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Season 20-21 Opinion Columns

Column & Opinion Articles

Contributions from our editorial team and featured columnists.

Moshiri' Big Gamble

Lyndon Lloyd
His prior association with Liverpool and diminished reputation mean the appointment of Rafael Benitez is fraught with difficulty and he will have very little margin for error with many Everton fans. It's either a hugely courageous or tone-deaf decision by Farhad Moshiri that could be mad enough to work or go the same way as his last four managerial appointments
30/06/2021

Recruitment, Recruitment, Recruitment — The Answer to Our Problems

Paul The Esk
Five meddling years into his tenure as majority shareholder and financial backer, Farhad Moshiri should take note of words once said by Theodore Roosevelt.
24/06/2021

Moshiri' Everton Less a Museum Than a Hall of Mirrors

Lyndon Lloyd
Things may be under control behind the scenes with Marcel Brands assessing a list of managerial candidates but the impression from the outside is of a club wracked by indecision and internal conflict. Either way, in the vacuum of communication, frustration is mounting, with the Rafael Benitez speculation adding fuel to the fire of discontent
18/06/2021

NES: Seal of Mediocrity or Hero-in-Waiting?

Lyndon Lloyd
With his seemingly imminent appointment as Everton manager, Blues fans are having trouble seeing past Wolves' sorry 2020-21 season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Worrying metrics thrown up in this past campaign are definitely pause for thought but observations from students of the game reveal a more complex, astute and driven man than his reserved demeanour suggests.
12/06/2021

Christophe Galtier — A Gallic Gamble Worth Taking?

Lyndon Lloyd
Untried in the Premier League but with demonstrable success under his belt with Saint-Étienne and Lille, the 54-year-old with the piercing eyes has been described as France's hottest managerial property. In a field devoid of exciting candidates, might he be the outsider option to ignite Everton's revival?
10/06/2021

Real Footballers' Wives — Dolly Sagar

Becky Tallentire
The next installment of Real Footballers' Wives features Dolly Sagar, wife of Everton's longest-serving player, goalkeeper Ted Sagar who spent 24 years with the club.
09/06/2021

Reform in Football – Strategic Thinking Required

Paul The Esk
With Tracey Crouch taking fan submissions, time to think strategically. Independent regulation will enable a better future for football
06/06/2021

Carlo, We Hardly Knew You

Lyndon Lloyd
Carlo Ancelotti appeared for all the world as though he had found home with Everton but, less than 18 months into a 4½-year contract, he is gone. Whether he's not the honourable elder statesman he paints himself out to be in his book, or is simply the embodiment of pragmatism, his departure might not be the worst thing for Everton.
01/06/2021

Summer Targets 2021

Sam Hoare
Sam Hoare provides a comprehensive analysis of the players who might be considered to fill the gaping holes in Everton's squad for next season
30/05/2021

Summer Spending?

Paul The Esk
With talk of £100m being available for summer transfers, a look at our projected cash position and how the close-season business might be achieved
27/05/2021

Progress Stalled Again — 2020-21 Season Review

Lyndon Lloyd
A season hugely affected by the pandemic petered out with Everton winning just three of their last 12 matches and ending the campaign on the flattest of notes with a dispiriting defeat on the final day
25/05/2021

Pat Nevin: The Accidental Footballer — A Memoir

Rob Sawyer
Reviewed by Rob Sawyer
20/05/2021

Reform in Football, Part III — Alternative Structures to Protect Fan Interests

Paul The Esk
Some ideas for the future of fan involvement. The time is right for change but we shouldn't rush into something nor accept the first thing offered by clubs, the Premier League, the FA or the Government.
18/05/2021

Evolution 2021, Part I: The Saleable Asset

Lyndon Lloyd
Moise Kean arrived at Everton as a symbol of a new transfer strategy focused on signing hungry, young talent that could form the bedrock of a new squad. All the signs are now that he has played his last game for the Toffees as they stand to make a tidy profit on a player who, ultimately, wasn't the right fit
18/05/2021

Profit and Sustainability — The Rules & Everton' Position

Paul The Esk
Following on from Carlo Ancelotti's comments regarding spending, Paul takes a more detailed look at Everton's financial position, what it means for compliance and importantly transfers this summer
14/05/2021

The Murray Family — Mint Toffees

Rob Sawyer
Photos from the day the Toffees clinched the 1962-63 League title capture a 10 year-old boy, resplendent in Everton replica kit, sharing the moment with his heroes. The boy was John Murray — mascot to the champions. Rob Sawyer caught up with John and his family to revisit those halcyon days and discuss the family's gilt-edged Bluenose credentials.
08/05/2021

Reform in Football, Part II — Governance

Paul The Esk
Governance can be improved across the game through independent regulation, strong licensing and governance plus most importantly a proper structure for fan engagement, decision making and control
08/05/2021

Reform in Football, Part I — Background

Paul The Esk
Setting the background for possible responses to the Super League debacle
04/05/2021

One rule for some and another for the rest. End the hypocrisy and penalise England' Shameless Six

Lyndon Lloyd
Docked points, hefty fines and governance changes should be on the cards at home but Uefa hold the greatest power
29/04/2021

Doing nothing is not an option, the response to the Super League

Paul The Esk
If football sweeps the Super League and its plotters under the carpet, it will weaken and the six and their plans will return. The choice is stark. Doing nothing is not an option.
29/04/2021

John Murray — Everton's First Boy Mascot

Becky Tallentire
In one of the monochrome mementos that I post to Twitter once in a while, Roy Vernon stands in the tunnel at West Ham alongside a young lad with a beaming smile. Some of these youngsters look overwhelmed and some are painfully shy but this one looked like it was the job he was born to do. This is the story of Everton's first ‘boy mascot', John Murray.
28/04/2021

Was there football pre-1992 — Part 5

John McFarlane [Senior]
Continuing with the theme that football was indeed alive and kicking before the TV companies hijacked it, Jon MacFarlane capture some of the highlights since he first visited Goodison Park in 1948 as a 10-year-old schoolboy.
28/04/2021

Back to the 1990s

Robert Tressell
Robert reviews Everton's faltering progress since the day they survived a huge relegation scare in 1994.
24/04/2021

Sometimes it Doesn't Matter How You Win

Lyndon Lloyd
In the Premier League era, this fixture has ranked up there among the most miserable on Everton's calendar. So forgive Evertonians for revelling in a first win at Arsenal since 1996, one that provides another platform from which to resume the push for Europe
23/04/2021

Live by the sword, die by the sword but change brings opportunity for a much better future

Paul The Esk
The collapse of the incredibly ill-conceived Super League will be viewed as a great victory for all stakeholders in football but unless there are significant changes to football in terms of ownership, governance, income distribution and fan engagement/participation the “victory” will be hollow and meaningless
21/04/2021

A Battle Was Won but the War Against Greed isn”t Over

Lyndon Lloyd
On a night of high drama that saw the proposed Super League topple, euphoric victory for supporter power and the pressure of the "left-behinds" was claimed but without a co-ordinated, unflinching and punitive response from the Premier League and Uefa against the rebel clubs and their naked money-grab, it won't count for much
21/04/2021

The Super League and its impact on Everton

Paul The Esk
For Everton, the timing of The Super League is about as bad as it gets. For football in general, it is a deeply worrying time, but we have to believe that acceptable solutions and/or a complete rethink are the way forward. It's a watershed moment
19/04/2021

Disgusting but inevitable, the Super League money grab shows too much is never enough

Lyndon Lloyd
Will Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League and governing bodies of the Continent's other big leagues stand behind their threats? Will they even be able to in the face of legal protections boasted by the Dirty Dozen? Modern football faces its biggest crisis
19/04/2021

Tom Fern — Everton's Evergreen Goalkeeper

Rob Sawyer
The least celebrated of the nine Football League titles won by Everton was that in 1914/15 which was a disservice to the likes of Tom Fern who amassed over 200 outings for the Toffees despite the five-year interruption caused by the war
01/04/2021

Everton have improved under Ancelotti but there's still a long way to go

Gary McCarty
Is major success finally on the horizon for the club?
22/03/2021

How Will Brexit Impact the Transfer Market Moving Forward?

Darryl Rigby
The pandemic has a significant effect on the transfer market and where English clubs are concerned, Brexit threatens to have its own impact on clubs dealings
22/03/2021

How Everton can upset Man City in FA Cup

Gary McCarty
Everton have the unenvious task of facing Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend but here are a few things that may work in our favour this time
18/03/2021

Five Years of Farhad

Paul The Esk
As Everton have found out under Farhad Moshiri, just being better resourced financially does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Are fans right to be frustrated that we've not made the progress we ought to have after five years under his stewardship?
26/02/2021

Things Are Happening. Enjoy This Storied Everton Era

Ell Bretland
The Toffees are on a good track. This could just be the start and you'll have a story to tell
23/02/2021

Mentality Shift: Derby Milestone Can Define Everton's Season in the Right Way

Lyndon Lloyd
As momentous as it was, the triumph over Liverpool can't be the be-all and end-all of the Blues' season. Rather it should be used as the catalyst for a decisive change in the players' belief against lesser sides, particularly at home
23/02/2021

Resurgence of Richarlison and Rodriguez Gives Everton Hope of Stellar End to the Season

Matt Jones
Providing attacking variety, steel and silk to the team, the South American pair helped put an end to one of the most painful chapters of results in Everton's history on Saturday. And they look ready to go and make a few more vivid memories.
22/02/2021

''Unique And Special'': Kevin Campbell On Netting Everton's Last Winner At Liverpool

Ell Bretland
Kevin Campbell scored the only goal in September 1999 and Everton haven't won at Anfield since. In an article originally published by The Sportsman, the prolific striker describes what has become a famous goal on Merseyside and how eager he is to hand off the record of being the last Everton player to score the winner across Stanley Park.
19/02/2021

Everton's Double Dichotomy

Jay Wood
Jay Wood analyses the seeming contradictions of Everton's record against the Sky 6 and the rest of the Premier League, and their perplexing home form contrasted with their impressive results away from home in this topsy turvy season.
16/02/2021

Ancelotti Teaching Everton a New Language

Dave Downie
Everton's comeback at Old Trafford was illustrative of a change in mindset that is underway under Carlo Ancelotti
09/02/2021

'Music Was My Heartbeat'

Becky Tallentire
The latest installment of Real Footballers' Wives features Ann West, wife of one of Everton's most popular ever players, goalkeeping star Gordon West.
08/02/2021

A Momentous Few Weeks (On and Off the Pitch)

Paul The Esk
The short, medium and long term future of Everton Football Club will be much clearer on and off the pitch in the coming weeks.
07/02/2021

Thoughts on the 2021 Annual General Meeting

Paul The Esk
Paul argues that last night's AGM wasn't an objective analysis of how the club is performing and the presentations didn't offer much in terms of future strategy
15/01/2021

Harold Hardman — An Everton and Manchester United Hero

Rob Sawyer
An enterprising winger in the early years of the 20th Century and a key part of Everton's first FA Cup-winning team, Harold Hardman helped steer Man Utd to greatness nearly 50 years later
14/01/2021

Staying the Course: Three Signings Everton Should Make

Gary McCarty
Things are still looking good at Goodison Park but, fighting for a Champions League spot, everyone at Everton is surely aware of the opportunity that faces them.
13/01/2021

Have Faith Like Carlo Fantastico

Gabriel Ricci
Carlo Ancelotti is a man of faith and Everton were once again able to snag three surprising away points against Nuno Santo's technically gifted Wolverhampton side, through belief and team-spirit.
13/01/2021

The significance of Everton's Annual General Meeting and why it can”t be an opportunity lost….

Paul The Esk
The significance of Everton's Annual General Meeting and why it can't be an opportunity lost.
11/01/2021

Brands' value to date and the scale of the challenges facing him

Paul The Esk
A look at the challenge Marcel Brands faced when he arrived at Everton, what he's done to resolve it and the big issues ahead in the summer
05/01/2021

Cash flow, Moshiri' capital injections & the potential placement of new shares

Paul The Esk
What factors influence cash flow, how do clubs deal with negative cash flow and what is the situation at Everton under Farhad Moshiri, particularly in view of the mooted issue of new shares?
28/12/2020

George Sharples Remembered

Rob Sawyer
George Sharples, who passed away on 14 December 2020, aged 77, had been one of nine surviving players to have played a part in Everton's title-winning season of 1962-63
28/12/2020

“Nothing Really Daunted Us”

Becky Tallentire
This chapter from Becky Tallentire's 2004 book featuring the stories of the women behind some of Everton's greatest ever players features Carole Dobson, wife of 1970s favourite Martin
15/12/2020

Record losses, partly attributed to Covid, Moshiri' funding plans & stadium finance update

Paul The Esk
An assessment of Everton's accounts for 2019-20
12/11/2020

Goodison Park, a Greyhound Stadium and Walton Hall Park

Rob Sawyer
This December marks a centenary of one of the most significant football matches played at Goodison Park — but it did not involve Everton FC.
11/12/2020

Allan Could Prove to Be A Player Ancelotti Builds His Team Around

Gary McCarty
A lot of plaudits so far this season have gone to James Rodriguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. but arguably Everton's most important player has been Allan
11/12/2020

Passion Play — Can Carlo Provide the Spark to Ignite Languid Blues?

Lyndon Lloyd
Coming close to a year to day since Chelsea's last visit to Goodison Park, this weekend's clash with Frank Lampard's team offers an interesting contrast between the personalities in charge of Everton and, perhaps, the performance from the team
09/12/2020

A Fair Assessment of Marcel Brands

Dylan Joseph
A look at the performance and role of Everton's Director of Football as he enters the last 6 months of his 3-year contract
09/12/2020

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, the governance and cultural changes required for it to become a reality at Everton

Paul The Esk
"Corporate culture eats strategy for breakfast". A look at the governance and cultural changes required at Everton for NSNO to ever become a reality once more:
08/12/2020

The Three Best Results of 2020

Gary McCarty
Here is a look back at what have been Everton's best three results over the last 12 months.
07/12/2020

How will Everton fare in December?

Gary McCarty
Everton are aiming to finish in the top four of the Premier League table this season, and the fixtures in December are going to be key.
01/12/2020

The improved Everton star who is ready to perform at the highest level

Gary McCarty
There is always a player that surprises fans and pundits in the Premier League as the season progresses. In this campaign, it's been Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
23/11/2020

“Tosh” — The Tommy Johnson Story

Rob Sawyer
Tommy Johnson's most memorable goalscoring feat may have come as a Manchester City player at Goodison Park but he would go on to help Everton back into the top flight in 1931 and lift both the title and FA Cup in successive years
16/11/2020

Richarlison: Growing into One of the League' Best Wingers

Gary McCarty
Few can argue that Richarlison doesn't have the right environment around him to become world class. Throughout his managerial career, Ancelotti has coached and developed some of football's biggest stars, and there's no reason that he can't do the same with the Brazilian
04/11/2020

Review: A Grand Old Team To Report

Lyndon Lloyd
As a slice of Everton history, David Prentice's new book is a fascinating and frequently humourous skip down memory lane; an insider's insight into the way football used to be recounted with the enthusiasm and love of a devoted Blue.
29/10/2020

A simple but fair redistribution of football revenues

Paul The Esk
A look at a possible solution to the massive imbalances that exist in the professional football game in England and a simple solution
29/10/2020

Saints defeat and selection problems throw up early-season issues for Ancelotti

Lyndon Lloyd
Injuries, suspensions and, perhaps, an emerging dilemma over how best to accommodate James Rodriguez are some of the things that will be on the manager's mind as he prepares for Newcastle
27/10/2020

Can Dominic Calvert-Lewin Become Everton' Harry Kane?

Gary McCarty
The striker is fortunate to be working with both Ancelotti and Ferguson who, between them, will positively refine elements of his game. Should the 23-year-old surpass the 20-goal mark this season, then he'll have undoubtedly put himself in the frame for a Euro 2020 call-up, as well as being in with a shout of winning the sought-after Golden Boot.
23/10/2020

Red Myopia and An Embarrassing National Outcry

Lyndon Lloyd
The levels of pearl-clutching and near hysteria that has dominated the aftermath of Saturday's controversial Merseyside derby really have been something to behold
21/10/2020

Keane' Emergence from his Comfort Zone One of Ancelotti' Early Everton Triumphs

Matt Jones
It didn't always look as though Michael Keane would become one of the first names on the Everton team sheet but the England international is emerging as a consistent and dependable presence in Carlo Ancelotti's defence.
21/10/2020

Big Picture proposals put the emphasis on Everton' international development

Paul The Esk
Despite the initiative being rightly canned, the issue of international broadcast rights will be back. It is almost certain that the largest clubs will want to see an element of selling exclusive rights off their own platforms in this next round and those with the greatest numbers of overseas supporters are going to be the initial winners.

15/10/2020

Short-sighted and hubristic, the Cabal's grand plan would kill the goose that lays the golden egg

Lyndon Lloyd
The "Project Big Picture" proposals cooked up by two of the big six and their Trojan Horse in the EFL, Rick Parry, would slowly and ironically erode what has made the Premier League the exciting competition it so often is today
13/10/2020

'Project Big Picture' exposing the self serving interests of MUFC and Liverpool

Paul The Esk
The proposals have exposed the these two clubs' seek to secure their current economic advantage and protect their future revenues.
12/10/2020

The Finnis Family — An Enduring Everton Love Affair

Rob Sawyer
Harold Finnis is one of 90 players, to date, to make a solitary first team appearance for the Blues in peacetime football.
09/10/2020

Everton' Midfield Revamp: What Counts as Success for the Toffees?

Gary McCarty
The recent additions of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, and James Rodriguez have sparked something of a competitive revival at Goodison Park.
09/10/2020

Shrewd moves and decisive action: Everton can view summer window as a big success

Lyndon Lloyd
Everton have emerged from the close season with an impressively upgraded squad and go into the international break sitting on top of the pile having far exceeded expectations and infused long-suffering Toffees with overdue optimism
08/10/2020

“Football Is Simple”: Ancelotti Can Be Everton' Anchor to Calm in a Chaotic Premier League

Matt Jones
Although the circumstances are undesirable, Carlo Ancelotti feels like a man who will come into his own in them and Everton's high-class performances indicate he's doing just that.
07/10/2020

The 2020 Summer transfer window from a financial perspective

Paul The Esk
Analysing the business done across the Premier League and a nod to the turn-around in the overall levels of the squad at EFC with such relatively small increase in costs
07/10/2020

Opposition View: We Are Brighton

We Are Brighton
Speaking with Scott from We Are Brighton to see get their fans' take on their start to the season and this weekend's clash at Goodison.
02/10/2020

Eddie Wainwright — A Bright Light in Dark Days

Rob Sawyer
The immediate post-war era for Everton was one of austerity which made it hard for local youngsters to through the ranks to develop to near their full potential. Eddie Wainwright was, perhaps the sole exception.
28/09/2020

Football Shorts — Part V: The Reality of Reducing Income and Fixed Costs

Paul The Esk
A look at the impact of virtually no crowds in the Premier League this season, the impact Covid-19 is having on broadcasting revenues and the volume of transfer business
23/09/2020

Graft to Goals: Calvert-Lewin' Changing Tastes Offer Everton a Fresh Edge

Matt Jones
Saturday against West Brom it felt like another significant step forward for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who fired in his first hat-trick for the club which felt like a rubber stamp on this section of his development at Everton.
21/09/2020

A Knight of the Round Table at Inside-Left?

Jamie Yates
Did you know that Everton once employed a player with the Christian name of a mythical legend?
21/09/2020

Toffee Soccer — Everton and North America

Lyndon Lloyd
Lyndon Lloyd chats with David France ahead of the release of his new book
14/09/2020

The Man Who Created Merseyside Football

David Kennedy
In his new book, David Kennedy recounts the sporting legacy of John Houlding, the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool who was responsible for the rise of two of English football's biggest and most successful football clubs — Everton and Liverpool.
10/09/2020

Summer 'Evolution' Primes Everton for Better Things

Lyndon Lloyd
After last season, Evertonians have been understandably cautious in their optimism and outlook for the new campaign but with a significantly strengthened midfield and Ancelotti at the helm, there is hope that 2020-21 will be a season of marked progress
10/09/2020

Brazilian dynamo Allan promises to be Ancelotti's midfield linchpin

Lyndon Lloyd
Allan Marques was unveiled as part of an anticipated £70m worth of incoming midfield talent today, with James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré expected to follow shortly — a trio of moves that promises to radically overhaul the Blues' massively under-performing mid-section
05/09/2020

How do we fund squad improvements this summer?

Paul The Esk
An over-sized, over-priced, mostly under-achieving squad, financial constraints, and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis pose significant challenges to Everton this summer. Where is the money coming from for new signings?
30/08/2020

Brands's Challenges Make for Slow-Motion Summer

Lyndon Lloyd
Where recruitment is concerned, the buck stops with Marcel Brands but, ultimately, his efforts will continue to be hindered by a number of factors, some of them beyond his control
26/08/2020

Rebranding?

Paul The Esk
What should Everton's brand and brand values be?
19/08/2020

Can Richarlison and DCL Get the Goals That Fire Everton Into the Top Six Conversation?

Gary McCarty
If Everton are to achieve any hopes of a top ten….eight….six finish, clearly there is a need to bring in a more prolific goal-grabber.
14/08/2020

“Van Den Hauwe — One Last Throw Of The Dice”

Pete Jones
Without the benefit of the visual image, the unique medium of radio means that live football commentary comes to life in an entirely different way than television. Pete Jones recalls some of his most memorable moments experienced that way
13/08/2020

Another Season Wasted Amid Continuing Instability at Goodison

Lyndon Lloyd
Marco Silva became the latest casualty of Everton's managerial merry-go-round, Carlo Ancelotti arrived before historic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic ensured that fans just wanted 2019-20 to be over as quickly as possible
08/08/2020

The Financing and Accounting of Transfers and How We Operate in this Window

Paul The Esk
A detailed look at the financial implications behind the transfer options open to us, how it's financed and what it means for Everton
04/08/2020

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  Team Pld GD Pts
13 Manchester United 16 2 22
14 West Ham United 16 -8 19
15 Crystal Palace 16 -4 16
16 Everton 15 -7 15
17 Leicester City 16 -13 14
18 Ipswich Town 16 -12 12
19 Wolves 16 -16 9

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