NERVES will be jangling among Evertonians at the minute and they will be close to fraying before kick-off tomorrow afternoon. Having lost their last two matches,the Blues could not have picked a worse time to wobble, especially as hopes of playing in next season's UEFA Cup now hang in the balance. Suddenly, the rivals who looked out of reach are now snapping at their heels. Nobody will need reminding that a Portsmouth win at Goodison Park will see them leapfrog Everton, but I honestly don't believe this fixture should be causing anxiety among supporters and players. The stakes in this fixture are high for both teams and there are sure to be nerves, but it is better to be playing against a team like that than opponents who have nothing to go for. They are the worst games to have at this time of year and often produce shock results. When a team is simply fulfilling its fixtures, they can play without a care in the world and if the opposition side is tense in anyway, mistakes can be made. Hopefully there will be an intensity about tomorrow's contest. Harry Redknapp has done a tremendous job at Portsmouth, but they remain outsiders to be playing in Europe next year - Everton must take advantage of this. Last Saturday's result against Manchester United was bitterly disappointing and there could not be a worse time to lose your star striker than now: David Moyes will be devastated by Andrew Johnson's injury. But he will have Tim Howard available again after the farcical contractual situation that forced him out of a date against his old club; as promising as Iain Turner is, he lacks Howard's presence and composure at present. And composed is exactly what Everton must be in the final two games. A lot of hard work has been put in and, all being well, they will see the job through. Don't be surprised if the occasion brings the best out of the Blues. A wonderful send-off THERE was a terrific crowd in attendance at Alan Ball’s memorial service yesterday. It was a moving tribute to a great man. But I’m sure, Bally would have appreciated the send-off he received at Goodison Park last Saturday. Poignant without being overly sentimental, the tone was just right and it was such a massive tribute. Emotions were high out in the middle of the pitch for myself and Colin Harvey, especially when we had his white boots with us, but in the end it passed off perfectly. We will never forget how highly he regarded Everton. Though he always spoke well of his time at Arsenal, he never left you in any doubt where his footballing affections lay. His real success as a player came during his days wearing Royal Blue and he cherished the League Championship medal he won in 1970. End this final agony MANCHESTER UNITED’S Champions League hopes died on Wednesday night and one man who I felt looked inhibited against AC Milan was Paul Scholes. It’s not difficult to know why. Had he been booked in the San Siro and United had won, he would have missed the final - a fate that befell him in 1999, along with Roy Keane. This stupid rule has got to stop. If a player picks up a booking in a semi-final to trigger a suspension, he should sit out two games at the start of the next campaign. Should they receive a straight red or two yellow cards in the semi, they can have no complaints about missing the final. But missing one of the biggest games of your career - possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity - for picking up one yellow card? It’s nonsense. | 
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