Source: Liverpool_Echo
Royal Blue: Everton FC end of season awards were a real talking point
EVERTON'S official end of season awards on Tuesday night provided a mixture of quirk, intrigue, and bonhomie.[LNB]Quirk, in abundance. The Goodison Park ice sculpture which started the evening looking imposing and glacial, and ended up looking rough. The tartan trousers of Chang's (HELLO! I'M SCOTTISH) UK rep who presented David Moyes with a bottle of 1972 vintage Scotch on stage.[LNB]Then there was the slightly surreal, but actually quite good, rendition of 'If You Know Your History' by Merchant Taylor school's girls choir.[LNB]The intrigue was largely thanks to Bill Kenwright's speech. The chairman opened by admitting he had been busy negotiating for a player but didn't elaborate. He then thanked a host of people for contributing to the club's ongoing development, including retail magnate Philip Green.[LNB]Coupled with some sumptuous rumours about exciting pre-season friendlies (watch this space), there was much to whet the appetite.[LNB]Many eyebrows were raised when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's strike against Manchester United won goal of the season ahead of Steven Pienaar's 'Messi-style' chip at the Emirates.[LNB]But that's where the bonhomie came into it. It was heart-warming to witness how genuinely chuffed Bily was to win (his first ever award, he said), and hear his determination to improve.[LNB]He might have had an inconsistent debut campaign, but expect plenty more from the Russian after he has a deserved break.[LNB]Then there was Marouane Fellaini, looking pleasingly on the mend, as he engaged in a 'Fro-off' with a strikingly and similarly coiffured event girl.[LNB]Lastly, it was also uplifting to see Tim Howard and Tim Cahill so thrilled at being chosen by their chairman for the inaugural Blue Blood award. The two Tims proved how much the club means to them with heart-felt acceptance speeches, which had Kenwright and everyone else grinning. Not least when Phil Jagielka sarcastically added how surprised he was to see teacher's pet Cahill carry off the award.[LNB]Then player of the season Steven Pienaar brought a smile to his manager's face, by declaring he had recovered from his ankle injury and would 'definitely' be playing on Sunday. News to Moyes before he has even picked his team, it seemed (even if he was probably right).
