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Post by Everton News. on Sept 18, 2020 12:47:14 GMT
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Post by Everton News. on Sept 18, 2020 13:36:22 GMT
Centre-back pair Jarrad Branthwaite and Mason Holgate are Everton's only absentees for Saturday's clash with West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park (12.30pm), with Alex Iwobi back in contention after recovering from a knock which kept him out of the Blues' victories over Spurs and Salford City.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Branthwaite and Holgate were both out but "every other player is fit".
Defender Branthwaite sustained an ankle injury during Everton's 3-0 win over Salford and the 18-year-old is expected to be unavailable for three to five weeks.
Holgate, meanwhile, continues to be sidelined with a toe injury.
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Post by Everton News. on Sept 18, 2020 13:37:11 GMT
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Post by Everton News. on Sept 18, 2020 13:38:32 GMT
Seamus Coleman
Hello everyone and welcome to our first Goodison Premier League fixture of the season.
It’s fair to say that if we could have scripted our start to the new campaign then it probably would have panned out the way it has.
I’ll start at Tottenham and as good an opening day performance as I have been involved in since I arrived at Everton.
To have three debutants in the side after very little time for training with the rest of the squad may have been seen as a bit of a gamble but if it was, didn’t it pay off!
I thought all three of the new lads played as though they’d been with us for years and, as a collective, we were very good as a team.
I said afterwards that it was more than just a win for me.
It was a massive statement that last season has gone and that we are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
Nobody here is getting carried away but I am sure that neutral observers would have watched that game and sat up to take notice.
The only shame was that none of our supporters were there to see it.
Obeying the rules and regulations is still the right thing to do, but I was far from being the only player in the dressing room at Tottenham expressing my regret that we didn’t have 3,000 delirious fans behind the goal.
The manager then took the chance to give some more of his players some game time in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and the lads were very professional in a match that could easily have ended in a far more convincing win.
Anthony Gordon was a bit frustrated afterwards having done everything he could to score without actually doing so, but I assured him that his goals will come, of that there is no doubt, and that the time to worry is when he’s not creating chances for himself or getting on the end of opportunities provided by others.
It’s been a good week but once the games are done, we have a quick reflection and then start to prepare for the next one.
I am pleased to see West Brom back in the Premier League. It’s where they belong and after a disappointing start last weekend, they will be determined to get their season under way as soon as possible.
It’s up to us to make sure that it doesn’t happen this afternoon.
These are still testing times for everyone, but we must stick together and keep doing what’s right…and hopefully we can give you more to smile about today.
All the best, Seamus
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 19, 2020 8:39:46 GMT
Everton Football Club will pay tribute to supporter Jacob Billington, who lost his life in an unprovoked knife attack this month, before Saturday’s Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion.
Evertonian Jacob, from Crosby, was in Birmingham with friends when the group of eight people were victims of a random assault on 6 September.
Jacob, 23, was a drummer in a band called The Vedetts and worked at Sheffield Hallam University.
Jacob’s sister Abbie said: “Jacob was the light of our life and we have been devastated by his loss.
“He was a funny, caring and wonderful person who was loved by every single person he met.
“He lit up every room with his boundless energy and witty humour and the loss of such a special person will be felt by all who knew him for years to come.”
An image of Jacob will appear on Goodison Park’s big screens and there will be a period of applause in his memory prior to kick-off against West Brom.
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