Recently by Nick Smith

DAVID MOYES has revealed his determination to seal "six or seven" new additions to his threadbare squad in the final week of the transfer window.

But the Everton manager has admitted for the first time that he might have to settle for players of a lower quality than he had originally targeted, just to make the numbers up.

Moyes has vowed to put all his energies into addressing his crippling player shortage which left him is down to nine fit senior players for Saturday's 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion.

He gave starts to teenagers Jack Rodwell and Jose Baxter as well as playing Phil Neville with an ankle injury and sending on James Vaughan despite him being well short of full fitness.

PHIL JAGIELKA reckons midfield partner Jack Rodwell's baptism of fire will accelerate his growth into an Everton first team regular.

The 17-year-old was thrust into the fray for his first senior start in the 3-2 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, after previously having less than 20 minutes of first team experience under his belt.

Rodwell's inclusion was symptomatic of Everton's chronic player shortage at the start of the season as manager David Moyes only had 10 senior outfield players to choose from.

The situation will only be eased for Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion if James Vaughan recovers from a foot injury and Moyes's efforts to sigh new players finally comes to fruition in the next few days. But circumstances could see Rodwell resuming his midfield partnership with Jagielka - who himself has had to abandon his central defensive duties to make up for the midfield shortage.

ONE cliché has always rung true throughout the many frustrations David Moyes has suffered in the transfer market during his Everton reign - It'll Be Alright On The Night.

Not this time. In fact, Denis Norden had a clipboard chock full of fluffed lines and slapstick cock-ups to run through on Saturday evening - only nobody's laughing.

Because in terms of opening night performances, the calamitous defeat to Blackburn Rovers has been three months in the making.

VICTOR ANICHEBE could make a surprise return to the Everton bench for Saturday's opening Premier League game with Blackburn Rovers.

The striker is set to take part in Nigeria's final group game of the Olympic football tournament against USA in Beijing today - but defeat could see him flown back in time for the weekend.

Anichebe would not be in any shape to take a place in the starting line-up despite David Moyes's current shortage of options up front.

But the possibility of him boosting numbers from the substitutes' bench is being explored as Yakubu is the only Everton forward guaranteed to be involved for the visit of Paul Ince's side.

BOTH sets of fans gave Alan Irvine the occasions he craved by uniting to chant his name at Deepdale last night.

But it was left to David Moyes to show his former number two who was boss.

And not before time during this pre-season friendly campaign too, as Phil Jagielka headed in the eighth-minute goal that halted Everton's run of two successive pre-season friendly defeats.

The surprise omission of Andrew Johnson ahead of kick-off meant they achieved it with, for the most part, a hugely inexperienced front six in which only 17-year-old Jack Rodwell played in the Premier League last season.

But their performance meant their manager, unlike his friend and opposite number Irvine, could be pleased with the result he achieved against his former club - and it was certainly a huge improvement on the last game.

ANDREW JOHNSON'S Everton future was thrown into fresh doubt last night as he missed the friendly win at Preston.

The striker left Deepdale after he was left out of David Moyes's 17-man squad.

Johnson was included in the side for the previous friendly against Cambridge United at the weekend and played a full 90 minutes.

And he is believed to have been fit for selection for the game against North End but wasn't even named among the substitutes.

Speculation that Everton are close to accepting a bid in the region of £10million for him has intensified this week, with Fulham, Wigan and Sunderland ready to pounce.

But the Goodison club have so far only intended to consider cashing in on their former record signing when they have another forward lined up to replace him.

Everton officials made no comment on the situation last night.

ALAN IRVINE is confident that David Moyes will continue to make Everton a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League this season.

And the Preston manager has backed his mentor to make the signings that will ensure he continues to build on his achievements at the Goodison Park helm.

The former management duo go head to head for the first time since Irvine left his role as Moyes's number two, when his Preston side host Everton at Deepdale tonight

THEY have their own personal reasons for wanting to get the better of Everton at Deepdale tonight.

But former Liverpool forward Neil Mellor is expecting his desire to silence the travelling hordes to be reigned in somewhat by his manager.

Alan Irvine might be keen to give former manager David Moyes a first-hand look at his managerial credentials, which in truth need little scrutiny after the way he saved North End from relegation form the Championship after taking over last November. But the Scot's desire to win his team's only home friendly of the summer won't extend to giving Mellor any extra motivation in his team talk.

EVERTON will face a fight to sign Joao Moutinho after his club declared they had no intention of selling him.

Sporting Lisbon have previously quoted that only a fee in the region of £20million would be enough for them to part with the Portuguese international midfielder.

Everton had been hoping to lower the asking price in their attempts to land Moutinho but in an interview on Portuguese radio, Sporting president Soares Franco outlined his determination to hold on to their 21-year-old captain

DAVID MOYES began the afternoon taunting opposite number and lifelong Evertonian Gary Brabin for sporting colours more associated with the other side of Stanley Park.

But it wasn't the last time the Everton manager saw red on Saturday - and it was Brabin who certainly had the last laugh as he sent his team crashing to a second successive friendly defeat.

It has to be pointed out that in both those games - against Sion and Cambridge United - Moyes has been forced to name sides that aren't even halfway towards what should be on his teamsheet when Blackburn Rovers descend on Goodison Park in four weeks' time.