Basil Fawlty
Player Valuation: £35m
David Moyes has confronted his players over their early-season form but found himself questioned about his own future.
Moyes, already alarmed by the turmoil that has built up since last season's fifth-place finish in the Barclays Premier League, responded to Saturday's derby defeat against Liverpool by holding clear-theair talks with his worried players in an attempt to prevent Everton's woes developing into a full-blown crisis.
In a sometimes heated exchange, defenders Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott, and midfielder Mikel Arteta, came under fire for the way failings at the back and carelessness in possession again cost them dear.
Although Moyes posed most of the questions, he had to deal with at least one himself as some senior players apparently queried whether he would still be in charge by the end of the week.
Rumours persist linking him with Newcastle, Celtic and even Tottenham, and there are concerns he may see a UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Standard Liege tomorrow as the final straw, following difficulties in the transfer market during the summer and continuing uncertainty over his new contract.
It is understood Moyes did his best to set minds at rest, but failure to defy the odds in Liege, following a 2-2 draw in the home leg, would only increase speculation that he could be lured away.
Behind an enduring sense of loyalty towards Everton, Moyes is dismayed by the way his transfer plans had to go on hold for so long and unhappy that his achievement in securing a UEFA Cup place, despite rival managers having bigger budgets, has gone relatively unrecognised.
As he waited for word on his new deal, after revealing it had been with Everton's board for the past few weeks, Moyes' hopes of springing a surprise against the in-form Belgian champions were given a lift by a rousing battle-cry from skipper Phil Neville.
'We brag about how great the spirit is here, but we have got to go out there now and show it is not a myth,' said Neville. 'Things have not been going well so far, but the players have got to put their bodies on the line for this club.
'We can't leave any regrets behind when we walk off the pitch on Thursday, and I don't believe we will. We have been building something for the past couple of years, and we want it to reach fruition, so we have to believe we can win this game. We have to go there thinking positively.
'I've heard suggestions the manager's contract has had an effect on us but that is not true. I haven't heard it mentioned in the dressing room once. The players are only bothered about getting good results and we are all hurting we haven't done it consistently.'
While Everton held an inquest into their sorry start to the season, the mood among their opponents could hardly have provided a sharper contrast.
As reward for beating archrivals Anderlecht, coach Laszlo Boloni cancelled training on Monday and took his players 10-pin bowling instead.
Boloni said: 'I felt it was important to introduce a change of scene and a break from the normal routine. Everyone enjoyed it, and you could tell batteries had been recharged.'
Standard striker Igor De Camargo is a major doubt for tomorrow after sustaining a back injury against Anderlecht.
Everton suffered another setback yesterday when the FA confirmed that Tim Cahill's appeal against his red card on Saturday had been rejected.
He will now miss the games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Moyes, already alarmed by the turmoil that has built up since last season's fifth-place finish in the Barclays Premier League, responded to Saturday's derby defeat against Liverpool by holding clear-theair talks with his worried players in an attempt to prevent Everton's woes developing into a full-blown crisis.
In a sometimes heated exchange, defenders Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott, and midfielder Mikel Arteta, came under fire for the way failings at the back and carelessness in possession again cost them dear.
Although Moyes posed most of the questions, he had to deal with at least one himself as some senior players apparently queried whether he would still be in charge by the end of the week.
Rumours persist linking him with Newcastle, Celtic and even Tottenham, and there are concerns he may see a UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Standard Liege tomorrow as the final straw, following difficulties in the transfer market during the summer and continuing uncertainty over his new contract.
It is understood Moyes did his best to set minds at rest, but failure to defy the odds in Liege, following a 2-2 draw in the home leg, would only increase speculation that he could be lured away.
Behind an enduring sense of loyalty towards Everton, Moyes is dismayed by the way his transfer plans had to go on hold for so long and unhappy that his achievement in securing a UEFA Cup place, despite rival managers having bigger budgets, has gone relatively unrecognised.
As he waited for word on his new deal, after revealing it had been with Everton's board for the past few weeks, Moyes' hopes of springing a surprise against the in-form Belgian champions were given a lift by a rousing battle-cry from skipper Phil Neville.
'We brag about how great the spirit is here, but we have got to go out there now and show it is not a myth,' said Neville. 'Things have not been going well so far, but the players have got to put their bodies on the line for this club.
'We can't leave any regrets behind when we walk off the pitch on Thursday, and I don't believe we will. We have been building something for the past couple of years, and we want it to reach fruition, so we have to believe we can win this game. We have to go there thinking positively.
'I've heard suggestions the manager's contract has had an effect on us but that is not true. I haven't heard it mentioned in the dressing room once. The players are only bothered about getting good results and we are all hurting we haven't done it consistently.'
While Everton held an inquest into their sorry start to the season, the mood among their opponents could hardly have provided a sharper contrast.
As reward for beating archrivals Anderlecht, coach Laszlo Boloni cancelled training on Monday and took his players 10-pin bowling instead.
Boloni said: 'I felt it was important to introduce a change of scene and a break from the normal routine. Everyone enjoyed it, and you could tell batteries had been recharged.'
Standard striker Igor De Camargo is a major doubt for tomorrow after sustaining a back injury against Anderlecht.
Everton suffered another setback yesterday when the FA confirmed that Tim Cahill's appeal against his red card on Saturday had been rejected.
He will now miss the games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester United.
