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Season 2004-05


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December 2004


News Headlines & Features

Everton open Thai relief fund
29 Dec - Everton FC have moved quickly to open a relief fund for victims of the devastating tsunami in Thailand and SE Asia.  Through its sponsorship with Chang Beer, the club has deep ties with the country and is appealing for other clubs to join them in raising cash to help the millions affected by the disaster.  A collection will be held before the next home game with Portsmouth but you can deposit a contribution into the designated bank account at any time, details of which are here.  Nice one, Mr Wyness and Co.

A far cry from the Champions League
28 Dec - The Boxing Day hangover was clearly in evidence as Everton crumbled to their second away defeat of the season. After another ineffective first half in which Marcus Bent had the only effort on target, the second half started more brightly with a goalmouth melee in which the ball was hooked off the Charlton line. But the home side made the breakthrough with nine minutes to go when El Karkouri scored off a corner and a minute later, Duncan Ferguson typically got sent off for throwing an elbow. Two minutes later, the home side scored again through Hreidarsson to compound Everton's misery and provide yet more evidence for why David Moyes needs to get his chequebook out when the transfer window opens this weekend.

Win a signed Bob Latchford print
27 Dec - Bob Latchford had been at Everton four years before he lit up Goodison with his "magic 30" that shone like a beacon in the otherwise dark days of the latter 1970s. And you could own a print commemorating that magnificent goals haul, signed by the Latch himself, in our third and final competition for prints from bigbluetube.com. Simply answer a Latch-related question, enter your e-mail address and cross you fingers! Click to enter. Andy Gray winners

Bent secures Boxing Day points
26 Dec - Everton completed the double over Manchester City and returned to winning ways thanks to a second-half header by Marcus Bent, his first goal in eight games. After a bright start, Everton flagged with few ideas in response to a lively City team, but first blood was drawn with a great Gravesen free-kick that Tim Cahill headed in superbly at the near post. But more pressure from the visitors led to a Robbie Fowler equaliser just before half time when the former Red headed home before being booked for an over-zealous celeberation designed to taunt the home fans. The Blues regained the lead through Bent, however, just past the hour mark. Late on, sub Christian Negouai was sent off for City just 3 mins after he came on and Everton held on the retain third spot in the Premiership.

Rob Fox calls for a Ceasefire
23 Dec - With the lastest headlines spawning a great diversity of speculation as to just what David Moyes will/will not spend on players he will/will not be bringing in next month, Rob Fox has prepared a nice Chirstmas message for Evertonians that clebrates the unity created by the excellent derby result, and goes on to analyse more realistically the options facing the manager as he sets the course for Everton in the New Year. In Moyes We Trust!

Win a signed Andy Gray print
22 Dec - The 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich is rightly celebrated as one of the greatest nights in Everton history. Now, you can own one of 500 limited edition prints of Andy Gray celebrating his goal from that game, signed by the man himself. All you have to do is answer a Gray-related question, supply us with your e-mail address and cross your fingers! Click here to enter. Alex Young winners

Beware the ghost of Everton past
21 Dec - While Bill Kenwright has made assurances that funds are in place to strengthen the squad during the January transfer window, David Moyes's rhetoric has been very cautious. It could be a ploy to throw off clubs with which he plans to do business next month, he may be treading carefully around the morale of his current squad of heroes, or he could be managing the supporters' expectations. Whatever it is, Lyndon Lloyd hopes that it masks a positive move towards adding key personnel to the team to support a drive towards Europe and not a repeat of past failures to strengthen.

Blues draw a blank at Blackburn
18 Dec - Everton escaped from Ewood Park with a point after substitute Paul Gallagher's late goal was chalked off for offside and Brett Emerton saw an injury time shot cannon off the outside of the post.  This was a horrifyingly bad game — refereed in the same vein — in which the Blues allowed themselves to be dragged down to their hosts' level.  David Moyes's side didn't muster a shot on goal in the first half and created nothing apart from a Marcus Bent turn and shot that Brad Friedel parried in the second.  Blackburn pushed forward as the clock ran down and almost made Everton pay for a shocking display but the defence held out.  Chelsea's 4-0 win over Norwich and Man United's triumph over Palace makes this a bad result.  Report

Win a signed Golden Vision print
16 Dec - Alex Young is one of Everton's greatest ever players, a true Goodison legend who had to be seen to be believed. Now, you can own one of 500 limited edition prints of the Golden Vision, signed by the man himself. All you have to do is answer a Young-related question, supply us with your e-mail address and cross your fingers for a Christmas gift to remember! Click here to enter

Picking bargains in the January sales
15 Dec - Both Keith Wyness and David Moyes hinted at last week's AGM that there would be movement in the transfer market next month. Whether the manager is handed the £10m that conventional wisdom in the media assumes or less, he will still need that eye for a bargain. ToffeeWeb reader Jamie McDine takes a look at his options. Poll: What sort of player should Moyesie be looking at?

Smells like Team Spirit
14 Dec - It has been a wonderful weekend for Everton and Colm Kavanagh was at Goodison Park to enjoy it. In this Corner piece he reaffirms his belief in the team and its newly-won spirit, reveling in the possibility that we could go on to consolidate a position near the top of the Premiership, thus breaking the stranglehold exerted by the big five moneybag clubs.

Kids go through in extra time
13 Dec - It required a goal in extra time against the well-fancied lads from Charlton Athletic for Everton's youth team to triumph in the Second Round of this season's FA Youth Cup campaign.  Christian Seargeant scored the goal off a Paul Hopkins corner dring the first period of extra time after the regulation 90 minutes ended in stalemate.  This is a great victory for the Under-18 team, many of whom are as young is 15 and 16.

Carsley hands Moyes derby triumph
10 Dec - David Moyes masterminded his first Merseyside derby victory and ended five years without an Everton win as Lee Carsley's second-half strike settled a scrappy affair.  Tim Cahill really should have broken the deadlock in the 21st minute after great work by Bent but he somehow headed wide from 6 yards.  Nigel Martyn made a terrific point-blank save to deny Neil Mellor 10 mins later to keep it goalless at the break.  The second half started poorly but Everton broke the stalemate with 25 minutes left when Carsley swept the ball past the unsighted Kirkland from 20 yards.  Steven Gerrard twice went close to equalising, though, firing inches wide before seeing Martyn tip another shot over the bar as the Reds pressed in vain.  Everton increase their lead over Liverpool to 12 points and go second ahead of Arsenal who play tomorrow.  Report

AGM Summation from Steve Allinson
9 Dec - In an unprecedented break with tradition at Tuesday’s AGM, the Shareholders’ Association Chairman Steve Allinson was denied the opportunity to present the customary summary of the Association’s view of the Meeting at the close.  This may have just been a memory lapse on the part of Bill Kenwright; it’s certainly an unusual snub for the Shareholders’ Association, with a growing membership of over a quarter of the existing shareholders representing around 15% of the Share Capital. We have acquired a copy of Mr Allinson’s summary and it makes interesting reading…

A Team for all seasons
8 Dec - Following Everton's fantastic form this season, Columnist Rob Fox has finally allowed himself to revel in the Blues' lofty Premiership position ahead of the Goodison derby this weekend. He takes a look at what was so successful in the last two games while assessing the teams around us as we prepare for the first match-up of the season with the dark side.

Fortress insist the funds have been raised
7 Dec - Everton's Board unveiled their financial plans this year's Annual General Meeting this evening. CEO Keith Wyness outlined his 3-year Business Plan to increase the club's turnover to £70M. Potential investor, Chris Samuelson, (really a Spurs fan) was also in attendance, offering assurances that the first tranche of his investment will be completed this month and that Fortress Sports Fund does not want control of Everton FC. Disconcertingly, for fans fearing more transfer disappointment in January, though, David Moyes said in his speech that "if it’s not possible [to strengthen the squad in January] then, then it will certainly be in the close season." On the plus side, the club confirmed that they will purchase the David France collection, mostly with funds raised from the fans. PA Report at Sporting Life

Running out of road
7 Dec - With Paul Gregg's surprising announcement that True Blue Holdings has been liquidated and Chris Samuelson's request for 14 more days to finalise his proposed tranche of investment, fans are weighing up the moving goalposts and broken promises of the past few months and are seriously questioning whether Bill Kenwright can deliver the rescue package. For Lyndon Lloyd, this latest apparent stalling tactic, coupled with Gregg's statement, is the last straw. He believes the amount of evidence that the Chairman has been stringing us along is too much to ignore. Tonight's AGM could be pivotal in confirming that "Blue Bill" is running out of road. Phil Houghton responds.

Progress tempered by another typical delay
6 Dec - True Blue Holdings, the company formed by Paul Gregg, Bill Kenwright and Jon Woods to take the club over in 1999, has been dissolved as of last Thursday according to a statement from Gregg today. "True Blue Holdings was placed into liquidation last Thursday... the Club now needs to move forward and to support every Evertonians ambition both on the field and off the field with new initiatives and fresh energy." This was supposed to pave the way for the £12m investment package by Fortress Sports Fund to be ratified either at tomorrow's AGM or immediately afterwards. In an entirely unsurprising development, however, FSF head, Chris Samuelson, has asked for another fortnight to firm up the investment, which adds further weight to the skeptics for whom this constant stalling is all smoke and mirrors before the inevitable disappointment in January.

Blue blood and thunder
4 Dec - Everton's strength and determination prevailed in a typical English blood and thunder encounter at Goodison Park as a Rhadi Jaidi own goal six minutes from time capped two thrilling fightbacks by the Blues.  Kevin Davies stunned the home side when he half-volleyed home Nigel Martyn's poor punch, but Duncan Ferguson, starting in place of Leon Osman, headed an equaliser on the stroke of half time. Davies struck again, though, looping a header over Martyn, only for Thomas Gravesen to piledrive a re-taken free kick into the bottom corner. With the match simmering under boiling point for much of the second period, substitute Osman's wayward shot into the melee was hacked into his own net by Jaidi.  An exhausting game to watch, but a fantastic result.  Reports by Lyndon Lloyd and Paul Traill.

Everton Fans Council
2 Dec - Anne Asquith of Everton Fans Council has issued this Update to members [a two-page 33kB .pdf file] detailing the objective of the next meeting on 4 December 2004, where attendance by any interested Evertonians is widely encouraged.  The second page of the Update is a Proposal to reconstitute the Fans Council as a Supporters Trust.

More from Vancouver Island
2 Dec - Following on from last week's revelations, Liz France called us up to deliver a health report on husband David — and on his prize possession, the Collection. This frenetic interview includes some more background information on the creative ideas David has been discussing with the Club to help set up a Heritage Trust, and to encourage the Sons of St Domingo...

Player of the Month: November
1 Dec - Over a third of the season gone and the Blues are still third in the table showing few signs of faltering despite the confident predictions of the pundits. It is increasingly obvious that David Moyes presides over a team without any discernible "star player" which makes picking one player from the a squad of heroes a difficult task. We offer a few contenders for November but the choice is yours.

 
 

Snippets & Rumours

Player of the Month: December
31 Dec - Last chance to vote for your final PotM of 2004. Who, in your opinion, was the best performer for the Blues in December?

What a difference a year makes
31 Dec - Fan Jim Potter sums up the fellings many Evertonians shared during the tumultuous year just ending.  Here's to a great New Year!

Oster sent back to Sunderland
31 Dec - Ex-Blue John Oster has had his loan spell at Leeds terminated due to a couple of disciplinary issues, and now returns to Sunderland.

Blues lodge Beattie bid
31 Dec - Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has confirmed that his club have made a £6m offer to Southampton for striker James Beattie and said that Everton have matched the bid. If true, it'll be up to the player which club he joins, with rumours abounding that he had a medical on Merseyside today.

Just a little love and attention
31 Dec - David Moyes continues to give his players all the plaudits for their efforts this season as he briefly reviews the roller-coaster year at Everton.

Ball cleared to continue at Ibrox
30 Dec - According to Rangers's official site, the Glasgow club have come to an agreement with Everton over the payments due when Michael Ball passes 60 appearances. No details are given, but it allows the defender to continue his career with the Gers.

Everton's 'lumbering liability'
29 Dec - Harsh words by Jason Burt in The Independent about Duncan Ferguson but most Evertonians will be nodding in agreement as they nurse their angst at yesterday's 2-0 defeat at Charlton in which the volatile Scot was sent off for elbowing Herman Hreidarsson.

Martyn facing a month out
29 Dec - The early prognosis on Nigel Martyn's calf strain sustained at Charlton yesterday is that he will be out of action until the end of January at least. The 39 year-old will have a more detailed scan in the next couple of days.

Moyes: Tactical Nous
28 Dec - Paul Hayward in The Telegraph — one of the better recent articles on the New Everton phenom most beloved of embarrassed pundits who, forced to eat their early-season words, must search the Glwadys Street shoe piles for some logical basis to explain Everton's lofty league position.

Second Half: repeat of the first?
26 Dec - In this Independent feature interview, David Moyes talks once again about some of the factors underlying Everton's success this season, and comes up with another honest statement that goes to the heart of football management: "I'd like to turn round to you and say that was because I knew exactly who was going to work out best, but which one of us can honestly say which players will work out and which ones wont?"

Final nail in ground-share coffin?
24 Dec - Representatives from Everton and Liverpool apparently met again last night to finally bring to an end the talk of a joint stadium for the City's Premiership pair, although that won't be announced until next week.

Southall spurns boring Prem
24 Dec - In today's Independent, Neville Southall takes potshots at just about every aspect of today's soaraway Premiership.  No one, Southall says, should be surprised to see him working in non-League football not least because, he believes, his brand of honesty would not be allowed in the Premiership.

David Moyes: Tactical genius
23 Dec - ToffeeWeb reader, Rick Tarleton, adds his voice to those lauding David Moyes for his and his team's achievements so far this season, and urges him to push on towards Champions League qualification.

Moyes sounds January warning
23 Dec - Given that transfer speculation continues to dominate internet traffic above all else, many Everton fans are going to be disappointed to hear that most of the players David Moyes has targeted may well not be available until the summer.

Contract extension talks for Weir
23 Dec - David Weir is in talks with Everton over an extension to his contract, which is one of 11 that expire at the end of the season for current senior players.

Fortress Sports Funds are coming!
22 Dec - Chris Samuelson has stepped forward to explain that banking regulations and other red tape are holding up completion of the first investment tranche from Fortress Sports Fund, totalling £12.8M. Once EFC are sure the money is actually in the bank, they will issue notice of an EGM to vote on the deal. If successful, the whole process won't be complete until the end of January. More details in the Daily Mail.

No loan for Campbell
22 Dec - Everton have turned down a loan request from Leeds United for Kevin Campbell.

Christmas cheer
22 Dec - The successful nominations for the free tickets to Boxing Day's game with Man City were for Nathan Smith, a cerebral palsey sufferer, and family who was nominated by his cousin, Phil Spencer; and Dave Breeze who was put forward by his wife, Jean. Many thanks to Ian MacDonald who came up with this wonderful idea.

Osman has a knee injury
21 Dec - Leon Osman may not be fit for the Boxing Day clash with Manchester City; he is suffering from a knee injury that caused his substitution in the Blackburn game.

No news is... er, no news
21 Dec - The continuing saga of the Fortress Sports Fund rumbles on, with David Prentice casting some doubt on proceedings as the deadline for the extended exclusivity clause expired last night.  But we must support Bill Kenwright as he strives to bring much-needed investment into the Club to back David Moyes and his great work with the team...

What type of striker?
21 Dec - Our poll on what sort of striker David Moyes should go for next month drew a record number of respondents and opinions spread pretty evenly between a Robbie Keane, Dean Ashton, Benni McCarthy and James Beattie-type player.

Aesop's Fables
20 Dec - AR Ismael Mia waxes lyrical on the season so far, dealing with Kenwright, Fortress, Rooney, Moyes, his squad, and more.

Moyes happy with a point
18 Dec - David Moyes admitted that his lads did not play particularly well, but a point is a point away from home.

Thai Bluesblood Site
17 Dec - The Everton fans in Thailand send their greetings via this nice looking website (give it plenty of time to load...) and the webmaster says: "Hi i think everton big performance i a little bit english but i want smile give you haha sorry" Cool, bro! We get the picture. Welcome to Ian Macdonald's worldwide Everton family!!!

Give the gift of Everton this Xmas
16 Dec - Do you know of a deserving Blue who can't normally afford to go to the match? Ian MacDonald of the Indy Blues has four tickets to the Man City game on Boxing Day to give away. Send us your nomination via our General Feedback form and maybe your friend or family member will get a ticket to Goodison for Christmas. [Nominations closed 20/12]

Blackburn tickets still available
16 Dec - There are still a few tickets available from Everton's 7,500 allocation for Ewood Park on Saturday. Make the short trip east to cheer the Blues to a sixth away win!

Nev takes Hastings post
16 Dec - Goodison goalkeeping legend Neville Southall has been appointed the new manager of Ryman League side, Hastings United. He recently stepped down as coach of the Welsh U-19s citing a 'total lack of respect' from the Wales FA.

A sad reflection
16 Dec - Everton's amazing performance so far this season is gaining plenty of plaudits but the Blues still aren't taken seriously as a force at the business end of the table. Rob Walker feels it's a sad reflection on the modern game.

Our best form yet
16 Dec - Steve Flanagan's unique Season Comparison shows that the last three games represent the biggest turnaround so far on last season: 7 points versus none!  Kudos to the team and that man Moyes!

The Rant
16 Dec - In his own words, Dave Moore has far too much too say on football. We're not going to argue with him. In this lengthy article he wanders from glory hunters to next month's cup tie at Plymouth and a detailed dissection of the team's current strengths.

Contract Extensions
15 Dec - The Daily Post is reporting that Nigel Martyn, Alan Stubbs, Leon Osman, Thomas Gravesen and Gary Naysmith are all being offered contract extensions for at least one more season at Goodison.

Kids to face Yeovil
15 Dec - Everton will face Yeovil Town in the next round of the FA Youth Cup after the West Country side beat Luton 2-0.

The new Mark Hughes
15 Dec - Everton Youth Team Captain, Mark Hughes, has been given a porfessional contract by the Club after impressing at Academy and Reserve levels.

Suddenly everyone wants us!
15 Dec - The Blues' trip to Blackburn on Saturday is to be screened on tape delay in several overseas markets, including Fox Sports World in the US (3pm ET / 12pm PT) and Supersport 5 (9:30pm) in South Africa. Check yer local listings.

Everton can win the title
15 Dec - So says Sean O'Meara at squarefootball.com, who scoffs at the notion that the Blues simply aren't good enough. On the same site, Tony Rubin is more in line with general punditry when he cites Ipswich Town as the precendent that pride comes before a fall.

Midfield dynamos
14 Dec - Thomas Gravesen (3) and Lee Carsley (5) are Everton's two representatives in the top 10 of the Actim Index which ranks the Premiership's players by performance. Not surprisingly, Everton's entire first XI is in the top 100 — but see if you can find a certain Wayne Rooney...

Support for sharing
14 Dec - The general perception in the media is that the vast majority of fans are against the idea of Everton sharing a stadium with Liverpool, but 52% of respondents in our poll support the idea in principle.

Culture shock for Thai trio
14 Dec - The three young Thai footballing stars who came over to England have returned to Thailand for their winter break and are apparently unhappy with the way the Club has treated them.  They expected to be playing in Everton's Youth Academy but instead appear to have spent most of their time at Myerscough College sharpening their languuage skills and "getting used to the weather".

Finding the 'man' in manager
14 Dec - In the Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter joins the growing list of journos extolling the managerial virtues of David Moyes and his comparatively small squad.

Don't hold your breath
14 Dec - A cash windfall of £51.4M for Rangers from a rights issue that was poorly supported by the fans is being touted as a vehicle for funding the £½M payment Everton are due when (if?) Michael Ball plays his 60th game for the Old Firm outfit. However, they have known about this for months but sidelined the ex-Everton star to prevent him playing, and have shown no inclination to pay their dues.

Cup game on TV
14 Dec - Everton's trip to Plymouth in the Third Round of the FA Cup will be televised live on BBC at 5:30pm on 8 January 2005.

The only thing that matters...
13 Dec - ... is the next game.  As the media react to Everton's perserverance in this season's campaign, David Weir cuts through the hoopla to remind us of the only really meaningful adage in football.

FA Youth Cup tonight
13 Dec - Everton's Youth Academy team plays Charlton Athletic tonight in the opening tie of their FA Youth Cup campaign. Kick off is 7pm at Goodison Park.  Prices are £3 for adults and £1 for under-16s

Fans Comment: Media Mafia
12 Dec - Richard Ewart expresses annoyance with the blinkered attitude of many media pundits who have trouble coming to terms with Everton's success, notably the rather obnoxious Alan Green.

Paul Traill: Isn't it Fantastic
12 Dec - Paul Traill was at the game on Saturday and had a fine old time; read his special report.

Staying Second!!!
12 Dec - A perfect result from Highbury today (Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea) compliments yesterday's great derby win, allowing Everton to consolidate second place in the Premiership Table for the first time this season.

Unsie chuffed with chanting
12 Dec - David Unsworth thought he could sit unnoticed in the Gwladys Street and absorb the derby atmosphere... until a chant of "Rhino" went up half-way through the first half.

David Moyes Interview
11 Dec - Click on the Watch and Listen link on this page at the BBC web site for David Moyes being interviewed on MotD. And there is more from Moyesie here.

Stubbs wants to settle his future
11 Dec - Alan Stubbs is quoted in the Telegraph that he feels that Everton having 11 players out of contract by next summer is "not a good situation." He is hoping to secure an extension to his current deal.

Cahill ready for derby baptism
11 Dec - In an interview with The Independent, Tim Cahill, in his typically down-to-earth manner, talks of his smooth transition to the Premiership and his anticipation of playing in his first Merseyside derby.

Blue Blood — a Historical Fanzine
11 Dec - If you walk past the Winslow before the derby game on Saturday, spare just £1 for a copy of the excellent Everton fanzine written with an eye to Everton's much hearlded history: Blue Blood, prepared with loving care by author George Orr.

Bet on the derby
10 Dec - Everton are 6/4 with Blue Square, ToffeeWeb's online betting affiliate, to win tomorrow's derby and you can also get some nice odds on the final score (9/1 on us winning 2-1, 10/1 on a 2-0 Blues victory). If you're a first-time subscriber to Blue Square, you get a free £10 bet!

DM: 'Blues are underdogs'
10 Dec - David Moyes is down-playing the nine-point lead his team enjoys over tomorrow's opponents from across the Park by pegging Everton as the underdogs to Liverpool's expensively-assembled outfit.

Moyes voted 10th best
10 Dec - World Soccer, who voted Everton as Team of the Year back in 1985, list David Moyes in 10th place for their Coach of the Year award.

Fortress cash could arrive sooner
9 Dec - In an interview published on Sporting Life, Bill Kenwright describes hisannus horribilus and explains that the Fortress Sports Fund investment could be transferred into Everton's bank account in as little as "six to seven days." He also says that cash for player purchases in January is already there; the FSF money will act as a "cushion for the future."

More from the AGM
9 Dec - We have supplemented our coverage of Tuesday's AGM with this well-written account of the evening from Guy McEvoy.

Eastern Investment
9 Dec - Nothing much of note in this recap of potential investment from Fortress Sports Fund... except for the claim that Paul Gregg turned down an offer of £7.5M for his stake in the club!  Click here to read our definitive analysis of how the FSF deal could impact the future holdings of current Everton Shareholders.

Watty not Potty
9 Dec - A nice cannabis growing operation has been discovered in the house Steve Watson used to live in during his Newcastle days.  He still owns the house but now rents it out; the horticultural tenants are, er, helping police with their enquiries...

Goodison options being explored
8 Dec - Details are emerging of discussions Bill Kenwright has held with Liverpool Council about making improvements to Goodison Park and possibly increasing the existing footprint. With the ground share option looking less and less likely and moving prohibitively expensive, staying put looks to be a viable possibility.

AGM: The interesting bits
8 Dec - Chris Samuelson getting cornered by a suspicious shareholder over his assertion that he has been a "lifelong Evertonian" was just one of the more interesting aspects of last night's AGM that you won't read in the official reports. We also received this Fly on the Wall report...

Letter from Alex Young
7 Dec - We received a copy of this wonderful letter from Alex Young — his personal testament to the priceless value of the David France Collection and the importance of keeping it together for the children and grand-children of all Evertonians. On this subject, there was good news regarding the Collection at tonight's AGM; Kieth Wyness confimed that Everton will be setting up an independent trust for the collection, with the Club's memorabillia, and future acquisitions.  More details to follow...

Tesco millionnaire on board
7 Dec - Everton have announced that Tesco CEO, Sir Terry Leahy, has been appointed as a "special advisor" to the club. The lifelong Blue has been viewed by fans as a potential financial saviour — unfortunately, this latest pre-AGM ploy won't involve any of Leahy's money.

Fortress Funds imminent?
6 Dec - Everton have made a statement on the "extension of the period of exclusivity" regarding negotiations with Christopher Samuelson's Fortress Sports Fund. They had hoped to have the investment in place by the AGM...

AGM Tomorrow
6 Dec - Anticipation is building toward tomorrow night's Annual General Meeting of Everton FC Co Ltd and its shareholders. The BBC are confident that Bill Kenwright will unveil the £12.8m FSF investment; Everton shareholders, alarmed that the issue was omitted from the meeting agenda and weary from countless broken promises, are less so, as Micheal Kenrick explains.

Bent and/or Big Dunc?
6 Dec - Will David Moyes keep Duncan Ferguson in the attack for Saturday's 200th derby encounter? Read Marcus Bent's views in the Daily Post.

Tim Cahill Speaks...
5 Dec - The Soccernet site carries an interview with Tim Cahill that was aired on ESPN before yesterday's game against Bolton. You can watch it at Standard (100bps) or Cable Modem (300bps) bitrates with Windows Media Player.

FA Cup Draw: Plymouth (A)
5 Dec - Everton face a long and not so easy trip to the south coast for the Third Round of the FA Cup, away to Plymouth Argyle, where Michael Dunford has been appointed CEO!

Down memory lane
5 Dec - The Times revisits 1970 and the squad of heroes that went on to lift the League Championship that year. Unfortunately, the online version doesn't carry the accompanying photos.

Player of the Month: November
5 Dec - Denied last month by the slenderest of margins, Everton's midfield dynamo is the undisputed king of November.

Secure the Collection
5 Dec - Our readers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Everton purchasing the David France Collection but are apparently split on how to finance it.

Resurgence in the air
4 Dec - Another nice piece of good press about the resurgence of Everton, explaining how last season was "just a blip" as Moyes is now recovering the form he established in his first full season.

Ball has played 59...
3 Dec - Michael Ball played in his 59th game for Rangers last night; if he plays for them in one more game, the Glasgow Club is under contract to pay a further £½M to Everton as part of his agreed transfer fee.  Or will they hold him back and then sell him on in January?

Price of Admission: £50M
3 Dec - Liverpool have told Everton that, if they bring £50M to the table by Christmas, then they may be prepared to consider sharing their new ground.

Everton as role models
3 Dec - New Wales assistant coach, Roy Evans, the former Liverpool boss popular among Everton fans because of his lack of success at Anfield, believes that the Welsh should employ the teamwork ethic employed by David Moyes at Goodison Park to compensate for their comparative lack of world-beaters.

One game at a time for Gravesen
2 Dec - The longer Everton reside in the top three, the more realistic a challenge for Europe becomes, but Thomas Gravesen insists that the players are focusing solely on the next opponents. He also dismisses any pressure to continue contract talks to extend his stay at Goodison beyond next summer.

Smith named to Scotland job
2 Dec - Ex-Everton manager Walter Smith has been appointed to manage the Scotland national team in place of Bertie Vogts.

The pitfalls of sharing
2 Dec - Bill Urban, a Liverpool fan based in the US, states his reasons on squarefootball.com for believing the two Mersey clubs sharing a stadium to be a bad idea, not least the potential effect of twice the number of matches being played on the pitch through the typical northwest winter.

Osman rumours denied
1 Dec - Rumours fed to Ian Doyle in the Daily Post   that Leon Osman has rejected a new deal from Everton and is holding out for more money are being played down by his agent in The Echo.  This is how it starts, as Colm warned us last month....

Groundshare Meeting held
1 Dec - The BBC are reporting that the ground-share initiative may still have some legs, given that Liverpool are short of cash for their new stadium, and could get extra grant money if the stadium is shared.

Opinions on Ground Sharing?
1 Dec - In our Mailbag today, Rich Middleton is soliciting your opinions on the thorny issue of ground sharing. We have provided a link so you can reply to him directly.

If you know yer history
1 Dec - Lyndon Lloyd expands on recent responses in the Mail Bag section and to Steven Astley's alternative view on the issue of the David France Collection and the need for the club to secure it for future generations.

Bolton game on TV abroad: update
1 Dec - Everton's tricky home clash with Bolton Wanderers this weekend is to be screened on tape delay in the US and, presumably, live or delayed in other global markets. In addition, the Goodison derby is on everywhere and the away game at Spurs on New Years Day will be screened in the US.

Fantasy Football Fanzine Challenge
1 Dec - Ever wonder how the ToffeeWeb Super League matches up against that of other Premiership websites? Well, the Telegraph Fantasy Football Fanzine Challenge table is now being published weekly and ToffeeWeb is currently 4th in the table.
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