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Mirror writer, Everton fan and Davek fav, David Maddock writes about his fav moments with Everton...
My decade with Everton, by David Maddock - MirrorFootball.co.uk
The Daily Mirror's man on Merseyside presents his awards to those most deserving in the past 10 years at Goodison Park...
I'm not entirely sure if it's one word or two, but whatever, to best sum up Everton's decade, then rollercoaster tends to come to mind.
Everton fans have a real sense of humour, they say they have to. It is an often morbid one, fueled by the pain and suffering they believe is their inevitable destiny, no matter how promising things appear.
They never get carried away, because they know, like that poem on every 80s teenager's bedroom, they have to treat every approaching outcome as an imposter.
Yet the Noughties have been a decade of progress for Everton, despite the regular setbacks. They started as perennial relegation dodgers, finished - with the inevitable hiccup - as regular European campaigners.
Thanks for that clearly must go to chairman Bill Kenwright, who has struggled manfully with a depressing economic outlook to still keep the club above water. And it has been a hell of a struggle.
And perhaps his wisest decision was to install David Moyes as manager. Which is why I kick off my summary of Everton's decade with my Goodison hero:
My hero of the decade:
Only one contender. Moyes. He arrived as a relative unknown after a promising spell with Preston, and ended the decade as the best young manager in Britain, and firmly established amongst the top 20 bosses in Europe. On a limited budget he has performed miraculously, with the backing of a sympathetic chairman, and transformed the team into one that can compete in the top six, when injuries do not conspire completely against them, as they have done this season. This whole article could be about Moyes, but instead, he will be happy to let his record speak for itself.
My highlight of the decade:
Wembley features strongly in the memory of every Everton fan, and who knows what might have happened in last season's FA Cup final had not Louis Saha put his header over the bar with the score against Chelsea level at 1-1. But my imagination is sparked by the visit to Wembley the month before for the semi, when somehow, the Blues defeated Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out for one of the most remarkable victories of all-time. Everton's secret weapon was to select takers who hadn't ACTUALLY had penalty experience before, or had missed them. Genius. It worked too, with skipper Phil Neville leading the way by converting his first penalty kick since he was 12 years old. I say it again, genius.
Unsung hero of the decade:
Tough one this, because Tony Hibbert deserves special praise, given his emergence as the Scouse heart of the team, and no-one has given more passion to the Everton cause, but for me it has to be Lee Carsley, who epitomises everything good about the club. He was a cult hero, and his goal against Liverpool will live long in the memory.
Best signing of the decade:
Too close to call this one, with Moyes making a habit out of finding top class players at rock bottom prices, but Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, and Joseph Yobo stand out, with Arteta just shading it, largely because he is a bona fide genius.
Most enjoyable league win:
Blues fans will probably cite any victory over Liverpool, but for sheer importance then nothing can top the 1-0 win over Manchester United that more or less confirmed a Champions League place, which also happened to be the only league win over the Manchester club in decade. Duncan Ferguson scored, the Goodison roof came off, and Moyes had his place in history.
Favourite goal:
Few can top Wayne Rooney's remarkable goal to announce his arrival on the scene, when he produced the goal of the season against Arsenal to destroy David Seaman, but many Everton fans could never vote for he who cannot be named, so instead, it has to be Ferguson's against United, because of the significance, and because it was Big Dunc's last reason hurrah.
And finally, given there have been plenty of downs, we have to finish on the worst moment of the decade...
Losing Rooney takes some topping, given that the best striker in Britain was once a Blue, but clearly not always a Blue. Gary McAllister's goal for Liverpool which won the derby in 2001 from about a mile and a half out was also a low, but for sheer mind-numbing pain then Pierluigi Collina's decision to deny Ferguson in a Champions League qualifier against Villarreal. Supposedly the best referee in the world, the Italian produced one of the worst decisions of his career to deny Everton a place in the group stages of the competition. Meanwhile, Villareal went all the way to the semi-final. Imagine what might have been...
My decade with Everton, by David Maddock - MirrorFootball.co.uk
The Daily Mirror's man on Merseyside presents his awards to those most deserving in the past 10 years at Goodison Park...
I'm not entirely sure if it's one word or two, but whatever, to best sum up Everton's decade, then rollercoaster tends to come to mind.
Everton fans have a real sense of humour, they say they have to. It is an often morbid one, fueled by the pain and suffering they believe is their inevitable destiny, no matter how promising things appear.
They never get carried away, because they know, like that poem on every 80s teenager's bedroom, they have to treat every approaching outcome as an imposter.
Yet the Noughties have been a decade of progress for Everton, despite the regular setbacks. They started as perennial relegation dodgers, finished - with the inevitable hiccup - as regular European campaigners.
Thanks for that clearly must go to chairman Bill Kenwright, who has struggled manfully with a depressing economic outlook to still keep the club above water. And it has been a hell of a struggle.
And perhaps his wisest decision was to install David Moyes as manager. Which is why I kick off my summary of Everton's decade with my Goodison hero:
My hero of the decade:
Only one contender. Moyes. He arrived as a relative unknown after a promising spell with Preston, and ended the decade as the best young manager in Britain, and firmly established amongst the top 20 bosses in Europe. On a limited budget he has performed miraculously, with the backing of a sympathetic chairman, and transformed the team into one that can compete in the top six, when injuries do not conspire completely against them, as they have done this season. This whole article could be about Moyes, but instead, he will be happy to let his record speak for itself.
My highlight of the decade:
Wembley features strongly in the memory of every Everton fan, and who knows what might have happened in last season's FA Cup final had not Louis Saha put his header over the bar with the score against Chelsea level at 1-1. But my imagination is sparked by the visit to Wembley the month before for the semi, when somehow, the Blues defeated Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out for one of the most remarkable victories of all-time. Everton's secret weapon was to select takers who hadn't ACTUALLY had penalty experience before, or had missed them. Genius. It worked too, with skipper Phil Neville leading the way by converting his first penalty kick since he was 12 years old. I say it again, genius.
Unsung hero of the decade:
Tough one this, because Tony Hibbert deserves special praise, given his emergence as the Scouse heart of the team, and no-one has given more passion to the Everton cause, but for me it has to be Lee Carsley, who epitomises everything good about the club. He was a cult hero, and his goal against Liverpool will live long in the memory.
Best signing of the decade:
Too close to call this one, with Moyes making a habit out of finding top class players at rock bottom prices, but Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, and Joseph Yobo stand out, with Arteta just shading it, largely because he is a bona fide genius.
Most enjoyable league win:
Blues fans will probably cite any victory over Liverpool, but for sheer importance then nothing can top the 1-0 win over Manchester United that more or less confirmed a Champions League place, which also happened to be the only league win over the Manchester club in decade. Duncan Ferguson scored, the Goodison roof came off, and Moyes had his place in history.
Favourite goal:
Few can top Wayne Rooney's remarkable goal to announce his arrival on the scene, when he produced the goal of the season against Arsenal to destroy David Seaman, but many Everton fans could never vote for he who cannot be named, so instead, it has to be Ferguson's against United, because of the significance, and because it was Big Dunc's last reason hurrah.
And finally, given there have been plenty of downs, we have to finish on the worst moment of the decade...
Losing Rooney takes some topping, given that the best striker in Britain was once a Blue, but clearly not always a Blue. Gary McAllister's goal for Liverpool which won the derby in 2001 from about a mile and a half out was also a low, but for sheer mind-numbing pain then Pierluigi Collina's decision to deny Ferguson in a Champions League qualifier against Villarreal. Supposedly the best referee in the world, the Italian produced one of the worst decisions of his career to deny Everton a place in the group stages of the competition. Meanwhile, Villareal went all the way to the semi-final. Imagine what might have been...
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