Learning our lessons

Two consecutive comprehensive defeats to sides who, in theory, are roughly our equals. Rather than just sweeping everything under the carpet and moving on, what can we learn from Everton and Southampton?

1. Find a formation that works. Everton's 4-2-3-1 and Southampton's 4-3-3 were devastatingly effective against us, as they have been for much of the season, and suit the personnel available to their respective managers. Our usual 4-4-2 looks rigid and stale by comparison.

2. Develop young players and introduce them to the team at the right time, when they're ready. Roberto Martinez and Mauricio Pochettino may be lucky to have inherited talents like Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman, Adam Lallana, James Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw, but are doing a superlative job of using them wisely. Pressing youth prospects into action too early or too frequently, whether out of apparent necessity or not, runs the risk of destroying their confidence. One wonders, for instance, how Paul Dummett will react to being dropped following a wretched couple of games, especially bearing in mind that he was clearly in the side due to Davide Santon's injury rather than on personal merit alone.

3. Don't underestimate the value of signing players who've made their name in the lower leagues. Leighton Baines cost Everton £6m from Wigan but went on to become England's left-back; Rickie Lambert has made his way up the divisions, finally pitching up in the Premier League and performing as though it's always been his natural stage; Jay Rodriguez was bought for a relatively handsome £7m fee from Burnley but now finds himself as the second highest English goalscorer in the division and a likely recipient of a plane ticket for Brazil from Roy Hodgson; and John Stones, a teenager bought from Barnsley, is earning rave reviews standing in for Phil Jagielka in the heart of the defence.

4. Use the loan market wisely. In Everton's case, they've brought in two players with sufficient Premier League experience to make a significant impact in key areas of the pitch (Romelu Lukaku up front and Gareth Barry in defensive midfield), as well as the exciting and occasionally exhilarating spark of life that is Barcelona's Gerard Deulofeu. By contrast, while Loic Remy has proven to be a huge hit on Tyneside, injury problems aside, our other loanee Luuk de Jong has shown precious little to suggest it was worth pursuing a deal we first contemplated two years ago - he's far from the player he was at FC Twente.

5. Don't sell your best player or players during the course of the season. There must have been interest in numerous players in both squads in January, but no one was allowed to leave. If you really must sell a star man, squeeze as much as possible out of the bidders and make sure you have a cheaper but capable replacement lined up (see Everton and Marouane Fellaini/James McCarthy, and compare to our bungled dealings over Dreamboat).

6. Show some ambition. This is achieved partly by taking note of point #5 above, but also by regarding progress in all cup competitions and the prospect of European qualification with anticipation and excitement rather than with pessimism and dread. Southampton seem determined to push for a Europa League spot, something for which we appear to have little appetite, while Everton's dogged persistence in the apparently vain pursuit of Champions' League qualification may yet bear fruit if Arsenal continue to falter.

Magpies left counting the cost of opponents' clinical finishing

Newcastle Utd 0 - 3 Everton

Once again we were left to rue our lack of a cutting edge as Everton came to Tyneside, dealt comfortably with what we had to offer and returned to the north-west with three points in their pocket. After the two fortuitously secured 1-0 wins over Villa and Palace, the scoreline harked back to the dark days of January and early February, and though we did as I hoped and raised our game from Saturday, showing plenty of endeavour and having the bulk of efforts on goal, we were never really a match for a side determinedly chasing down a faltering Arsenal for the final Champions League spot.

We set out with the same starting XI as against Fulham and Palace, which meant HBA, the creator of Cisse's winner on Saturday, had to be content with a place on the bench once again. In the first five minutes, the bit appeared to be firmly between our teeth, blue-shirted bodies blocking shots from de Jong, Goofy and Cisse.

However, that superiority had dissipated by the time Romelu Lukaku's shot presented Tim Krul with the unwelcome opportunity to get involved in the action. Ross Barkley then gave the visitors the lead, running 70 yards against a backpedalling defence and firing home - the goal enhancing his personal claim to a place in the England squad for the World Cup and confirming that, whatever happened in the remaining 70 minutes, there would be no repeat of our stoppage-time 1-0 victories in the two previous home games.

We huffed and puffed for the rest of the half, to no great effect, and early in the second our predicament worsened. Loanees Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu combined for the big Belgian to score the visitors' second (his fourth against us in four appearances); by contrast, of our own two loan forwards, Remy was still sidelined and de Jong was once again totally off the pace, belatedly replaced by HBA.

As he did against Palace, the substitute nearly conjured up a goal, his mesmerising run leaving Mini V with a glorious chance to reduce the arrears, but the Dutchman contrived to miss the target - as did Goofy with a volley that flew over the bar. Mr T's long-ranger, meanwhile, was repelled by Tim Howard.

MYM was hauled off for Sylvain Marveaux (though Paul Dummett had been equally poor) as we went for broke. However, we couldn't create another clear-cut chance and Lukaku extended Krul again before Leon Osman rounded off a flowing move in clinical fashion with three minutes remaining, giving the scoreline a gloss representative of Everton's finishing prowess if not of the overall balance of play.

Having gone nine home games without defeat to the Toffees, we've now lost three of the last four St James' Park meetings - a disappointing reversal of fortune, even though (as John Carver acknowledged afterwards) there's no denying they're a quality side.

Our next test, away to Southampton, promises to be every bit as tough, and we can only hope that Remy will be ready to leave the treatment table in time. Against the Saints' fluent midfield and front three, I'd be tempted to play a 4-5-1 formation, with Cisse alone up front and HBA in for de Jong, stationed wide on the right - the three in the middle would give us greater stability and the Frenchman has probably earned a start (and the perpetually misfiring loanee a demotion to the bench). That said, the Silver Fox has spoken of there being trust issues - not only whether he can trust HBA, but whether the players can too - so it remains to be seen whether he mixes things up against our rivals for eighth place.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Damage already done

Everton 3 - 2 Newcastle Utd

Another week, another loss by the odd goal in five - though this one, away to previously unbeaten Everton, was less ignominious than last weekend's defeat at home to Hull. Much like our last trip to the north west for a Monday night fixture, we had the misfortune to encounter a hungry, high-quality side who needed no encouragement to be rampant, but got it anyway. We may have come close to staging a very improbable comeback, but ultimately paid a heavy price for a truly abysmal first half.

The Silver Fox's team selection provided an early talking point. Dreamboat was considered fit enough only for a seat on the bench, Mr T taking his place, but more significantly Papiss Cisse's reward for breaking his scoring drought against Leeds in midweek was to be dropped. That meant Goofy started wide on the right, with Loic Remy handed the responsibility for spearheading the attack.

It was Remy's opposite number who stole the show in the first half, though, as Romelu Lukaku set about showing Jose Mourinho the folly of letting him go and giving a sharp reminder to the onlooking Jabba and JFK of the calibre of player that was available in the transfer window (albeit temporarily). The Belgian had a goal disallowed for offside within three minutes, but wasn't to be denied for long. Kevin Mirallas skinned Davide Santon and crossed for his unmarked compatriot to score. Tim Krul may well feel he should have done better, but he had been hung out to dry by his defence - and it wasn't to be the last time.

With Mirallas and attack-minded full-back Seamus Coleman, Everton were terrorising us down our left; Lukaku was bullying MYM and even the experienced Sideshow Bob into looking like nervous wrecks; and, despite the presence of both Mr T and Vurnon Anita on the pitch, Ross Barkley was profiting from the lack of protection afforded to our back four.

Barkley has stepped up a notch since arriving back at Goodison after a spell on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last season. He'd already fizzed a drive wide when he was bright and sharp enough to dart onto Lukaku's perfectly timed pass and finish smartly into the bottom left-hand corner of Krul's goal.

Worse was to follow before the break. A straightforward punt from Tim Howard split our central defenders, with MYM inexplicably running away from Lukaku and Sideshow Bob forced to try to cover. One powderpuff challenge from Krul (it must have been infectious) and one failed attempt at a slide tackle from Sideshow Bob later, and Lukaku was banging the ball into an empty net from a yard. The defending was so atrocious that it set Sky pundit Jamie Carragher off making improbably high-pitched noises.

Our only real shot of the half came from HBA, who tried his luck from a similiar distance to that from which he scored a winner back in September 2010, but it was comfortably pushed away by Howard and no one was following up.

To say we faced an uphill task at half-time would be understating the case. Not only were Everton unbeaten, but they'd registered eight consecutive Premier League clean sheets at home - and now we needed to score a minimum of three times to salvage anything from the match. But with getting a result practically a lost cause, we suddenly decided we were interested.

Just as Everton had benefited from our thorough awfulness in the first period, now we benefited from their contentedness and (perhaps) complacency. The Silver Fox deserves credit. Some will suggest that he was only righting the wrongs of his own team selection (I would disagree - he had sent out a perfectly capable side that played to the worst of their ability), but he chose to make two substitutions at the break. When Mike Williamson's the answer, then you've got to wonder what exactly the question is - but MYM's confidence had looked about as shot as his positional sense had been clueless, so unceremoniously hauling him off was a justifiable move. Likewise the decision to replace HBA with Dreamboat - the former had shown occasional glimpses of quality in the opening half, but not enough to compensate for offering Santon little or no protection from the marauding Mirallas and Coleman.

The changes had an instant impact, transforming us into a side that was suddenly bold and forward-thinking with the ball and tenacious without it. When Goofy was slipped in after neat work from Anita, he cleverly lifted the ball over Howard, only for it to bounce off the inside of the far post and to safety. Everton went down the other end and very nearly extended their lead, Debuchy just doing enough to foil Leon Osman after Mirallas' shot was pushed out into the danger zone by Krul.

Instead of stretching to 4-0, though, the winning margin was then cut to two goals, Dreamboat taking aim and firing an arrow of a 25-yarder into the top right-hand corner. The way he had assumed control of midfield almost as soon as he'd entered the fray gave us some encouragement, as did some timely interceptions from Williamson and the sight of Lukaku dropping deeper and wider to pick up possession.

The Silver Fox waited until the 69th minute before calling upon Cisse to add firepower, Anita somewhat surprisingly withdrawn ahead of Mr T. But the Senegal man was once again utterly anonymous, and it was Remy who turned up the heat on the home side with a close-range finish that smacked of quick thinking and opportunism.

There was only one minute plus four of injury time in which we could conjure up an equaliser - and we came extremely close to achieving the feat, too. Had Remy's volley flashed just under Howard's crossbar, rather than narrowly whistling over the top, we would have been toasting a very unlikely result. As it turned out, though, the deficit was just too great and the Toffees hung on for a win that, after 45 minutes, had looked the very definition of "routine".

The evening's lesson is clear: play like we did in the first half against Cardiff and we'll get stuffed again; play like we did in the second half and we could be returning home with three points in the bag and one over on a certain No-Necked Text Pest...

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Know Your Enemies 2013/4: Part 1

Saturday sees the Premier League kick off for a new season - so let's start our preview by assessing just what we're up against over the next ten months. Disclaimer: the predictions and forecasts that follow may turn out to bear laughably little resemblance to reality...

Arsenal

Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. Or perhaps that should be one basket-case, given that this is unhinged arm-chomper and thoroughly detestable human being Luis Suarez we're talking about. Arsene Wenger has spent the summer single-mindedly pursuing the Uruguayan striker's signature, for which he's prepared to smash the club's previously modest transfer record - and yet that pursuit has (thus far, at least) been fruitless.

Last season Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker gave the Gunners a more secure platform defensively, summer recruits Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski gradually acclimatised to life at the Emirates and Theo Walcott did an admirable job of attempting to plug the gap left by Robin van Persie's departure to Man Utd. But the stark reality for the club, manager and fans is that they remain without a trophy of any description since 2005 and, while with Suarez they might have the faintest whiff of a chance of breaking into the top three, without him they're once again also-rans playing for fourth place.

Aston Villa

Paul Lambert may have looked like a broken man at times last season, but survival with a few games to spare just about validated his transfer policy, team selection and tactics. This summer Villa acted swiftly and decisively to secure their key targets, all aged 23 or under - defenders Jores Okore and Antonio Luna, midfielder Leandro Bacuna, winger Alexandar Tonev and striker Nicklas Helenius. Evidence of a good scouting network and some careful groundwork - take note please, Silver Fox, JFK and Jabba...

This new clutch of youthful international talent will add to what the Villains already have, Matthew Lowton having proven a sound signing and Andreas Weimann and Fabian Delph both beginning to live up to their potential under Lambert's tutelage. Of course, most significant of all is Christian Benteke's decision to withdraw a hasty transfer request and sign a new deal, though overdependence on their star striker remains a serious danger. I still feel Darren Bent has been ostracised unnecessarily - in tandem with the Belgian, he could conceivably help fire Villa into the top half of the table.

Cardiff

2012/3 was something of an annus mirabilis for Welsh football: Swansea lifting the League Cup and thereby qualifying for Europe, Newport edging out Wrexham at Wembley to secure a return to the Football League after a quarter of a century away, and Cardiff managing to avoid crumbling like Caerphilly cheese, finally holding their nerve long enough to win the Championship and promotion to the top flight. Vindication perhaps for Vincent Tan, who had argued for the Bluebirds' controversial switch to red shirts on the dubious grounds that all the most successful teams wear red.

Tan has been equally bold this summer in allowing manager Malkay Mackay to break the club's transfer record on no fewer than three occasions, with Danish striker Andreas Cornelius, Spurs defender Steven Caulker and aggressive Chile midfielder Gary Medel all recruited. Medel will be teaming up with another infamous walking red card, a certain No-Necked Text Pest, who probably thought his Premier League days were over. More's the pity. Let's just hope he doesn't come back to bite us.

Chelsea

The ego has landed, again! In all the excitement over the return of the self-proclaimed Special One - the media swooning in eager anticipation of his breathtaking arrogance, enigmatic eyebrow-arching and entertainingly expert ruffling of feathers - few have queried the wisdom of the move. Revisiting the scene of previous managerial success rarely ends happily - not that Jose Mario dos Santos Mourinho Felix's first spell in charge ended happily either. He twice took Chelsea to the title and has since won the Champions League (as have the Blues, with Roberto di Matteo at the helm). Surely the man who could once upon a time have been our assistant manager has nothing to gain and everything to lose?

All the same, the calibre of the squad at his disposal is arguably the best in the league. Was it really only two years ago that we finished above Chelsea? That would be inconceivable now. Andre Schurrle and Marco van Ginkel have bolstered their options in midfield and forward areas, while the return of  Belgian loanees Kevin de Bruyne and especially Romelu Lukaku to line up alongside compatriot Eden Hazard makes them an even more formidable prospect. Rafa Benitez's tenure may already seem like a distant dream, but his legacy was not only the Europa League trophy but also the conversion of David Luiz, the subject of unwanted attention from Barcelona this summer, from an ill-disciplined central defender mocked by Gary Neville to an accomplished defensive midfielder. Mourinho might not actually need to work any magic of his own to lift another title.

Crystal Palace

And so to another London club whose manager's pronouncements are media manna and who have made a significant (if somewhat lower-profile) recruit from Spain. Like fellow promotees Cardiff, Palace have gone to Sevilla in search of midfield reinforcement and returned with the country's U20 captain Jose Campana. Quite a coup, though, it may unsettle Mile Jedinak, the Australian crowned the club's player of the year last season despite stiff competition from the now departed Wilfried Zaha.

Up front, while more limited than the likes of Grant Holt and Ricky Lambert before him, Glenn Murray will be hoping to prove himself another meat-and-potatoes striker unpalatable to the delicate stomachs of Premier League defenders. He's now been joined by Dwight Gayle, a revelation at Posh but an expensive gamble for Palace, and Arsenal's no-trick showpony Marouane Chamakh. However well those three do, though, is likely to be negated by a defence in which Peter Ramage is considered a stalwart.

Everton

Since his appointment as David Moyes' replacement at Goodison Park, Roberto Martinez has - perhaps inevitably - regarded former club Wigan much as a famished tramp might regard an eat-all-you-like buffet. The ink had hardly dried on his new contract when he beat us to the signature of Arouna Kone as well as getting his sticky paws on the Ivorian's Latics team-mate Antolin Alcaraz and Atletico Madrid's JJB Stadium loanee Joel Robles. Few would be surprised if James McCarthy or Massadio Haidara's chum Callum McManaman were to tread that well-trodden path before the closure of the transfer window too.

With Nikica Jelavic falling into poor form and Victor Anichebe inconsistent (except against us), Kone will serve as a focal point for Everton's attack, aided and abetted by Gerard Deulofeu, an eyecatching loan signing from Barcelona. At the time of writing at least, Martinez can still call upon the services of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines, while Kevin Mirallas is yet another Belgian increasingly at home in the Premier League. Where the Toffees might come unstuck, though, is in defence, the Spaniard's brand of fluent football generally coming at the expense of clean sheets. Paired with Alcaraz, the ageing Sylvain Distin or the past-it John Heitinga, Phil Jagielka will probably be left feeling like King Canute.

Fulham

Fulham bade farewell to Mohamed Al Fayed this summer, welcoming luxuriantly moustached new owner Shahid Khan, and there has also been a changing of the guard between the posts, with Mark Schwarzer making the short but improbable hop to Stamford Bridge to be replaced by Maarten Stekelenburg. The Dutch international might be ten years his Australian counterpart's junior, but, at 30, he hardly helps give the Cottagers' ageing squad a youthful feel - and neither do fellow new boys Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta, aged 29 and 30 respectively. All it would take for Fulham to pitch up in peril, you suspect, would be a global shortage of cod liver oil...

At least full-back Sascha Riether, now a permanent signing, gives some energy on the right flank, though Martin Jol's decision to help alleviate 'Appy 'Arry's wage bill burden by borrowing Adel Taarabt is mystifying - he couldn't get the best out of the mercurial Moroccan when at Spurs, since when the latter has repeatedly flattered to deceive in the top flight. Like the Michael Jackson statue Al Fayed erected outside the ground, you wonder how long Jol might survive in situ under the new regime.

Hull

Shahid Khan might own Jacksonville Jaguars, but it's Hull 's Assem Allam who appears determined to rebrand his club as an NFL-style franchise. Hull City Tigers? They'll be playing at the Frosties Bowl any day now... Whatever, the Tigers' promotion gives us the opportunity to renew hostilities with Ol' Cauliflower Face - one plastic Geordie following in the footsteps of another, Phil Brown. How long before we see the first half-time team bollocking on the pitch?

In fairness to Agent Bruce, he did do an excellent job at the Mackems - as did Agent Graham (£5m of their money squandered in return for no goals whatsoever). Perhaps that mutual bond is what's drawn them together. While Charlie Austin failed a medical, George Boyd signed permanently - presumably the Tigers' eye test is rather less strenuous than Forest's... Also joining the gold-clad ranks are two goalkeepers, Allan McGregor and our old boy Steve Harper - does Bruce realise he can't play them both at once? Even if he could, survival would still be a long shot.

Liverpool

You've got to hand it to Luis Suarez. It was no mean feat becoming the most odious player in a league also featuring John Terry and Ashley Cole, and now he's managed to offend the minority who felt differently at the start of the summer too. Liverpool have quite rightly attracted universal mockery and scorn for their blind defence of the Uruguayan and his various misdemeanours, so Brendan Rodgers was justified in describing the striker's attempts to engineer a move away from Anfield as displaying "total disrespect". The manager's demand for an apology is only likely to inflame the situation and harden Suarez's resolve to leave, though, and while a move to Arsenal looks increasingly improbable I simply can't see him staying at the club and being reintegrated into the side.

So where would that leave the Reds' front line? As we found out to our considerable cost, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are perfectly capable of wreaking havoc in Suarez's absence. In Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas Liverpool have a couple of promising new attacking options in wide areas, and while Raheem Sterling needs to rediscover his mojo, Jordon Ibe has caught the eye in pre-season. The unsentimental dumping of Pepe Reina in favour of Simon Mignolet raised a few eyebrows, but will nevertheless be for the long-term good. Nevertheless, key central defenders Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger may both be unsettled, having been linked with moves to the continent, and flogging Rocky and Stewart Downing to West Ham for £35m less than they shelled out was an embarrassing indictment of their recent transfer policy. Sixth is surely as good as it'll get.

Man City

Long gone are the days when finishing second in the top flight, reaching the FA Cup final and participating in the Champions League group stage would have been considered achievement enough for Man City. After the high of lifting the league title in 2011/12, last season was a serious disappointment, with Roberto Mancini unsurprisingly paying the price of failure and (after a protracted pursuit) Manuel Pellegrini installed as the new man in the hotseat.

The moneymen's solution, of course, was to get the chequebook out, and £87m has been spunked on a quartet of new players - Alvaro Negredo, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas and Stevan Jovetic - all of whom promise to add to City's threat in attacking situations. Pellegrini's most acute dilemma is how to juggle all the talent at his disposal, and how to get more out of those supposed superstars the club already owned (Samir Nasri and Javi Garcia, for a start). Here's hoping the secret formula is still eluding him by the time we kick off against them on Monday evening.

To the Victor the spoils

Newcastle Utd 1 - 2 Everton

After dramatic, traumatic back-to-back defeats at Old Trafford and the Emirates, the fag end of the festive season brought no cheer either, Everton triumphing at St James' Park with our absent top scorer on the verge of joining Chelsea.

Paul may have imagined (or hoped) that Ba's impending departure would mean Papiss Cisse being restored to a central striking role, but it wasn't to be, with Big Lad drafted in to spearhead the attack. Positions and tactics were made to seem of negligible significance just two minutes in, though. Big Lad looked set to flick on a long lump forwards, with Cisse offside. Thankfully, the former made no contact and, with Johnny Heitinga and former Mag Sylvain Distin sufficiently distracted to take each other out in a comical collision, Cisse was left free to loop a header over Tim Howard and into the net.

We went on to threaten with pleasing regularity, Obertan Kenobi in particular tormenting the Toffees' out-of-position right-back Phil Jagielka while dangerous crosses were close to picking out Cisse and Vurnon Anita. It was the unlikely figure of Perchinho who was closest to extending our lead, though, sufficiently inspired by his goalscoring exploits at Old Trafford to nod a free kick onto Tim Howard's far post.

Nevertheless, the visitors were enjoying the bulk of possession, and could point to a number of opportunities of their own. Marouane Fellaini had a shot well blocked by Davide Santon and Steven Naismith planted a free header tamely at Tim Krul, while the Dutchman also made a decent stop from a Steven Pienaar shot and tipped over a wickedly deflected drive.

Down at Goodison Park in September, Everton's main menace was Leighton Baines, and once again he had set about causing us innumerable headaches - aided at least in part by the fact that the man detailed to mark him, Cisse, had a loose grasp of his defensive duties. Krul made a fine smothering save when Baines got onto the end of a lobbed ball that caught the defence napping, having already performed heroics to touch the left-back's curling free kick around the post.

But Baines was not to be denied, and was presented with the opportunity he needed by referee Martin Atkinson, who seemed intent on punishing our players for daring to breathe in the vicinity of their opponents. Obertan Kenobi, nominally affording protection to Krul in the wall, turned his back, and the Dutchman's two steps to the left, plus the vicious swerve on the smashed 30-yard drive, resulted in an unwelcome bulge in the net. Soon afterwards, Big Lad went to ground in the penalty area under challenge from Phil Neville, but even replays proved inconclusive and the scores were level at the break.

We began the second period with renewed vigour and determination, Sylvain Marveaux seeing more of the ball and frequently driving towards the heart of the Everton defence. Big Lad's beautiful close control created a golden opportunity, but he couldn't quite steer the ball inside the post with his second touch. It was the sort of chance that makes you wonder how much Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi will be ruing his failure to respond to phone calls ahead of the African Cup of Nations - and another striker of Nigerian descent soon made the miss all the more painful.

Everton's goalscorers at Goodison Park were Baines and substitute Victor Anichebe, and this time the latter took all of two minutes to make an impact from the bench. Neat interplay involving Baines, Pienaar, Fellaini and Nikica Jelavic ended with Anichebe stealing in front of a dozing Santon and converting from close range with Krul helpless.

That left us with half an hour (plus what turned out to be six minutes of stoppage time) to salvage something, but there was to be no way back, despite significant pressure and numerous efforts. Obertan Kenobi had a near-post shot saved by Howard before being replaced by Master T, a curious move given the threat he'd carried as well as the fact it seemed to result in Anita, who had provided drive through the middle, moving out to the right. Cisse had a header blocked and saw his improvised follow-up smartly stopped on the line by Howard. Marveaux was the beneficiary of a defensive slip but was unlucky that his fierce shot was blocked to safety by a well-positioned Leon Osman - and later, after falling over and making no attempt to claim a foul, had to suffer the indignity of being barracked by Everton skipper Neville, someone who certainly knows a thing or two about diving.

Santon, presumably desperate to make amends for his defensive error, pushed himself into good offensive positions overlapping on the left, but saw one shot well saved for a corner and another comfortably gathered with Cisse closing in. Surely it's only a matter of time before the Italian gets his first goal.

Of the Silver Fox's final two substitutes, Little Big Lad contributed energy and skill with some rousing gallops forwards, but the Lone Ranger's arrival (for Perchinho) once again had me shaking my head in dismay at our paucity of options, as did the increasingly desperate use of hoofed balls from back to front that Big Lad was supposed to win on his own.

Afterwards the Silver Fox commented, with some justification, on the commendable effort the players put in. He also noted: "We have to take heart from the performances we are giving". Offensively, yes - we look a constant threat and six goals away to Man Utd and Arsenal are not to be sniffed at. But defensively, no - again, mistakes cost us dearly and we looked brittle throughout, Williamson in particular.

The Silver Fox went on to add: "If we can get a bit more quality back in the team and maybe one or two in, which is probably important now, we'll be OK." Safe to say that that "probably" was redundant, not least because of Ba's impending departure (he's been routinely burying the sort of chances Cisse and Big Lad squandered). Mercifully, Mathieu Debuchy was in attendance (sat next to his good mate Dreamboat), giving us hope that decisive steps will be taken early in the transfer window to address our alarming slump - and even more alarming proximity to the relegation zone.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Dem's the breaks

Everton 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd

We may have rode our luck, twice falling behind and twice relieved at the incompetence of the officials ruling out legitimate Everton goals, but a brace from Demba Ba plundered a very welcome point on a ground where in recent years we've struggled to do anything other than capitulate.

Not that the first half implied that this visit would be any different. The Silver Fox, who viewed the game from a vantage point in the stands out of necessity rather than choice, declared that our display in those first 45 minutes had left him "shocked": "We were as bad as we've ever been since I've been in charge". He insisted that the fundamental problem was a curious lack of belief - true enough, but that deflects attention away from his choice of personnel, having opted for a lone striker in Papiss Cisse, Ba making way for the extra midfielder Sylvain Marveaux. The injuries to Tim Krul, Danny Simpson and Sideshow Bob meant that Steve Harper, Mike Williamson and Perchinho deputised.

Everton seized the initiative from the whistle, Nikica Jelavic marginally offside when he slid in to knock the ball over the line from barely a yard before colliding with the post - an incident which meant he limped off before the break. By that point, though, our hosts were firmly in control, thanks in no small part to the combination play of Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar down their left. The latter seems to have picked up exactly where he left off before that hugely disappointing spell on the sidelines at Spurs, while the former set about exploiting a lacklustre and ill-disciplined (in positional terms) performance from Marveaux with considerable relish, operating almost like an extra winger. It was Spidermag, though, who lost the England left-back when he exchanged quick passes with Pienaar, burst into the area and drove a low shot beyond Harper.

Further opportunities came and went for the Toffees. With Dreamboat utterly anonymous, Marouane Fellaini was bossing central midfield while his compatriot Kevin Mirallas buzzed about industriously, whizzing one shot narrowly past the post and warming Harper's palms with others. However, the closest Everton came to extending the lead their dominance merited was courtesy of central defender Phil Jagielka, whose skimming half-volley flicked the outside of Harper's far post.

We were largely woeful - overrun when they were in possession and hounded into errors on those brief occasions when we had the ball. Even still, there exists a bizarre parallel universe in which we could have gone into the half-time break in front. Marveaux's one telling contribution was to swing in a free-kick that wasn't properly cleared, allowing Cisse to stroke a shot just wide of the post with Tim Howard rooted to the spot. We came even closer soon afterwards, HBA's cut-back bundled towards goal by a combination of Vurnon Anita and Leon Osman only for that man Baines to excel in his defensive duties and hack it off the line.

If the Silver Fox must shoulder some responsibility for that shoddy first-half performance, then he should also receive much credit for taking bold tactical decisions to remedy the situation. Marveaux was unsurprisingly the player to make way for Ba (it seems odd to have chosen him in the first place - if he'd wanted Ba's replacement in the starting XI to operate on the right-hand side of midfield, surely Obertan Kenobi would have been a more obvious option?). He also sought to bandage up the Achilles heel Everton had targeted by swapping Perchinho and Anita positionally.

It didn't take long for those decisions to be vindicated. Perchinho brought stability and assurance in defensive midfield, while the Dutch international's pace was crucial in nullifying the threat of Baines and Pienaar. It was Ba, though, who made the most immediate impact, just four minutes after leaving the bench. Dreamboat suddenly seemed to wake up, robbing Osman in a promising position and slotting one of his perfect diagonal passes through for the Senegalese striker to finish expertly.

From that point forth, we were a team transformed. Cisse, who often cut an isolated, frustrated figure in the first half, now had a partner and Everton's central defence now had a significant challenge on their hands. He almost scored one of his trademark spectaculars, trying to lob Howard on the volley following a truly Brazilian-esque lofted ball from Perchinho, and the Newcastle corner count started to mount.

Nevertheless, Everton continued to get chances of their own, both Osman and Pienaar guilty of missing the target, while mushroom-haired midfielder Fellaini was unlucky to see a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside. If the home team were aggrieved at that injustice, then they were positively baying for blood when Jelavic's replacement Victor Anichebe saw his header cross our line off the underside of the bar, only for the officials to decide Williamson had punted it away safely in the nick of time. And, as if that wasn't enough, referee Mike Jones compounded the errors by halting a three-on-one break (in our favour) to issue a yellow card to one of the Toffees' number. HBA - not alone in being far more effective in the second period - was the player stopped in his tracks then, but he got another opportunity to scamper clear of the defence shortly afterwards, only for Howard to foil him with an excellent block.

And then the dramatic finale. Anichebe struck first, outwitting Saylor and Harper with a neat turn and firm shot into the bottom corner. But, with injury time just seconds away, route one football reaped rewards. Williamson's long hoof was chested on by Big Lad, who had been introduced for the once-again-goalless Cisse, leaving Ba to prod home from close range. Up until the interval, when he was summoned for, he'd presumably spent his time on the bench guzzling strawberry syrup in preparation.

While it may not have been a win, or even a consistent and coherent performance, this was a far more satisfying result than our last draw, at home to Villa. The opposition were tougher and in better shape, for a start, so fighting back to parity when a side like Man Utd were dispatched from Goodison Park with a bloody nose, and particularly in light of our injury list and recent results there, constituted success.

Hopefully that stirring second half can help to kick-start a season that hasn't quite got going yet. The games are certainly coming thick and fast: Maritimo on Thursday, Norwich on Sunday, Man Utd next Wednesday, Reading the following Saturday. Taggart was in attendance at Goodison ahead of that League Cup tie next week, but the side the Silver Fox puts out for that is unlikely to bear much resemblance to the one that took to the pitch (or indeed finished the match) on Merseyside. We're more likely to blood squad and youth players in both that tournament and the Europa League, so let's hope the experience proves invaluable.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

A winger and a prayer

We were sorry to learn that former Toon man Kevin Sheedy is suffering from bowel cancer. When lured to the club by Kevin Keegan in 1992, the Irishman was admittedly in the twilight of his playing career but it was still some coup to be a second-tier side able to boast someone who had picked up two league titles, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup during a golden period with Everton in the mid-1980s.

Arguably the most memorable moments of Sheedy's time on Tyneside were his winner at Peterborough in the midst of our record-breaking eleven-game winning streak at the start of the promotion season, and then his ferocious tackle on Leicester defender Simon Grayson that resulted in a red card and left the current Huddersfield manager with a hole in his shinpad. Hardly the most faint-hearted or dainty of wingers, then - and that fighting spirit should stand him in good stead now.

On a different note, Chelsea warmed up for our visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday with a win against Reading. The 4-2 victory was far from routine, though, with Danny Guthrie giving the Premier League new boys a 2-1 lead they held for a long portion of the match. There remains hope that we can reprise last season's extraordinary triumph - though perhaps not that it might be accomplished with such a flash of inspiration and brilliance. I'd take a deflection off Perchinho's arse if it gets us something to take back up the A1...

Know Your Enemies 2012/3: Part 1

Yes, it's that time of year again when I foolishly record for posterity my appraisals of our Premier League opponents - you know, writing off sides who end up surviving comfortably and serving up puff pieces for players who spectacularly fail to live up to their billing (Roger Johnson at Wolves being last season's classic example)...

Arsenal

If you ever find yourself round Arsene Wenger's house for tea, it's a pretty safe bet that you won't find meat and potatoes on the menu. No, it'll be tapas - continental, tasty, lots of spice and zest, a bit insubstantial. The Professor has once again spunked his pocket money on European flair and firepower - Spanish winger Santi Cazorla and strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud - rather than addressing the long-standing soft-centredness that has meant that Arsenal have been the Vincibles and not won silverware of any description since 2005.

In fairness to Wenger, he's probably hoping that one of Abou Diaby, Alex Song or Emmanuel Frimpong steps up and develops into the Vieira-esque midfield enforcer the Gunners have been so sorely lacking, and the return of Jack Wilshere can't come soon enough. Meanwhile there were signs last season that Laurent Koscielny was starting to come good and that sub-editor's nightmare Wojciech Szczesny has the potential to become the top-quality 'keeper they've been without for so long. Though Wenger may maintain otherwise, Giroud and Podolski were obviously recruited to replace contract rebel Robin van Persie - but, with the Dutchman still at the Emirates for the time being, Arsenal have a formidable array of forwards to choose from. One thing's for certain - whether van Persie stays or goes, the Gunners will need to become much less Robin-reliant.

Aston Villa

I'm not sure Villa fans do joy (or indeed anything other than dour, glum and gallows humour), but even they must be feeling close to cheerily chipper at the summer's events. First of all - and most critically - despised former Bluenose Alex McLeish was given the boot, having seen his mission to relegate both Birmingham clubs in successive seasons foiled at the death. Then came his replacement, Paul Lambert, an upwardly mobile and increasingly well-respected young manager with a hunger for success and a passion for hard work. And then there are the new signings, and in particular an intriguing trio of arrivals from the Eredivisie: Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi, Australian winger Brett Holman and (after some protracted transfer shenanigans) uncompromising Dutch international defender Ron Vlaar.

Lambert has cleared out some of the old guard, selling Carlos Cuellar and James Collins, perhaps out of recognition that the club is blessed with a promising clutch of youngsters: Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark, Gary Gardner and potential hotshot Andreas Weimann. Add to that the fact that Darren Bent - one of the league's deadliest finishers - is back to full fitness, Charles N'Somnia must surely improve on his first season in claret and blue, and his ex-Toon colleague Shay Given has retired from international football to concentrate on his day job, and there are plenty of reasons for the perma-grumbling long-suffering Villa faithful to at least try mustering a smile.

Chelsea

Someone at Stamford Bridge seems to have decided that Arsene Wenger's transfer strategy would be worth pursuing for Chelsea too - namely, scouring the globe and hoovering up the best forwards available. The Blues can consider themselves fortunate to have landed arguably the most wanted man in Europe this summer, Belgian flying machine Eden Hazard, and have also shelled out the best part of a further £30m on Marko Marin and Oscar, one of the stars of Brazil's losing Olympic finalists. As statements of intent go, it's quite clear - they're not happy at finishing below us upstarts, and are capable of flexing their financial muscles to chilling effect.

Andre Villas-Boas' undoing was attempting to phase out some of the more senior members of the squad (John Terry and Frank Lampard, basically) too quickly, a challenge which remains for his successor. Roberto di Matteo has the cushion of a heroic salvage operation behind him (the Champions League and FA Cup - not a bad double to win), but Roman Abramovich has shown on several occasions that he's not swayed by sentiment, unprepared to allow managers to trade on former glories and ruthless at the slightest hint of trouble. Responsibility for the Italian's longevity rests at least in part with Fernando Torres, very much the main man he wanted to be now that Didier Drogba has trotted off to stud in China.

Everton

Forever the bridesmaids, Everton missed out on European football by a whisker last season, the delight at finishing above Liverpool in seventh tempered by their Merseyside rivals' qualification for the Europa League by virtue of winning the League Cup. Had they not suffered a sluggish start to the campaign and been able to get Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar on board sooner, they may well have placed higher. In the Croatian, David Moyes seems to have found a figurehead for their attack, while the permanent return of prodigal son Pienaar to Goodison Park from the wilderness at Spurs has now been sealed.

The Toffees will need the South African's guile and energy, now that mercurial loanee Royston Drenthe has left, though Leon Osman has quietly established himself as one of the league's most underrated performers. Defensively Moyes' men are sound, Phil Jagielka and Johnny Heitinga providing a solid platform and Leighton Baines- still at the club despite persistent rumours of interest from Man Utd - an additional attacking threat down the left. However, the moneymen's millions have spirited away Jack Rodwell and, while Goodison Park's corner flags may be breathing a sigh of relief at no longer being used as punchbags, Evertonians will also be mourning the departure of long-term servant of the club Tim Cahill.

Fulham

Poor Fulham. Not only have they suffered the indignity of having two key members of their strikeforce, Bobby Zamora and now Andrew Johnson, poached by their former manager Mark Hughes, now in charge of their nouveau riche west London neighbours QPR; they also looked on in dismay as Pavel Pogrebnyak, an undisputed hit on loan at Craven Cottage last campaign, spurned their advances in favour of cosying up with Premier League new boys Reading. And it could get worse, with Fantasy Football fans' favourite Clint Dempsey (listed as a midfielder, plays up front) allegedly coveted by a host of clubs including Liverpool. That would have left just long-haired layabout Bryan Ruiz, if it wasn't for the fact that Martin Jol managed to pick up Mladen Petric following his release by Hamburg.

In midfield, Danny Murphy has departed, bizarrely choosing to join the circus at Blackburn rather than bow out gracefully, but the Cottagers still boast the muscle of Mahamadou Diarra, once upon a time a 26m euro signing for Real Madrid, and craft in wide areas from Moussa Dembele and Damien Duff. Much depends on the fitness of defensive lynchpin Brede Hangeland, though a breakthrough season for exciting youngster Kerim Frei would also help.

Liverpool

As was widely anticipated, lifting the League Cup wasn't enough to save King Kenny from being deposed following a miserable Premier League campaign which saw the Reds lose as many games as they won and finish a full 13 points below us in eighth. Few beyond Merseyside felt any sympathy for Dalglish or the club, though, their campaign having been blighted by the shameful Luis Suarez v Patrice Evra affair, which was as ugly as the now-departed Dirk Kuyt. Forward-thinking football philosopher Brendan Rodgers is the new man at the helm (a sharp contrast to his surly, old-school predecessor), but the clear lesson of the recent past - namely, avoid splurging obscene amounts in the domestic transfer market - doesn't seem to have been heeded. Rocky and Jordan Henderson should stand as cautionary examples, and yet £15m has still been lavished on Joe Allen, a promising enough talent but surely overpriced given that we picked up Mr T and Dreamboat for a combined total of around £8m.

The price tag that Rocky was burdened with wasn't his fault, though, and while his partnership with Suarez hasn't worked out thus far, there were signs towards the end of last season, and particularly in the FA Cup Final, that he may yet have a future at Anfield - if he can fend off the challenge of new signing Fabio Borini, that is. Also unsettled is Daniel Agger, the subject of interest from Man City - though personally I rate his central defensive partner Martin Skrtel more highly. Should the Dane leave, Rodgers is reported to be eyeing up Ashley Williams as a replacement, which would mean breaching his gentleman's agreement with former employers Swansea for a second time. Crucial to the Scousers' chances of improvement is both Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva staying fit.

Man City

What do you get for the man who has everything? Well, until recently - and much to the frustration of that man, Roberto Mancini - it seemed as though the answer was nothing. The Italian had refused to allow himself to get caught up in the euphoria of City's first top-tier title win since 1968, instead looking to strengthen the squad. And what a squad it already is: a superb goalkeeper (Joe Hart), the division's best defender (skipper Vincent Kompany), midfield power and finesse (Yaya Toure) and electrifying skill (David Silva, Samir Nasri, Adam Johnson) and awesome firepower (Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, back-in-the-fold Carlos Tevez, lunatic genius Mario Balotelli). It's telling that fat-salaried strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, plus John Guidetti, the Swedish forward who racked up 20 goals in 23 appearances on loan at Feyenoord last season, are nowhere near the first XI.

In the wake of Mancini's public plea for expenditure, owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan finally reached down the back of the sofa and found £12m in loose change to secure the benchwarming services of Everton's Jack Rodwell. It's hard to see where else reinforcements are required - central defence appears to have been identified as one area of concern, in light of the approach for Liverpool's Agger - but Mancini will be conscious of the fact that last season's title race was far more closely contested than it should have been.

Man Utd

Quite how Man Utd were within seconds of lifting the trophy remains a mystery. Multi-million-pound signing David De Gea's Old Trafford career got off to a decidedly shaky start, though he did grow in confidence once restored to the team following Anders Lindegaard's absence through injury; with Nemanja Vidic laid up long-term, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and the previously imperious Rio Ferdinand all looked fallible; and they were so bereft of central midfield options in January that Taggart had to coax 37-year-old Paul Scholes away from a life of tea, biscuits and Bargain Hunt in front of the fire. Though that move smacked of desperation (and certainly spoke volumes for the quality of the squad), it was completely vindicated as the midfield maestro came close to inspiring the Red Devils to glory once again.

That Man Utd squandered a nine-point lead at the top would have left them smarting enough; that it was their "noisy neighbours" who pipped them to the prize, and in such excruciating circumstances, having already humiliated them 6-1 on their own turf, will be all the inspiration they need to gain revenge in the forthcoming campaign. Taggart's response has been to sign goalscoring midfielders Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund and young prospect Nick Powell from Crewe, and to make aggressive moves for Robin van Persie. If he's able to pair the Dutchman with Wayne Rooney, then Roberto Mancini - and the rest of us - will be justifiably worried.

Norwich

There might be someone new in the Canaries' manager's office, but the club's transfer policy apparently remains the same: gradually and stealthily sign up the entire Leeds midfield. Skillful playmaker Robert Snodgrass finds himself reunited with Jonny Howson and Bradley Johnson at Carrow Road, while one-time £9m defender Michael Turner has arrived from Sunderland and midfielder Jacob Butterfield from Barnsley. Their new gaffer is Chris Hughton, who we're delighted to see getting another opportunity to manage in the top flight following his decidedly unfortunate experience on Tyneside.

This time last summer many - myself included - were speculating whether two successive promotions would mean that the Premier League was too much too soon for Norwich, but their overwhelmingly British squad exhibited stereotypically British qualities - fight, grit, determination - and no little ability to prove the sceptics wrong. No one epitomised the "Let's be 'avin' you!" spirit more than Grant Holt, the journeyman striker hitting 17 goals and claiming the club's Player of the Year award for the third consecutive season. Contractual wrangles have been ironed out, confirming that his future lies at Carrow Road, and the Canaries' fate once again rests firmly on his broad shoulders.

* * * * *

Part 2 will follow tomorrow.

Damp squib

Everton 3 - 1 Newcastle Utd

Results elsewhere meant that even if we'd won this game 20-0 it wouldn't have changed the fact that we finished fifth in the league.

As it was, we didn't win 20-0, but rather were undone by a side resurgent since the January transfer window provided them with a goalscoring threat.

Despite a bright start in which HBA came close to opening the scoring, we faded once Steven Pienaar had seen his long-range shot deflect off Mike Williamson and loop out of reach of Tim Krul to give the home side the lead. With Spurs already ahead and Arsenal also scoring early (albeit being subsequently pegged back by West Brom) things looked pretty bleak and Nikica Jelavic added a second eleven minutes later, beating Sideshow Bob to the ball and reacting quickest to Krul's parry to stab home a second.

With hopes fading rapidly Jonny Heitinga's header from a corner with our entire defence seemingly napping just put a further nail in the coffin of our Champions League hopes.

While we were able to claw one back when Tony Hibbert nodded past Timmy Tourettes under pressure from Cisse, we couldn't manage a second which would have lead to a possible grandstand finish (albeit probably not one to rival Man City's).

The only further point of interest was substitute Tim Cahill managing to pick up a red card for grabbing Dreamboat around the throat as the match ended.

Other notable occurances saw the Silver Fox replace both full-backs at half time, with Santon and Perchinho making way for Raylor and the returning Sylvain Marveaux, albeit to little net effect.

It's a mark of how far we've come that this defeat felt like a blow when the reality is that this has been a fantastic season which has seen our manager recognised by his peers for a fantastic achievement and our captain voted into the PFA Premiership Team of the Season, and even if we'd produced the win we all craved, results elsewhere meant that it would all have been in vain anyway.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Raylor rocket lights up Bonfire Night

Newcastle Utd 2 - 1 Everton

A battling performance on Saturday against Everton ensured our unbeaten run continued into the international break.

The only change from our win over Stoke saw Sylvain Marveaux come in for the injured Obertan Kenobi, with Danny Guthrie once again tasked with partnering Dreamboat in the middle of the park.

It was their interplay which helped us take an early lead after some slick passing between them and Saylor saw Guthrie given sufficient space to find Danny Simpson marauding down the right wing. His cross towards Leon O'Best looked likely to be cut out by Tim Howard in the Everton goal, only for Dutch defender Jonny Heitinga to stick a foot out and divert the ball into his own goal.

That lead was shortly to be doubled after a Raylor long throw was headed clear by Jack Rodwell, only for our left-back to take the ball on his chest before unleashing a spectacular half-volley over Howard and off the underside of the Gallowgate crossbar into the net. It was a stunning strike from a player who at long last looks to have found his best position.

With Mr T and Obertan Kenobi already absent, we then saw Dreamboat hobble off clutching his groin and former Everton youngster Dan Gosling came on to replace him. However, it was a different product of the Toffees' youth system who was to have the next significant role to play, as on the stroke of half-time Rodwell gained half a yard on Simpson from a Royston Drenthe corner and fired a bullet header past Tim Krul, Raylor perhaps partly culpable having moved away from the near post he looked to be covering.

With Everton back in the game, and Gosling struggling to fill Dreamboat's boots, Everton looked the more likely team to add a goal in the second half, and with first Marveaux hobbling off and then O'Best, our team became further disrupted as firstly Little Big Lad and then HBA joined the fray.

Whilst Little Big lad might have pinched one on the break, the reality was that it was Everton who continued to press for an equaliser, Gosling perhaps fortunate that a handball was missed by referee Andre Mariner. However, while Everton huffed and puffed, they couldn't blow our house down, with the hours spent on the training pitch honing the meanest defence in the league paying off, something helped by Louis Saha seemingly leaving his shooting boots on Merseyside.

Not a classic performance by any means, but another win to add to the collection, which briefly saw us elevated to second before 5unde1and rolled over and allowed Fergie's mob to tickle their tummies at Old Trafford later in the day. The international break will hopefully allow us to focus on getting Dreamboat and Mr T back near to fitness before our double-headed trip to Manchester later in the month. However, even if the unbeaten run comes to an end at the Etihad, we'll still have 25 points in November and there haven't been many times in recent years that we've been able to say that.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian

Stuck in the middle with you

Newcastle 1 - 2 Everton

Another Saturday, another case of points dropped at home. Following last week's ultimately satisfactory draw with Bolton, a makeshift side registered a disappointing defeat to another of our mid-table rivals.

Deprived of the services of ASBO through injury and Ryan Taylor through suspension, Alan Pardew sprang a surprise by opting to switch formation as well as personnel. The tried-and-trusted 4-4-2 was set to one side in favour of a 3-5-2, with Steven Taylor coming in as a third central defender. In the absence of our two best crossers from the right wing, the theory - I guess - was to give our full-backs the best opportunity to get forwards in wide areas.

Everton weren't without their own selection difficulties, however. The loss of the ever-dangerous Tim Cahill was very welcome, while Marouane Fellaini's injury meant Sideshow Bob's claim to the day's most ludicrous barnet went unchallenged. Unfortunately, though, David Moyes was still able to call upon mercurial midfielder Mikel Arteta, and that was to prove instrumental to the visitors' cause - we had no real answer to the Spanish inquisition.

Arteta had already asked a question of Steve Harper in the form of a fierce shot when we took the lead with our first attack of the afternoon. Spidermag, Mike Williamson and Kevin Nolan were all involved in the build-up, and when Tim Howard attempted to palm our skipper's shot wide, the American 'keeper merely took the sting off it for the predatory Leon Best to nod home. That's six goals for the season now from a player few of us thought would be remotely up to the task at this level.

Not to be deterred, Everton dusted themselves down and before long grabbed an equaliser. Despite the earlier warning signs that he might exploit uncertainties and gaps in our new formation, Arteta was gifted time and space to pick out Leon Osman, who passed the ball firmly past Harper. And five minutes later it got worse, Leighton Baines' devilishly whipped free-kick bisecting Harper and his backpedalling defence for Phil Jagielka to send the ball crashing into the net.

Pardew's experiment looked to have blown up in his face, and when Jose Enrique limped off before the half-time interval - fingers crossed he's not a long-term casualty - the manager chose to revert to our more familiar line-up with a masked Big Lad joining Best up front and Peter Lovenkrands pushed wide.

Everton's strikeforce, meanwhile, consisted of one ex-Toon player, Louis Saha, and one ex-Toon target, Jermaine Beckford - also the player whose heavy challenge in the away fixture saw Harper sidelined for months. Time and again both came close to haunting us, our only salvation being a precious combination of wastefulness, bad luck and good goalkeeping.

Shane Ferguson, a replacement for Taylor on 65 minutes, did enough to suggest that we might possibly be able to cope without Enrique, but Everton continued to threaten on the break even as we began exerting greater pressure on them. Only partially mindful of his responsibilities as captain, Nolan had two efforts on goal blocked but was also booked for a tete-a-tete with substitute Victor Anichebe. The out-of-court settlement over Nolan's February 2009 challenge may have been concluded during the week, but clearly there remains some bad blood between the pair.

Best was unfortunate that a headed equaliser was disallowed, referee Howard Webb ruling generously in favour of the visitors who had claimed a foul on Jagielka. The Republic of Ireland international can also feel hard done by at having to make way for blunderbuss Shefki Kuqi on 85 minutes, when we might have been better served keeping him on with Big Lad and instead swapping the fatigued legs of Lovenkrands or Spidermag for the energy and guile of the fit-again Danny Guthrie. As it was, Everton held out without much trouble.

We remain in ninth despite the defeat - but that's deceptive, as Everton are now level on points with a game in hand and Fulham, after their late win over Blackburn, just a point behind. It would feel like stagnation if it wasn't for the fact that in real terms we've actually gone backwards, the relegation zone having inched closer and the buffer between ourselves and Birmingham in 18th now standing at only six points.

It's imperative we get something from our next two fixtures, away to Stoke and home to Wolves - but at least we have the consolation of knowing that those two games are spaced out over four weeks and that the congestion in the treatment room should start to ease soon as a result.

Other reports: BBC, Guardian