Sharpys top lip
Player Valuation: £60m
This is from todays POST......
Anthony Gardner ready to put his injury hell behind him
Feb 16 2008
A CHANGE, they say, is as good as a rest, so if that old adage rings true, Anthony Gardner is set for a long overdue change in fortune.
Having slipped into Goodison Park almost unnoticed a couple of hours before the transfer window shut last month, Gardner has so far been left frustrated in his attempts to impress his new employers as he battles to overcome a long-standing ankle problem.
Though he was brought in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur to provide Everton with defensive cover following Alan Stubbs’ move to Derby, Gardner has not even trained with his new team-mates yet.
Happily, however, there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel and if all goes to plan, the 27-year-old will be given the green light to start challenging Phil Jagielka, Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott in 10 days’ time.
But given he has been blighted by so many fitness issues over the last few seasons – this latest one was a broken ankle sustained in a UEFA Cup group game against Getafe – just being back out in the open will provide a lift.
No wonder he wants to get going.
“I have suffered from injuries,” said Gardner, who stands an imposing 6ft 5ins in his socks.
“I would like to stand here and say it is different but it is what it is. Your football career is about getting a little bit of luck here and there and a break at the right time.
“So I’m just hoping that this change of scenery and being around a big club will help. Let me get back out on to the football pitch and show what a good player I can be.
“I want to show everyone that the injury problems I’ve had are behind me.
“If I never thought that, I wouldn’t be playing football now.
“In this profession, injuries are part and parcel of the game but you do everything you can to avoid them.
“Sometimes, though, things happen that are beyond your control.
“I’m doing everything that I can to keep myself fit and strong.
“All I need now is a little bit of luck and maybe this change of club and change of scenery will be just what I need to kick on again, play a lot of games and not have a sniff of an injury.”
Once talked of a possible England regular – he won his one and only cap when replacing John Terry during a 1-0 defeat against Sweden in March 2004 – Gardner has the ability to cut it at the highest level.
Signed by Tottenham after impressing as a teenager with Port Vale, he made 141 appearances at White Hart Lane but it could be that he will be seeking pastures new this summer, particularly with Juande Ramos having signed Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesbrough in January.
Only time will tell if Everton offer him a permanent base but that won’t even begin to be discussed until Gardner has shown he is fit and ready to do himself justice once again yet it is a challenge he is excited by.
He was in the crowd last Saturday when Jagielka scored the goal that beat Reading, and Wednesday night’s UEFA Cup battle against SK Brann reinforced his initial opinion that he has joined a top club.
“In football you never know what can happen,” said Gardner.
“When I was at Port Vale, I never imagined that I would end up going down south so quickly but I did and now I’m here.
“I’m just looking forward to things.
“When I was growing up, Everton were a team winning league championships and other big trophies.
“I always thought they were a very big club that played good football with a lot of players who were very well known.
“This is a club with a very rich history, so it’s nice to be here now, in and around the players and experiencing what a big club it really is.”
Strong, quick and a good reader of the game – his boyhood idol was Marcel Desailly – Gardner hopes he gets the chance to show Evertonians what he can do but, most importantly, he has a determination to help David Moyes and his squad achieve something significant.
“I used to watch Italian football a lot when I was younger and he was probably the player that I related to the most,” said Gardner.
“He played at the back, he played in midfield and he had strong attributes.
“He was good on the ball, a leader and someone you could look up to. He won the European Championships and World Cup with France, then he came over to England and was outstanding here.
“I was lucky enough to play against him once and he was all I expected him to be.
“I would have to say he was my hero. He was someone to look up to, definitely.
“It’s good for the club to have so much strength in depth. I’m hoping that I can add to that.
“This is a big club, looking to push for honours again and if you want to do that, you need strength in depth.
“All the big clubs have it and Everton is a big club.”
Well he has a few good thing to say about everton, an he talks a good game.Hope this new start sets his career of again. He could be usefull to have around the club.
Anthony Gardner ready to put his injury hell behind him
Feb 16 2008
A CHANGE, they say, is as good as a rest, so if that old adage rings true, Anthony Gardner is set for a long overdue change in fortune.
Having slipped into Goodison Park almost unnoticed a couple of hours before the transfer window shut last month, Gardner has so far been left frustrated in his attempts to impress his new employers as he battles to overcome a long-standing ankle problem.
Though he was brought in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur to provide Everton with defensive cover following Alan Stubbs’ move to Derby, Gardner has not even trained with his new team-mates yet.
Happily, however, there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel and if all goes to plan, the 27-year-old will be given the green light to start challenging Phil Jagielka, Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott in 10 days’ time.
But given he has been blighted by so many fitness issues over the last few seasons – this latest one was a broken ankle sustained in a UEFA Cup group game against Getafe – just being back out in the open will provide a lift.
No wonder he wants to get going.
“I have suffered from injuries,” said Gardner, who stands an imposing 6ft 5ins in his socks.
“I would like to stand here and say it is different but it is what it is. Your football career is about getting a little bit of luck here and there and a break at the right time.
“So I’m just hoping that this change of scenery and being around a big club will help. Let me get back out on to the football pitch and show what a good player I can be.
“I want to show everyone that the injury problems I’ve had are behind me.
“If I never thought that, I wouldn’t be playing football now.
“In this profession, injuries are part and parcel of the game but you do everything you can to avoid them.
“Sometimes, though, things happen that are beyond your control.
“I’m doing everything that I can to keep myself fit and strong.
“All I need now is a little bit of luck and maybe this change of club and change of scenery will be just what I need to kick on again, play a lot of games and not have a sniff of an injury.”
Once talked of a possible England regular – he won his one and only cap when replacing John Terry during a 1-0 defeat against Sweden in March 2004 – Gardner has the ability to cut it at the highest level.
Signed by Tottenham after impressing as a teenager with Port Vale, he made 141 appearances at White Hart Lane but it could be that he will be seeking pastures new this summer, particularly with Juande Ramos having signed Jonathan Woodgate from Middlesbrough in January.
Only time will tell if Everton offer him a permanent base but that won’t even begin to be discussed until Gardner has shown he is fit and ready to do himself justice once again yet it is a challenge he is excited by.
He was in the crowd last Saturday when Jagielka scored the goal that beat Reading, and Wednesday night’s UEFA Cup battle against SK Brann reinforced his initial opinion that he has joined a top club.
“In football you never know what can happen,” said Gardner.
“When I was at Port Vale, I never imagined that I would end up going down south so quickly but I did and now I’m here.
“I’m just looking forward to things.
“When I was growing up, Everton were a team winning league championships and other big trophies.
“I always thought they were a very big club that played good football with a lot of players who were very well known.
“This is a club with a very rich history, so it’s nice to be here now, in and around the players and experiencing what a big club it really is.”
Strong, quick and a good reader of the game – his boyhood idol was Marcel Desailly – Gardner hopes he gets the chance to show Evertonians what he can do but, most importantly, he has a determination to help David Moyes and his squad achieve something significant.
“I used to watch Italian football a lot when I was younger and he was probably the player that I related to the most,” said Gardner.
“He played at the back, he played in midfield and he had strong attributes.
“He was good on the ball, a leader and someone you could look up to. He won the European Championships and World Cup with France, then he came over to England and was outstanding here.
“I was lucky enough to play against him once and he was all I expected him to be.
“I would have to say he was my hero. He was someone to look up to, definitely.
“It’s good for the club to have so much strength in depth. I’m hoping that I can add to that.
“This is a big club, looking to push for honours again and if you want to do that, you need strength in depth.
“All the big clubs have it and Everton is a big club.”
Well he has a few good thing to say about everton, an he talks a good game.Hope this new start sets his career of again. He could be usefull to have around the club.
