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EVERTON FC: HOWARD: SHORTAGE HIT US HARD

/noticias.info/ Tim Howard believes the player shortage that struck the Goodison ranks in November and early December was the major factor behind the club's points-gathering slowdown.

In the opening seven matches the Blues were unbeaten and gathered 13 points. But in the last two months 11 points have been garnered from the 33 on offer ahead of the trip to Reading.

Although the Blues remain in a comfortable mid-table position, Howard is frustrated that the fine form of the opening two months has not been translated into a higher position.

The loss through injury of key players such as Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Phil Neville in recent months, added to long-term absences for Tony Hibbert, Gary Naysmith and Alessandro Pistone have forced David Moyes into regularly shuffling his squad, with players employed out of position to plug the gaps.

Howard told evertonTV: "We had an exceptional start, I think everyone would agree. Then, if we keep everyone fit then we can challenge for places and push everyone on, I think it would be the same.

"When you have key players on the team who you look to and then they are in the physio's room then it's a little bit disheartening, no matter what anyone says."

Nevertheless, Howard insists the players that are fit are refusing to use that as cause to feel disheartened or unconfident about the forthcoming games - and the return of key players in the last week has provided a timely boost with the festive fixtures to contend with.

He adds: "We have to push on. We are professionals, we know what the job at hand is and it's never easy - whether you go down to Portsmouth or whether you're at home to Chelsea it doesn't matter, that's the Premier League.

"I always think you can never rest on what anyone has said, or how your performance was last week or ten weeks ago. It's always about next week, that's the way to go about it.

"You can only judge someone on their next performance or their last performance. We are all going through a bit of a dry spell as a team, but we just need to push on. Not just the summer signings but everyone and I think we are doing that.

"I think it's important that we keep our eyes on what we're doing.

"It has been talked about and talked about, we are missing some really key players. We have got a depleted squad and we do have all the excuses but there's no sense in that - you don't get points for missing players. You have to get on with it and we are under no illusions." notas_de_prensa_archivo