Garbutt Makes Loan Switch

Young Everton defender Luke Garbutt has joined League Two outfit Cheltenham Town on a month-long loan deal.

Left-back Garbutt, who has represented England at U19 level, is yet to make a senior appearance for Everton with his opportunities limited by the consistent brilliance of Leighton Baines.

He joined Everton from Leeds United in 2009 and has featured for both the academy and reserve sides as well as in the pre-season friendly against Bohemians in August.

Cheltenham manager Mark Yates said: "We've got another good young player from a fantastic club.

"He (Garbutt) has been a very good youth player, he's stepped up well to reserve football and now he is looking to take the next step in his career by getting involved in and around our first team.

"He has been around the international set-up and he's a very good player. He has a great left-foot, he's quick and his delivery from set-pieces is very good too.

"He'll add another dimension to our squad down the left hand side. He's young but he is a decent player and I'm delighted to have him here."

The deal may be part of an agreement that will see Everton sign a trio of Cheltenham youngsters, as reported on thisisgloucestershire.com.

Garbutt could be in line to make is Cheltenham Town debut this weekend against Bristol Rovers.

Duffy Earns Loan Extension

Shane Duffy's loan at League One side Scunthorpe United is set to be extended for another month.

The Irish defender has impressed at Glanford Park, having made four appearances since joining on deadline day. The initial deal is set to expire this week but an extension has been agreed.

Scunthorpe manager Alan Knill was quick to sing the praises of his player, saying that "when the ball comes into the box he (Duffy) really wants to head it - before anyone else. He's a proper centre-half."

Knill continued: "I've spoken to Shane and he is benefiting from playing in someone else's first team. It's better he plays in a competitive team that is playing quite well than in the reserves.

"That's what they sent him to us for, to learn, and that's what he's doing. I think he's getting better."

Duffy, who was instrumental in Scunthorpe's 2-1 victory over Yeovil Town on Saturday, will hope to get some more time on the pitch when the Iron travel to Stevenage this weekend.

Manchester City 2-0 Everton

Everton's defensive stand lasted 68 minutes at the Etihad Stadium before Mario Balotelli and James Milner scored to send their side to the summit of the table.

We shouldn't be too downhearted, though, with a loss to a side whose starting XI cost £189 million to assemble. Indeed, we defended stoutly for a large periods and our opposition needed two players from their £130 million bench to change the game.

The line-up and consequent formation made it clear that our tactics would be to frustrate City's superstars, get men behind the ball and, should we be presented with the opportunity, try to nick a point or three. Tim Howard started in goal as usual, with Leighton Baines, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka and Tony Hibbert in front of him.

Hibbert's inclusion meant Phil Neville was shoe-horned into midfield, where he was joined by Seamus Coleman, Marouane Fellaini, Leon Osman and Jack Rodwell. Cahill started as our lone striker but quickly dropped back into a 4-6-0 formation.

Ján Mucha was preferred to new signing Marcus Hahnemann on the bench. John Heitinga, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Royston Drenthe, Denis Stracqualursi, Louis Saha and Apostolos Vellios joined the Slovak custodian.

The plan to frustrate City was executed well throughout the first half. Jack Rodwell did a good job man-marking David Silva, Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin limited City to few clear-cut opportunities and Tim Howard stopped anything that managed to breach the defence.

Spaniard David Silva, denied an inch by his shadow Rodwell, resorted to rolling about on the floor to gain his side an advantage. Referee Howard Webb obliged and produced bookings for Rodwell and Neville, before another for Osman after a nudge on Balotelli.

Webb, who refereed the World Cup final and is widely regarded as one of the best referees in the world, did little to enhance his reputation with an awful display of officiating. David Moyes agreed, although he will probably face sanctions for his post match comment of "there were a couple of similarities in a few of the challenges - you'd expect consistency and you'd expect it to be done correctly."

Edin Džeko's skied effort from 10 yards and Sergio Agüero's long-range strike were the closest City went to finding the net in the first period. They were contained well, although Joe Hart could have had a nap in the City goal such was the lack of attacking intent from the visitors.

Nonetheless, Everton would have been satisfied with the half-time score of 0-0.

City looked as if they'd had a larger-than-usual dose of Italian tripe translated by David Platt fed to them during the interval, because they came out for the second period with the bit firmly between their teeth. Richards, Agüero and Silva all went close shortly after the restart but it took a £25 million player to come off the bench and break the deadlock.

Mario 'named after a video game character and can't put a bib on' Balotelli was that man - he curled a 20-yard strike into the bottom right-hand corner via a deflection off Phil Jagielka.

Everton needed to switch to 'plan B'. But before they could do so, with the introductions of Saha, Drenthe and Vellios, City piled on the pressure and could have immediately stretched their lead with a number of chances. Tim Cahill's header flew just over as Everton ventured into the previously undiscovered territory of City's half, although the Aussie's afternoon was ended shortly afterwards by a stamp from Vincent Kompany.

All three substitutes looked sharp. Saha, with a point to prove after last week's twitter outburst, provided an outlet ball. Vellios showed some great touches and hold-up play that will help his cause for inclusion in the starting eleven, whilst Drenthe also looked keen to get on the ball and try to make things happen.

It was Drenthe, though, whose mistake allowed City to put the game beyond doubt. Attempting a simple pass to the left hand side, he gifted the ball to David Silva. The Spaniard still had plenty to do but, capitalising on further sloppy defending by Jagielka and Distin, he held it up and slid through an exquisite pass for James Milner to double City's advantage.

2-0 was how it ended. It's always disappointing to lose but less so when you expect to. Not many sides will win at Middle Eastlands this season, and all we can do now is pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and stuff our neighbours next week.

StickyToffee Player Ratings: Howard 6, Hibbert 5, Jagielka 6, Distin 7, Baines 6, Coleman 5, Neville 4, Osman 4, RODWELL 7, Fellaini 5, Cahill 5.

Subs: Saha 6, Drenthe 5, Vellios 6.

Man City: Webb 10.

Manchester City v Everton

Wednesday's Carling Cup victory over West Brom stretched our unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions, and so it is fair to say that we have enjoyed a rather better start to the campaign than in recent years.

Which is probably just as well, given that our next few fixtures include champions Manchester United and Chelsea. Oh, and a Merseyside derby thrown in for good measure. Ta very much, Mr. fixture computer.

We start this torrid run of games with a Saturday lunchtime visit to Eastlands/City of Manchester Stadium/the Etihad Stadium. I'll go with Middle Eastlands. Its inhabitants, Manchester City, were once a club akin to Everton - an honest team living in the shadow of their more illustrious neighbours. How times have changed.

One day, out of the blue, a Sheikh happened to stop on his world travels, took pity on the Manchester blues and lured with banknotes mercenaries from every corner of the globe. Like a lottery winner, they splashed their new-found riches on some of the game's biggest names. And no, Shaun Wright-Phillips is not what I mean by a 'big name'.

A few years on and they've assembled a squad full of talent that could well challenge their red neighbours for the domestic title. They're competing at the highest level of European competition. And, in their latest exhibit of unnecessary exuberance, they have this week revealed plans to build a new 7,000 seater stadium.

For their academy.

But whilst the likes of Silva and Aguero are an absolute joy to watch - it could be said that City's extravagant spending has put them out of touch with the values of honesty, hard-work and dignity upon which their club was based.

Indeed, they have turned into a brilliant side. But it is a side that just doesn't contain the spirit of a frugal yet proud club such as ourselves. They may well win a trophy this season, but their fans - complete with tea-towel wrapped around their heads - will expect it. Like at United and Chelsea, the arrogance around the club at the moment is tangible.

With an array of talent that allows City to leave £30m players on the bench, 'plucky little Everton' shouldn't stand much of a chance. But that is what was said last year. And the three years before that.

Like in last year's 1-2 victory there, I expect us to try to nick a goal when we get an opportunity and sit back on any sort of result we can muster. We can frustrate our opponents, get men behind the ball and thwart the mercenaries until they get bored and start wondering about what type of caviar they'll enjoy for their post-match meal.

Oh, and Tim Cahill, if you get the chance, one of them header things would be nice.

StickyToffee Prediction: Manchester City 1-1 Everton

Veteran Hahnemann Joins Blues

Everton have announced the signing of 39-year-old American goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Hahnemann, released by Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of last season, has signed a contract until January at Goodison Park and will provide cover for compatriot Tim Howard and Slovak Ján Mucha.

David Moyes said at a press conference earlier today: "It is difficult when you only have two senior goalkeepers - it only needs one of them to go down and then you are in trouble.

"Marcus is friends with Tim (Howard). It is after the transfer window has closed and we had to look for someone who we knew. I would have liked to have got somebody before the window closed if we could, but there were other priorities at the time.

"It gives me someone who can help in the reserves and if we get an injury to a goalkeeper, he has got good experience of the Premier League and we can use him as a back-up."

Hahnemann, who has previously played in England for Fulham, Rochdale, Reading and Wolves, will wear the number 12 shirt at Goodison.

Baxter To Join Tranmere Rovers

Young Everton midfielder Jose Baxter will complete a switch to League One side Tranmere Rovers in the coming days, once the formalities of the deal have been completed.

In a similar vein to clubmate Shane Duffy, Baxter is expected to sign an initial one-month loan deal.

The 19-year-old, who was Everton's Reserve Player of the Year last season, is Everton's youngest ever player having made his debut at the age of 16 years and 191 days in August 2008.

Since then, however, his progress seems to have stalled and he has not been given a regular chance in the first team. The loan switch may allow him to gain some all-important experience.

He could make his debut for Rovers on Saturday against Preston North End.

Everton 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

A rare goal in extra time from Everton captain Phil Neville secured a place in the next round of the Carling Cup.

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini had earlier cancelled out Chris Brunt's penalty for Albion as the first ninety minutes ended 1-1. The extra-time victory stretches our unbeaten run to 5 in all competitions as we await the fourth round draw on Saturday.

* * *

Everton made six changes to the starting line-up from the side that beat Wigan on Saturday. Most notably, deadline-day signings Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi were handed full debuts, whilst Ross Barkley and Phil Neville also returned. Sylvain Distin and Tim Howard were rested, with John Heitinga and Jan Mucha their replacements.

The full side was; Mucha, Baines, Heitinga, Jagielka, Neville, Drenthe, Barkley, Fellaini, Rodwell, Coleman, Stracqualursi, and the subs bench consisted of; Howard, Hibbert, Distin, Bilyaletdinov, Cahill, Gueye and Vellios.

A mysterious bug had deprived Albion of the services of striking duo Shane Long and Roman Bednar and Everton will also have been pleased to see that 'bogey player' Paul Scharner started on the visitors' bench.

The first half was an almost entirely uninspiring period as both sides created few notable opportunities. West Brom offered little but had arguably the best chance of the half when Simon Tchoyi sent an effort just over early on. Royston Drenthe, taking over from regular taker Leighton Baines, sent a free-kick just over, and Marouane Fellaini saw his header trickle wide.

Peter Odemwingie spurned another opportunity for the Baggies before the break as the sides went in level at 0-0.

Everton seemed to have woken up at half-time and started the second half really well. First Seamus Coleman shot at Albion 'keeper Fulop and then Stracqualursi's prodded effort was also well kept out by the Hungarian custodian.

West Brom also threatened and earned their chance to take the lead when Peter Odemwingie was felled by Slovakian goalkeeper Jan Mucha as the Nigerian forward sprinted into the Everton box. Chris Brunt (another WBA player who loves playing against us) slotted home the resulting penalty to further frustrate the 17, 647-strong (weak) crowd.

Everton went on the search for an equaliser, bringing on Tim Cahill, Apostolos Vellios and Magaye Gueye and shifting Marouane Fellaini up front. Vellios and Fellaini both had half-chances to find an equalising goal but time was running out for Everton to avoid being knocked out of the Carling Cup at the 3rd round stage for the second year running.

With some fans heading for the exits, Marouane Fellaini collected the ball from a Vellios flick-on, swivelled and fired home an excellent left-footed half-volley from the edge of the box. Those that were half way towards the exits turned back. Game on.

Jack Rodwell could have snatched an improbable comeback in injury-time but his header from Phil Neville's cross bounced just wide. With this weekend's opponents Manchester City safely through after fielding their reserves against Birmingham City, we would have to play an extra half-hour before Saturday's early kick-off.

Fellaini remained up front after salvaging the game in the 88th minute of normal time, with Tim Cahill in midfield. West Brom looked tired as Everton pressed but the visitors could have taken the lead if Tchoyi had found his bearings when well placed inside the Everton box.

After that let-off, Vellios set up Drenthe whose effort was ever so slightly off target. The Dutchman was, however, to play a massive part in what turned out to be the winner. He jinked and dribbled past two Baggies defenders on the right byline before cutting back to skipper Neville, who exquisitely curled into the top corner with his left foot.

It was a rare goal for Neville - his 5th in almost 250 Everton appearances - but they do tend to be special! He looked a bit too shocked to celebrate properly but Royston Drenthe went absolutely mental. On his own. I love him already.

An unconvincing performance but we are through the next round. I'll take another ugly win on Saturday please. Oh, and one against our red neighbours in a fortnight's time. Cheers.

StickyToffee Player Ratings: Mucha 4, Baines 6, Heitinga 6, Jagielka 6, Neville 7, Drenthe 5, Barkley 5, Fellaini 6, Rodwell 6, Coleman 5, Stracqualursi 5.

Subs: Vellios 6, Cahill 5, Gueye 6.

Everton v Wigan Athletic Preview

A twist of fixture computer fate handed Wigan Athletic games against all three newly-promoted sides (Swansea City, QPR and Norwich City) in the first three weeks of the season. Draws against the Swans and the Canaries sandwiched a win over Everton's conquerors QPR, meaning that the Latics were unbeaten prior to last weekend's drubbing at Manchester City.

Since then a total of 94 travelling fans watched Wigan exit the Carling Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace in midweek, and so Roberto Martinez's men come to Goodison looking to stop the mini-rot.

Everton's league record thus far reads P3 W1 D1 L1 - not a spectacular start by any means, although not as shambolic as recent years. Indeed, a win on Saturday would leave us with a reasonably healthy 7 points from 4 games. The performance last time out should also breed optimism amongst supporters. We took the game to Villa and they were extremely lucky to leave with a point.

There is also some good news on the injury front. Seamus Coleman produced a wonderful display on his return to action against Villa last week, John Heitinga should recover from a calf injury in time to feature on Saturday, and Royston Drenthe scored his first goal in Everton blue as the reserves beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Tuesday night.

That reserve game also featured Ross Barkley, who scored Everton's first goal, and Magaye Gueye, who impressed on his return from injury with both assists. Argentine forward Denis Stracqualursi also got ninety minutes under his belt, although by most accounts he will need a few more before he is ready to take on the Premier League.

Louis Saha, however, is not expected to be fit (surprise surprise) and so Tim Cahill will probably lead the line as he did so well against Villa. Also pushing for a starting berth is Greek striker Apostolos Vellios, whose impressive substitute appearance last week very nearly yielded two goals, although I suspect if he is to feature it will be from the bench.

Indeed, the squad is so unusually fit (Saha aside) that David Moyes has the welcome dilemma of selecting his best eleven. One of the spots in contention is at right full-back, where club captain Phil Neville and Tony Hibbert, who played well against Villa, are vying for the jersey. And with Leon Osman, Ross Barkley, Marouane Fellaini, Jack Rodwell and possibly John Heitinga available in centre-midfield, it could be a tricky task to select the team.

Anyway, that's what Moyes gets paid for. And slated for if he gets it wrong. Predicted line-up:

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STAT'S LIFE

Welcome to stat set no. 5 of the 2011/2012 campaign

• Everton's premier league record against Wigan reads P12 W6 D4 L2.
• Blues skipper Phil Neville requires one more appearance to reach 200 for Everton in the premier league.
• Leon Osman and Leighton Baines are the only two Everton players to have scored more than once against Wigan in their Everton careers.
• Tim Cahill hasn't scored for Everton in 2011. His current 13-game goal drought is his longest in six years.
• Everton took 24 out of 30 points from their last 10 home matches of the 2010/11 campaign, but are winless are Goodison Park so far this season.

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On paper this fixture should not represent much of a problem for Everton - but since when have Everton been predictable? We often play poorly against the 'lesser' sides at home and goals may be a problem for a front line hampered by injury.

Despite all that I'm going to predict a home win, with Tim Cahill ending his drought in the process.

StickyToffee Prediction: Everton 1-0 Wigan Athletic

Everton Reserves 2-1 Aston Villa Reserves

A strong Everton second string beat Aston Villa by 2 goals to 1 at the Stobart Stadium in Widnes tonight thanks to first-half goals from Ross Barkley and Royston Drenthe.

Reserve team boss Alan Stubbs was able to call on a host of recognisable names for the fourth reserve fixture of the campaign. They included Slovakian number 1 Jan Mucha, teenage starlet Ross Barkley and new signings Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi, who had both been added to the reserve squad for a bit of added match fitness.

The full Everton starting line-up was; Mucha, Browning, Nsiala, Mustafi, Garbutt, Gueye, Baxter, Barkley, Drenthe, McAleny, Stracqualursi, with a substitutes bench of Davies, Bidwell, Forshaw, Orenuga, and Hope.

The visitors started the brighter of the two sides and went mightily close to taking the lead when Robinson hit the bar with a 25-yard effort. Villa were on top, but Everton threatened through Ross Barkley and Magaye Gueye as the young duo took the game to Villa.

Indeed, it was that combination that gave Everton the lead. Frenchman Gueye cut the ball back to Barkley, who slotted home from the edge of the area to break the deadlock.

Royston Drenthe, who made his senior Everton debut at the weekend, was heavily involved. One of his less spectacular contributions was a volley that cleared the stand behind the goal, although he did extend Everton's lead before half-time.

A swift counter-attacking move started by goalkeeper Mucha allowed Drenthe to showcase his blistering pace. Magaye Gueye grabbed his second assist of the evening, teeing up the flying Dutchman to make it 2-0.

Denis Stracqualursi, pulling on the royal blue for the first time, showed some neat hold-up play but wasn't overly threatening in terms of goalscoring. He may have to rely on his physical presence to prove a handful for Premier League defences. But the stand-out player for the home side was by far and away Ross Barkley, who, by the admission of the Aston Villa commentator Dan, was 'a class act' and 'majestic'.

Drenthe lived up to his reputation as a bit of a nutcase when, midway through the second half, he blatantly and without any hint of disguise pushed over a Villa player who had just fouled Everton striker Conor McAleny. He was shown a yellow card for his troubles. The derby may be interesting - especially given he has a bit of previous with Stevie G laa...

Aston Villa pulled one back after a shot was parried by Mucha, but Everton held on to claim their second win of the reserve league season.

Everton 2-2 Aston Villa

A late Gabriel Agbonlahor goal saw Aston Villa take home a barely deserved point from a lively draw at Goodison this afternoon.

It was a thoroughly impressive and much improved Everton performance and Leon Osman deservedly opened the scoring after 18 minutes. The home side then had a clear penalty shout dismissed following a quite blatant trip on Leighton Baines.

A moment of magic from Villa's Stiliyan Petrov levelled the fixture shortly after half-time - his stunning 30-yard strike bringing Villa back into a game they did not deserve to be in at all. Everton responded well to that setback, and were awarded a penalty following Fabian Delph's foul on Phil Jagielka.

Leighton Baines made no mistake from 12 yards, but Gabriel Agbonlahor's late header denied Everton the win they deserved.

* * *

The game was preceded by a protest staged by the Blue Union, voicing their collective dissatisfaction at the running of the club. It proved a success for the group, with over 1,000 fans marching from Spellow Lane to the director's entrance to the stadium.

Whether you agree with the protest or not, you have to commend the Blue Union for taking action - and for doing so in the right manner. The protest was done in the right way - peaceful and as dignified as a protest can be. A video of the protest can be seen here.

The marchers sent a message to chairman Bill Kenwright by chanting "let go, if you love the club..." along their route, although his appearance on the big screens during the match was greeted with cheers after an initial chorus of boos.

Anyway, on to on-the-pitch matters.

The side that had stolen 3 points at Ewood Park was shaken up, to say the least. Some of the changes had been enforced, as Victor Anichebe and John Heitinga had picked up injuries whilst playing for Nigeria and Holland respectively. Ross Barkley was on the bench after featuring for England U21s in midweek, whilst Tony Hibbert was selected at right-back in favour of Phil Neville.

In the wake of Mikel Arteta's departure, Phil Jagielka took on the role of captain. Both new signings - Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi - were only fit enough for the bench. Seamus Coleman made a very welcome and quicker than expected return from injury and Russian winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was also handed a starting berth.

All that meant that the side was; Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Coleman, Rodwell, Fellaini, Osman, Bilyaletdinov; Cahill. Both new-boys were listed amongst the substitutes, the full list was; Mucha, Neville, Drenthe, Barkley, Stracqualursi, Gueye, Vellios.

Although starting without a recognised striker, Everton assumed the initiative straight from the off. Leon Osman had a penalty shout turned down inside the first minute, Darren Bent headed off his own goalline from a Phil Jagielka header and Shay Given saved well from Osman.

Our dominance paid off when, after 19 minutes, Leon Osman slotted home a pass from Tim Cahill. Everton were well on top and both Jack Rodwell and Marouane Fellaini went close with long-range efforts. Villa offered very little throughout the first 45 minutes, with a Barry Bannan strike the closest they came to a goal.

Indeed, we really should have been given the chance to extend our lead but referee Michael Oliver failed to spot a blatant trip that brought to a halt a marauding run by Leighton Baines.

The decision not to award a penalty meant Everton headed into the dressing room at the break with a deserved but all too slender 1-0 advantage. We had dominated proceedings, and so it was of course inevitable that Villa would equalise.

And that's exactly what they did. In stunning fashion as well. Bulgarian Stiliyan Petrov picked up the ball 30 yards from goal and sent in an unstoppable strike. 1-1. The goal came after Villa's best period of the game, and they might have scored a few minutes earlier had it not been for an outstanding tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor by Sylvain Distin.

Everton quickly responded and Tim Cahill, who had one of his best games since before the Asian Cup back in January, saw his header instinctively palmed out by Shay Given. In the resulting scramble, Fabian Delph committed a foul on Phil Jagielka and this time a penalty was awarded.

Leighton Baines tucked away the penalty - never in doubt. 2-1.

A few minutes later Royston Drenthe was introduced to the Goodison crowd, coming on to replace Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. Needless to say, the Dutchman received a rapturous welcome from the terraces and seemed to be buoyed by his reception.

He gave us all a glimpse of his frightening pace, robbing Alan Hutton of possession and tearing down the wing. With Drenthe on one wing and Coleman on the other, it was the first time in a lng while that we had genuine pace on both flanks.

It lasted for about 5 minutes, though, as the impressive Coleman, who had terrorised Villa's left-back, was replaced by Ross Barkley.

The visitors drew level once again on 83 minutes. Marc Albrighton's cross caught out the static Sylvain Distin and Gabriel Agbonlahor rose to head home.

Yeah, whatever Gabby. Doesn't make up for the fact that you have a girl's name.

A third Everton change was made as Tim Cahill was replaced by Apostolos Vellios, and the Greek forward almost snatched the points at the death brought a fine save out of Villa goalkeeper Given.

It finished 2-2, a result that was not reflective of a fluid, strong and impressive performance from the home side. Villa are fast turning into a bogey club for us - and, as the fantastic Mickey Blue Eyes on Bluekipper writes: "It's difficult to avoid the notion that everything about the Brummy club is repellent, most of all the notorious crackpot worst of their fans."

So I guess the good news is, we don't have to play them again for a while. Up next, Wigan Athletic. COYB.

StickyToffee Player Ratings: Howard 6, Hibbert 8, Jagielka 6, Distin 6, Baines 8, Coleman 8, Rodwell 7, FELLAINI 8, Osman 7, Bilyaletdinov 6, Cahill 7.

Subs: Drenthe 6, Barkley 6, Vellios 6.

Everton v Aston Villa Preview

Club football makes a welcome return this weekend after a fortnight-long international break, with Aston Villa the visitors to Goodison as we begin life without Mikel Arteta.

Forwards Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu have also departed since the last-gasp win at Ewood Park, whilst Argie forward Denis Stracqualursi and Dutch winger Royston Drenthe have joined from Tigre and Real Madrid respectively.

Their first match will be preceded by a protest against the stagnation of the club staged by a group of supporters under the banner of 'the Blue Union'. You can find out more about that here, but I'll concentrate on what is going to happen inside the ground.

Supporters wishing to see Stracqualursi and Drenthe make their debuts may have to wait a while as there are doubts over both players' match fitness. Which is understandable, considering that neither have played for over two months.

Victor Anichebe has also been ruled out for three months after picking up a groin injury playing for Nigeria. That news leaves us dangerous short up front with Saha and Stracqualursi doubts and Anichebe out. Cahill and Fellaini it is then...

There is, however, some positive news on the injury front as Seamus Coleman and Magaye Gueye could be available for selection against Villa after recovering from ankle and toe injuries respectively. Leighton Baines, who withdrew from the England squad due to injury, may also make the game, whilst David Moyes revealed on Friday that 'John Heitinga had a bit of a knock but hopefully he will be okay'.

We often struggle against Villa. Indeed, we haven't come out on top in 10 attempts since May 2006. The fixtures do, however, tend to be tight affairs - with Villa's last-minute 2-3 win at Goodison a few years back a prime example. Last campaign's corresponding fixture finished in a 2-2 draw which, but for some poor officiating to disallow Jermaine Beckford's goal, could well have been a home victory.

The second-city claret and blues are unbeaten in three at the start of this campaign, with two Alec McLeish-inspired goalless draws and a home win over Blackburn so far. Like Everton, there is clear frustration amongst fans at Villa, demonstrated by the attendance of under 31,000 for the derby clash with Wolves at Villa Park.

They sold two of their most prized assets (Downing and Young) this Summer but still have plenty of firepower to hurt Everton. Darren Bent is a slight doubt but, although I certainly hope the game comes too soon for him, he is expected to be fit. Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton are in line to make their debuts. Oh, and sod's law N'Zogbia scores...

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STAT'S LIFE

Welcome to stat set no. 4 of the 2011/2012 campaign

• Only one of Everton's last eight league games has seen more than 2.5 goals.
• This fixture is the most played top-flight fixture (192). Villa have 72 wins to Everton's 70.
• Tim Cahill has 7 goals against Aston Villa - his highest number against any team whilst playing for Everton.
• If selected, Phil Neville will make his 200th Everton appearance and Leon Osman his 250th.
• This is the 550th league match in the managerial career of David Moyes.

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StickyToffee Prediction: Everton 1-1 Aston Villa

International Round-Up: 6th September

It was a busy night for Everton's international players, here's how they got on:

Victor Anichebe overcame a slight injury that he sustained last week to start for Nigeria in their friendly against Argentina in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Super Eagles were captained by Everton defender Joseph Yobo, who recently completed a loan move to Fenerbahce. Gonzalo Higuain gave the Argentinians the lead (24) and Angel Di Maria scored a second two minutes later (26). Nigeria pulled one back through Chinedu Obasi (46) before an own goal from Uwa Echiejile (65) made it 3-1 to Argentina, which is how it ended.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was a 76th minute substitute for Russia in Ireland. The match finished goalless, largely thanks to some incredible defensive play from Richard Dunne and Shay Given.

Shane Duffy, who has joined Scunthorpe United on loan, played the last 15 minutes as his Republic of Ireland U21 side went down 1-0 in Turkey. The only goal of the game was scored by Şahin Aygüneş (10).

John Heitinga's Netherlands all but booked their place at Euro 2012 after a 0-2 win in Finland - the Dutch goals coming courtesy of Kevin Strootman (29) and Luuk de Jong (90). Everton man Heitinga played the full game.

Tim Cahill was left on the bench for Australia against Saudi Arabia after picking up a very slight knock against Thailand. He did come on for the last 5 minutes, by which time the Socceroos had the game tied up thanks to goals from Josh Kennedy (40, 56) and Luke Wilkshire (77). Saudi Arabia did get one back through Al-Shamrani (65) but it proved just a consolation.

Everton's back-up keeper Jan Mucha had a terrible night as his Slovakia side lost 0-4 at home to minnows Armenia. The goals came from Movsisyan (57), Mkhitaryan (70), Ghazaryan (80) and Sarkisov (90). Household names.

Phil Jagielka remained an unused substitute as England beat Wales at Wembley courtesy of a solitary Ashley Young goal. Jagielka's team-mate Leighton Baines withdrew from the squad last week due to injury.

Tim Howard and Marouane Fellaini faced each other as the USA travelled to Belgium for a friendly. Fellaini will have the bragging rights at Finch Farm next week after the Belgians came out on top 1-0 thanks to a Nicolas Lombaerts goal.

Turkish Delight At Long Last For Yobo

Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo has finally joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, albeit on a season-long loan instead of a permanent deal.

Yobo spent time on loan in Turkey last year and a transfer has been in the pipeline ever since. But a series of events including different valuations, the Turkish match-fixing scandal and even the kidnapping of John Obi Mikel's father have all put the switch on hold.

The Turkish transfer window closed on Monday night which allowed the two clubs time to complete a deal. Yobo, 30, joined Everton in 2002 and has made over 250 appearances for the club.

Nigerian journalist and friend of Yobo, Colin Udoh, wrote on Twitter: "Yobo loves Everton. It's obvious when he talks. His issue is with Moyes. Relationship totally broken."

Yobo's contract at Everton expires in 2014.

International Round-Up: 5th September

Monday saw several of Everton's young players feature for their respective Under-21 national teams.

After his winning goal against Cyprus last week, Apostolos Vellios was handed a starting berth for Greece U21s in their friendly in Austria. The Austrians controlled the most part of the game and went 2-0 up through Tadić (33) and Veiman (73).

Everton striker Vellios was withdrawn on 76 minutes and the Austrians went on the grab a third through Ntrazan (84). The game was far from over, however, and the Greeks almost managed to pull off a remarkable comeback as goals from Fortuna (87) and Karagounis (90) reduced the deficit to 3-2.

Jack Rodwell and Ross Barkley started as a central-midfield pairing for England U21s in their friendly against Israel U21s at Oakwell. Barkley, winning his first cap for England U21s at the age of just 17, was the pick of the England players for the first half and went close to giving the home side the lead - his long-range left-footed strike stung the hands of the Israeli 'keeper.

Despite England's control, the Israelis took the lead through Mohammad Klibat (28). England captain Jack Rodwell was taken off at half-time after a poor first-half showing and the Young Lions equalised soon after the break through Martyn Waghorn (58). Watford man Marvin Sordell then put England ahead with an incredible long-distance effort (61) before Ross Barkley was substituted with around 20 minutes remaining.

Aston Villa forward Nathan Delfouneso added a third from the spot (83) and Henri Lansbury made it 4-1 in injury time.

International Round-Up: 3rd & 4th September

Four Everton players have represented their countries in the past two days.

I'll start the round-up with a match that took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Tim Howard played in goal for the USA as they went down 0-1 to Costa Rica. Former Everton loanee Landon Donovan also featured and both players will hope to play again on Tuesday in the USA's friendly with Marouane Fellaini's Belgium.

Shkodran Mustafi won his second cap for the Germany U20 side today as they won 2-1 in Switzerland thanks to goals from Pelle Jensen and Julian Weissmeier. Everton defender Mustafi has only just been promoted to the U20 side after representing his country at various other youth levels.

Everton duo Joseph Yobo and Victor Anichebe both featured for Nigeria in the Super Eagles' 0-2 win in Madagascar - but had contrasting afternoons. Defender Yobo opened the scoring after 68 minutes prior to Obinna Nsofor's late strike, but Anichebe picked up a groin injury in the final moments of the match and is though to be out for 2-3 weeks.

Anichebe, who is expected to fly back to England tonight, had had a very good game according to his international manager, Samson Siasia: "It is very sad for him. He was huge for us today, he did all the right things, played well but unfortunately picked up an injury in the last three minutes.

"But that's football. It's very unfortunate, but I hope he gets well soon so he can continue to feature for his club. That pitch was not very good and we are lucky our players did not get serious injuries.

"Hopefully, Anichebe will be fine after getting some medical attention. Our thoughts will be with him."

Welcome to Everton, Royston Drenthe

Royston Ricky Drenthe. The man once described by Spanish football pundit Marco Ruiz as 'a bad boy with the heart of a football pitch". The man who once returned from holiday to find messages such as "son of a bitch", "bastard" and "mercenary" in spray paint on his house.

And the man who, when asked "how often do you have sex?", replied "with my wife, you mean?"

Everton's deadline day arrival certainly comes with an off-the field reputation to rival Mario Balotelli. More on that later, but first let's take a look at his on the field credentials.

Drenthe first came to the world's attention back in 2007 after a €14m transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid. On his arrival at the Bernabéu, Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović proclaimed that the latest Galáctico was "the prototype of the modern player".

Originally a left-winger, Drenthe can now also operate as a left full-back - something that could prove very useful if, God forbid, Leighton Baines suffers an injury. Drenthe will, I assume, play on the left-hand side of midfield for Everton, although he may be asked to play on the right at times as Moyes does like to switch his wingers around.

Drenthe is probably most noted for his raw pace. A very direct and skilful player who loves to take his marker on, he must be a defender's nightmare. As explained in the wonderful blog The Executioner's Bong, he could be the Charles N'Zogbia we never were able to sign.

Prior to his big-money move to Madrid, Drenthe had been plying his trade with Feyenoord. He had been there since the age of 13 - apart from a two-year spell with feeder club SBV Excelsior after being told his future at Feyenoord was in doubt.

It was at Excelsior where Drenthe was first deployed as a left full-back rather than a winger. His success in the new position led to him being asked to re-join Feyenoord, an invitation he accepted. In the next two seasons Drenthe established himself in the first-team and earnt a call-up to the Dutch national under-21 side, with whom he won the Under-21 European Championship.

Drenthe was soon a target for La Liga giants Madrid and the transfer was helped by Drenthe's threat to take Feyenoord to court if they would not let him go. He scored a wondergoal on his debut in Spain and featured regularly for the first season. However, he then fell behind Brazilian Marcelo in the pecking order and was last season loaned to Hércules.

In Alicante everything changed. Drenthe started playing, for a start. He scored the winner against Real Sociedad and grabbed an assist at the Nou Camp in Hércules' stunning 0-2 triumph over Barcelona. His pace and trickery proved a nightmare for La Liga defences and he soon became a huge favourite with his new fans.

Indeed, when Real Madrid barred him from playing against them in one of those petty contract clauses, Drenthe offered to cough up the €2m penalty himself. In the fans' eyes, he could do no wrong. He was caught driving at 160km per hour and ignoring 4 red lights. He was let off. The fans laughed with him when he made the quip about being an adulterer (see second paragraph) and when he said "I'm 23. Of course I go out. And why would I go out to sit on a sofa?"

He even had his own fan club (see below). Fan 'blacked' themselves up, purchased Drenthe wigs and wore yellow t-shorts inscribed with the message: "I heart Roy". Racist, but this was in Spain. And Roy didn't seem to mind. After all, Sergio Ramos does it.

His time at Hercules was going swimmingly - on and off the pitch. That was, until he returned from a Christmas break to find messages such as "bastard", "clown" and, disturbingly, "KKK" written in spray paint on the front of his house.

The reason: Drenthe was on strike. He claimed that he had received just 1/6th of the wages that Hércules owed him and refused to accept the club's promise to pay 50% of his year's earnings in a lump sum at the end of the season. Drenthe's bond with the club and its fans had been destroyed. As for his future at the club, well, the writing was - quite literally - on the wall.

We have on our hands a clearly talented footballer. That is not in question. You do not get signed by Real Madrid if you are not talented, nor do you do this.

The question is, can we keep his off-the-field antics to a minimum on Merseyside? He sounds like a more talented version of Andy van der Meyde, but fans, players and the manager alike will be hoping that we will be able to appreciate his footballing merits rather than being exposed to his 'bad-boy' ways.

Anyway, I am more than willing to give him a chance. In fact, I am very excited to see him in action along with Baines on the left-hand side. He is a free agent at the end of the year and so if everything goes well it could prove to be a very astute bit of business indeed.

Welcome to Everton, Royston Ricky Drenthe.

International Round-Up: 2nd September

Plenty of Everton's players were in action for their respective national sides today, here's a round-up of how they fared.

Tim Cahill's Australia had to fight hard to overcome minnows Thailand in their World Cup qualifier in Brisbane after the Thais took the lead through Teerasil Dangda. Second half efforts from Josh Kennedy and Alex Brosque handed the Socceroos a precious win. Everton man Cahill played 71 minutes before being replaced by Robbie Kruse.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov failed to make the starting eleven or the substitutes bench for Russia's Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia. In his absence the Russians won 1-0 thanks to an Igor Semshov goal.

Apostolos Vellios started on the bench for Greece U21s in their U21 Euro 2013 qualifier against Cyprus. He entered the fray on 56 minutes, coming on for Thanassis Karagounis, and the substitution had an immediate impact as the Greeks scored just two minutes later through Kostas Fortounis. Everton man Vellios then scored a second in injury time to secure a 0-2 victory for the Greeks.

Marouane Fellaini started for Belgium in their Euro 2012 qualifying match against Azerbaijan in Baku. The midfielder picked up a booking shortly before half-time, meaning he will miss Belgium's next competitive game (against Kazakhstan). A 55th minute Tommy Simons penalty was cancelled out by a late Rauf Aliyev goal as the sides shared the points.

Everton defenders Phil Jagielka and Leighton were both unused substitutes as England won 0-3 in Bulgaria, with the goals coming courtesy of Gary Cahill and Wayne Rooney (2).

John Heitinga played the full ninety minutes as the Netherlands brushed aside minnows San Marino 11-0 in Eindhoven, and the Everton defender even managed to get himself on the scoresheet. In a fixture that made you wonder why they even bothered contesting it, the Netherlands scored 11 without reply through Robin van Persie (4), Wesley Sneijder (2), John Heitinga, Dirk Kuyt, Klaas Jan Huntelaar (2) and Georginio Wijnaldum.

Everton's back-up goalkeeper Ján Mucha played for Slovakia in their crucial Euro 2012 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Tim Howard's deputy kept a clean sheet as the two sides played out a goalless draw.

International Round-Up: 1st September

Several of Everton's young players were in action tonight for their respective national sides. Here's a round-up of how they fared.

I'll start with a fixture that took place last night. Teenage defender Shkodran Mustafi won his first cap for the German U20 side in their 4-2 victory over Poland in Offenburg. Mustafi has previously represented his country at U17 and U19 level and was promoted to the U20 side for the win over Poland.

Striker João Silva was named amongst the substitutes for Portugal's U21 Euro 2013 Qualifier in Moldova tonight. The Everton striker, currently on loan at Portuguese side Vitória de Setúbal, came on after 67 minutes as goals from João Pereira and Rui Fonte handed the Portuguese youngsters a 0-2 victory.

Shane Duffy was an unused substitute as Ireland U21 beat Hungary 2-1 in their Euro Qualifier. Robbie Brady put the Republic ahead on 15 minutes but Hungary drew level before half-time through Portsmouth's Márkó Futács. Arsenal's Rhys Murphy scored the winner for the Irish youngsters on 69 minutes.

Jack Rodwell started for England U21s as they took on Azerbaijan in another of the Euro U21 2013 Qualifying matches. The opposition included winger Araz Abdullayev, who recently joined Greek side PAOK on loan for the season. Another Everton player, Ross Barkley, was on the bench for the hosts.

In the fixture, held at Watford's Vicarage Road, England took the lead after just 5 minutes when Craig Dawson headed home from a Henri Lansbury corner. Lansbury himself doubled the advantage soon afterwards with an excellent volley after good work from his Arsenal teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Jordan Henderson put England 3-0 up before half-time and further goals from Lansbury, Martyn Waghorn and Craig Dawson after the break secured an emphatic 6-0 victory.

Welcome to Everton, Denis Stracqualursi

Yesterday saw the arrival at Everton of Argentine forward Denis Stracqualursi. The deadline day move came totally out of the blue and Evertonians (myself included) flocked to Wikipedia to assure themselves that it wasn't an elaborate wind-up. Could it be, an actual signing?

Wikipedia didn't prove to be much help - someone was clearly having fun with Denis' page, which read: "In August 2011 Stracqualursi became a mongrel by signing for the stupidly rich Premier League team Everton, owned by Sheik Kenwright."

So what do we know about or new Argie?

Denis Stracqualursi was born on the 20th October 1987 in Rafaela, a city in the province of Sante Fe, Argentina and began his footballing career in the third tier of the Argentinian football pyramid at his hometown club Unión de Sunchales. Stracqualursi took the division by storm and ended the season with a goal ratio of just over a goal a game. His talents didn't go unnoticed and he was quickly snapped up by a second-tier club, Gimnasia La Plata.

The forward struggled to adapt to life in the second division and he managed to find the net just 6 times in over 40 appearances. He did endear himself to the Gimnasia fans, though, with a brace in Gimnasia's 3-1 Clásico Platense (La Plata derby) victory over fierce rivals Estudiantes.

Despite his largely forgettable spell with Gimnasia, top-flight side Tigre had seen enough to take a chance on Stracqualursi and, in 2010, signed him on loan with the option to buy. By Argentinian standards, Stracqualursi was very much a late bloomer and Tigre's decision to gamble on him was one that paid dividends.

Stracqualursi struck 11 times in 19 times in the Apertura (the first half of the Argentine league campaign), a feat which left him joint top of the league's goalscoring charts along with Santiago Silva of Vélez Sársfield. His achievements also made him the first ever Tigre player to become the top scorer in the Argentine Primera División.

He continued his fine form into the Clausura (the second half of the season). He scored 9 times in the first 10 games - more than the entire Gimnasia team combined. He finished the Clausura campaign on 10 goals, a tally that included a hat-trick against Boca Juniors at La Bombonera.

23-year-old Stracqualursi was watched in April of this year by Everton scouts and also attracted interest from a number of European clubs. Napoli submitted an 8m Euro (£7.2m) bid and there was also significant interest from Fiorentina and Catania.

Standing at 6ft 3, Stracqualursi is noted for his aerial ability and physical presence, but does not possess the delicate touch and graceful finesse that you may expect from an Argentine.

The excellent argentinafootballworld.com describes our new striker as "tall, robust and proficient with his feet. In a league where attacking football is usually dominated by fluttering will-o-the-wisps, it is refreshing to see a striker earn his keep by relying on brute physicality, with just a touch of intricacy as an afterthought."

The Argentinian Big Dunc? Welcome to Everton, Denis Stracqualursi.

Deadline Day Review

Well, deadline day was a lot more hectic than we all had envisaged.

Before the clock struck 11pm and the transfer window was gently closed (it wasn't slammed shut as Sky Sports would have you believe), a trio of players had left for pastures new and two new faces had been brought in for the season. Our strikeforce has thinned further after the departures of Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu to Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers respectively, whilst play-maker in chief Mikel Arteta has taken up the opportunity of Champions League football at Arsenal.

Over £15m was raised through those three sales but none of the money was reinvested as both new recruits - Argentine striker Denis Stracqualursi and Dutch winger Royston Drenthe - have joined on loan deals.

INS

Denis Stracqualursi

Argentine forward Stracqualursi has joined on a season-long loan deal from Tigres in his homeland. I, like most, had never heard of him before, so I am only really going by what I can find on his Wikipedia page - which yesterday read: "In August 2011 Stracqualursi became a mongrel by signing for the stupidly rich Premier League team Everton, owned by Sheik Kenwright."

Which proves the reliability of Wikipedia. Anyway, from what I can gather, he's 23-years-old, 6ft 3 and finished top of the Argentinian goalscoring charts last year after netting 22 times in 35 appearances. Previous top scorers in the Argentinian Primera División include a host of players who have enjoyed successful careers in Europe; Javier Saviola, Mauro Zárate, Fernando Cavenaghi and Lisandro López, and so David Moyes will be hoping that Denis can prove a menace to Premier League defences.

When we were struggling in the mid-nineties we brought in a 6ft 3 centre-forward on loan. And that one didn't turn out too bad...

Royston Drenthe

Our second loan signing was Real Madrid's 24-year-old Dutch winger, Royston Drenthe. Middle name Ricky, of course. Drenthe, who can operate in midfield as well as in defence, was signed by Real Madrid in 2007 for 14 million Euros. He featured regularly at first, but gradually fell out of favour at the Bernabéu before spending last season on loan helping Hércules get relegated.

The wideman arrives on Merseyside with a bit of an off-the-pitch reputation as a loose cannon, just like another Dutchman well known to Evertonians, 'Shandy' van der Meyde. On the pitch he will add some much needed pace to the side - you would be hard pushed to find a faster player in the league.

Drenthe is a free agent at the end of the season and so, if everything goes well, we might be able to extend his stay at Goodison.

OUTS

Shane Duffy

Teenage centre-half Shane Duffy has joined Scunthorpe United on an initial month-long loan deal. The 19-year-old has European experience having played for Everton against AEK Athens and BATE Borisov, and will now look to force his way into the first team setup by getting regular games for League One side Scunthorpe.

Yakubu

'The Yak' will be put on a new diet of Venky's chicken following his transfer to Blackburn Rovers. The fee differs according to which report you read but it is believed to be around £1.5-2m. A snip of the once club record transfer fee of £11.25m that we paid for his services, but after not featuring for a while it was best to get that than nothing.

It also means that he is off the wage bill, something that is critical for Everton if we are to bring in any players in January. There has been no word on his fellow Nigerian Joseph Yobo, whose transfer to Fenerbahce has been put on hold all Summer.

Jermaine Beckford

£4m profit in just over a year and 10 goals to boot sounds like very good business. It does, however, leave us criminally short up front, with only Vellios (young), Stracqualursi (untried), Anichebe (useless) and Saha (perma-crocked) to choose from.

Beckford jumped two leagues to sign for Everton and, taking that into consideration, ten goals for the season was a very decent effort. They were memorable too - the last-gasp equaliser at Stamford Bridge, the goal at Anfield and who could forget the Roy of the Rovers effort on the final day?

Ever since his touchline spat with David Moyes last season in the 0-3 win at Wolves last season there has been a sense that he was not in the manager's good books. And so the lesson to be learnt is never mess with a Glaswegian... or you might end up with Sven.

Mikel Arteta

It was on. It was off. It was on again.

That was the story of Mikel Arteta's deadline day move to Arsenal. After 6 1/2 years of plying his trade at Everton, I don't begrudge him the move to a side that will contest in the Champions League season on season. It's not a question of money as most outlets are reporting he took a pay cut to become a Gunner (goner) and so after so long of having had the pleasure of watching him I wish him all the best in London.

I was - to coin Harry Redknapp - 'gutted' to see Mikel leave but the timing of it frustrated me more than anything. With so little time to find a replacement, the only place the £10m is going is to the bank. Apart from the 85p in every pound that goes to Finch Farm, of course...

Thanks for the memories Mikel - it's been a pleasure. You leave with my best wishes and you leave behind some great memories - the wondergoal against Fiorentina, the derby winner, the equaliser against United, the unstoppable free-kick against Hull. The best little Spaniard I knew.

Whilst I'm sad to see the back of Arteta, it is a part of football. Players will come and go and break fans' hearts. But Everton are forever. It feels very much like the end of an era. But that only means that another is about to begin. Marouane, Jack, Ross, Denis, Royston... over to you.