Everton (2) 2 Unsworth (29 pen), Speed (40)
Newcastle United(0) 0
Att: 40,117
Everton: Southall, Barrett, Unsworth, Hinchcliffe, Watson (Short 46),
Stuart, Ebbrell, Parkinson, Speed, Ferguson, Kanchelskis
Subs Not Used: Rideout, Limpar, Grant, Gerrard
Toon: Hislop, Watson, Beresford, Howey, Albert, Batty, Lee,
Ginola (Beardsley 69), Gillespie, Shearer, Ferdinand
Subs Not Used: Barton, Srnicek, Peacock, Clark
We did a tour of the pubs and the crack was good, Everton and Toon fans having a laugh and a few pints. The Mons and The Clarence are definitely worth a visit and are only a 5 minute taxi ride away from either ground. Taxis in Liverpool are also dirt cheap.
When I heard the team I was reasonably satisfied. Personally I would never let John Beresford anywhere near the team coach, never mind actually have him in the team but at least the formation was all right, or at least that is how it seemed.
When the lads lined up Gillespie was playing on the left and Ginola on the right. After about five minutes it became obvious that this was a deliberate ploy rather than a mistake. This brilliant piece of tactical know-how not only confused the crowd but also, crucially, the players who had no idea what was going on.
Anyway, we were well under the cosh in the first half. Everton are a useful if totally uninspiring side and in Ferguson they have the best header of a ball in the division. He came close following a free kick but Hislop saved comfortably. Then we had a free kick which Ferdinand headed on and Shearer sent a looping header into the net. It was disallowed for pushing at the back post which was probably fair enough, it was the sort of decision that goes for you at home.
Then Everton scored from a penalty. Again the penalty incident was the sort of thing that goes in favour of the home team. Watson headed a bouncing ball back to Hislop but he made a bit of a hash of it. Watson was under pressure from Ferguson but between him and Hislop they seemed to have the situation covered. In his desperation to get to the ball Ferguson dragged Watson down. Hislop had not got hold of the ball so Ferguson made a final challenge. As he did this he fell over Watson's legs and the referee immediately gave a penalty. It was a weak penalty by Unsworth but Hislop dived the wrong way and I can never envisage him saving a penalty anyway.
Newcastle did not respond well and within about ten minutes conceded another goal. Ferguson beat Albert in the air and Speed ran onto it, unchallenged, and slid it past Hislop who was slow off his line.
The second half was a non event. Shearer forced Southall to make a few good saves but Everton were very comfortable.
Marks:
Hislop 4. He was at fault with the second goal and never seems to make any saves.
Watson 6. It is hard to have a go at him for conceding the penalty because it was a very poor decision. Again Watson was the best player in a very poor defence.
Beresford 3. Useless.
Albert 5. Got beaten in the air for the second goal but these things happen. However he is going to have to play better than this if he is going to live up to his reputation as a great defender.
Howey 5. Went missing for the second goal.
Batty 4. Like Lee he totally failed to control the midfield.
Lee 4. See above
Gillespie 4. Played out of position and looked totally lost.
Ginola 5. Made a better stab than Gillespie at playing out of position but pretty ineffective.
Ferdinand 4. Ineffective
Shearer 6. Probably the best player in a terrible performance. Any chances that he did make he carved out for his self.
Sub: Peter for Ginola, it was too late for him to do anything.
Everton 6. A long ball team who are well organised but totally devoid of flair, Ferguson apart who is trouble.
Referee Mike Reed (B'ham) 4. Total crap, a homer. Mind we get enough of them at St James Park.
Toon Support: 6. After Wembley's epic display of loyalty the Toon army seemed drained, they still managed to make themselves heard but this was not one of their better days.
All in all we were crap. The problem for once did not lie with the defence. It was not a penalty and you do lose goals away from home, especially to long ball merchants like Everton.
The main problem was in midfield. Playing the wingers on the wrong side was just bloody stupid. However the centre was awful. Batty could not control the game at all and Lee looked like he was stoned (Keegan has made him captain as well!). We need someone who can pass accurately so we can keep the ball for long periods of time. Clark is the best at this and I think that him and Batty could make up a strong midfield. Lee has started his hibernation 3 months early he would not even be in my team, never mind captain.
The forwards had no service at all therefore it is difficult to criticise them. However I am not sure about the Shearer Ferdinand pairing. Ferdinand is simply not a good enough footballer to provide Shearer with the chances and in my opinion is getting in the way. It is probably worth persisting in for a few more games because if it does come off it could be breathtaking. However I think that we need to play someone with a bit more guile, Asprilla is back on Wednesday so things could be interesting on the selection front.
Just a quick mention for Toon Travel who were excellent. If you would rather that you and your mates were treated like human beings (all be it with alcohol problems) than a herd of cattle then Toon Travel are the people to go with.