Opinion & Articles

Everton 2019-20 Season Review: “Evolution” not Revolution for Ancelotti

Gary McCarty

Everton's dismal 3-1 defeat at home Bournemouth on the final day summed up a Premier League campaign that fans will be glad to see the back of.

Leighton Baines: A new generation now has an Everton Legend story to tell

Ell Bretland

It's only through storytelling that I have any real idea of the impact gods like Dean, Ball and Young had in the royal blue shirt but now my generation at last has its own story to tell of an Everton legend

Everton end awful season in typically dour fashion

Lyndon Lloyd

You would think that a team bearing Ancelotti's fingerprints can't possibly keep playing this badly but they have managed it right up to the final game and it doesn't bode well for a 2020-21 campaign unless something significant happens in the transfer window.

Desperate Blues roll over for desperate Cherries

Michael Kenrick

And so, the final curtain is drawn on a dismal blighted Premier League season with Everton playing a pivotal role in Bournemouth's ultimately forlorn fight to avoid relegation.

End of Year School Report

Martin O'Connor

As this depressing season ended with a 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth, it is time to give out grades, so here is my school report on the underperforming bunch. Marks out of 10.

The Showman and the Dynamo

Paul McParlan

The Unique similarities between George Best and Howard Kendall's careers

Who Will Everton Look to Sign This Summer?

Gary McCarty

Signs of life from Everton as they thwart Sheffield United

Lyndon Lloyd

Not only did Everton win their second away game since the post-lockdown restart but they did it with the kind of defensive resilience and resurfacing attacking enterprise that they will need in order to make 2020-21 a much more successful endeavour

A moment of superb genius amidst the usual dross

Michael Kenrick

After another dreadful first half, Richarlison brilliantly headed home Sigurdsson's free-kick to briefly set the game alight.

Farhad Moshiri — The Solution or Part of the Problem?

Paul The Esk

A look at Moshiri's 4½ years at Everton and an analysis of progress and otherwise to date

Limited Blues come from behind to avoid serious embarrassment

Michael Kenrick

Everton's penultimate home fixture of this disrupted 2019-20 season sees them take on Aston Villa in a game that will have significance for both sides but for different reasons.

Alex Young — An Iconic Everton Number 9

Jim Keoghan

In an excerpted chapter from his latest book, Evertonian author Jim Keoghan profiles one of the Toffees' greatest ever forwards; a player of such unparalleled talent that he earned the enduring nickname, "The Golden Vision"

Everton emerge from their slumber in time to snag a point against Villa

Lyndon Lloyd

For all the reasons that have been thrown around and dissected in recent weeks, this was another illustration of the work that lies ahead for Ancelotti and Marcel Brands in the transfer market on the one hand and the manager and his coaching staff at Finch Farm over the other in the coming weeks.

Everton Flux But it Stays the Same

Ell Bretland

The managers come and go, the cash gets splashed, and promises of ambition and progression are made... but Everton stay the same

Empty cabinets, the hamster wheel, and bulging saddle bags

Darren Hind

When Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as our manager, my heart sank. Getting the call from Everton must be like winning the lottery for a manager. Every ex-player working for this club is accused of being on easy street, looked after by Uncle Bill. Being an Evertonian at the club is a crime... yet any success this club has enjoyed in the past has always achieved with an Evertonian at the helm. Somebody who actually cares about and loves the club.

The Weakest Link: Not that bad, not that good

Conor McCourt

Comparing Carlo to what some view as our 'weakest' manager in the Premier League era during his darkest hour is no real barometer to be setting — and may only serve to produce an intentional heavily biased outcome.

Football Shorts — Part IV

Paul The Esk

The next part of an assessment of the likely financial impact of Covid-19 on the Premier League

Another abysmal Everton performance

Michael Kenrick

Everton are at 6th-place Wolves for today's lunchtime kick-off as the Premier League struggles to recover after the Covid-19 lockdown

Checked Out

Lyndon Lloyd

This was almost as bad as anything served up under either Marco Silva or Carlo Ancelotti this season but the alarming drop-off in form over the past three games is further evidence of a mindset that urgently needs to change

1966 (and all that) — Part 2

John McFarlane [Senior]

Goodison Park was chosen as one of the stadiums to host matches in the 1966 World Cup; this second part covers recollections of the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final games.

Blues struggle again but Richarlison rescues a point

Michael Kenrick

Under fire following a dismal showing at Spurs on Monday, Everton went behind to Southampton after a poor first half that was rescued by a great strike from Richarlison.

No fans, no passion or drive

Lyndon Lloyd

If the mantra of “football is nothing without fans“ has become a bit of a cliché in recent weeks it's with good reason

Will we ever get an Everton identity back?

James Pirie

More than any world class manager or spectacular new stadium, I long for players who care.

The Last Rites

Steve Hogan

People often talk about watershed moments in a team's history; well, last night proved once and for all the faceless wonders who masqueraded as Everton players have no short- or long-term future at the club

Serial Let-Downs

Lyndon Lloyd

The Blues bottled another opportunity and without significant investment or miraculous management by Ancelotti, European competition could remain a flight of fancy for a while to come.

Dismal Blues lose terrible game to poor Spurs

Michael Kenrick

Unbeaten in three, Everton travel to Tottenham for a difficult assignment knowing that they will need to keep winning in order to retain an interest in the European qualification picture.

Ancelotti Must Address Everton's Midfield Issues This Summer

Gary McCarty

Ancelotti's game management preserves victory over Foxes

Lyndon Lloyd

In the wily Italian, Everton have a head coach with the ability to actually manage a game and it he did that with aplomb this evening

Early goals give Blues a vital win despite barrage

Michael Kenrick

Everton held on for an important win with a smart goal from Richarlison after a fine setup from Gordon, and a very rare Sigurdsson penalty through VAR.

1966 (and all that) — Part 1

John McFarlane [Senior]

The summer of 1966 was a magical time for Merseyside followers of football: Liverpool were League Champions, Everton were FA Cup winners, and Goodison Park was chosen to host Group 3 matches, plus a quarter-final and a semi-final of the World Cup.

Take the points, move on

Lyndon Lloyd

While this was an utterly forgettable game, dragged down by a truly dreadful first half, Everton accomplished the most important thing — they eked out a victory

Ancelotti engineers an economical win in the heat

Michael Kenrick

Hopefully buoyed by the derby but also rankled by the sense of what might have been against Liverpool, Everton travel to Norwich for a Wednesday evening kick-off.

Singing in the Rain with 10,000 Evertonians

Paul McParlan

The personal story of an FA Cup away day at Notts County in 1984

Merseyside derby musings

Paul Traill

Those who regularly read my match reports would know that, as much as getting across (or trying to) what I feel about the team and how we are playing, I try to paint a picture of the general matchday experience. With that currently unavailable to us, I had no plans to write a report but, having watched the Merseyside derby on TV, there were a few things I wanted to get off my chest.

Derby luck remains elusive but Everton make champions-elect look ordinary

Lyndon Lloyd

Few would have begrudged the Blues if Tom Davies's late effort had crept in to claim the points after a solid defensive display that just lacked consistent quality going forward

Everton fail yet again with crucial opportunities missed

Michael Kenrick

Carlo Ancelotti gave Anthony Gordon a start but Everton fail yet again to beat Liverpool at Goodison Park.

Ticking the Boxes

Lyndon Lloyd

The Premier League will take its tentative steps towards reopening this month. It'll be football, Jim, but not as we know and love it and it makes it difficult to gin up much enthusiasm

Football Shorts — Part III

Paul The Esk

In his latest piece, Paul deals with cash flow, its importance and how some clubs will resort to borrowings. Some are going to find it much more difficult than Spurs

Dennis Stevens: The Players” Player

Rob Sawyer

Two members of the same family left Dudley for Lancashire to pursue careers in the top echelon of English football. One sadly died in the Munich air disaster; the other would play an integral part in bringing silverware to Bolton Wanderers and Everton

The Predator

Lyndon Lloyd

The coronavirus crisis came at the worst time for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, forcing the shutdown of football when he was in a rich vein of form and on the cusp of the England setup but the young striker is no stranger to hard work and difficult circumstances

Comings and Goings

Alasdair Jones

The theme of this article is the transfer dealings of the two managers that succeeded Harry Catterick, and whose objective would be to rebuild the team and ultimately create a Championship-winning side. How did Billy Bingham and then Gordon Lee fare in comparison to the “shrewd operator”?

The Greatest?

Rick Tarleton

Who'd be my greatest player? Without doubt — Alex Young. He's not the best Everton player I've ever seen but, to me, he was everything I want in my cult hero.

Football Shorts — Part II

Paul The Esk

Football has to wake up to the financial reality ahead of it — a lot of fixed costs and reducing income. Even in the Premier League some clubs (including those close to home) are going to struggle

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Aiden McGeady

Michael Kenrick

This time, we examine the checkered Everton career of another player that Roberto Martinez brought in during that very good first season with the club. But this was one who never really came close to repaying the faith expressed in him, nor the remarkable salary Everton paid him for an astound 4½-year contract that yielded just one goal in 23 starts.

Tommy Eglington — The Flying Winger of the Fifties

Rob Sawyer

The Irish international left-winger, gave unstinting service to the Blues' cause during some of the club's darkest days. He is forever associated with his teammate and great friend, Peter Farrell, who crossed the Irish Sea with him in 1946.

Football Shorts — Part I

Paul The Esk

Looking at the threats to football's income in the future and the impact it may have on Premier League clubs

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Luke Garbutt

Lyndon Lloyd

When he signed a five-year contract in 2015, it was greeted with relief. Instead of a blossoming career as Baines's natural successor, however, Luke Garbutt will leave Everton this summer having never fulfilled his early promise

Tommy E Jones: A Gentleman on and off the Pitch

Rob Sawyer

T E Jones would have the burden of succeeding his supremely gifted namesake ‘T G' but he went on to carve out his own place in the Gwladys Street Hall of Fame.

Misfits Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Henry Onyekuru

Lyndon Lloyd

Player recruitment under Steve Walsh showed ambition even if things didn't work out

The First Premier League Merseyside Derby

Dick  Brady

A look back to December 1992 and the players who made up Howard Kendall's team that day

Memories of the New Millennium — May 2013

Patrick McFarlane

For more than several months towards the end of the 2012-13 season, media speculation had surrounded the future of David Moyes at Everton and whether he would sign an extension to his contract or seek pastures new.

Decline and Fall

Alasdair Jones

Everton's fall from grace after winning the Football League Championship in 1970 is something that rankled with me as it unfolded in the early '70s. Writing a few weeks back about the 1970 Championship win (Our Golden Anniversary) reignited my need to try and get a handle on why it all came about.

Little to Gain, Lots to Lose

Paul The Esk

Why re-starting the season is a high risk strategy for the Premier League and should be avoided

Getting Player Recruitment Right: The Task Facing Carlo Ancelotti

Gary McCarty

One of the most important transfer windows of Everton's recent history awaits Carlo Ancelotti. So, let's consider what needs to change from a recruitment standpoint.

Six Degrees of Separation

Pete Jones

The author tries to link Everton to himself via a bit of land in South Merseyside, the first unequivocal victory for British and Dominion force in WW1, one of the greatest songwriters of the past 60 years and what appears to be the archetypal reality TV show in six steps.

Business As Usual?

Paul The Esk

With the prospects of football revenues falling, a look at Everton's cashflows and the obvious conclusions to draw

Ancelotti eager to move through the gears at Everton

Gary McCarty

A look at four of the players who are currently being linked with a summer move to Goodison Park

The Hillsborough Disaster Documentary

Rob Sawyer

Rob Sawyer in conversation with Director Daniel Gordon, who has produced what is held to be the definitive documentary about the 1989 disaster

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Manuel Fernandes

Michael Kenrick

A slightly more in-depth recollection of another strange episode in Everton's recent chequered history with talented foreign stars, that of the wonderful talent who was fondly remembered as 'Manny'

“Easy” — The Mick Heaton Story

Rob Sawyer

On the 25th anniversary of his untimely passing, celebrating the life and achievements of a man who was a vital part of the managerial team which led Everton to an unprecedented period of glory in the 1980s

Ruhleben Football Association

Rob Halligan

I recently purchased a book called The Ruhleben Football Association, a true story about British prisoners of war, taken prisoner during The Great War

Staring Into the Abyss?

Paul The Esk

A look at the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on Premier League football. The message is simple: football will have to dramatically cut its costs

Our Golden Anniversary

Alasdair Jones

1 April 2020 marked the Golden Anniversary of Everton securing the First Division Championship trophy in that most memorable 1969-70 season.

A 70s-80s Everton Childhood, FC Schalke 04, and Jonjoe Kenny

Danny O'Neill

I present some personal memories, a non-Everton footballing link with the Bundesliga club, and Jonjoe Kenny, who is currently on loan there.

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Eric Dier

Michael Kenrick

The mystery here is: why could we not keep Eric Dier? Why didn't he even make it into the Everton first team?

Memories of the New Millennium — April 2005

Patrick McFarlane

By the beginning of April 2005, Evertonians were dreaming about their team qualifying for the Champions League in the 2005-06 season.

Fact-Check: How old are the Under-23s?

Michael Kenrick

Among a number of accusations made against him during the season, one comment that cropped up more than a couple of times claimed that David Unsworth had been padding his Under-23 squad with older players who should have been let go.

What are the odds on Everton signing Edouard?

If there's one thing that's top of the shopping list for Everton planning ahead, it's a striker who can guarantee goals. While a host of potential targets have been rumoured, Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard is apparently the leading target for Carlo Ancelotti.

A Classic Everton Who-Dunn-it

Jamie Yates

Going down the Royal Blue rabbit hole on Findmypast.com and stumbling in the direction of the tale of late-1920s/early-1930s Toffees' inside-right and Scottish international ‘Wembley Wizard' Jimmy Dunn

The English Game

Jamie Yates

The English Game, a beautifully crafted dramatisation of one of the most interesting subtexts in the early days of Association Football, pre-League, when friendly matches took place up and down the country, the game was almost completely amateur and the FA Cup really was 'the big one'

Goodison Memories - A Golden Anniversary

Phil Williams

Today, the 28 March, is the 50th anniversary of my first game at Goodison Park.
Aged just 6 I went along with my Dad to watch us beat Chelsea 5-2.

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Andy van der Meyde

Michael Kenrick

The list of prospective candidates for this Mystery Men series has been somewhat pre-empted in comments on #2: Rodrigol. But no compilation of this ilk could proceed without a salute to one of the greatest wastes of space in Everton history, a man whose name continues to pop up more than 10 years after he finally left the club.

Mounting financial uncertainties

Paul The Esk

For many reasons, the world is changing. Football is not immune to that

Modern Day Hard Men to Rival Big Dunc in his Prime

Gary McCarty

There's little room for proper hard men on modern day team sheets, but there are still a few out there for whom the red mist is tantamount to a comfort blanket

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Rodrigol

Michael Kenrick

Everton's first Brazilian signing was secured by David Moyes on a rather generous £1.25 million temporary loan in July 2002. After adotpting the misleading moniker 'Rodrigol', a compromised knee condition would limit him to just 4 sub appearances for the Blues.

A Day of Celebration and Commemoration at The Winslow

EFC Heritage Society

Earlier this month, the Everton FC Heritage Society teamed up with the current licensee, Dave Bond, to celebrate with the Borthwick, Robinson and Greenhalgh families' connections to the football club and pub

Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Joao Silva

Michael Kenrick

An occasional series celebrating Everton players of the recent past that may have already faded from your memory. The first is Joao Silva, a young Portuguese U20 International that David Moyes snapped up but then never played in the first team.

Limassol — The Lost Legion

Michael Kenrick

Anthony Gordon had already played for the Everton first team, set me thinking about what happened to the full squad of players who appeared with him on that warm sultry night in Cyprus,

Assessing Carlo Ancelotti in this hiatus time

Martin O'Connor

As we sit out an unplanned break to football, it is the perfect time to review Carlo Ancelotti's start at the Blues. Has he really lived up to the 'Carlo Fantastico' song in his early tenure?

Everton Players Vying For A Spot In England Euro 2020 Squad

With Euro 2020 taking centre stage this summer, there are a host of Everton players who will be hoping to be part of Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for the tournament

Unchartered territory

Paul The Esk

Discussing the implications for top-flight football of the Coronavirus pandemic, the suspension of matches and the possibility that the season is cancelled

Unchartered waters and difficult decisions

Lyndon Lloyd

The Premier League has pencilled in a resumption of action for the first week of April but the feeling is that that is optimistic. The question that will be pondered anxiously between now and then is what happens next?

Ancelotti faces big job as Everton get set to face Liverpool

Gary McCarty

Everton now face an uphill battle to qualify for Europe next season, although there are enough games remaining for the team to force themselves into the mix

Looking Forward to the Past

Lyndon Lloyd

As the 50th anniversary of Everton's 1969-70 League championship triumph approaches, Lyndon Lloyd chats with Dr David France about that wonderful side

Different manager, same old humiliation

Lyndon Lloyd

Carlo Ancelotti's Everton were made to look second best in almost every department as they were thrashed by Chelsea's injury-hit but superior side

Everton an embarrassing disgrace for Ancelotti

Michael Kenrick

An absolutely dismal display from Everton, nothing but a total embarrassment for Carlo Ancelotti returning to Stamford Bridge.

Full-Back Abyss

Martin O'Connor

With Carlo Ancelotti wanting to give Leighton Baines another 1-year extension to his contract at the Blues, this brings into focus the lack of quality we have in the full-back position.

Everton' record-breaking heroes of yesteryear

Gary McCarty

A closer look at some more of the most remarkable records set during Everton's illustrious history

The malignant hand of Moss

Lyndon Lloyd

The reviled referee took the easy way out with his controversial decision to take away Everton's stoppage-time winner and failure to give the Blues a penalty for a clear foul on Gylfi Sigurdsson

Crazy moments bookend a drab game of wasted corners

Michael Kenrick

Everton play the second of four successive games against so-called “big six” clubs as Manchester United come to Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Bramley-Moore Dock Planning Application

Paul The Esk

A summary of the key points from the vast array of documents submitted by Everton to Liverpool City Council as part of the planning application for the new stadium.

Not your average Emirates defeat

Lyndon Lloyd

Everton showed their soft underbelly again and gave Ancelotti more headaches where the defence is concerned but the return of Gomes and the creation of some good chances bode well for the future.

Too many squandered chances after brilliant start

Michael Kenrick

Carlo Ancelotti had set Everton a very clear target for their late Sunday afternoon visit to The Emirates Stadium

The Age of Illumination — The Story of Goodison Park under Floodlights

Rob Sawyer

There is something truly magical about a football stadium under lights. It's hard to imagine that, as recently as the 1950s, winter kick-off times had to be set so that matches would conclude before dusk, whilst midweek fixtures were a rarity. However, as far back as the Victorian era, innovators were seeking a solution to the issue of playing after sunset

A look at Uefa' FFP, what they mean for Everton and how we solve our problems

Paul The Esk

Given Everton's prospects of finishing in the European-qualification places have improved somewhat under Ancelotti, it's worth examining how Uefa rules may impact Everton as against just the Premier League regulations

Everything You Wanted To Know About Portugal (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Pete Jones

I'd been thinking about writing something about Portugal and Brazil since the appointment of Marco Silva and the arrival of Portuguese speaking players like Bernard, Gomes and Richarlison

Rub of the green and Brazilian gold lift the Blues to victory over Palace

Lyndon Lloyd

Bernard scored a peach and Richarlison raced away to bag the decisive goal but Everton needed a little help from the woodwork and Jordan Pickford to come up trumps to beat the Eagles

Blues win the points if not the accolades

Michael Kenrick

It was a poor and error-strewn game at times but Everton under Ancelotti are nothing if not effective, and they scored the goals required for a decent win that takes them up to the dizzy heights of 7th in the Premier League.

Memories of the New Millennium — February 2009

John P McFarlane

A nostalgic look back at a pivotal period in the Moyes Era, when Everton appeared to be emerging as a side that could compete with the best of the Premier League

A Smash-and-Grab Raid Against the Odds

Lyndon Lloyd

Everton came from behind to win a game for the first time in over two years thanks to a 90th-minute moment of redemption for one of their most consistent under-performers

Should I Stay or Should I go?

Phil  Roberts

There are 20 Everton players who are out on loan or perhaps coming to the end of their top-level career over the next 2 summers.

10-man Blues steal the points in late drama

Michael Kenrick

Behind by 2 goals before Yerry Mina scored a brace off successive corners in first-half stoppage time, Delph was shown a second yellow card, but 10-man Everton held out until the last minute when Richarlison broke forward and Walcott finished in unrecognizable style to win a hotly contested game.

Ancelotti — Can the Quiet Leader Bring Order to Everton's Chaos?

Lyndon Lloyd

The question, "What is Everton?" has been asked a lot by outsiders recently. It's unlikely many thought that Carlo Ancelotti could form part of that answer but the calmly authoritative managerial great is the latest step in Farhad Moshiri's gradual shifting of the identity of the club

Blocked Pathways for Under-23s

Martin O'Connor

The objective of any football academy is to produce good footballers, some of whom, it is hoped, will become first-team players for the football club.

Who's driving the Bus?

Gerard McKean

Is it a peculiarly Evertonian thing, that we prefer to criticise players rather than the people who sanction the signings and salaries of those players?

Why having a DoF sitting on the Everton board has never been so important as now

Paul The Esk

Why player trading for Everton is difficult this window and why Marcel Brands's voice is key

A Truly Evertonian Act of Self-Sabotage

Lyndon Lloyd

This was one of the more comfortable 90 minutes that the home team have had under the lights in recent season. Then “Everton” happened; that infuriatingly weak and soft-centred entity that seems to find new ways to shoot itself in the foot

Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Kean: Statistical Analysis

Steve Ferns

Comparing the expected goals (xG) and attacking performance of Everton's three main strikers

Flowers Die...

Martin O'Connor

Should Everton dip into the transfer market before the January window shuts? I would emphatically argue No.

A game neither side proved capable of winning

Lyndon Lloyd

This was one of the most frustrating games of a season that was full of them prior to Silva's dismissal and which starkly exposed the midfield, meaning the point gained was probably a decent one

Stalemate at the London Stadium

Michael Kenrick

Everton make their first trip back to the Capital since the opening day of the season to take on West Ham at the London Stadium this weekend.

Record losses for 2018-19 but future pathway clearer with USM naming rights option

Paul The Esk

First analysis of the 2018-19 accounts plus news from the General Meeting including the USM first right of refusal on naming rights

Questions for and background to the 2020 Everton AGM

Paul The Esk

A look forward to what hopefully is a constructive and informative Annual General Meeting of Everton shareholders

All that we ask

Paul Traill

It was a deserved win and the most important thing is that the effort was there. It's not enough to erase the scars of last week's Anfield horror, but a reactive win certainly helps ease the pain. Effort from the players should be a given. It's not much to ask, is it?

Atonement, Step 1

Lyndon Lloyd

It was in the spirit of a reset of sorts that Ancelotti sent his team out against Brighton this afternoon and while the resulting display was far from transcendent, it produced three vital points.

Unconvincing win restores a little bit of pride

Michael Kenrick

Everton turn their focus back to the Premier League and making a concerted push for the top six over the remaining 17 games of the campaign, starting with the visit of the Seagulls.

”We Were Surrounded By Wonderful People”

Becky Tallentire

The latest chapter from Becky Tallentire's 2004 book featuring the stories of the women behind some of Everton's greatest ever players features Maureen Harvey, wife of the "White Pele" and one arm of the famed Holy Trinity, Colin Harvey.

June (or January?) sales

Paul The Esk

A look at the Everton squad, who needs to be moved and the financial consequences of doing so

What are you made of?

Lyndon Lloyd

Evertonians were let down wholesale by their team last Sunday but by the older, more experienced heads in particular. The backlash against them has been righteously indignant but now it's time for them to front up as men in a way they didn't at Anfield and set off on the path to redemption and a possible road to the top six

A Disgrace to the Shirt

Lyndon Lloyd

So early in his reign, this one wasn't on the manager; this was squarely on a group of players who have largely escaped the worst of the criticism and allowed Marco Silva to carry the can but who have nowhere left to hide.

Horrendous finishing makes it far too easy for Liverpool's B team

Michael Kenrick

A month after going down to the defeat that proved to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin of Marco Silva's tenure, Everton are back at Anfield in the FA Cup

The Big Yin... and Yang

Matt Woods

One of Ancelotti's first comments was that the club needs togetherness, the patience and support of the fans. Duncan Ferguson has already shown us the way. Through love. We are so desperate to beat our neighbours in the FA cup but I believe we never help ourselves due to the hate we have for them. Is there a better mental approach?

Winter Reinforcements: A new spine needed?

Sam Hoare

A very quick version of my annual summer transfer speculation about the sort of players that we could use and who some of the options might be.

Everton not good enough to stop superior City

Michael Kenrick

Despite the narrow scoreline, Everton were never really good enough to hold a candle to the reigning Premier League Champions as Carlo Ancelotti failed to engineer a win at the Etihad Stadium.

Everton out of energy and ideas in standard defeat to City

Lyndon Lloyd

Apart from a few moments, Carlo Ancelotti's men gave a really poor account of themselves today in what was their third match in six days

In Memory of The Greatest

Dave Williams

Today, Alan Ball would have been 75 years old. This is very hard to imagine as my memories of him would always be of a bundle of energy, a young man of supreme fitness and stamina, allied to an unquenchable desire to win, and much-underrated skills.

European football? È possibile

Paul Traill

An important win then, one which has lifted Everton up to 7th. Everton are now second in the form table, which will raise a few eyebrows.

Memories of the New Millennium — January 2000.

John P McFarlane

At the end of the last Millennium, Everton Football Club had amassed more top-flight points than any other club, and Bill Kenwright had won his battle for control of the Goodison Park club.

Ancelotti has Everton looking up as 2020 beckons

Lyndon Lloyd

The Blues' supposed month from hell end ends on a high with a 100% record for Carlo Ancelotti from his first two games and 11 points from 15 since Marco Silva was sacked

How will Ancelotti take us forward?

Paul The Esk

Profit and sustainability explained and what it means for transfer budgets

Everton have just enough to get Ancelotti off to a flyer

Lyndon Lloyd

Carlo Ancelotti described this as the perfect first game and while it was short on genuine thrills and entertainment, few Blues would argue given the wider context of the season

The Ancelotti era starts with a win and 3 vital points

Michael Kenrick

Carlo Ancelotti takes charge of his first match as Everton's manager with Burnley the visitors to Goodison Park in this Boxing Day clash

Fireworks? … I sincerely hope so

Darren Hind

Carlo hasn't even got his coat off yet, but I'm already hoping and worrying (in equal measure) at what he can achieve, how he may fail. My head's wrecked with ifs, buts and maybes.

Stalemate

Paul Traill

A mate asking if I wanted to join him in the Dixie Dean Lounge for the match. Naturally, I jumped at the chance… not least because of the prospect of catching a glimpse of a certain Carlo Ancelotti.

Everton Goes to Hollywood

Jay Wood

Any Evertonian who "knows their ‘istory" will get the title of this piece: a nod to the 1980s band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and the publicly expressed desire by the club's de facto owner, Farhad Moshiri, to appoint a ‘Hollywood Manager'.

Stars in his Eyes

Martin O'Connor

With Ancelotti, Moshiri again has stars in his eyes and we are ending up with a past-his-best, upgraded Ronald Koeman.

A dismal dreary welcome for Carlo Ancelotti

Michael Kenrick

Everton played out a dreadful pre-Christmas borefest against Arsenal in what was Duncan Ferguson's last game in temporary charge.

Duncan Ferguson, take a bow

Lyndon Lloyd

This was a forgettable game bereft of quality but Everton's indomitable Scot has managed to wring five precious points from three daunting-looking Premier League fixtures and paved the way for the appointment of one Carlo Ancelotti.

Moshiri throws the dice (again).

Jim Potter

I'm not anti-Moshiri. Just a confused and worried fan that sees no real plan or clear direction in place. I wish Mr Ancelotti all the good fortune in the world.

Any dream will do...

Darren Hind

I dread getting up to the news that Ancelotti has been confirmed as the new Everton boss. Him failing at Goodison is not simply a possibility; I believe it to be a certainty... a forgone conclusion.

Brilliant fight-back ends in another penalty shoot-out failure

Michael Kenrick

Everton fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the last minute through a brilliant strike from Leighton Baines. But a tepid spot-kick that from him in the penalty shoot-out after Pickford had superbly saved the first from Maddison allowed Vardy to score the winning penalty, a cruel ending for Blues everywhere, no more than Duncan Ferguson.

Howard Kendall, Big Dunc & Me

Ell Bretland

Meet Ray Parr, the man who became mates with Everton's greats

Union Jack

Rob Sawyer

The Story of John ‘Jack' Bell: Victorian Sporting Superstar and Union Pioneer

Blues so close to a lucky win at Old Trafford

Michael Kenrick

Everton took the lead through a lucky own-goal that was not called back by VAR, but could not hold on to it after a long rearguard campaign with a few missed chances to win it squandered.

Time for Marcel Brands to take the wheel

Lyndon Lloyd

He was hailed as the exciting next piece in the Blues' jigsaw when he arrived last year. He must, now, as the most qualified person on the board and as the director of football, be allowed to get on with making decisions, formulating strategies and to steer Everton forward… starting with the selection of Everton's next manager

Our Lowest Point?

Paul The Esk

We are a club chained to a habitual way of doing things, habitual at least in the context of Kenwright's grip over the club this past 20 years and most importantly, Moshiri's failure to provide fresh leadership, discipline and processes. The dealings of the last few days are a symptom.

Seriously: What just happened?

Jay Wood

Who would have thought, just 4 days after the Anfield debacle...
Seriously: What just happened?

Blues fight with pride... thanks to one man

Paul Traill

Last time we walked away from Goodison Park, we had supporters arguing with each other after the Goodison Park crowd had just sung “You're getting sacked in the morning” at Marco Silva. This time, it was great to walk out with smiles on our faces.

The Sweet Smell of Simplicity - for starters

Paul Tran

There was one valuable lesson from yesterday's victory over Chelsea: the importance of simplicity.

Everton break through wall of worry under Talismanic Ferguson

Lyndon Lloyd

Everton badly needed a result today; one point would have done in the circumstances but three would have been priceless and cometh the hour, cometh the man to inspire a performance of high intensity, desire and determination that was matched by a raucous and then rapturous Goodison Park.

Back to Basics for Ferguson's Battling Blues

Michael Kenrick

Duncan Ferguson takes charge of Everton for the visit of Chelsea as caretaker manager with Marco Silva finally sacked this week following a dreadful run of results that sees Everton starting this match in the relegation zone.

Moshiri Making Us Rotten to the Core

Dylan Joseph

We have a majority owner making all big decisions, a DOF buying some players, Bill on the side pushing his agenda and a head coach who is trying to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It is a totally dysfunctional and chaotic operation.

Belated mercy for Silva, Moshiri's failed gamble

Lyndon Lloyd

Marco Silva's time as Everton boss is over just halfway through his three-year term. Let down in large measure by poor recruitment and bedevilled by some awful luck, the Portuguese was ultimately exposed as being too stubborn to change or simply out of his depth

The Way We Were

Dave McDowell

A familiar tale...

Ruthless Liverpool shred Everton's defences leaving Silva staring into the abyss

Lyndon Lloyd

Whether this latest drubbing was as bad as feared or simply just depressingly predictable probably depends on who you ask but at the base level, the Blue faithful were failed by Marco Silva, the majority of his players and a defensive strategy so surprising in its naïveté that it's hard to see how the Portuguese can remain in charge any longer.

Hopeless defending drops Everton into bottom 3

Michael Kenrick

Everton started the 234th Merseyside derby starstruck by Liverpool's attacking quality, pace and accuracy that saw them score 4 simple goals in the first half.

El Muñeco — Could Everton go for “the next great Argentine manager”?

Lyndon Lloyd

An international team-mate of Diego Simeone and Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelo Gallardo has spent the last seven years building an impressive resume of trophy wins in South America and has restored River Plate as one of that Continent's giants. On the landscape of potential replacements for Marco Silva, the 43-year-old is easily one of the most intriguing and, interestingly, he has leapt into pole position in the betting to be Everton's next manager.

Fine margins but reality's grip tightens around Silva's Everton

Lyndon Lloyd

Everton have taken some punches to the solar plexus already this season but this one hit particularly hard and it will leave Marco Silva, if he is indeed to survive until the Merseyside derby, with a huge task in trying to lift his charges off the canvas in time for Anfield on Wednesday.

VAR secures predicted Everton defeat

Michael Kenrick

Everton begin their most testing run of the season at the King Power Stadium where they take an injury-ravaged side with Marco Silva in a precarious position despite a show of unity from Marcel Brands.

Moyes from the Blackstuff

James Daniels

There's not a day that goes by when I'm not fed up of some Tory beaut's ego being massaged on 5 Live to turn to TalkShite and hear Alan Brazil say, out of his prolapsed anus of a mouth, "What about Davie Moyes for the Everton job, hey?"

Dead Man Walking

Lyndon Lloyd

Farhad Moshiri and the Board may have resisted any knee-jerk impulse to fire Marco Silva and appoint an unpopular interim coach like two years ago but it still leaves the Portuguese hanging by a thread for at least the next two games. Barring a miraculous run of results, the hierarchy will surely act but they must use any time in the interim to find the right successor.

Jesus the Saviour?

Jay Wood

IF - a very big IF - there is anything in this and it comes to pass, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Jorge Jesus.

The Revolving Door

Lyndon Lloyd

There has been huge reluctance to usher in further instability at Everton by removing Marco Silva and triggering yet another change in manager but if the Director of Football model works as intended, it need not be all that disruptive

What is Moshiri thinking?

Steve Ferns 

It seems so many cannot understand why we might be keeping hold of Marco Silva. Maybe, as someone who still backs Silva, I can give you an insight into what Moshiri might be thinking.

Harry Catterick' Centenary

Rob Sawyer

Last Friday, the Everton FC Heritage Society organised and hosted the ‘Catterick 100' event to celebrate the life and achievements of Harry Catterick who would have turned 100 on 26th November.

Cracked Screen

Martin O'Connor

It seems as though Marco Silva's tenure is like a cracked window or mobile phone screen — eventually you get fed up and have to get a new one

The Protégé — Would Mikel Arteta represent gamble or coup for Everton?

Lyndon Lloyd

He has been lauded by Manchester City's players for his role in their success, Pep Guardiola feels he already has the tools to become a top manager and Arsenal are reportedly considering him again should they sack Unai Emery but would Mikel Arteta represent too big a gamble for Farhad Moshiri as Marco Silva's replacement at Everton?

The Terrifying Spectre of Moyes

Lyndon Lloyd

The shortlist of potential candidates to replace Marco Silva is just that — short. Which is why the leap for the media to David Moyes, currently unemployed because of a string of failed or middling managerial spells, has been so easy to make but it would be a hugely retrograde and deeply unpopular step to bring him back, even for just a few months.

An Open Letter to Farhad Moshiri

Trevor Powell

I am writing to you not to criticise your devotion to Everton Football Club but to offer some constructive thoughts for you to consider.

Canaries in the coal mine portend the death of Silva's Everton tenure

Lyndon Lloyd

This was so bad, so disorganised, passionless and lethargic that even if they had managed to rescue a point, it wouldn't have been enough to dampen the growing sense that Silva's week-to-week case for remaining in the post now needs to come to a definitive end.

Blues humbled in pathetic showing against bottom club Norwich

Michael Kenrick

With the final international break of the calendar year out of the way, Everton return to Premier League action this weekend with the visit of the division's bottom club, Norwich City.

My viewing of Howard's Way

Gerard McKean

It was with an uncommon mixture of whimsy nostalgia and visceral anger that I set off one afternoon last week to catch a showing of “Howard's Way” at FACT in the city centre.

Jimmy Dunn and Sons

Rob Sawyer

Stein, Dean and Dunn — that trio of names is immortalised in Goodison folklore as the Everton scorers in the 1933 FA Cup Final victory over Manchester City. William Ralph Dean needs no introduction but today's Blues supporters may be less familiar with the two scoring Scots: Jimmy Stein and his compatriot, Jimmy Dunn, whose son chats with Rob Sawyer about his dad and two footballing brothers.

Patience?

Alasdair Jones

With the high expectations that attach to expensive incoming players, and the frustration amongst many about the reluctance to use young players, I am prompted recall how the club performed in relation to these matters during my earlier years as a Blues supporter. This led me to consider the way in which previous teams were assembled. How successful or otherwise was Harry Catterick in the 1960s in his quest to rejuvenate and remodel his Championship team of 1963?

Not as bad as you might think?

Steve Ferns

The table never lies, the old maxim goes. However, the table takes a good 10 games or so to take shape and the one that does not lie is the one after 38 games. So, can we have any indication of how such a table might look? Well, yes.

Blue Dragon — A chat with David France

Lyndon Lloyd

With another seemingly interminable international break upon us — albeit, thankfully, the last one of the calendar year — I took the opportunity to catch up with the Good Doctor Everton and ask him about his new collaboration with Rob Sawyer, the biography of striking legend Roy Vernon

Trevor Steven and the 80s heroes who did it Howard's Way

Elliott Bretland

The wing wizard, along with many of his ex-team-mates, has been back on Merseyside to reminisce about the gaffer who masterminded the Blues' glory days.

Everton grateful for rare away win but Silva still has plenty to prove

Lyndon Lloyd

This was an absolutely vital victory but the performance that underpinned it was largely unconvincing and there was little here to advance Marco Silva's claim to be the man to realise the club's ambitions at the top end of the Premier League.

Blues finally win away from home

Michael Kenrick

Everton got off to a fine start down to the south coast, Tom Davies heading an early goal from a corner against fellow strugglers Southampton.

Critical Times

Paul The Esk

In the next two months we will get a much clearer idea of where the club stands on many of the issues surrounding this beloved but potentially beleaguered institution of ours.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Lyndon Lloyd

Marco Silva's admission that he is impressing on Richarlison the need to stay on his feet is long overdue because, while Everton continue to be the victims of galling double standards, the Brazilian needs to do all he can to change the perceptions of him.

Lukaku — The wound we can”t close

Dylan Joseph

What if we had told Lukaku he had to stay and honour his contract?

A Wander Down Howard's Way

Jamie Yates

The film is a wonderful tribute to a man who did wonderful things for Everton Football Club, for us as Evertonians. Beautifully pitched, it captures the men who Howard Kendall assembled, their feelings and reminisces, perfectly.

Injury curse strikes again before Tosun rescues a point

Lyndon Lloyd

It was one of those days where the final result felt rather immaterial; where a long-term injury to another important player, another largely disappointing performance, more infuriatingly poor refereeing and the damningly criminal injustice of VAR all combined to leave you with a sense of futility about 2019-20.

Horrible game ends in horror for Gomes

Michael Kenrick

Everton took on Spurs at Goodison Park in a lower-table clash, both sides confirming their poor form coming into this one. And it only got worse for Everton, gifting a goal to Spurs, then seeing Gomes go off with a broken ankle.

(Everton in the) Community Singing

Pete Jones

If you were watching BBC Look North West on September 26th 2019 you may have caught a report about BBC Music Day which included a snippet about a mass singsong at the National Football Museum. The singers were drawn from football clubs across the North West and the newly formed Everton in the Community Friday lunchtime singing group represented the Blues.

The Mis-Handling of Moise Kean

Lyndon Lloyd

Marco Silva's management of the young Italian has gone from frustrating to highly dubious.

Big Second Half Sees Everton Into Last Eight

Paul Traill

In the first half, Everton were lacklustre and didn't get into their stride;they needed to be better. Thankfully, Everton did dramatically improve after the break and ran out fully deserving winners.

Holgate rescues a turgid Carabao Cup affair

Michael Kenrick

Everton struggled to break down Watford in a dreadful first half of this Carabao Cup game, but finally broke through thanks to Holgate, with Richarlison sealing it in the last minute.

Silva's men buckle at Brighton as VAR finally comes for Everton

Lyndon Lloyd

The “VARce” at the Amex Stadium was only part of the equation because there are deeper-seated issues at play in this Everton side behind why they spent the long journey north mulling yet another defeat

VAR denies Everton rare comeback away win

Michael Kenrick

Everton's visit to Brighton in Week 10 of the Premier League will feature in live commentary on BBC Radio 5.

Eddie Thomas — An Unsung Goodison Hero

Rob Sawyer

Slight — almost frail looking — he appeared ill-equipped for the hurly-burly of professional football. But appearances can so often be deceptive and Eddie Thomas enjoyed a fruitful career over eleven years.

Pressure-Relieving Win for Marco' Blues

Paul Traill

It was a great team performance from Everton, a real stellar effort from the lads in a game we simply had to win.

Changes for the good earn reprieve for Silva

Lyndon Lloyd

Together with Marco Silva'a adjustments in terms of personnel, Everton set a benchmark today for the minimum effort, tempo and drive that his required in every game and they have to meet it now on a consistent basis because they proved how much better they are than recent form has suggested.

Silva's changes breathe fresh life into Everton

Michael Kenrick

Marco Silva made no less than five changes against West Ham and secured the win with goals from Bernard and Sigurdsson.

Bus and Boat Return

Alasdair Jones

As a bit of light relief, given our present travails, and with an eye to nostalgia, I thought I would pen and submit this short article.

When Nationalism and Internationals collide

Michael Kenrick

Perhaps I'm alone in finding something deeply dysfunctional about Uefa's reaction to the Turkish team's so-called 'military' salute in recognition of their troops in Syria.

Time running out for Silva, next appointment must be right

Gary McCarty

Everton's majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is believed to be willing to give Silva time to turn things around, although another poor performance against the Hammers could cause a rethink.

The Change Imperative

Lyndon Lloyd

Marco Silva goes into a match that he himself has declared as "must-win" against a talented but unpredictable West Ham side.

Stale Bread

Martin O'Connor

The Blues are looking like a team that has become like a lump of stale bread. I think Silva can turn this around with the options outlined below... but he has to start now by making these changes and baking some fresh bread.

None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See

Lyndon Lloyd

The incomplete summer recruitment made for less than ideal circumstances this season but none of Everton's personnel issues, even in aggregate, really account for how poor the team has been. That is clearly down to other factors that ultimately rest at the feet of the manager.

14 days in the bottom 3…

David  Cooper

I posted on another thread about the basic statistics of our current situation. But now I am going to update it and it makes even worse reading.

The Rot Starts at the Top

Steve Hogan

The 'soft centre' we have runs right through the club like a bad apple. Kenwright's benevolent nature means we fail to recruit even the best coaching staff. Why do we have to employ ex-blues onto the coaching staff?

All the Hallmarks of a Death Spiral

Lyndon Lloyd

This was same old, same old and it can't continue any longer. Marco Silva's position is rapidly becoming untenable, his status as Everton manager is in danger of being critically undermined by a stubborn refusal to change.

10-man Everton beaten in another insipid away display

Michael Kenrick

Everton, effectivey unchanged, give up a goal from a set-piece, lose Coleman to a red card, and lose away again.

Architect of His Own Success: Samuel Bolton Ashworth

Jamie Yates

The story of a man who made 11 league appearances for Everton during the 1904-05 season.

Blues can't bridge gulf in class but will take positives from defeat to City

Lyndon Lloyd

Evertonians will come out of this game with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the Blues suffered an almost entirely predictable defeat; on the other, there was a noticeable response from Marco Silva's players to the debacle against Sheffield United

Everton fall to the Champions again

Michael Kenrick

Everton hauled themselves back into contention when Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goal sent them into the break level but the Champions powered to victory in the second half

Sheffield return, via useless in-built Sat Nav

Paul Traill

Heading to The Wirral, I was navigated by the Sat Nav towards the A628, only to find it was closed. The Sat Nav is supposed to be aware of traffic and road closure issues but it declined to inform me (first world problems, eh!), instead routing me towards the next entrance to the A628, which was also closed.

Analysis: Dominic Calvert-Lewin and xG

Steve Ferns

His stats are not showing a wasteful striker, but simply one not getting enough chances. His xG is about level with the goals he scores.

KitAid and the Everton family

Richie Gillham and Rob Sawyer

KitAid, founded in 1998, donates used and new (surplus) shirts to teams in various parts of the world

The Everton Hamster Wheel

Rodger Armstrong

Here we are again. Just 6 games into a manager's second season, and the pressure is well and truly on for a squad of mercenaries and "stepping-stoners" lacking unity of purpose and shared ambition.

Sack Marco? Not Now

Paul Traill

>Many want Marco Silva out. That would be a mistake in my opinion and I don't think that is the solution

There may be trouble ahead

Dave Williams

Sheffield Utd were very well organised, two banks of four and with our ponderous build-up and tendency to play across the pitch and back again we made it easy for them.

Crisis looms for Silva as another season derails

Lyndon Lloyd

Following an utterly dreadful performance against Sheffield United, the Portuguese can be under no illusions about the mess he and his team have made of the new campaign

Blades cut to the heart of Blues' incompetence

Michael Kenrick

Total domination of possession by Everton, and 6 corners in each half, produced nothing, only for Mina to score an own-goal from their first corner.

Home and Away

Dylan Joseph

At home, we are seasoned professionals, knowing our job and more often than not executing it. Since 2004, we are expected to win just 5 times on the road out of 19 opportunities. So what's the difference?

Away-day blues show no signs of abating

Lyndon Lloyd

This team is as firmly ensconced in the recent Evertonian tradition of serial underachievement away from home as any in recent years. Everton rarely win away matches and with defending like this, these sorts of ugly reverses are going to keep happening.

Blues have no answer for Bournemouth Bogey

Michael Kenrick

Everton went behind in a difficult first-half but Calvert-Lewin grabbed his first goal since March with a fine header to put them back in the game.

My Goodison Park Pilgrimage

Bill Gienapp

My very first trip to Goodison Park from Los Angeles, and thankfully, the gods were kind. Home against Wolves and even better, the match was moved to Sunday, which meant I wouldn't have to take a train straight from the airport.

Names of the Nineties: Duncan Ferguson

Paul McParlan

Genuine cult heroes are hard to find these days but, needless to say, barring a miracle, we will never see the likes of "Big Dunc" again. He's the player who made watching Everton in the 90s worthwhile.

Everton — The Baseball Years

Richie Gillham & Rob Sawyer

Baseball may be a minority sport in the UK but 80 years ago Merseyside was a hotbed of this popular American pastime. Had it not been for the outbreak of War in 1939 perhaps it would have gained a proper foothold in our sporting life.

Names of the Nineties: Daniel Amokachi

Paul McParlan

A World Cup star for Nigeria in 1994, Daniel Amokachi was Mike Walker's marquee acquisition that summer. The striker's spell at Goodison Park would outstrip that of the manager who signed him and while his record was fairly unremarkable, he is one of the more noteworthy players of the mid-1990s due to the extraordinary circumstances around his brace in an FA Cup semi-final.

Goodison Park – The New Home of Everton (1892)

Rob Sawyer

127 years ago Everton unveiled its new stadium at Mere Green — it would become known as Goodison Park on account of its proximity to Goodison Road. The first football match would take place on 2 September - a friendly against Bolton Wanderers. Athletic News was on hand to report on developments.

Graham Souness…

Adam McCulloch

Graham Souness must have been conceived, raised and whelped into existence in the most spiteful of circumstances. A series of outrageously outrageous events that etched a litany of grievances onto his forehead, each line another stroke of outrage. Permanently angry at everything the sun touches.

Spellow Lane, Stone Roses and Redemption

Rob Sawyer

Nigel Ipinson-Fleming was born in 1970 and raised on Spellow Lane, just round the corner from Goodison Park. In spite of his proximity to the famous old ground, he would eventually follow the rival team from across Stanley Park — but he is also quick to acknowledge the greatness of the Everton team of his teenage years.

Everton's under-performers rediscover their mojo in exciting win over Wolves

Lyndon Lloyd

Together with a trio of new signings making their full debuts, Richarlison, Sigurdsson and Gomes emerged from their early season funk to drive Everton to what feels like a huge victory

Blues victorious in a tremendous Goodison exhibition

Michael Kenrick

Everton kicked off their second home game on Sunday with the visit of Wolves in whirlwind style, 2-1 after 11 mins, and winning well 3-2 in the end.

Patience is required. We must hold our nerve.

Dylan Joseph

Momentous changes are happening at our club with the stadium, the first team transformation and the evolution of our style and our philosophy. We must support the team and allow Marcel and Marco to create a brighter future.

Stars new and old point the way forward as Everton deal with Lincoln

Lyndon Lloyd

Everton discovered their shooting boots and quadrupled their scoring tally for the season as they progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup at Sincil Bank this evening

The Scripts Write Themselves

Lyndon Lloyd

A result and the performance that under-pinned it for the most part, were unsurprising — it was all just depressingly familiar; another potentially strong start to a season undermined by a display that served to highlight rather than mask the deficiencies that still exist in this Everton team

Blues go to sleep for 2 seconds...

Michael Kenrick

A very conservative Everton side played well enough until Aston Villa caught them sleeping on a quick free-kick, for Wesley to score with ease.

Horses for Courses — and a defence of Calvert-Lewin

Kevin Prytherch

What is our best team at the moment? Or rather, based on the back end of last season, what would be our first-choice starting XI at the moment?

The Nursery

Pete Jones

In a region of France known as the Forgotten Front lies an area dubbed “the Nursery Sector”, where new formations arriving on the Western front in WWI were often given their first front line experience. One was the 2/10th (Scottish) Battalion of the King's Liverpool which included Corporal Wilfred Toman, formerly of Everton FC who was killed there on 2nd May 1917

Thoughts on Bramley-Moore Dock and the current financial conditions at Everton

Paul The Esk

A look at Everton's finances, some projections, the club's business plan and funding options as the consultation for Bramley-Moore Dock draws to a close

Tough encounter in tough conditions negotiated

Paul Traill

Though Everton lacked in quality for most of the game, they didn't lack in heart and spirit and did have a steely determination to see the job through on a blustery, but warm, afternoon at Goodison Park.

Not pretty but the points were paramount

Lyndon Lloyd 

This could easily have ended in an irritating draw but this Everton team has now kept 10 sheets in its last 13 and with none of the summer acquisitions yet fully bedded in the team, it's been a pretty good start to the season.

Everton grind out a vital win

Michael Kenrick

Everton got off to a fine start with an early goal from Bernard against Watford at Goodison Park

'Money Can”t Buy Us Love: Everton in the 1960s' — By Gavin Buckland

Rob Sawyer

Two strong-willed, complicated, men form the axis of a new book by Gavin Buckland which explores, in greater detail than ever before, Everton during the trophy-laden 1960s

Our Proposed New Home

Lyndon Lloyd

Like the overwhelming majority of Evertonians it seems, judging by the voting on our current poll, I was pretty pleased with what I saw when the first visuals of Bramley-Moore Dock were revealed. I'd love to see a couple of unique touches added to the inside, though.

Season Aims

Martin O'Connor

As we embark on a new season what should blues expect from the 2019-20 campaign. With the positivity around the designs for Bramley-Moore Dock, will the season on the pitch match this positivity?

Greatest Everton squad of the Premier League era

Elliott Bretland

Boyhood Blues, FA Cup winners, Premier League record-breakers and five Scousers. This is the ultimate Everton squad of the Premier League era.

H8 LFC

Lyndon Lloyd

A chat with Elizabeth France, wife of the good Dr Everton, on renewed hope for the new season — possibly the make or break season under Mr Moshiri's ownership

The Case for More Firepower

Paul Derby

The signing of Moise Kean is a step in the right direction as Everton seek more potency up front, but Marcel Brands must redouble his efforts to recruit goalscoring talent if Everton are to challenge the Top 6 long term

What Should We Expect?

Sam Hoare

Do high expectations drive you to be your very best? Or do they just grind you into the ground when you continually fail to achieve them?

Worst Everton squad of the Premier League era

Elliott Bretland

I took to social media to ask thousands of Blues to pick the players who have stunk the place out at Goodison Park since 1992, the names who just never cut it and the footballers who simply failed to live up to their potential or price tag.

Familiar story for rusty Everton against stubborn Palace

Lyndon Lloyd

“Plus ça change…”, "deja vu”… pick your French cliché. Everton began a new season with yet another draw — their seventh in the last eight seasons — in a game that was eerily similar to the one between these two teams in late April.

Two points dropped after Schneiderlin walks

Michael Kenrick

Everton's 2019-20 Premier League campaign kicks off at Selhurst Park this weekend against Crystal Palace

Marks on a Window...

Martin O'Connor

How do we assess the Blues' business in the transfer market? Below is an assessment of how the Toffees' fared. All marks are out of 10.

Top-6 tilt could be touch-and-go as summer business falls just short

Lyndon Lloyd

The failure to replace Kurt Zouma was frustrating because the recruitment this summer has, otherwise, been hugely encouraging, leaving Marco Silva with a more dangerous outfit going forward but thin at the back. Everton will rely on Keane and Mina forging a meaningful partnership, some luck with injuries and some help from the some of the so-called "big six" this season.

The making of Marco Silva and Luis Boa Morte the managers - a journey through Portugal

Elliott Bretland

The coaching duo will join forces at Goodison Park after Boa Morte's arrival as assistant this summer — and Elliott Bretland finds a lot of love back home

The trip to Bremen that never was

Rob Halligan

So here I am writing a story about my trip to Bremen, sitting in my lounge at home, having done a 12-hour excursion to Amsterdam airport and back.

Should Everton Build Around Calvert-Lewin or Buy a New Striker?

Gary McCarty

Should the Blues build around the England U21 man and hope that he scores more goals, or should they sign another striker to challenge and maybe replace him?

Fan event at Finch Farm

Rob Halligan

A fan event was held at Finch Farm today for all those fans who attended every game, home and away, last season.

Paying For Past Mistakes

Adam McCulloch

In total, we are paying out around £700k a week on players that are mostly nowhere near the matchday squad. Marcel Brands has an almighty job on his hands. He may have to take a similar strategy to last year.

How are Everton Looking for the First Match of the 2019/20 Premier League?

Gary McCarty

A top-half-of-the-table finish is always good, but Everton will always fight hard to go a place or better than the previous season.

Update on the Kickstarter Project for Blue Dragon - The Biography of Roy Vernon

Rob Sawyer

With twelve days to run, we are just over half-way to the £5000 target. David and I would greatly appreciate the support of ToffeeWeb readers to get this over the line so that the biography can be published in the autumn.

Touchside at Bramley-Moore Dock

Mike Owen

Since it emerged that we were looking at building a stadium there, I have generally taken a wait-and-see approach, even been a bit of a sceptic. Having been on a site visit on Wednesday, I have warmed to the idea

Farewell Old Friend

Jamie Yates

Here we were to bid a fond goodbye to our friend, the Reverend Harry Ross.

The Big Interview: Gordon Lee

Brian Wilkinson

In the definitive history of Everton Football Club, 'The School of Science', Gordon Lee is fondly remembered at Goodison Park.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

Paul The Esk

Profit & Loss account situation, it is unlikely in the extreme that we will see significant inward transfer activity involving highly valued players this summer

The Most Improved

Lyndon Lloyd

It's not hyperbole to suggest that at one stage Michael Keane was close to being written off in some quarters as another expensive but ultimately inadequate signing from the Steve Walsh era. He's come a long way since in the space of Marco Silva's first season in charge.

Blue Dragon — The Biography of Roy Vernon

Rob Sawyer and David France

David France and I have teamed up to bring Roy's colourful story to a wider audience and give him the credit he so richly merits. With deCoubertin Books, we have recently launched a Kickstarter initiative in anticipation of publication this autumn.

The Great Pretenders

Kieran Kinsella

Evertonians have been hearing a powerful message about our team's greatness for several years now. Perversely, the boasts of "greatness" usually follow a dismal defeat.

A Sting in the Tale

Darren Arnold

While Everton weren't great for long stretches of the game, and gave themselves a mountain to climb in trailing by two pretty soft goals, they certainly impressed with their spirit and work rate.

Einstein said...

Mike Kehoe

The famed physicist's quote regarding his definition of madness has been posted so many times by frustrated fans, it can perhaps, accurately summarise a regrettable period of the club's recent history.

Why are Everton so bad at picking managers?

Jonathan  Tasker

A look at recent Everton managers, why they were chosen and why nearly all have failed. It also attempts to examine who is involved in choosing the Everton manager and, finally, who would ideally be the next Everton manager.

I Was a Teenage Woolyback

Mick Gill

A non-Scouse Evertonian reminisces about following the Toffees in the 1970s

Here We Go Again

Mike Oates

Just when we seem to be close to that elusive Top 6 place, along comes the transfer window. Whilst we buy some quality, we inevitably seem to lose our key players and we just have to start all over again, rather than building on. It's been like this for years.

From My Spec - in the distant past

Paul  Tran

I miss Ken Buckley's ‘From My Seat' reports. As a rare matchgoer these days, I can only do these retrospective reports. I have plenty more and I hope others chip in, too.

New Window

Martin O'Connor

The next transfer window is going to be a trial for the blues, how will we fair is anyone's guess.

Meritocracy

Paul Columb

I'm hoping that Silva demonstrates sufficient flexibility and intelligence to select his strategy, formation and players on merit and build on the glimmer of hope that was our best performance to date under his stewardship

60 Years a Blue

Don Wright

"When we were all sat around in the back room, my eldest pulls out a season ticket. My very own! For my 60 years, I have waited to get one and what happens? Covid-bloody-19!"

Just so... Everton

Paul Traill

You can't help but feel that frustration of another cup that has got away from us and, for the second year running in the Carabao Cup, we have bowed out on penalties.

A Big Summer Ahead

Graham Holliday

The challenge for Ancelotti and Brands this summer will be threefold: improve the overall quality of the squad, address its balance and engender a shift in mentality

Watford Win — What Does It Mean?

Matthew Parry

Everton have a very solid base very early in the season which we've not had for years, some of our summer recruits appear to be the real deal and this season could be one to remember. But we must take each game step by step and not get carried away

Transfer Jeopardy

Darren Hind

Over the last three seasons, Everton Football Club have made desperate attempts to climb back up the football ladder. We must have spent about £600M on players in the last three seasons. Unfortunately, we still don't have one player that would get a regular game for a top club…

Cometh the hour, Cometh the man, Cometh Carlo Ancelotti

Scott Robinson

Everton now have a manager who has won titles AND trophies and that will command the respect of the players in a way that his predecessors could not

Jordan Pickford: A defence of our keeper

Kris Boner

Do those Everton fans critical of the keeper suffer from some form confirmation bias because they watch him every week and other keepers not as much?

Seriously Concerned

Jim Wilson

Even if Marco Silva gets us out of this mess, he clearly will never steer Everton to greatness. We have needed a big manager with a big personality for years

The Good Son

Martin O'Connor

The fallout from the game against Tottenham and the Son - Gomes incident has been staggering in how the club lost the narrative and allowed Spurs to set the agenda.

VAR Did It All Go Wrong?

Jay Wood

There is a growing tide of discontent with the implementation of VAR amongst them and just how intrusive it is to the natural flow of the game. Let's consider its evolution thus far

Memories of the New Millennium — March 2002.

John P McFarlane

Walter Smith's halting reign came to an ignominious end and David Moyes was plucked from relative obscurity to lead Everton away from the threat of relegation

Everton edge thriller

Paul Traill

She's Electric by Oasis boomed out over the tannoy as Everton were applauded off the field following a job well done against a good team. A great game. A “thriller” you could say, and certainly a great advert for the Premier League.

Chelsea U23s 1 - 0 Everton U23s

Mark Louch

A report from the EBB stadium in Aldershot where Everton's second string took on their counterparts from West London

Do we deserve anything better?

Robert Burnham

So here we are with a week to contemplate one of the worst days in our history. How shall we get across our anger and disillusionment when we next take our seats at Goodison on Saturday? The answer is simple. We won't.

Time to Experiment?

Martin O'Connor

As we prepare for the final nine games of the season, what should be the objective for the Toffees? Beating the Spawn of Satan is a given but, apart from that, what else is there to play for?

Where are we going? The hungry or the wise?

Conor McCourt

Can Everton, with its confused transfer strategy and their elder statesman manager at the helm. compete with the current trends in the Premier League?

The Skeleton Crew

Martin O'Connor

We don't just have dead wood at the club, they have been here for so long the dead wood has rotted away and become nothing but dead bones. As we now enter the January window it is that time again to look at the squad and hope we can at least ship out some of the rubbish.

Summer Targets 2020

Sam Hoare

A look at some potential signings in three key areas — central-midfield, central-defence and right-wing — for when the transfer window eventually opens

My Everton experience and next manager if we get one

Steuart Hayes

How I started to support Everton and my wants for the next manager.

The Light From an Oncoming Train

Roy Johnstone

This weekend promises to be an interesting time for one Blue's son's first visit to the Grand Old Lady. How will the players respond to their embarrassment last Sunday?

Where do we go from here?

Darren Hind

With the exception of Howard Kendall, and possibly big Joe Royle, we have brought in a steady stream of duds. But boy — have we rewarded them! Walker, Smith, Moyes, Martinez, Koeman and Allardyce.

Summer Football

Rob Halligan

According to the long-term weather forecast, we are in for a scorching few weeks from the beginning of July, which should give us a real indication of just how good we can cope with summer football in this country.

A decent response

Dave Williams

Dave witnessed the win over Brighton, thanks to the West Country Blues.

Projected League Results

Steve Ferns

An update to an article on the same theme from earlier this season.

Everton and Liverpool Fans

Rob Halligan

As many of you will have seen, there have been many comments posted on Toffeeweb concerning the Liverpool fans' celebrations of their long-awaited Premier League trophy win the past two nights, following their title victory. Michael Kenrick asked me to do a fan piece on all things Red Shite fans. (I don't know if he was joking or not??)

Long-Term Hope Versus Short-Term Panic

Michael Denson

As fans we have the right to be ambitious for our club but is this starting to run the risk of being counter-productive? Is the very argument that we should not be putting a ceiling on our ambitions actually unwittingly restricting us?

Short-Term or Long-Term?

Russell Smith

This is not the time to "start again" we need to keep faith with the longer-term objectives and planning that both Silva and Brands have introduced

Same old same old

Graeme Beresford

Nothing has changed since October when it had become clear that Everton under Marco Silva were wasting one of the easiest starts on paper to a Premier League season.

It's Not THAT Bad

Jay Wood

Maybe Carol Ancelotti is not a busted flush as some wish to portray him as. And maybe, just maybe, players some posters like to praise or flay are not quite as good — or as bad — as they believe.

There is only one proven leader in our club

Jacques Sandtonian

If Farhad Moshiri wants to protect his sizeable investment from disappearing into the Championship, he needs to take one decision of true leadership and hand the reins to Marcel Brands

Well, we really out-ridiculoused ourselves this time

Paul Traill

I doubt my friends and I are alone in just being fed up of this same old script. Everton always find a way to ruin you. We should be used to it by now, though somehow we're not.

Happy October... Please

Paul Traill

I'm relieved to see the back of September as it's been disastrous. I firmly believe that, come the end of October, we will have won at least two of our three league games against Burnley, West Ham United and Brighton; and will have despatched Watford to make it into the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup.

The Young Ones

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts

Do we remember the days of Walter Smith and Gascoigne, Ginola, Blomqvist? How times have changed!

Why do we deserve this, Evertonians?

Paul Traill

I'd really rather not change managers again. I like Marco Silva. I want him to put it right, however watching today I was dismayed by our predictability and how rudderless we were.

NSNO, Kaizen & Quo Vadis

Kevin O'Regan

In an ever-changing world with high demands we have no room for complacency and mediocrity. Get busy living or get busy dying. What is it to be Everton? A choice to remain miserable and in the shadows of darkness (you know who) or do we make a decision to move in a winning direction?