Harry Lime
Posts: 5106
Joined: 30/9/2005
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Me too, mate. We're just playing with such confidence at the minute. Since the new year, we've beaten Chelsea, Manchester Utd and Manchester City and drawn with Arsenal. That's ten points from twelve taken from the top four teams in the country in the last six weeks. With just one defeat in the last twelve matches, I'd argue that we're the form club in the premiership at the moment. Other than making our lame performance against Liverpool all the more galling, that is champions league qualification form right there. If we hadn't had such a terrible start we would be right up in the mix right for fourth now. Maybe even third. I still believe that champions league qualification is a very faint possibility. A lot depends on whether one of those above us can take the bull by the horns, obviously, but we have two things in our favour. Firstly, we've got key players (Jagielka and Cahill) to return for the run-in, plus Arteta is still only getting his legs back after that long spell out. His influence is already being seen on the pitch now and it will be like having a new player all over again when he finds that extra 10%. More crucially, we have no real big guns left to face. We have Tottenham at White Hart Lane next week. A tough match, but win there would really put us in a superb position for a charge to the finish line. After that it is Hull, Birmingham, Bolton, Wolves and West Ham before a six-pointer against Aston Villa, and then Blackburn, Fulham, Stoke and (finally) Portsmouth on the last day of the season. We've also got to slip a re-arranged fixture against Manchester City in there somewhere too. Now, I know there are no easy matches at this level, but I think any club would take that as their final third of the season. To my mind there are three crucial matches (Spurs, Villa, Manchester City - all away) and three big potential banana skins (Birmingham and Stoke away, Fulham at home) in that run-in. Take ten points from those and I think we can secure a Europa League place. Take fifteen or over, and I genuinely believe we have a shout at Champions League spot. Add to that our Europa League campaign and it makes for a very exciting few months ahead for Everton FC. Yes, that late away goal we conceded has given me a little cause for concern for the second leg against Sporting Lisbon, as has the suspension of Distin. However, we are a better team than them and are in better form. We go to Portugal with a 2-1 advantage. If we play with our usual level of commitment and adopt an attacking approach, I have no doubt we have the beating of them. We just need an early goal.
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"People think I have an interesting walk. Hell, I'm just trying to hold my gut in." If I get there early will it be the right time our heaven is just waiting so put your hand into mine.
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