We Can End Anfield Wait

Phil Neville says it is time to end Everton's 11 year wait for a victory at Anfield.

Blues captain Phil Neville has been up to his old rallying call tricks again!!

The last time the Blues won a Merseyside derby away from Goodison Park was September 1999.

Kevin Campbell netted the only goal of the match as Everton secured the three points .

Over a decade on and the Club captain wants to secure the bragging rights at Anfield.

Neville said"Its has been a long time since we won a game at Anfield and everybody knows it is one of the most difficult places to go to and actually win a game,"

"It’s been like that for the last 11 years for Everton, so statistics are thrown in front of you, they can be daunting, and you can be scared of them, but for this team we’ve just go to go for it and make sure it is not another year on top of that till we can win a game at Anfield."

The Blues captain accepts that Everton go into the clash as underdogs but admits there has never been a better time to face Liverpool.

"I think their season has mirrored ours in a way. The first half of the season I think both teams can be really disappointed with their own performances, ourselves and Liverpool," Neville explained.

"I think both teams are looking forward to the second half of the season, so I think we are probably catching each other when we are both on the way up now but Saturday’s game will look after itself," the skipper continued.  "It is going to be a fantastic game of football and an unbelievable atmosphere."

That very atmosphere is something Neville has spoken to his team mates  about during their preparation at Finch Farm.

Neville has been passing on his experiences of one of the biggest fixtures in the footballing calendar during training to those who will be making their derby debut.

"The speed of the game will be quicker than they have ever played in, that is something I said to Landon Donovan this morning," revealed Neville.

"I think he is aware of it as it is a game he used to watch on television in America, so he knows the kind of passion that is involved in this game."

In the last 14 Premier League meetings there have been 10 red cards shown.

Neville, who was sent off himself in the derby at Goodison in the 2005/06 season, knows the players must keep their emotions in check if they are to get a result.

"I think it is a game for calm heads; it is a game for players who just want to get down and play and pass the ball and play without fear.

"There is an old saying in the game: you have to play the game and not the occasion," he continued.  "The occasion is going to be great; the occasion will look after its self that is something you have got to enjoy.

"The game is something you have got to concentrate on and just play your game, play the way we have been doing, show the confidence we have been doing and we will be okay ."