By Alan Duffy

Everton 2-0 Chelsea Premier League 11th February 2012

That much-publicised midweek training ground visit from Roman Abramovich would have done little for Andre Villas-Boas' confidence ahead of Saturday's game against Everton.

A trip to Goodison Park is just the tonic needed following our recent troubles, namely a bizarre, referee-induced three-goal collapse at home against Manchester United.

Wait, what? We rarely win at Everton? Shit.

Mean muggin'

We have actually won at Goodison this season, a 2-1 victory in extra time in the League Cup.

YOU try keeping them apart. Image: AFP PHOTO/ IAN KINGTON.

Don't feel bad that you missed all the transfer news because you're such important people. We too were engaged in frantic busy work (sleeping, shopping, drinking or a horrifying and painful combination of all three) when the window slammed shut at 23.

Everton boss David Moyes was a busy man in January, signing the likes of Darron Gibson and Nikica Jelavic, loaning former Toffees Steven Pienaar and Landon Donovan, and offloading Louis Saha to Tottenham.

All that activity is seemingly about to payoff, with the traditionally slow-starting Merseysiders back in the top half of the table following last night's famous 1-0 win over league leaders Manchester City at Goodison Park.

On this side of the Atlantic, the football news that received quite a bit of attention over past few days was Friday's FA Cup tie between Everton and Fulham, featuring Clint "Hat Trick" Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Tim Howard. Everton won, and as SI.com put it,

Landon Donovan etched his name further into Everton lore with two assists in the Toffees' FA Cup victory over Fulham.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

It is a wild day across England, with the rapid-fire closing of the transfer window being accompanied by a full slate of mid-week matches. While the transfer window doesn't figure to include any more Americans making moves to England, there could be some notable performances by U.

Everton has leapfrogged West Ham, Queens Park Rangers, and cross-town rivals Liverpool in being the front-runners to sign Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic.

The Toffees, who have scored only 22 goals this season a total that is only higher than bottom-club Wigan are in search for a finisher with a proven pedigree and Jelavic offers an affordable option to cover their needs.

The All-American showdown went to Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Everton.

Donovan came up with two assists to guide the Toffees to a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over Clint Dempsey's Fulham at Goodison Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.

Donovan hit summer acquisition Denis Stracqualursi with a pinpoint left-footed cross from the right in the 27th minute, and the Argentine headed it past Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale to pull Everton level at 1-1.

A brilliant Rafael Van der Vaart strike guided Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-0 win at Watford while Marouane Fellaini's decisive second-half goal saw off Fulham in Friday's all-Premier League FA Cup Fourth Round clash at Goodison Park.

Van der Vaart struck right before half-time from 30-yards out to stun Vicarage Road and give the Spurs a slender advantage that the hosts were not able to overturn.

Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey has made it clear that he would like his long-term future to be at a club with Champions League aspirations, alerting many potential suitors to make a move for the U.S. international.

Dempsey has scored nine goals in 22 matches so far this season, with his most recent accomplishment being a remarkable hat-trick the first for an American in the Premier League against Newcastle United.

The highly anticipated match involving of the U.S. Men's National Team's top talents kicks off at 3 p.m. ET today (FOXSoccer) when Tim Howard and Landon Donovan at Everton welcome Clint Dempsey's Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Dempsey has been white hot for Fulham, having scored two hat tricks in the last month, including one against Charlton in the third round.

Photos by ISIphotos.com

U.S. national team stars Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey have not shared a field together since the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, but Friday they are slated to do so -- as opponents.

Everton and Fulham meet in a fourth-round FA Cup match at Goodison Park, and Fox Soccer Channel has picked up the 3 p.

By FRANCO PANIZO

It took Clint Dempsey nine years to score the first hat-trick of his career, a feat he accomplished on January 7 in an FA Cup win over Charlton Athletic.

It did not take much longer for him to do it again.

Dempsey became the first American to net a hat-trick in the Premiership on Saturday.

By Alan Duffy

Everton 1-1 Blackburn Rovers Premier League 21 January 2012

Steve Kean's Blackburn produced another impressive performance at Goodison on Saturday, securing a fully deserved point.

Both sides threathened early on, with Rovers' Scott Dann seeing his header come back off the woodwork.

The FC Ingolstadt striker and former LA Galaxy team mate of Landon Donovan is currently on trial at Everton for a week. David Moyes is looking to inject more firepower in his ranks as goals have been hard to come by for the Toffees. Donovan is already at Everton on loan till March before the MLS season begins.

While many Major League Soccer squads are starting their pres-seasons today, another player of note is looking to land a starting spot of his own. Edson Buddle is beginning a week long trial at Everton FC. Buddle left MLS in 2010 after a dream season in which he turned many heads for his goal scoring exploits, the same exploits that earned him a trip to the World Cup.

Everton is in dire need of attacking help, and once again turned to an American to try and help turn things around.

The Toffees have handed Edson Buddle a week-long trial, and will be hoping to find a goal-scoring bargain at a time the squad is struggling to generate goals.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht returned to league action this weekend for the first time since December, and they both picked up right where they left off.

RSC Anderlecht continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over third-place Club Brugge on Sunday.

By Alan Duffy

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton Premier League 14th January 2012

Alex McLeish's Villa side once again struggled in front of their home fans, drawing with Everton to make it just three wins out of 10 home league fixtures for the Villans.

Landon Donovan continued his strong run of form for Everton on Saturday, delivering his best performance since re-joining the Toffees in Everton's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Donovan laid off a beautiful defense-splitting pass to set up Victor Anichebe's equalizer in a match that also so Donovan's LA Galaxy teammate, Robbie Keane, make his Aston Villa debut.

By Alan Duffy

Despite Manchester United's lack of depth in central midfield, Darron "with an 'o' " Gibson has been shipped off to Everton, for a reported fee of £1million. The Irishman's four and a half year deal with the Toffees comes after not long after the Republic of Ireland midfielder was fined by Sir Alex Ferguson, after a Boxing Day night out with team-mates Wayne Rooney and Jonny Evans had left the players unfit for training for the following morning.

Landon Donovan and Brad Friedel's highly-anticipated match-up is finally here.

The two Americans are both in their respective team's starting lineups, as is Tim Howard, for Tottenham's home game against Everton (2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel). Donovan will look to help the Toffees upset the Spurs in his third game back while also attempting to silence one his most recent critics in Friedel in the process.

Wednesday:

• Tim Bolton

Wheater: No Rafa...

Reports say that Tim Bolton deal is etched.

Ream will battle former Middlesborough phenom David Wheater for playing time at Bolton with Wheater getting the first call obviously to replace The Overrated Gary Cahill.

Remember when Brad Friedel made those comments about Landon Donovan? Well, today is the day Donovan can make his former teammate eat those words.

Donovan and Friedel are set to square off on Wednesday afternoon when Everton visits Tottenham in a game American fans have been salivating over ever since Donovan agreed to a loan deal with Everton.

Mirror: Tottenham v Everton tickets up for grabs

Mirror Football has teamed up with Thomas Cook Sport, official travel partner of Tottenham Hotspur, to offer five lucky fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to their midweek match against Everton on Wednesday 11th January 2012.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Landon Donovan did not lead Everton to victory in his return match for the club, but he will not have to wait long to get another chance at that.

Donovan and Everton will take on lowly Tamworth of England's fifth division in a third round FA Cup match on Saturday.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard scored from his own half against Bolton but was unable to prevent the Toffees slumping to a 2-1 home defeat. Howard casually received the ball inside his box before launching a down-the-pitch-punt hurtling towards the Bolton goal. A rather surprised (and frankly clumsy) Adam Bogdan could only scamper backwards as the [.

My word it's Tweet my Goal! The best gags from Newcastle 3-0 Man United and Everton 1-2 Bolton

Newcastle won the battle of the Uniteds by thrashing Fergie's men 3-0 and a goal for Everton keeper Tim Howard couldn't prevent the Toffees going down to the Trotters. Here's how it unfolded on our @MirrorFootball feed :

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2012-01-04 22:35:37 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Landon Donovan's second foray into the Premier League gets underway later today, with Everton's match against Bolton (3 p.m., Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv). Early rumblings have Donovan slated for the starting lineup, though that has yet to be announced publicly by Everton.

By Alan Duffy

Former Liverpool and Everton defender Gary Ablett passed away last night after a 16-month battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The 46-year-old was one of a select band of players to enjoy extended stays with both Liverpool clubs after starting off with the red half of the city as an apprentice in 1982.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Landon Donovan had his first training session with Everton on Friday, officially kicking off his second loan spell with the club.

"We're delighted to have Landon back, he's trained today and it's easy for him to settle in with a great group of boys here who will make it easy for him," Everton manager David Moyes said during his Friday press conference.

By Alan Duffy

On Boxing Day, Martin O'Neill's Sunderland were a goal ahead and looking to pick up all three points against Everton when, early in the second-half, the Toffees' diminutive schemer Leon Osman ran into the Black Cats box with the intention of shooting on goal.

The world's most effective miskick The Premier League's biggest Christmas present came from referee Howard Webb. He gave Everton the present of one Premier League point by awarding the Toffees this penalty against Sunderland. Webb pointed to the spot when Leon Osman tripped himself in the Black Cats' box after an enormous miskick.

The world's most effective miskick The Premier League's biggest Christmas present came from referee Howard Webb. He gave Everton the present of one Premier League point by awarding the Toffees this penalty against Sunderland. Webb pointed to the spot when Leon Osman tripped himself in the Black Cats' box after an enormous miskick.

Sunderland and Everton played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light today but Martin O'Neill's men were robbed of all three points when Everton were awarded a penalty after Leon Osman kicked the ground instead of the ball and fell over only for the referee to award a penalty to the Toffees to make it 1-1.

By Alan Duffy

Everton 1-1 Norwich City Premier League 17th December 2011

Dutch wideman Royston Drenthe rescued a point for Everton at Goodison Park after the Toffees had failed to make their dominance against Norwich City count.

Not even one of the faces of African soccer is immune to punishment of the harshest kind.

The Cameroonian Football Federation banned captain and star forward Samuel Eto'o 15 matches for his role in a players' strike last month. Eto'o can appeal the punishment over the course of the next two weeks, but if it is upheld, the ban could signal the end of the 30-year-old Eto'o's international career, considering the length of the ban and the bad blood between player and federation.

Let's get right to it:

Back at it in Candyland...

• Everton welcomes Norwich City to it's Really Goodison

The Premiership world was shocked when Everton announced that American Landon Donovan will come on loan to the Land of Toffee starting January 4th.

Okay, not shocked actually at all except for the fact that Everton actually got a quality player to help them in a battle with Father Relegation, even if only for two months.

Happy Friday everyone. Yesterday brought news of another loan stint for an American overseas. In this case though, it was one of the more high profile national team players with Landon Donovan headed to Everton.
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Everton came to terms on a two-month loan deal that will see Donovan play for the English side until February 25th.

Landon Donovan returns to Everton. Some things you should know...

David Moyes' Everton has been struggling to compete in the Premier League once again as the club is strapped for cash, but today Evertonians can smile because American Landon Donovan has agreed to go back to Goodison Park in what will be his second loan spell with the club.