Everton

Moyes signs new deal at Everton
Manager David Moyes has ended speculation over his future by signing a new five-year deal at Everton. Moyes, 45, delayed signing the deal and admitted it may have unsettled his players after they were knocked out of the Carling Cup and the Uefa Cup. "There have been many different things for different reasons," Moyes told the club's website of the delay. "But we are here now. The big thing for me is that I am at Everton, as far as I am concerned, for another five years." Moyes, who has been in charge at Goodison Park since March 2002, has endured a difficult start to the season with Everton currently 15th in the Premier League table with eight points after seven games. And the manager, who would have been out of contract at the end of the season, added: "The job is to make us better than we have been. "I am really excited and really pleased. I am pleased for everybody - I'm pleased for myself and my family who were desperate to get it signed and secured and it is always what I wanted to do." The deal, signed at Everton's training ground Finch Farm on Tuesday, has been concluded against a backdrop of uncertainty over the club's future. Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright has indicated that he is willing to sell the club to a new owner with the finances to allow Everton to compete at the top end of the Premier League table. And Keith Harris, chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, has revealed he is hopeful of finding a buyer for Everton. But Kenwright said he was delighted that Moyes had signed his new contract. "There have always been two people - myself and David - confident that the long term future of the manager would eventually be secured," he said. "The signatures of those two people are now on a contract. "I am obviously very pleased that the contract, that I've always believed to be the most important contract, is now concluded." Everton were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Blackburn and lost to Standard Liege in the Uefa Cup in the space of eight days. But since Moyes succeeded Walter Smith as manager the club he has twice been named League Manager Association Manager of the Year and Everton have twice qualified for the Uefa Cup and once for the Champions League. "Since I took over six years ago, I think there has been an improvement and the job is that I want a similar improvement over the next five years or so," added Moyes. "I want the ambition to be greater. I want the expectancy to be higher and I want Everton overall to be higher on the field and off the field, I am determined to try and take it forward."

Everton boss Moyes given FA fine
Everton manager David Moyes has been fined £5000 by the Football Association and warned as to his future behaviour. The Scot admitted a charge of improper conduct after being sent to the stands during his side's 3-2 win at Stoke City on 14 September. Moyes reacted when referee Alan Wiley opted not to award his side a penalty. "I believe I received a fair hearing although, in truth, I don't believe it was necessary to charge me," said Moyes after his hearing on Tuesday. The incident saw Wiley penalise Stoke defender Leon Cort for handling the ball but, after consultation with his assistant, he awarded Everton a free-kick outside of the area instead of a penalty. TV replays backed Moyes' view that Cort had handled inside the box. Moyes, 45, watched the last 15 minutes of the game among Stoke fans but insisted afterwards that he had not sworn at the officials. "As manager of Everton football club I not only welcome the respect campaign but shall continue to support it," added Moyes.

Gravesen decides to quit football
Denmark international midfielder Thomas Gravesen has retired from football at the age of 32. Gravesen, renowned for his combative style, played for Hamburg, Everton, Real Madrid and Celtic during a career spanning more than 13 years. "I have spent some extraordinary years abroad, I have played and lived in four countries," said the Dane. "But I'm 33 in March, so before age and health force my hand I have opted to take the decision to stop myself." Gravesen parted company with Celtic in August 2008, having failed to establish himself in the first team after signing from Real Madrid for £2m in 2006. He began his career with Danish side Vejle BK before moving to Hamburg where he spent three years. Undoubtedly the midfielder's most successful club spell came with Everton, who he joined in 2000. The Dane made more than 150 appearances for the Toffees during his first spell at the club, which lasted five and a half years until he left for Real Madrid in January 2005. He then rejoined David Moyes' side on loan from Celtic for the majority of the 2007/08 season, but managed just eight league appearances. Gravesen called an end to his international playing days in 2006, having scored five goals in 66 appearances for Denmark.

Rodwell agrees new Everton deal
Everton have rewarded teenage midfielder Jack Rodwell for his impressive form with a new five-year deal at Goodison Park. Rodwell has agreed the terms of a new contract and is expected to put pen-to-paper by the weekend. The 17-year-old scored his first goal for the Toffees in Sunday's 3-1 FA Cup victory at home to Aston Villa. Rodwell made his debut aged 16 and has appeared in 13 first-team appearances for Everton this season. It caps a steep rise for the academy product who made his debut in the Uefa Cup in December 2007 aged 16. The youngster was delighted to score his first goal for Everton against Villa and said there is more to come. "Just to play for Everton is an honour, but to get the goal, I am made up," he told EvertonTV. "I'm glad it's out of the way, hopefully there's more to come. "My ambitions are just to keep working hard and when I do get on to make an impression."

Arteta's season ended by injury
Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured knee ligament. The 26-year-old fell awkwardly just three minutes into Everton's 0-0 draw away to Newcastle on Sunday. He was stretchered off after receiving treatment and underwent scans on his right knee on Sunday night to ascertain the full extent of the injury. Arteta has been a key figure for Everton this season, making 31 appearances and scoring seven goals. The Spaniard's spell out will be a huge blow to the Toffees as they continue to chase a European spot and hope to further their run in the FA Cup. Everton boss David Moyes has already lost Yakubu for the season to a ruptured Achilles, while James Vaughan has had surgery on a knee injury and Nuno Valente has been out with a similar problem since August. Louis Saha has been plagued by hamstring trouble which has restricted him to 14 matches this season, while midfielder Marouane Fellaini is playing with a cracked bone in his back. Midfielders Steven Pienaar (hamstring) and Leon Osman (stomach strain) have both missed recent games, while Anichebe was injured by a horror tackle from Kevin Nolan against Newcastle. Everton have managed to maintain sixth place in the Premier League in spite of the injury problems but their hopes of catching fifth-place Arsenal have been dented by the loss of Arteta. He scored in Everton's previous two games before Sunday's goalless draw and his absence was keenly felt once he left the field at St James' Park. Moyes is also worried over the fitness of Victor Anichebe, who was replaced shortly before half-time after a heavy tackle from Kevin Nolan, which saw the Newcastle midfielder receive a straight red card. "I've never felt as much pain in my life," Anichebe told evertonTV. "I thought I'd broken my leg. I couldn't even look down. It was a terrible tackle but I don't think he really meant it, he came and said sorry. But what can you do? "Now it's not too bad. It's not as bad as I first thought anyway, but I'm feeling a bit of pain in my knee and the back of my calf and down my shin so we'll see how it is. "I've always thought to myself I'll never get injured for a long period of time. When it happened I thought, that's me, that's my time, but luckily I've got strong legs anyway, and if that was anyone else, their leg would have snapped in two. "I suppose I'm lucky to come out not as bad anyway, so I'll get a scan on Monday and see how it is. Hopefully everything is alright." Moyes added: "It was a sending off, there's no doubt about that. I don't think Kevin Nolan is that type of player but it was a bad tackle and it was definitely a sending off. Newcastle caretaker manager Chris Hughton was pleased with his side's efforts in limiting Everton to so few chances and spoke of Nolan's regret at the tackle for which he saw red. "For us I think to go down to 10 men at the time that we did, to come through the 90 minutes with Everton having limited good opportunities at our goal is testament to our lads," he said. "Kevin has apologised to David and to the lad in their team . "He's an honest professional. We accept it wasn't the best of challenges but my first impression was that it was poorly timed, not malicious."

Saha relishing Man Utd encounter
Everton striker Louis Saha has revealed his delight at drawing former club Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Saha, 30, scored the Blues' winner as they beat Middlesbrough 2-1 in their quarter-final at Goodison on Sunday. He told Radio Merseyside: "It's going to be special and I think it's one of the best draws for the fans. "They never lose semi-finals so I think it will be one of the hardest games Everton face right now." Saha, who arrived on Merseyside on a pay-as-you-play contract for a nominal fee in the close-season, believes Everton's status as underdogs going into the tie can help them. "I do think in football, that's why it's magic, that the FA Cup is so special that any possibility is on. "That's why people spend so much money to watch games and I do think we have the quality, the belief and the spirit to put any team in difficulty," said the France international. Saha's decisive strike against Middlesbrough sets up the club's first match at Wembley in 14 years. The French striker is adamant the occasion will count for little unless his side can beat Manchester United and reach the final. "It's huge but we have so much quality in our dressing room that we won't be happy with only a semi-final. "We are looking for trophies and the club deserve that," added Saha.

Bilyaletdinov seals Everton move
Everton have signed Russia midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old, who has been capped 28 times for his country, has signed a five-year deal at Goodison Park. Bilyaletdinov will now return to Russia to complete the formalities of a visa application to enter the UK. "It is a dream to play for a big club like Everton and I know that the Premier League is the best league in the world," said Bilyaletdinov. He is ineligible for Thursday's Europa League play-off, second leg with Sigma Olomouc and is unlikely to be available for Sunday's home game against Wigan. The winger added: "I spoke to David Moyes on Monday and he told me he is looking forward to working with me - and I am looking forward to working with him. "I am looking forward to playing in the league and in the Europa League and helping Everton to win things. "I know Everton has big players and a big history, and I know the club is 131 years old and has good traditions. "I know about Everton's players and I know Jo from when he played in the Russian league. "I also know that Andrei Kanchelskis played for Everton. Andrei is a hero for all people in Russia so I am very happy to know that he has played for a club like Everton." Everton officials met with Bilyaletdinov and his representatives in Hamburg on Monday because he is permitted to enter Germany with a Russian passport without a visa. The 6ft 1in left-footed player is set to arrive in the UK in early September for Russia's World Cup qualifier against Wales and he will probably join up with his Goodison Park team-mates for the first time ahead of the trip to Fulham on 13 September. "We are delighted to have secured the services of Diniyar," Everton chief executive Robert Elstone told his club's website. "I know David Moyes has wanted to bring him to Goodison for some time and we look forward to welcoming him." Bilyaletdinov broke into the Lokomotiv team in 2004 and is known for his direct running style and leadership skills, which resulted in him being made captain. He helped Lokomotiv clinch their second Russian league title in his debut season and was rewarded with the league's young player of the year award. Bilyaletdinov made his debut for Russia as a 20-year-old in 2005 and featured in every game during his nation's run to the Euro 2008 semi-finals. He played in 10 of Russia's 12 qualifying matches for the tournament, including the two games against England.

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce hails 'precious' result
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce paid tribute to his team as they held firm against Everton to take three points. Rovers had Toffees keeper Tim Howard to thank after his fumble gifted Nikola Kalinic the game's only goal. Allardyce said: "It was a mistake but the ability he showed to capitalise on it was there for all to see. "It's only the first game of the season but it's a very precious three points and the first three are as important as the last three." Allardyce continued: "The defending of the team as a whole was exceptional, making sure we kept hold of what we got. "We knew Everton would have to come back into the game at some stage, but we didn't get the second goal when we had the chances to do that. We missed golden opportunities to get the second goal so we expected a bit of pressure at the end, but we held on well. "We were the better side because we created more clear-cut chances than Everton." Allardyce added: "We always talked about starting where we left off last season. Our last eight games brought us 15 points and our last two games brought us a terrific victory against Arsenal, followed by a win away at Aston Villa. "When you finish a season like that on such a high, you hope it carries over and the players remember the basics of why they got those victories. "Because we've been together for a year now, those basics are looking pretty solid and we've got to build on those. "Now it's about improving our away form, which was one of our Achilles heels last year. We go to Birmingham next week and we'll see whether this has given us the confidence to go and get a result there." Everton manager David Moyes defended Howard, saying: "You don't need to say too much and we'll move on. He's a really good goalkeeper who's done great for us. "Yes it was a mistake and we can't hide that, but after that I was hoping we would still go on and get something." "I'm still optimistic because we've got a really good team. That team didn't play well today, especially going forward. We huffed and puffed and never really threatened the goal at all."

Bilyaletdinov ‘proud’ that he plays for Everton
Everton’s Russian midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletidinov is ‘proud’ at the fact he plays for Everton, he has revealed via his Twitter account. The former Lokomotiv Moscow man was answering a variety of questions on Twitter and also acknowledged the fantastic support he and the players receive from the supporters. When asked whether he was proud that he played for one of the biggest football clubs in British football, Bilya simply replied: “Of course I am proud to play here!” The Blues are set for the short trip to the Reebok Stadium on Sunday, but attention is naturally shifting to the crunch FA Cup Fourth Round replay clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a week on Saturday. And Bilyaletdinov believes the Toffees can secure a fifth round date with Reading at Goodison Park. “Of course we believe!!”, he replied when asked whether the squad believe they can beat the Premier League champions on their own patch. The £10m capture also revealed that Tony Hibbert has scored in training and that Old Trafford and St James Park are his two favourite away grounds in England.

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