Soapbox on Everton, Howard Webb and pantomime villainy

Sixer's Soapbox


Oh no it wasn’t the worst refereeing decision you’ve ever seen. Oh yes it was. Take your pick. It was a shocker however you look at it and we await either a fulsome public apology from Howard Webb or a formal announcement that he is returning to a less accident-prone life as a sergeant of the South Yorkshire constabulary. Leon Osman might wish to say something, too, about the upraised arm which any observer is entitled to interpret as a fraudulent claim for a penalty after he fell over his own feet. Pete Sixsmith has plenty to say …

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Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 1 Everton 1. Howard Webb’s disgrace


This is where Pete Sixsmith captures the glory and shame, hope and despair, excitement and ennui of the Sunderland matchday experience. When, rarely, Pete is absent or delayed, a supersub does it for him and the seven-word verdict is preceded by an asterisk. Pete’s full analysis of the game will usually appear within a day or two.

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SAFC-Everton Who are You?: ‘Citeh’s way could turn me off football’

Over recent seasons, I may have exhausted the supply of Everton fans willing to answer the “Who are You?” questionnaire in the customary e-mail exchange. Finding a Toffeeman or woman to preview the Boxing Day game was a tough one. In the end, someone at the Toffee Talk website suggested just sticking the questions on there. It is unsatisfactorily anonymous, though I did like the replies on Peter Reid (Avinalaff doesn’t tell us what kind of pounds he needs to lose) and the Man City bags-of-money project …

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Birflatt Boy: go, Steve, go. But he means Blackburn this time


Birflatt Boy called often enough for Steve Bruce’s head. Now he’s pushing for Steve Kean to be the next managerial casualty. The Rovers support certainly seems to have turned hostile; David Moyes said he left the Bolton game at half-time in disgust at the abuse aimed in Kean’s direction …

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