125 YEARS EVERTON v NEWCASTLE UNITED 23 APRIL 2018 | KICK-OFF 8PM | £3.50 OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME New Customer Offer Available to new players only | 18+ | Terms and Conditions Apply | BeGambleAware.org 03 Contents Club Directory Chairman Bill Kenwright CBE 04 Deputy Chairman SAM ALLARDYCE Jon Woods BOSS ON IMPORTANCE Directors Robert Elstone OF TONIGHT’S GAME Alexander Ryazantsev AGAINST IN-FORM Denise Barrett-Baxendale MBE NEWCASTLE IN BLUES’ Keith Harris BID TO END THE SEASON Chief Executive Officer STRONGLY Robert Elstone Deputy CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale MBE 10 Director Of Football MICHAEL KEANE Steve Walsh THE EVERTON DEFENDER ON HIS Manager NEVER-ENDING THIRST FOR IMPROVEMENT EVERTON Sam Allardyce Vice Life President Keith Tamlin Honorary President of Academy Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi 27 STEVE WATSON Honours THE FORMER BLUE TALKS v NEWCASTLE — 2017/18 First Division Champions ABOUT “A FANTASTIC FIVE 1890/91, 1914/15, 1927/28, YEARS” AT EVERTON AND 1931/32, 1938/39, 1962/63, 1969/70, 1984/85, 1986/87 HOW DIFFERENT HIS LIFE IS Runners-up AS A MANAGER 1889/90, 1894/95, 1901/02, 1904/05, 1908/09, 1911/12, 1985/86 Second Division Champions 42 1930/31 EVERTON FC ARCHIVES Runners-up A KEVIN SHEEDY-INSPIRED THRASHING OF TODAY’S 1953/54 VISITORS AND A CHAT WITH DUNCAN MCKENZIE FA Cup Winners 1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995 Runners-up 1893, 1897, 1907, 1968, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2009 65 Football League Cup Runners-up U23s, U18s & LADIES 1976/77, 1983/84 UNDER-23S WINGER JOSH FA Charity Shield Winners BOWLER DISCUSSES 1928, 1932, 1963, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1995 SETTLING ON MERSEYSIDE, Shared: 1986 European Cup ACADEMY COACH KEVIN Winners’ Cup Winners O’BRIEN ON THE UNDER- 1984/85 18S, AND LADIES STRIKER FA Youth Cup Winners 1964/65, 1983/84, 1997/98 CLAUDIA WALKER Runners-up 1960/61, 1976/77, 1982/83, 2001/02 73 SAMMY LEE Editor Darren Griffiths EVERTON ASSISTANT MANAGER EXPLAINS HOW HIS Head of Media & Communications Brian Doogan DESIRE TO SUCCEED BURNS AS STRONGLY AS EVER Head of Content Howard Frost Contributors Hamish Dufton, Adam Clark, THE VIEWS IN THIS PROGRAMME ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF EVERTON Daniel Alston, Mike Taylor, Jennie Kozlowski, FOOTBALL CLUB. 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Published by Sport Media TO ORDER, AND FOR OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTION PRICES, PLEASE CALL 0845 143 0001 OR VISIT EVERTONFC.COM/PUBLICATIONS OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME EVERTONFC.COM “We know it is important to the Club and to the fans that we finish the season as strongly as we can” ood evening everyone and welcome back such a strong run should augur well. Our long-term to Goodison for our Premier League game ambitions are to compete at the highest level of the G against Newcastle United. Premier League and the bedrock of all successful sides It always feels like a long time between games is their form at home and their ability to make their when you play on a Monday night and we have been own stadium into the kind of cauldron we all know eager to get back into action after last weekend’s Goodison can be. Under the lights, it is a particularly draw at Swansea. We didn’t play to our maximum special place and the atmosphere tonight will be at the Liberty Stadium and I was disappointed with intoxicating, as always. the level of our overall performance but we managed We welcome Rafa Benitez, his staff and players to get ahead in the game and secure what was and the fans and officials of Newcastle. The Magpies ultimately a hard-earned point against a team that have won their past four games in succession, they had won its previous four home games. are in terrific form and will be feeling great about We know it is important to the Club and to the themselves, so we are anticipating a really big fans and it is extremely important to me, my staff challenge tonight. Rafa has done a really good job and the players that we finish the season as strongly for Newcastle but we can draw some inspiration from as we can. Certainly, there was pride, desire and a the victory we gained at St James’ Park in December. real determination to try to win the game when we We know that the Goodison faithful will provide encountered our Merseyside derby rivals in our most the energy and overall atmosphere that can inspire recent home game and, especially with the way we a similar effort from the players in this game and closed the final 20 minutes, we might have secured another win would deliver a boost that could help to our first victory in 17 games against Liverpool. Had we propel us through our closing matches of the season. taken our chances in that final period of the game, I was fortunate this week to meet the supporters who we would have won and the noise and intensity are sponsors of the players and management staff generated by our fans inside Goodison as we went in over lunch at USM Finch Farm and the mood was search of a winner was something special and really very much to try to close our campaign strongly. The lifted the players. support from all of you is always appreciated by the It would have meant so much to everybody here players and by myself and the management staff and to have won that game and we must replicate that we will all do our best to try to send you home happy intensity and that desire, demonstrated especially tonight. over the final 20 minutes, in our remaining games this Enjoy the game. season. Our record at home has been especially good and sustaining that form will contribute to us closing out the season in the manner we want to. Since I came to the Club, we have been beaten at Goodison only by Manchester City and Manchester United, the Premier League’s top two clubs, and the character we have shown in putting together 04 MANAGER'S NOTES — SAM ALLARDYCE 05 OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME EVERTONFC.COM 06 CAPTAIN'S NOTES — PHIL JAGIELKA 07 “People may suggest that neither side has anything left to play for this season but as professionals, every single one of us out on the park tonight will want to take the three points” ood evening everyone and welcome to Premier League football again next season. Goodison Park… From the start of the campaign, I never thought G I love the atmosphere of this place Newcastle would be in any danger but I would under the floodlights and I hope we can give you a guess the priority for any team promoted from the game to enjoy this evening. Championship is to make sure you stick around for People may suggest that neither side has more than one season. anything left to play for this season but as We’ve got four games to go now and we are professionals, every single one of us out on the capable of taking maximum points from them. park tonight will want to take the three points. That’s not going to be easy, it never is in the Newcastle start the night a point behind us and we Premier League, but two games here at Goodison are close to Leicester City in eighth place so there and winnable away matches against Huddersfield are still positions to fight for in the Premier League and West Ham represents a decent run-in for us. table. Each of our opponents has something to play for Print deadlines mean I can’t comment on the but that suits us. With the greatest will in the world, outcome of Leicester’s match against Southampton some end of season matches can be drab affairs on Thursday evening but our target is the same as but I’m expecting four good tests for us. it’s always been – to finish as high up the table as The seasons are flying by, as they do when we possibly can. you get older, but the one constant is always the We go into tonight’s fixture on the back of two supporters. You are the lifeblood of the Football drawn games that we could so easily have won. Club and your support this season has been Of course, we would have loved to have beaten superb, in occasional challenging circumstances. Liverpool here a fortnight ago and then followed I really hope we give you something to cheer it up with another one down at Swansea last tonight. weekend but it wasn’t to be and if you can’t win it’s All the best, important not to lose. Jags We’ve lost one of our past five games, and that was against Manchester City, so we do feel as though we are edging forward in the right direction.