We Don't Fear The Russians

The big month of February did not get of to the best of starts for us when we got stage fright at Analfield and suffered a one nil defeat to the shite. Captain Phil though believes on Wednesday we can put it all right by turning over Premiership favourites Chelski at Goodison, and one thing is we should not be overawed by them.

Phil says: "I don't think we should be frightened of anyone at the moment. We're playing well, we're full of confidence, and we’ve got a lot of players back fit and ready to play in the big games. Let’s look forward to them and not be fearful of them. We need to lick our wounds now, and get back to the training ground and look forward to Wednesday night.

You've got to pick yourself up and get on with it. You've got to raise yourself for another massive game at Goodison on Wednesday night. Games are coming thick and fast at the moment and we can't be feeling sorry for ourselves and we've got to produce the same level of performance. We've been showing an outstanding level of performance in the Premier League and we can take a lot of positives on the run that we've been on.

We've got a strong squad now, and one that is looking forward to the next month and playing in all these big games, because that what we play football for." (08/02/10)

It's a Biggy

Phil Neville is relishing the month of February, and in his time at the Blues he looks on it as his biggest month in a Royal Blue shirt. With games against three of the top four teams in the country, plus a Derby against the shite to contend with, it is vital we do well for our Premiership push. Throw into that a trip to Lisbon in the Europa Cup, and it all adds up to a mouth watering month for all Evertonians, bring it on !!

Phil says: "This February will probably be the biggest month since I’ve been at the club because of the magnitude of each game we will be playing in. Each will be so important in terms of picking up points. We are coming up against these teams knowing how well we are playing and that we’ve a got good chance of winning.

If you had asked us two months ago, I think we might have been scared of the challenge in February. But now we’ve got our form back we’re thinking, ‘Come on, let’s enjoy it and not be fearful of what’s ahead of us’. We couldn’t have asked for a tougher fixture list. It’s a fixture list that must get every Evertonian excited." (04/02/10)

Wembley Again

The Everton skipper was happy to be in today's FA Cup draw and believes there is a chance to get to Wembley again this season.

Neville says: "Carlisle were outstanding. It was hard work, but in the end it is about being in the hat for the next round. They gave us a fright, hitting the bar when it was level and 3-1 totally flattered us. Our performance was not up to what it has been recently. But we are still in the competition. And looking back at our unbelievable cup run last season, we struggled at Macclesfield in the third round but managed a win there. It was a similar type of game to this one, and last season we still ended up at Wembley. The aim is to get to the final again.

Beforehand when we were warming up on the pitch we could see the re-runs on the big screens of last season's final and the semi-final at Wembley being shown. I just felt that we needed some more of that. Last season that cup run was truly inspiring and it galvanised the whole club. Now we want another run like that. We need to really kick on now. There are no excuses. We can see light at the end of the tunnel with injured players coming back and we just need to keep winning games. We have a big couple of months coming up in the league, cup and Europe, and if we can come out of that in good shape we can really attack the last half of the season.

As for me, I'm delighted to be back. I feel fine and really fresh. It is just a case now of hard training and building up my fitness." (03/01/10)

I Want You Back For Good

It was a nice Crizzy prezzie to see the skipper back in the squad for the Sunderland game. The boss was chuffed to bits.

Moyesy says: "It was a massive boost because he's had no football training except one day and Phil wanted to come, he wanted to be involved, and with what we've got at the moment then we want to get them back quickly. But in the same breath we can't bring him back if he's not quite ready yet and he's probably just not quite ready yet."

Winning The Mental Battle

Phil Neville's mental strength has been tested to the limit with his latest injury troubles. The Skipper had his heart set on a return at his old club United in late November, but a further op was needed on his troublesome knee. No date is yet planned in for the Captains's return, but hopefully early in the New Year, we can expect one old face back in the first team fold.

Captain Phil says: "The rehab is going really well. It was a bad setback for me when I was told I needed an operation but the surgeon did a fantastic job. He said I would be back in no time and since I woke up from the anaesthetic my knee has felt great, better than it was before.

This set back has been a real test of my mental strength. I had set my heart on being fit for the Manchester United game last month. Even just a couple of days before I was well on schedule but it turned out the knee wasn't quite strong enough. I had the wash-out on my knee and since then it has been about focusing on the rehabilitaion.

I haven't been able to feel sorry for myself so I could fully focus on making sure the knee is really strong this time. I am working really hard. It has helped with the recent turnaround in performances as I am really enjoying seeing the team playing so well. I am the captain of the team and it is vitally important that I remain positive and pass that on to the others regardless of if I am playing." (09/12/09)

More Bad News

Jags and Mikky have had setbacks with their comebacks and now it's Pips turn. Unfortunately Phil has gone under the surgeon knife to repair cartilage damage in his knee. It's expected to keep him out of action for at least another 3 weeks

Moyesy says: “He has a bit of a cartilage tear, which we knew about, but the surgeon didn’t want to operate [at the time of the injury] as he didn’t think it was needed. It looks as if the tear has got slightly bigger so we feel now we have to go in and do something about it.

The surgeon thought it would heal by itself, which was the correct decision, but now it has got bigger it is starting to cause him a few problems. We were probably expecting Phil to have maybe started against Manchester United, Hull tomorrow or maybe Liverpool (the shite). There was an outside chance because he had been training with us for five or six days but in the end I wouldn’t have picked him against United because he wasn’t physically fit enough. It now looks like he is going to be out for another two or three weeks.” (24/11/09)

United Return?

Phil Neville is targeting a return against his former club on November 21st at Old Trafford, as his return to first team action. Captain Phil will have been out for eight weeks at that point, but he is realistic to know that it still may be too aggressive of a return to action.

It would be great to get him back, as most Blues will remember his tackle on Ronaldo last season at Goodison, and looked on it as our turning point on a shit season up to then. We went on to a Cup Final and finish fifth in the Prem, oh and Ronaldo pissed off to Madrid, shame.

Phil says: "I am hoping to be back for the Man United game (21 November). That would be eight weeks though so you never know. It maybe the Liverpool (the shite) game or even the Spurs game because it just depends on how it is heeling and how it is progressing. I am back running now which is good so we'll take each day as it comes. In an ideal world I would love to be fit for the Man United game which is after the next international break.

I feel as though I am letting the team down because we need bodies out there. We need experience and I can't help. As captain of the team I want to be out there on the pitch. I have got to be patient though. This is a crucial time in my rehabilitation so I have to let nature take it's a course if I want to recover.

It is strange at the moment as the players aren't just picking up a little hamstring tightness or calf strains. We are picking up serious injuries like cruciate knee ligament injuries. We have got three of them at the moment! It is so disappointing because at the moment we've got 11 or 12 fit players and those players are working their socks off" continues Neville. "They are playing a lot of games in a short space of time, there's no recovery time for them. They are actually playing really well but they are just not getting their rewards at the moment." (29/10/09)

Different Blues

Injured Skipper Phil Neville is convinced that a different Blues will turn up when we replay Benfica in the Europa League a week on Thursday. With the Blues being well and truly hammered 5-0 by the Portuguese outfit in Lisbon last night, pride is now at stake as well as three points. Phil knows like we all do, that when the chips are down, the Blues tend to deliver. Lets hope your right Phil.

Phil says: "The game at Goodison will be different. You’ll see a different Everton side. I’m convinced that we can beat them. I think the score line tonight tells you we’ve made five mistakes. We can’t make those mistakes against the top European sides if we want to progress and win this competition which we do.

When the chips are down and our backs are to the wall and people are writing us off, that’s when this Club gels together and we will do that, I’m sure of it. I’m sure everyone is disappointed but we have to win Sunday now to put this result behind us. They have world class players, but I’m sure when we get them back to Goodison and we get everybody fit – because we had a really inexperienced side out there tonight and in European football you have to play with experience – it will be a different game.” (23/10/09)

No Op Needed

Phil Neville probably won't have to go under the surgeons knife, but he still faces a lengthy stay on the sidelines after his cruciate ligament injury sustained at Fulham last Sunday. Basil who has his hands full with Mikky, The Jag and Big Vic already has ordered more beds in his Emergency Ward so he can nurse Phil back to full fitness. Get Well Soon Skipper.

Basil says: "As we suspected, the scan revealed that Phil has torn his posterior cruciate ligament at the back of his knee. There will be a further assessment in three weeks when the swelling has gone completely but the surgeon's feeling is that it won't require surgery. Although it could have been worse, we are still looking at a Christmas/New Year return for Phil. (17/09/09)

Not Good News

The news on Phil Neville in the last 24hrs has gone from bad to worse. At first Moyesy and his back room Staff thought a bad gash to Phil's leg was the worst of it, but today after a more in depth look at our Captains knee, the dreaded ligament damage has been diagnosed. This could mean a lengthy lay off for Phil, who will join Mikky, Big Vic and Jags on the long term injury list. Shit, if it doesn't rain it pours.

Basil says: "An MRI scan on Monday morning has confirmed our fears and it has revealed that Phil has damaged ligaments at the back of his knee. He will now rest it for 48 hours to allow the swelling to go down and he will then see a specialist in London before a decision is made on how best to manage the injury. It's too early to estimate length of absence but I fear he is certainly facing a lengthy lay-off." (14/09/09)

Defensive Pickle

Everton's central defence was hopeless at Blackpool. It looked like Rodwell had just been introduced to Yobo. Maybe they had. Jack was far too nice and you couldn't tell which Joey had turned up. The one who wins ever header or the one who spoons the ball all over the place. With Roger out with a hip injury or on the verge of signing for sitteh depending on who you believe, Jags out until October at the earliest and Blue Bill still haggling with the gooners over the price of Senderos, Everton are in a pickle. The captain says the defenders must show a mental toughness.

Phil says: “It is tough, but that’s pre-season for you. At the moment it’s easy for other teams to score against us which is something that we need to eradicate. It’s not something you can turn on like a tap next Saturday come Arsenal, and at this moment in time we’re probably physically a little bit soft.

We need to get back to the mental toughness that we showed last season. I’m sure over the next few days, and leading up to the Arsenal game we’ll be working hard at that. We pride ourselves on our defensive solidity, and it’s probably not been there this pre-season yet. We need 11 leaders out there, and that’s what we’ve had for four years since I came to the club.

We’ve got international players out there, everyone should be taking responsibility. Last season we started the season slowly, and fortunately enough we recovered. How many times we can keep doing that I don’t know, but one thing is that we must make sure we start the season well, make sure we’re mentally tough, we’re solid and we do the things that Everton does best. We need to get back to that on Friday against Malaga, and obviously a good week’s training next week as well.” (06/08/09)

Who Do They Think They Are

It seems the Arabs over at Eastlands are not getting the message in that Roger is not for sale. After upping their bid for him to £18m, Moyesy once again has knocked them back. Captain Phil like the rest of us is getting whazzed off, especially in the way Sittehh are conducting their transfer policy in public. No class, no history and no trophy for 30 odd years, they will soon be overtaking Chelski as the club everyone loves to hate.

Phil says: "The club have turned down two offers and the manager is not prepared to sell him. Let's move on and let's look forward to the new season. Will City get the message? The way they are going about their business, I don't think they will. There are ways and means of doing things - and Everton do it the right way." (30/07/09)