Merseyside no longer hotbed of talent

There may be an arctic chill on the banks of the River Mersey this morning but, make no mistake, beneath its waters a cauldron is bubbling.

Few derbies possess the long-standing ferocity that surfaces whenever Everton and Liverpool face off. It divides families while tackles and insults fly thick and fast. Some pray for it to be over before it even begins.

“I wouldn’t say it means more but there’s more on it in terms of the pressure of being a local lad,”