We'll start with the match at Tottenham.
Actually, we won't, because a moronic minority rioting over the shooting of a man carrying a loaded gun have caused such ugly scenes in the capital that our opening day fixture with Spurs has had to be postponed due to "safety concerns relating to the infrastructure of the High Road and access to the stadium".
After waiting for this game ever since the fixture list was revealed back in June, and having secured my ticket for the big opening day, I was naturally disappointed (if not surprised) when I heard of the postponement.
However, having had time to chew it over, I am hopeful that it may prove something of a blessing in disguise.
There are a couple of reasons behind my thinking. The first is that it will allow us to get some of our players back fit. Mikel Arteta had looked set to miss the Tottenham clash with a foot injury, but Everton are hopeful he will be fit in time for the QPR game.
Marouane Fellaini may be another beneficiary of the additional week of pre-season. A while back it had been feared that the Belgian would not fully recover (from the injury he suffered against Sunderland last season) until October-time.
These fears were quelled when he featured throughout Everton's pre-season, although he was taken off at half time in Belgium's 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Wednesday night having looked somewhat off the pace. An extra week should do him good.
Seamus Coleman will miss a large part of the season after tearing a ligament in his ankle, but the postponed fixture is still one less match that the Irishman will be out for.
Aside from player injuries, the postponement will mean that we start the season at home against QPR. Everton are renowned for being perennial slow-starters, but a home fixture against a newly-promoted side looks very winnable.
In no way do I wish to underestimate Neil Warnock's side - and I am fully aware that there are 'no easy games in the Premier League' - but it is most certainly a fixture we should be winning.
We then face a trip to Blackburn and home games against Aston Villa and Wigan before our annual three points at the Etihad (formerly City of Manchester) Stadium.
I repeat the fact that there are no easy games, but Tottenham away is certainly 'harder' than QPR at home. Hopefully a home game will enable us to start a campaign well, for once.
Surely a win before September isn't too much to ask?
On to the other piece of news from yesterday, which is that Everton have been handed a home tie against Sheffield United in the Second Round of the Carling Cup.
Undoubtedly the highlight of last night's draw was Trevor Francis' face when hosts Ben Shephard asked the ex-Birmingham striker to "give those balls a fiddle please Trevor."
Francis pulled Everton's number 6 cube (yes, cube, not ball) out to hand us a home tie against the League One Blades. The tie will see Phil Jagielka and Steve Simonsen face their old clubs and will be played on Wednesday, 24th August.
The draw was seeded and so we were always set to avoid the 'big-hitters'. This meant that more than anything else I was hoping for a home draw - which is what we got.
The game should provide a comfortable passage into round 3 although we cannot afford to take our lower-league opponents lightly - as, amongst others, Oldham, Reading and Shrewsbury will testify.
The Carling Cup is always Everton's best chance of silverware and I expect David Moyes to really go for it this year as he attempts to win his first trophy in his 10-year affiliation with the club.
Onto the third snippet of news, which has only emerged while I have been writing this post. It is that Everton have announced a friendly against Irish side Bohemians on Monday night.
The announcement follows the postponement of our clash with Spurs - and should keep our players sharp as we head into what will now be our Premier League opener with QPR.
Let's just hope we don't pick up anymore injuries...
No comments:
Post a Comment