Nov 30: New Official Everton Website Following in the trail-blazing footsteps of ToffeeWeb, the revamped Official Everton Website (if it's working!) uses Active Server Pages to convey vastly improved presentation and content to Everton fans on the Internet, the highlight being a vast selection of video clips in the BlueVision Video Lounge.  How long before we are no longer needed???

Nov 29 - Test your Everton knowledge with this fun Everton Crossword puzzle at Planet Football.  [Click on LAUNCH below the crossword graphic]

Nov 29:  di Canio Fair Play Award Everton's favourite West Ham player, Paulo Di Canio, has been further rewarded for his magnanimous gesture at Goodison last season: Fifa have given him their Fair Play award for 2001.  Rumours from the Vatican suggest that sainthood is not far behind...

Nov 29 - Xavier's contract talks  Abel Xavier's future at Everton hangs in the balance – if the negotiating stances described in the Daily Post are to be believed.  Xavier wants a decent 3- or 4-year deal; Everton are offering a desultory pay-as-you-play package.

Nov 28 - Yin and Yang  We knew it was rubbish when they said Duncan would be back inside two weeks.  Walter Smith has now learned that his talismanic (arrgh!) striker (who has not scored in open play this season) will be out 'til after Christmas.  What next? Unsie up front?

Nov 28:  Viewpoint: Where's my Share?  In a long article edited for ToffeeWeb's Viewpoint, Ian MacDonald reviews the business of owning shares in Everton FC Co Ltd, and makes a rallying cry for the Board to initiate the long-overdue Share Issue for the fans, expressly to benefit the equally long-overdue Youth Academy.

Nov 27 - FA Youth Cup Win! Everton's youngsters out-maneouvered West Ham during extra time this evening, winning 2-1 following a goalless first 90 minutes.  

Nov 27 - The Judderman ponders his future Everton will open talks with Abel Xavier this week about extending the Portuguese international's contract.  Rumours have suggested he is eyeing a return to the Continent but his form was great until he was poleaxed by Paul Gerrard the other week.

Nov 26:  Have we beaten the "lesser teams" hoodoo?  ToffeeWeb's statistics tables reveal little that is spectacular this month following Everton's recent dip in form.  However, without wishing to tempt fate, the evidence so far shows that Everton are finally playing well against those teams battling away in the bottom half of the table - a failing of previous seasons has been the Blues' inability to perform against "lesser teams".

Nov 26 - Transfer Merry-go-round  Strong but unconfirmed rumours suggest that Everton are on the verge of signing Dion Dublin from Aston Villa.  How strange it would be if he were to end up at Goodison after the shenanigans surrounding Howard Kendall's attempts to sign him eight years ago!

Nov 25 - Ball Explodes  Michael Ball's anger at being substituted on 74 mins of the Glasgow derby today erupted into a physical confrontation with Rangers manager Dick Advocaat that is certain to see the young Evertonian in serious trouble.

Nov 25:  Strike a Light!  Everton play to another turgid draw while Campbell and Ferguson are injured, with the excellent Steve Watson struggling to be a striker up front, while a clutch of other strikers on the books are overlooked.  Colm Kavanagh stays remarkably restrained in his latest analysis of Everton's mixed fortunes.

Nov 24:  Leicester City 0 - 0 Everton  Walter Smith persisted with the Radzinski-Watson partnership up front (and left Joe-Max Moore on the bench throughout) but what few chances there were wasted by both sides.  Frank Sinclair had a header volleyed off the line by Gary Naysmith and Trevor Benjamin's "goal" was disallowed for an obvious foul on Steve Simonsen.  Paul Gascoigne's introduction on the hour did little to lift the tedium.

Nov 24 - Out in the cold?  Michael Ball talks to Michael Walker of The Guardian about leaving Everton for Rangers, turning down Middlesbrough, and his chances of getting into the England team.  "There was one part of me that was saying I could never play against Everton."

Nov 24 - Sounds like Gazza may start   SoccerNet, who have previously spent a lot of energy writing Gazza off, now claim that Walter Smith could be planning to use him as a not-so secret goal-scoring or creating weapon at Leicester.

Nov 23 - PFA Deal averts strike  The PFA has finally agreed a deal on their share of the Leagues' TV revenue in lieu of appearance fees. The strike, which would have affected Everton's next match at Goodison, has been called off.

Nov 22:  Kings Dock: Where are we now?  At the Everton From the Terrace Website, Phil Pellow reviews the progress towards a new home for Everton in the Kings Waterfront Development, and provides his personal views on some of the remaining issues that need resolution.

Nov 22 - Strike Fine Threat  Everton have raised the stakes in the impending PFA strike threatening to fine players who refuse to play in front of the cameras.

Nov 21:  Tal's position looks weak  Idan Tal, projected as one of the more promising of Walter Smith's previously unknown signings, is becoming increasingly frustrated by his failure to be included in first-team action.  He has many fans, but his consistent failure to make a real impression during the few games he has played does not auger well for him, especially with Blomqvist snapping at his heels. 

Nov 20:  Millsy's Royal Blue Mersey  One of our younger contributors, Ian Mills, is on half-term from his A-Level school work, and provides his own personal assessment of Everton's recent improvements, with the record now showing just one loss in the last six matches.

Nov 20 - Duncan's Ankle Op  Duncan Ferguson will be out of action for just two weeks after a surprise operation to remove a biece of bone from his ankle?  And the rest... He'll surely be out 'til Christmas. 

Nov 19: October Player of the Month  The month of October saw Everton draw one, win one and lose one - the latter rather unfortunately at home against Newcastle.  Which player do you think was the pick of the bunch in the games against Ipswich, Aston Villa and Newcastle?  Vote for your Everton Player of the Month for October.

Nov 19 - The Reserves crash at Sunderland 2-4, where new signing Jesper Blomqvist had an impressive run out, along with Pembridge, Moore, Tal, Cadamarteri, and Nick Chadwick, returning from injury.  The last two scored the goals, as reported by Matthew Fearon

Nov 19 - Gazza wants to stay  Paul Gascoigne has restated his desire to stay for Everton and, if possible, get back into the England squad. 

Nov 18:  Everton 0 - 0 Chelsea  Everton slip to 12th after another nail-biting mid-table six-pointer turns into a drab and dismal exhibition that fully merited the scoreless result.  In the end, Everton were lucky to escape with a point – thanks to an excellent Simonsen save off a wicked Zola free-kick.  No doubt we should celebrate this as confirmation of our hard-won mid-table mediocrity? 

Nov 17 - Bad day in Blackburn  The Under-19s were beaten by a late goal at Blackburn, as Steve Milne reports.  The Under-17s lost 1-3 to the cloggies as well. 

Nov 16 - New Year Radz Worry  Looking forward to the New Year, Everton are fearful that Tomasz Radzinski could be missing for 3 or 4 vital games in January if he accepts a call-up to the Canadian National squad for defence of the Gold Cup in North America.

Nov 15:  Poll: Is a Share Issue the way to go?  Still £20M in debt and running out of home-grown talent to flog for small fortunes, Everton's financial future doesn't have to rely solely on the uncertain prospect of the Kings Dock.  The board could initiate a Share Issue whereby fans could invest in the club and inject millions into the coffers, albeit at the expense of the value of the current shareholders' stock.  Would you buy shares in Everton if you were given the chance? 

Nov 15 - Who?  Everton are interested in Mexican Pavel Pardo.  So say the Daily Star...

Nov 15:  Viewpoint: Everton Accounts  The release of Everton's accounts, and the remarkably positive spin that has been placed on the large debt of around £20M, prompts Neil Wolstenhome to consider the broader picture and make some key recommendations to the Everton Board ahead of next month's AGM.

Nov 15 - Gazza's reward?  In the Daily Post, Andy Hunter leads with a story that Walter Smith is thinking about extending Gazza's contract, given his new attitude and sobriety since June.

Nov 14 - Radzinski can't save Canucks  The return of Tomasz Radzinski to international action is not enough to save Canada from defeat against diminutive Malta, who won this friendly 2-1.  Radz was booked and pulled off on 57 mins – thankfully uninjured.

Nov 14:  Injury doubts for weekend  Walter Smith heads towards Sunday's PPV match-up against Chelsea knowing that his strike force may be severely depleted with injuries to Campbell and Ferguson, and fears about Tomasz Radzinski playing for Canada on Thursday. 

Nov 14 - Glass Ankles Jeffers  An update on Francis Jeffers and life at Arsenal reveals that an ankle injury which is keeping Jeffers out of the squad may need surgery and a lengthy layoff.  So these injuries are not just an Everton curse, and could impact the £2M slice of his £10M transfer fee that is appearance-related.

Nov 13 - Reserves Beaten  Everton Reserves – without new signing Jesper Blomqvist, injured in training!!! – lost 1-3 to Manchester United after leading at half-time.  Report from Steve Milne

Nov 12 - Myhre moves on  Thomas Myhre's painful demise at Everton become final today as he completed a move to Turkish side Beshiktas for a fee of around £300k.

Nov 12:  Get it Right  This contribution from Evertonian Patrick Hart highlights the shameless ignorance our friends in the media show when they fail to recognize or acknowledge Everton's substantial record and place in the history of English football.

Nov 12 - Time to give Simo a go  By far the biggest return of votes for one of our Quick Poll votes has delivered a damning verdict on Paul Gerrard who fell way short even of the outgoing Thomas Myhre.  The fans obviously think Steve Simonsen now deserves his chance between the sticks.

Nov 11:  Up for the Cup  At the behest of FourFourTwo magazine, Ian MacDonald of the Everton Independent Supporters Association has pieced together this little story of the second time Everton won the FA Cup, in 1933.

Nov 11 - Fantasy Transfer Land  It's Sunday, and time for some classic tabloid-inspired nonsense from TeamTalk.  This story has Duncan Ferguson being sold to finance the arrival of Birmingham's Bryan Hughes.  Yawn...

Nov 10 - Gazza for England  A guest on Frank Skinner's ITV chat show, Gazza tells how he would love to be a member of Sven's 2002 World Cup squad.

Nov 10:  EFC Business: better or worse?  Compared to last year, Everton FC Co Ltd made a smaller financial loss (down to £3.7M from £11.2M) at the cost of massive borrowing (up to an incredible £29.7M from £15.2M), with £1.6M paid in interest.  These figures exclude transactions after 31 May 2001, such as £8.75M in net income from transfer fees. 

Nov 10 - Alexandersson does well Niclas Alexandersson played a solid part in Sweden's 1-1 friendly draw with England at Old Trafford.  Tommy Gravesen picked up an injury for Denmark v Holland and was substituted at half-time.

Nov 10 - U-19s doing better  Steve Milne reports on a good 1-0 win for the U-19s against tough opposition from Coventry, with Michael Symes the scorer.

Nov 9:  Shareholders Meetings  An open meetng of the Everton Shareholders Association takes place on 20 November.  Shareholders may obtain tickets for themselves and invited guests at £5 to cover the buffet.  Also, the delayed Everton AGM is scheduled for 3 December 2001.

Nov 9 - Players approve strike action  Players of the PFA have overwhelmingly approved the call to strike if necessary to further their claim for the agreed 5% of TV income in lieu of the players receiving appearance money for playing in front of the cameras.  Everton's Sky match v Southampton on 2 December may be at risk if an agreement can't be reached.

Nov 9 - Canadian Confusion  Act now!  Order your unique red Everton kits form this Canadian website before they are all gone!  (Maybe Tomasz Radzinski thought he was joining the other lot...)

Nov 8:  Smith signs Blomqvist  Everton have secured the services of Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist on a free transfer from Manchester United, with a contract until the end of the season.  His addition to the squad should undoubtedly add some much-needed flair – if he can remain fit – although Idan Tal and Kevin McLeod might not be too chuffed!

Nov 8 - Internet mis-information  SoccerAge mischievously claims that Thomas Gravesen has admitted he may leave the club if he doesn’t get an improved contract, when their direct quotes indicate no such thing.  Incompetent journalism!  

Nov 7 - Young Finn on trial  One strange name on the teamsheet for last night's reserve games was that of Jukka Sauso, a 19-year-old Finn who is on trial with Everton.

Nov 6 - Reserves overcome Bolton  Paul Gascoigne starred in Everton Reserves' 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers this evening - the Blues securing the result that the seniors should have held on to at the weekend!  Tal and Pilkington were on target. 

Nov 6:  New Academy/Training Site?  If the Daily Post is to be believed, Everton are considering selling off Bellefield and Netherton in order to buy a new site in Liverpool for the development of a modern training facility that will presumably include a permanent home for the long delayed Everton Youth Academy. 

Nov 5 - New Arsenal TV date  Are we allowed to relay the copyrighted information that the home fixture against Arsenal has been moved to Sunday February 10 at 4 pm, for live coverage on Sky tv?  Probably not...

Nov 5:  Who wants to be Number One?  Colm Cavanagh asks the question of Everton's erratic band of goalkeepers, which is soon to be depleted by one when Tommy Myhre reportedly completes his move to Beshiktas later this week...  

Nov 5 - Gravesen up for grabs?  Fireworks indeed if that cheeky old bugger Bobby Robson got anything more than a fire-fly in his ear after trying to buy Thomas Gravesen.  We'd say "No" , but this is how it starts...

Nov 3 - U-19s draw at Bolton  The youngsters have not been doing too well this season, although Wayne Rooney keeps up his impressive scoring form in this 1-1 draw. 

Nov 3 - Sport First, Britain's first newspaper dedicated to sport (oh yea? So what of the Sporting Life?) list three Everton players – Alessandro Pistone, Thomas Gravesen, and Paul Gascoigne – in Saturday's Team of the Day.

Nov 3:  Bolton Wanderers 2 - 2 Everton  No Ferguson or Watson; Gerrard demoted to the bench as Simonsen gets his Premiership debut.  But D'Usro is the ref, and he gifts Bolton a goal after 10 mins from a non-free-kick.  Just before the break, Stubbs levels it with a brilliant shot from a free kick.  GAME ON!  And then, the greatest moment in recent Everton history as some beautiful football ended with Gazza burying a great shot!  But heavy pressure from Bolton – down to 10 men! – finally pays off in the 94th minute when they equalise.  Another 2 points needlessly surrendered...

Nov 2 - FA Youth Cup 3rd Round  Everton's youngsters have been drawn to play West Ham United away in the 3rd Round of the FA Youth Cup.  Games are to be played on or before 8 December 2001. 

Nov 1 - Beshiktas in for Myhre?  More rumours about Tommy Myhre being wanted by Turkish side Beshiktas, but it seems doubtful they would pay the £0.5M Everton claim he is worth.