What The Papers Say - 4 January

All the build up to Bolton in Wednesday's papers.

The views below are taken from the local and national newspapers and do not necessarily reflect those of Everton.

DAVID Moyes says Everton FC will take nothing for granted against rock-bottom Bolton tonight- as he ponders whether to hand Landon Donovan an instant return to Premier League action.

New Year’s Eve saw big guns Manchester United and Chelsea suffer shock defeats at home to Blackburn and Aston Villa respectively, before league leaders Manchester City were beaten by a last-gasp goal at Sunderland 24 hours later.

Everton FC, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to four games with a 1-0 win at West Brom and the odds look good for them continuing the sequence with another triumph against Owen Coyle’s strugglers.

Wanderers are bottom of the table and lost 2-0 at home to Everton in November, but with the top flight seemingly as hard to predict as ever, Moyes is not about to underestimate his team’s task at Goodison Park, and seems certain to include on-loan LA Galaxy forward Donovan on the bench at least.

He said: “The Premier League is back to the topsy-turvy way it was last year when you didn’t know who was winning what. Just over the last couple of weeks we have started to see that again. There is no guarantee when you play any games who is going to win or lose at the moment, so you need to go about your job correctly.

“We got a good three points (at the Reebok Stadium) and it would be great if we could do it again, but there is nothing guaranteed and I wouldn’t take anything for granted.

“Bolton are difficult opposition – they have their own fight at this moment in time while we are trying to push up the league.”

Moyes can call on Donovan tomorrow for the first time since it was announced in US international would be rejoining the Toffees on a two-month loan deal.

Donovan says he feels “more prepared” for his second loan spell on Merseyside, although Moyes, who is also hoping Royston Drenthe recovers from a sickness bout, stressed it is only when he takes part in matches that the 29-year-old can properly be assessed.

He said: “He looks okay, I have to say, but how can you tell? Even though we have seen some football (in training), we have not seen any games yet.

“But fitness-wise he is not someone who carries a lot of weight. He is quite lightweight and he looks okay.

“He came before and did well for us – scored a couple of goals, played well and showed some qualities.

“We are hoping over his time here he will do that again, but we have to remember it’s only a short loan.

“He has settled in very quickly, so we look forward to getting him in the game and seeing how he does.”

Meanwhile, Moyes is monitoring Paris Saint Germain striker Mevlut Erdinc, although his chances of landing the Turkey international on loan appear remote.

Erdinc, who is also a long-term target for Newcastle, has a £7m price-tag and PSG would prefer to sell, meaning that unless the situation changes Everton could miss out.

The Blues have already allowed one player to leave during this month’s transfer window. German-born defender Shkodran Mustafi, 19, has been allowed to join Serie B side Sampdoria on a free transfer.

Mustafi joined Everton from Hamburg in the summer of 2009, but failed to break into the first team.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s game. Prices start from £30 for adults and £15 for juniors. Call 0871 663 1878 for details.

 

FEW players can have tried the patience of Everton FC manager David Moyes quite as much as Victor Anichebe during recent years.

Time and again, the Everton FC manager has spoken of the need to place the proverbial rocket up the backside of the striker in an effort to bring the best out of him.

Given Anichebe’s wretched run of injuries and less than prolific scoring record – eight Premier League goals in six years tells its own story – it would have been easy for Everton to cut their losses on the Nigerian.

Moyes, though, has never wavered, and was rewarded on Sunday when Anichebe stepped off the bench to mark his latest comeback with a dramatic late winner at West Bromwich Albion.

And now the Goodison manager has challenged the 23-year-old to keep on justifying the faith of the club.

“It would have been easy with Victor to say ‘hey, go on, you’re going to have to go’,” says Moyes.

“He has had a couple of bad injuries. But the staff around him have got a lot of faith in him.

“He is a good boy, he needs a shake to keep him alive at times.

“But he has got attributes that are important and we have played him in some big games. He has been useful to us.

“I don’t see us giving up on him. We are not going to do that. He needs to give us something back now so we can keep believing in him and pushing him on.”

Confidence has been an issue for Anichebe ever since his debut as a 17-year-old in an FA Cup tie against Chelsea in January 2006.

Moyes spoke at the weekend of trying to unwrap the potential of the forward, who missed four months of the campaign after suffering a serious groin injury while on international duty in September.

And the manager says: “Victor does lack belief and he needs support. I hope that he gets the support from me and the staff here. I think we do give it to him. He needs to accept that and take it on board, give a bit back himself.

“I’m just generally trying to boost the boy’s self-esteem and he did well. He has got all the attributes to be a really good player. If he wants to be a top player, he has got the attributes to be one. He needs to really want it himself.”

Anichebe’s goal was greeted joyously by the travelling support at The Hawthorns on Sunday, a sharp contrast to the jeers he received during the home game against Wigan Athletic barely 12 months earlier after it emerged he was stalling on the offer of a new contract.

“It was good that the crowd got behind him on Sunday,” adds Moyes. “It’s never easy if you are not going to get the backing of the support, it makes your job that much harder.

“We have to give him encouragement and we have been tough with him. We don’t let him get away with it.

“But we can only do it when he is fit. For much of the time, he hasn’t been ready to play so we couldn’t get the work in to him. When he has confidence, he can be a handful.

“The onus is on him, though. He has got the ability, undoubtedly. He has got some great talents. He is powerful, fast. He can play several roles and we have missed him.”

Anichebe visited a specialist in Belgium in an effort to regain his fitness, and also had a spell training in California.

Having tired during his 25-minute substitute appearance at the weekend, the forward will again start from the bench for tonight’s Premier League visit of rock-bottom Bolton Wanderers.

But when asked if Anichebe was on his last chance, Moyes responds: “I don’t know about that. When he gets himself fit and he is ready, we will see how the opportunities come for him.

“He has got some bits about him. He needs to try and become more of a regular player if he can. He needs to keep himself fit.

“If he had been fit, he would undoubtedly have played plenty of games. But he had a bad injury. I hope to see him on the grass more often in 2012.”

Bolton have lost 14 of their 19 league games this season, including a 2-0 home reverse to Everton in November.

Moyes, though, believes sympathy is the last thing Trotters counterpart Owen Coyle would want, while confident his fellow Glaswegian’s job is not under any threat.

“Owen knows how the game works,” he says. “He knows the job is to win games and he isn’t daft.

“He has proved himself as a really good manager at Bolton, Burnley and St Johnstone. He will be able to do the job okay.

“He is a good, up and coming manager. I don’t see his position in any jeopardy at all. He has got a good reputation. The loss of Li-Park, Holden are two really big players. It is not easy to replace them.”

Bolton’s preparations have been disrupted by the ongoing Gary Cahill transfer saga, the centre-back still on the brink of a move to Chelsea.

Cahill is nevertheless expected to line up this evening, and Moyes says: “You never want to lose your best players but sometimes when you do (after there has been so much speculation) there is a breath of fresh air. You can say ‘that’s it – done’.

“But Gary Cahill is a really good player, an important player. It is hard to see past that. When you have got them, you don’t want to lose them.”

Everton boss David Moyes reckons their striker Victor Anichebe could become a superstar – if only he believed in himself.

Moyes welcomed the 23-year-old back into action at West Bromwich on New Year’s Day after a four-month injury lay-off and Anichebe celebrated with the winning goal.

Now, Toffees chief Moyes has claimed that if the Nigeria international wanted it badly enough, he could become a big name.

“Victor has all the attributes to be a really good player. He needs to want it himself,” said the Scot.

“If we can get him on the pitch, he is a good boy. He just needs a shake to keep him alive at times. But he has got attributes and we have played him in some big games.

“He does lack belief and needs support. I hope he gets the support from me and the staff here. I think we do give it to him.”

Anichebe was even banished from the training ground after a fall-out with Moyes and his assistant Steve Round in 2009.

He has also suffered with injuries, which have restricted him to under 100 appearances in five years at Everton.

David Moyes has vowed to bring the crowds back to Goodison Park after admitting he has not done enough to captivate Everton supporters.

Attendances have dwindled at Goodison this season and the gate of 31,004 against Norwich City before Christmas was the lowest recorded by the club for a Barclays Premier League game since February 2002.

Everton, who entertain Bolton this evening, have won only three of their nine home League fixtures and Moyes understands the reasons why fans have been staying away.

'I am a football supporter, first and foremost,' said Moyes. 'I know how it works. If I am winning games, supporters will turn up. I, as manager of Everton, have not won enough games this season for them to come.

'I have not entertained them enough. We have not scored enough goals. I need to do that to get the supporters to fill Goodison. Over the years, in the main, we have done that. But the fans on the road have seen a few victories.'

Moyes has, at least, taken confidence from the way Everton have played in recent weeks and they extended their unbeaten run to four games at West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day.

Victor Anichebe scored a late winner then but has developed into Everton's great enigma. He clearly has talent but has not always applied himself in the correct manner, and has also suffered some serious injuries. Moyes has challenged the Nigerian to show he can deliver on a regular basis.

'Victor has been useful to us,' said Moyes. 'I don't see us giving up on him and we are not going to do that. But he needs to give us something back now so we can keep believing in him and pushing him on.