Back the Yak for a golden future
TERRACE chants about players are often over embellished, but Ayegbeni Yakubu is quickly proving that the song for him hits the mark.
"Feed The Yak and he will score" has been the mantra for Evertonians ever since the Nigerian marked his £11.25m move with a debut goal against Bolton Wanderers last season, and the start he has made to the new campaign could not be more impressive.
Two chances in two games have yielded two goals and there is a real belief now that Yakubu will become the first Everton striker to score more than 20 goals in consecutive seasons since Graeme Sharp achieved the feat 22 years ago.
Looking at Yakubu's performances, however, it is clear to see he has added new qualities to his game since he arrived on Merseyside and that has struck a chord with a certain member of Everton's backroom staff.
Steve Round spent two years working with Yakubu at Middlesbrough but although they have only been reunited at Goodison for a short period, Everton's assistant manager has no hesitation in declaring the 26-year-old a completely different proposition.
"Yak is looking really sharp," Round enthused.
"He looks much better now than he did at Middlesbrough. From a physical perspective and in terms of his talent on the football field, he has certainly improved.
"At Middlesbrough we had four centre-forwards with Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Massimo Maccarone alongside Yak. He was in and out of the team, or on the fringes, because of the others. He wasn't the number one man.
"But he's number one here and deservedly so. His record is phenomenal. He's improved in all areas, as far as I can see. He's not the type of player who is going to chase down full-backs and run back and tackle.
"He will play through the middle, chases those balls and score goals. He streamlines his energy for what he believes is his job. All the top strikers who believe they are the main man really come through and show their quality. Hopefully that's what Yak will do."
He certainly confirmed himself to be a poacher supreme at The Hawthorns last Saturday when he hustled Abdoulaye Meite into a fatal mistake that allowed him to head the decisive second goal to secure three precious points.
The man who grabbed the first against West Brom, however, is quick to point out that there is more to his game than just goals.
Leon Osman says Everton's players have been given a lift by Yakubu's endeavour and hopes he can continue in a similar vein.
"Yak is vital for us," said Osman.
"He's scored two goals in two games but, more than that, you could see his work rate, particularly in the second half against West Brom. He gave us an extra lift when he was chasing lost causes.
"He hunts and fights for the team and when he was working in tandem with Vaughany, they never gave West Brom's defenders a moment's peace.
"We expect Yak to score in every game. He is a predator and long may that continue."
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