Alan Stubbs: We are reaching our targets

Aug 16 2007 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTON are heading to Reading having already hit their target for the first three games of the season, according to Alan Stubbs.

The defender, who scored the third in his side’s 3-1 win at Spurs on Tuesday night, revealed that he and his team-mates were confident of picking up at least one win from their two away games this week.

And victory at White Hart Lane, following the opening-day 2-1 home success over Wigan, has raised confidence that they can come away from the Madejski Stadium on Saturday with their first maximum haul from three games since 1993.

“We’re going to Reading now on the back of two fantastic results,” said Stubbs.

“We spoke about targets before the Wigan game. We felt it was important to win the first home game and to get a win either at Spurs or at Reading – so we’ve already equalled what we set ourselves as a target.

“In all honesty we thought getting any kind of result at Spurs would be a good result, but on our overall performance over 90 minutes we deserved to come away with the three points. I don’t think anyone could deny us that.

“We’ve dug in and when the lads have had to show class and cutting edge they have done.

“The one thing that will always be here is the team spirit but the thing we’ve added to that now over the past two seasons is the quality.

“We created a lot of opportunities and to get a result against a team full of

internationals like they have is great credit to the lads.

“I think at 1-1 if you had asked anyone in the stadium who was going to go on and win they would have said Tottenham, but we rode that and got the goals.”

It was Stubbs himself who claimed the third on the stroke of half-time, making it 3-1 and all but killing the Londoners off.

The 35-year-old fired in from an almost identical position from where he scored a free-kick in the 4-2 defeat to Manchester United in April, so he had no doubt that he was going to step up when it was awarded.

But he revealed he had to warn Mikel Arteta off the 30-yarder before he sent it into the corner via Didier Zokora’s foot.

Stubbs said: “It’s hard getting free-kicks off Mikel at the best of times.

“If it’s a free-kick it’s usually him but to be fair he hasn’t hit the target for a while so I thought I’d have a go.

“He wanted it but I said, ‘no, no, let me have it’. Someone tried to put a foot on it but the pace of the shot took it in.

“The most important thing though was scoring at that time because it was the worst thing that could have happened to them – and it sent us in with our heads held high.”

Imminent arrival Manuel Fernandes is unlikely to be in the squad to face Reading as he hasn’t trained this week since leaving Benfica’s squad in the build-up to their Champions League tie – but Everton will look to push his transfer through before the weekend.

David Moyes is leading the ‘Lescott for England’ calls and has added that if Mikel Arteta was English, he would be in Steve McClaren’s squad too.

“Lescott won’t let England down at centre-back or left-back,” he declared.

“We’ll keep pushing him and keep trying to get him in, but my job’s hard enough without trying to pick the England team. But he doesn’t get beaten, he doesn’t get run, his use of the ball could be better but if you go away and hope your boys at the back will keep you in the game Joleon will certainly do that for you.

“He scored our goal, and should have done better for the goal Gardner scored but he is a very good centre-back.”

Moyes also praised the performance of Spanish midfielder Arteta.

“He’s been pushing for the Spanish team, but I think if he was English he’d be getting in the English team.

“He has the British mentality with the Spanish technique.”

Everton scored from two Arteta crosses in their 3-1 win over Spurs and Moyes added: “We played well, but you have to say that the effort and the work rate was incredible.”

He also spoke of the decision to go into the new season without resorting to the kind of spending spree other clubs have undertaken.

“I think there’s something to be said for continuity at a football club, both with managers and players,” he added.

Meanwhile, tickets remain on general sale for the home game with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, August 25 (5.15pm) from the Park End box office or online at www.evertonfc.com.