The more things change

the more things stay the same.

It was basically the same team, just Shimbomba (© David Pleat) in central defence and Stalteri at rightback different, the same lacklustre performance, the same bizarre substitutions, bar a little less weight a touch more hair and tan it could be the same coach standing cross armed in a tracksuit on the touchline.

Suppose the main difference was there was a win at the end – two nil at the struggling Hapoel Tel Aviv, but it was much like the Getafe and Famagusta (away) games previously.

It was dire to watch though, defence still shaky with the changes, Shimbomba wandered off far too frequently, Dawson is shot to pieces not having Ledley beside him. Stalteri is a statue and Lee is just far to right footed for the leftback spot and so plays people into trouble too often, would like to see him get a chance on the other flank when Bale comes back though and how much do they miss that kid?

Central midfield is a wasteland Zokora doing nothing and Jenas doing even less, he really is the worst player to put on a lillywhite shirt. We’ll see what Ramos is all about when the transfer window opens and what happens with this waste of space but the fact it’ll be very hard to find a buyer – never going to get close to recouping the £9million Levy wasted on this ponce – and the Spaniard has played him so far doesn’t bode well.

The substitutions again were strange, maybe it was the view of the management team to save the best players for the Premier League game at the weekend that saw Malbranque come off and Jenas stay on, was Juande hoping that the ponce would pick up an injury by leaving him on. Whatever the reason it stuffed up what little football was on show as the little Frenchman was the only real creative force on the park.

Yeah both goals coming from his crosses the first when he made to the byline and cut it back for Keane just highlighted what was missing on the right. Why couldn’t Lennon do that, he hardly even tried, he has the beating of most players but seems reluctant to knock the ball past defenders and run by them to the line, lost confidence in his own abilities to deliver the final ball.

Much has been made about the second goal or more precisely Berbatov’s reaction to scoring. Some third rate journos, who seem more intent on creating a story rather than reporting one don’t seem to like the fact Berba didn’t run off kissing the badge or thumping his chest or doing a power slide into the corner flag on his knees – the kind of things we see from serial club changers. Well he never really has, throughout last years UEFA Cup run back when he “was happy” he would stand there after scoring and let the rest run and celebrate with him, with barely a smile on his face.

Nothing much has changed, he never ran around enthusiastically last season he never really over celebrated only thing is some red top types are trying to create trouble and those from the so called “qualities” are so lazy they just regurgitate this crap. He says he’s not smiling because of the position the club is in, now if he was smiling and joking those same journos would be making up some crap about disrespecting the club and their plight.

Well it was a win, after Getafe a much needed one at that but there’s still too many problems throughout the team for any confidence anything is going to change soon. It’s a good job they’ve got a lightweight group, because I couldn’t see them lifting themselves like Bolton, a team in a similar situation, did last night against Munich of the Bayern (© Alan McAnally – Broadsword calling Danny Boy), I’m thinking Ribbery would have ripped Spurs apart, good job Hitzfeld isn’t about making stupid substitutions.

Another thing after the three match extravaganza on five – with the ubiquitous Pat Nevin, who I was surprised not to see on BBC Jockland for the Aberdeen game at the same time he was on five – was the sponsors of Everton’s opponents FC Nuremberg – mister.lady – which sounds like some Thai tranny website, not that I would know owt about that.