Europa League - Rodwell eyes Everton boost

PA Sport - Tue, 03 Nov 13:51:00 2009

Teenager Jack Rodwell insists a Europa League revenge victory over Benfica will kick-start Everton's season after six matches without a victory.

jack rodwell - 0

That run includes a 5-0 hammering by the Portuguese giants in Lisbon, plus a Carling Cup exit at Spurs. Saturday's home draw with Aston Villa, and winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's red card which means a three-match domestic ban, did nothing to lift the gloom at Goodison Park.

But Rodwell, 18, said: "We feel good about the performance against Villa but not about the result. It is playing on our minds that we need a win and the perfect time to get that is on Thursday at Goodison."

He added: "The defeat over in Portugal was difficult to take. In the first 45 minutes we were as good, if not better than Benfica, but in the second half we were not at the races and our heads dropped.

"Now they have got to come to our ground and we have to show Benfica what a good side we are.

"We owe Benfica one and we owe it to ourselves. Hopefully on Thursday we can turn it around."

PA Sport

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  1. In Moyes we trust.

    From j.s.jones73, on Tue 3 Nov 10:24PM

  2. May i suggest to stefan.howard that you are not a true­ EFC supporter and it would be best if you go support a­ team with a European manager. Eratic buying of players­ ?? Cahill, Arteta,­ Jagielka,Baines,Yakubu,Lescott,Neville,Howard.....need­ i go on ?? you have blinkered vision there !! ALL­ managers make some mistakes with players they sign,­ even Ferguson who is the best Premiership manager ever.­ How condescending to say he is a guy from Preston FC,­ how do you know a more experienced manager would have­ been better?? you got a crystal ball then ?? Many­ foreign managers have come and gone including Mourinho,­ Scolari, Ericson,Houlier,Jol etc , being foreign is not­ a blueprint for long lasting success under that­ individual. If you can`t see EFC surviving the drop you­ should stay at home and watch some other team on TV ,­ leave supporting EFC to the true and loyal fans. I­ don`t suppose you were comoplaining last year , but­ soon as we hit a sticky patch you are spouting off like­ some doom and gloom merchant...you are not needed by­ EFC !!! COYB , a true supporter for life.

    From jonnoatgy, on Tue 3 Nov 5:16PM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Been an Evertonian since 1958 and think that this is­ the worst combination of Chairman, Manager and players ­ there has ever been. We may have injuries but so have­ all the other teams. David Moyes has done ok for a guy­ from Preston FC but a more experienced manager (from­ Europe?) would have been better. His team selection and­ substitute strategy have not been good. His buying of­ players has been erratic, panicky and in most cases­ poor. Yes we got to Wembley but was that because United­ had a reserve team out? The 1-6 hammering by Arsenal­ (reminded me of a similar score the year before my­ first season) should have rung the warning bells.­ Benfica beat us 0-5 and I'm afraid they will­ probably beat us on Thursday and we will go out of the­ cup to them and one of the other no-marks. I'm­ afraid I can't even see us surviving the big drop­ this season.

    From stefan.howard, on Tue 3 Nov 2:53PM
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