Stubbs helps Everton back to rude health

THINGS have picked up of late for Everton, gaining four points from our last two league games and making progress in the FA Cup.

We again have a cup tie at Goodison this week, and we hope that run can continue against Leyton Orient.

I was lucky enough to score the equaliser against Tottenham last week in our league game and must admit I was surprised myself when I saw how good it looked on television.

Ally McCoist even thought fit to give it goal of the day on Match of the Day, so I imagine he will be looking for a drink the next time I see him.

We have been unfortunate enough to lose all of our strikers at various times throughout the season, so the emphasis has been on everyone else contributing to the goalscoring cause.

Scoring is this most difficult art of all, and I suppose that is why strikers command the biggest wages and transfer fees, but we have been lucky enough to find success through a number of different players.

One person who has definitely helped in those stakes has been Alan Stubbs. He has already scored a couple this season, including a crucial goal in our last FA Cup game at Stoke, which may prove to be the turning point in our season. He has also been very close to scoring on a number of other occasions.

Alan has settled into the club and made himself popular very quickly.

I suppose that is easier when you come from the area and find yourself at a club you have supported all your life.

His friends and family will have made the transition that much easier for him and we are reaping the benefits on the field.

The fact that the manager is allowing Abel Xavier to leave the club also says a lot about how highly he rates Alan.

Abel is a top class international defender and by allowing him to leave he is showing a great deal of confidence in everybody else.

Alan has earned the right to play and his performances over the past couple of months have been of the highest standard.

His health problems were well documented when he was up in Scotland and hopefully they are in the past for him.

Perhaps his illness has put everything in perspective for him and he is playing without burden and enjoying it for what it is.

As we all know football can kick the feet from under you at any time but what Stubbsy went through will make everything else pale into significance. He has been a major factor in our turnaround at Everton and his consistency has set the standard for everybody else.

THIS week also brought a lot of big news in regard to Scotland.

First of all Berti Vogts was almost installed as Scotland manager after weeks’ of speculation.

His pedigree could not be better after a successful European Championship with Germany and his expertise will be of great value to us especially after the draw was made.

Football has a great habit of bringing old acquaintances together and there could be no more special draw for the new manager than against Germany. It is a very tough draw for Scotland, but historically it is the type of game we thrive on.

Looking at the rest of the draw, we will be revisiting Lithuania and the Faroes as well as going to Iceland. I do not know too much about Iceland other than the premiership players Gudjohnsen and Hreidarsson but I am sure they will be worthy opponents.

Having been to Lithuania and come away with a depressing 0-0 draw we know what awaits us there. It is not the most glamorous location for the Tartan Army but hopefully by the time we visit the streetlights will be in operation!

The Faroe Islands were also the site of a depressing draw for Scotland, probably best remembered by the fans for Matt Elliott’s right hook but by the players for the plane journey, which involved a white knuckle descent and a will-it-or-won’t-it stop drama involving the plane, the runway and an expanse of water.

After the disappointment of not qualifying for this summer’s World Cup, Portugal 2004 has become the be-all and end-all for all Scotland. The planning can now begin.

Taken from the Scotsman