and u reminded me of Wigan when they were in the championship, liked to play football with the ball on the ground! Thats probably why u have done so well this season cos u do play football, the likes of Reading, West Ham and Wigan like to get the ball down and play and look how well they have performed so far! As for Sheff Utd and Watford everyone probably see's them as 6 points in the bag! [The G-String Warrior]

yes im surprised , but you do have a very very good manager imo.your defence is also a very good 'unit'. [uknightbreed]

No (see above.) I started to follow your results a bit more since you have Convey and Hahnemann in the squad. [TX Bill]

Yes I have been surprised. Your team seems to have a lot of spirit and character. As long as you keep working hard you'll keep getting results as we showed when we finished 4th. [Welton Toffee]

No, not particularly. You seem to play good football, which serves you well in the midtable battle (meaning all teams from 5th downwards) [ToffeeDan]

no - it's been a long time coming - the aforementioned play-off final was at the end of a season that would normally have seen reading promoted automatically - i blame mark mcghee! bringing in steve coppell was an excellent move. [Dennis Stevens]


8) Who do you think are the best players in Reading's squad?

Seol Ki-Hyun, and I thought Sionko before the season started, but he seems to have been giving away sloppy penalties. [Royal Blue Jersey]

See A6 [Sim]

Pass. [tadpole]

Sidwell [rob japan]

Sidwell looks good as does Lita! i remember seeing him a few years ago when i went down to Bristol to watch us play them in the Cup, he run us ragged for the entire match! He was only 18 as well! Why doesnt he start?
U could also get John Oster to lay off the pies! [The G-String Warrior]

sidwell and doyle are very good but i think his name is seol ? hes intresting too , looks very lively and could get better too i feel. [uknightbreed]

Seol, Sidwell, Doyle, Convey, & Hahnemann [TX Bill]

Doyle looks like he's been a good signing. 8 goals already and you paid peanuts for him. Also Sidwell looks a decent player. [Welton Toffee]

Lita, Hunt, Sidwell. Definitely Sidwell. Kitson, but he's not fit is he? Doyle.... [ToffeeDan]

no idea - other than the crap you hear in the media. [Dennis Stevens]


9) Did The Toffee Shop ever sell toffees?

Yes! You can still get them now from the toffeelady. Got gorgeous everton mints too [Royal Blue Jersey]

Havent you ever eaten the world famous Everton Toffeemint? [Sim]

I think that's been answered already. [tadpole]

Yes. In fact that's where the nickname came from. [rob japan]

Of course id did! U can still get them of the Toffeelady, the nickname came from a shop in Everton near to where the tower is on our badge! [The G-String Warrior]

yes [uknightbreed]

Couldn't tell ya. [TX Bill]

Don't know [Welton Toffee]

Not as far as I can remember! Obviously the Toffee Lady and all that (plus the Old Mother Noblett stuff) [ToffeeDan]

yes [Dennis Stevens]


10) Predicted scoreline?

It depends what Moyes does on the day, I mean if Yobo and Lescott are together at the back, with Arteta and Osman in midfield, I think we could win, perhaps 2-1. It will be tough though, I guess I'd be happy with a point. [Royal Blue Jersey]

With our current form, if im honest, 1-1 [Sim]

1-0 to Everton : Arteta should be back by then, and we're due an away win. [tadpole]

1-0 to us. [rob japan]

It will be tough at your place.... Im gonna sit on the fence a bit an say 8-0 to us! [The G-String Warrior]

start of the season i would say 3-0 to us.now i would say 1-1 , 1-0 [uknightbreed]

Due to our injuries and current form, I'd say Reading 1 - 1 Everton or Reading 2 -1 Everton. It's gonna be a tough match for us no matter how you slice it. [TX Bill]

2-1 to us [Welton Toffee]

Ask me how I feel after Sunday. Right now I expect Sods Law to operate and Reading to beat Blackburn comfortably, setting them up nicely for our visit. Could be 1 goal either way, or just a tight 0-0 game. Who knows? [ToffeeDan]

1-1 [Dennis Stevens]


11) Wigan Pie or Cornish Pasty?

Cornish pastie, anyday [Royal Blue Jersey]

Hmm, neither. [Sim]

Vegetarian for me mate ! [tadpole]

PASTY!!! Everytime [rob japan]

Cornish Pasty everytime, with a bit of gravy......MMMMM....Us Northern Boys Love Gravy [The G-String Warrior]

cornish pastie [uknightbreed]

They don't serve that here in the States so I couldn't tell ya. [TX Bill]

Neither, I can't eat pastry [Welton Toffee]

Either, thanks, and a pint of Chang if you're buying! [ToffeeDan]

Wigan Pie or Cornish Pasty? - Chicken Balti or Scouse Pie, please! [Dennis Stevens]


12) John Oster is in contention to start the game, failing that he'll be on the bench. What sort of reaction is he likely to receive, and what are your memories of him as a toffee?

I remember Oster very well. Extremely skilful young lad with some glaring frailties - backed out of challenges at times or jumped in 2 footed from the side to avoid getting hurt himself. He was 19, from the lower leagues, so rather than encouraging hm and being patient some Evertonians systematically destroyed him. Sad [Lee Mavers magic dust]

followed up by

Thats very true, he was a creative player, looked like an altar boy, if he was hit early on he just didn't want to know. Rather than encourage the lad the fans tore into him, he may have made it but never got the chance. Peter Reid took him to Sunderland from here and a similar fate awaited him there. He reminds me to a degree of Simon Davies............... [montyblue]

I remember him trying to curl a penalty into the top corner against Sunderland in a League Cup shoot-out a few seasons ago. God, that was embarrassing! [Wizbit]

was only ickle when he played for us. Can't really remember him, although I did have a poster of him on my wall wearing that horrible yellow and navy away kit [Welton Toffee]

Oster - no, hardly registers on the memory, didn't do a lot (but was young) - shipped out to Sunderland if I remember! [ToffeeDan]

he never quite made it (story of his life!), i also recall seeing him play for sunderland a few years back & a group of mackems near me suddenly standing & cheering, seemingly as regards nothing at all, until it emerged that they were "celebrating" oster having made a successful tackle. [Dennis Stevens]

[readingfc_4_life_and_beyo]

handbags_harris Match Preview
Everton welcomed back Mikel Arteta, Leon Osman and Gary Neville to their starting lineup in the weekend match against Chelsea. James Beattie was dropped to the bench in place of Victor Anichebe who made his full debut. David Weir and Andy van der Meyde missed out completely.

I'm sure the Everton fans will be happy that they had a new signing

[handbags_harris]

handbags_harris Match Preview
Everton welcomed back Mikel Arteta, Leon Osman and Gary Neville to their starting lineup in the weekend match against Chelsea. James Beattie was dropped to the bench in place of Victor Anichebe who made his full debut. David Weir and Andy van der Meyde missed out completely.

I'm sure the Everton fans will be happy that they had a new signing

Edited

[Snowy]

The club rarely used to incorporate a badge of any description on its shirts. An interwoven "EFC" design was adopted between 1922 and 1930 before the club reverted to plain royal blue shirts, until 1973 when bold "EFC" lettering was added. The crest designed by Kelly was first used on the team's shirts in 1980 and has remained there ever since, undergoing gradual change to become the version used today. Some old crests are illustrated on the right; the top is the original shirt crest, the second is the first shirt crest with beacon and laurels and the third is the first shirt crest to use the club motto.

good post, may require a bit of editing to hide the fact that it is a straight copy and paste though.

[Bracknell RFC]

The Bracknell RFC Verdict: Reading 1: 3 Everton

and

Everton/Everton - Double result.

[Royal Fleet]

Great Preview, and as always interesting to read the views of the opposing fans.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Most famously - well at the time - Ed "Stewpot" Stewart.

[handbags_harris]

Yeah, there's a couple of errors in there. I have an excuse though!! I had to do it twice because the first time I tried posting it I'd been auto logged out so lost all the content! Second time I just wanted to get it done so didn't take the care and attention to detail I normally would.

Also, the Johnny Oster question was an afterthought, hence why it's at the bottom!!

[irishroyal81]

here are some famous everton fans
1. sophie howard
2. paul mccartney
3. jennifer elison
4. liz mcclaren
5. john parrot
6. matt dawson
footballers :- joey barton, wayne rooney, stevie gerrard, michael owen..

[rg6royal]

i'm going for a 1-0 home win

[gazzer, loyal royal]

another famous fan- Wayne Roone

"once a blue, always a blue"

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

Stop Arteta and you'll stop Everton (quote from my blue nose pal).

[rg6royal]

and stop cahill but fortunately he's injured plus they have many other injury problems as well so we should get 3 points.

[M4 Junction 11]

300 up for M-U-R-T-Y.

[Y25]

was John Lennon a Red then??

[higher]

handbag-harris wrote:

Yeah, there's a couple of errors in there. I have an excuse though!! I had to do it twice because the first time I tried posting it I'd been auto logged out so lost all the content!

My full sympathy pal.On a number of occasions I have fannied about compiling refwatch info/pics etc...then on sending naargh the lot down the swanny!!I down religiously copy and paste everyting to notepad before submitting.Its quite interesting/enjoyable gathering stuff but damn tedious the second time round!! Cheers anyway great post/thread.Long may the match review thread reign over us

[Royal Fleet]

Likewise I always prepare it in Word first, then C&P

[handbags_harris]

Which is what I did 2nd time. You learn by your mistakes!!

[Mr Angry]

A word of thanks to Handbags Harris for these match previews; genuinely interesting and informative. The opposition fans views are especially insightful! (Maybe someone should tell them that the last time we played against Lescott we tore him to teensy weensy LITTLE pieces!!!)