Fan Articles

Contributions from ToffeeWeb readers

Staying Positive in the Apocalypse

Robert Tressell

Unfortunately, we cannot spend big this summer but we can still improve the team a great deal by spending well. Great players don't need to cost a fortune.

30/06/2022

'The Pioneers of Football in Foreign Lands!'

James Milner

That was how Everton director E A Bainbridge described the club with reference to Everton's tour of South America in 1909

21/06/2022

... you won't have known a time when Everton weren't in the top division of English football. This year, as it seemed that Everton's hopes were going up in flames. The fire is out but the house has structural damage and might have contravened building regulations too.

09/06/2022

The Opening of Goodison Park

John McFarlane [Senior]

With the move to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock becoming an imminent reality, I thought that it's a good time to pay tribute to what we've come to refer to as the â€œGrand Old Ladyâ€ — Goodison Park.

07/06/2022

Richard “Dickie” Boyle — Made of Stone

Rob Sawyer

In the earliest years of the Football League, Everton were awash with players from Dumbarton. No less vital and dedicated to the Toffees cause in this era Richard Hill Boyle, who never earned the silverware he so richly deserved

05/06/2022

What does Dele Alli need?

Robert Tressell

Dele Alli is in steep decline. He was probably about the most exciting attacking midfielder in world football at one point. So, what does Dele Alli need to get back to his best?

03/06/2022

Everton: I Love You, I Live You

Danny Oâ€™Neill

I didn't get to every match, but I was fortunate enough to attend quite a few and, like everyone, I went through an entire range of emotions this season. Never again, please, Everton.

01/06/2022

Bernard Gamble — Everton' Second Boy Mascot

Rob Sawyer

The story of a lad who hopped the wall at Goodison Park to meet Everton's players prior to a match and became the club's unofficial mascot for three years in the mid-1960s

25/05/2022

Shopping at M&S

Robert Tressell

Everton looking for new playing talent in the Premier League is akin to ordinary folk doing their weekly shopping at M&S

25/05/2022

Getting All Philosophical, Lad

Eugene Ruane

A talk â€” ok, ramble â€” about 'philosophy'. Specifically, football philosophy at Everton.

24/05/2022

'Cos Everton

Adam McCulloch

19/05/2022

One More Win For The Best Supporters In The World!

Jim Wilson

One of the main feelings I get supporting Everton is 'DÃ©jÃ Vu'. Whatever happens this week, Evertonians are the best in the world and can walk proud.

17/05/2022

Qualities of Lampard' Everton Bode Well for the Future

Matthew Parry

Frank Lampard has shown more desire to be in this job than virtually everyone that's gone before him, and that has to count for an awful lot.

03/05/2022

Death By A Thousand Cuts

Steve Hogan

27/04/2022

If the worst happens...

Sam Hoare

A brief assessment of what we might do with this squad in the Championship.

26/04/2022

Tom Robson — A Life too Short

Rob Sawyer

A highly-rated right-half, Tom was a victim of Everton's unsuccessful battle against relegation in the 1929-30 season. He ultimately moved on and later died of pneumonia during the Second World War

19/04/2022

“Who Do You Support?”

Rhys Gartland

The trials and tribulations of being consigned to a life of loving football

12/04/2022

Football Dugouts

Gerry Quinn

Everton built one of the first dugouts in England at Goodison Park after visiting Pittodrie.

11/04/2022

“A Proper Glutton for Punishment”

Becky Tallentire

Another instalment of Real Footballers' Wives featuring Rosemary Hurst, wife of former Everton striker, John.

11/04/2022

Unforgiven

John Daley

In modern culture, people in all walks of life seemingly believe they are deserving of more, of better, with barely any justification or semblance of self-reflection. Entitlement abounds and, in recent years, the bastard has been decked out in Everton blue.

01/04/2022

Calvert-Lewin: Have you forgotten how good he is?

Robert Tressell

We are really missing a fit Dominic Calvert-Lewin from the starting line-up. But Calvert-Lewin seems to have been downgraded by many of our fans to someone we can do without.

31/03/2022

The Everton FC Attitude Problem

Colin D Ellis

Everton have the quality in the squad to get out of trouble. What will determine whether we do so or not is the attitude that the players demonstrate when they pull on that blue shirt (regardless of which ground they're playing at) between now and the end of the season

30/03/2022

George Green — Illustrator Extraordinaire

Rob Sawyer

The Toffee Lady is an enduring and iconic image, intrinsically linked to Everton and for many, the definitive Toffee Lady image takes cartoon form. The creator was George Green, who entertained Merseyside newspaper and football programme readers for three decades.

29/03/2022

Everton FC — A Strategic and Cultural Mess

Colin D Ellis

Two things that are missing in order for Farhad Moshiri to achieve what he set out to do in 2016; a clear unambiguous strategy, and a club culture to deliver it

23/03/2022

The Bollocks to Play

Jacques Sandtonian

It's with fearful curiosity now that I have observed Lampard's shift in tone following the abysmal collapse at Crystal Palace

22/03/2022

Bobby Irvine - The Prince of Dribblers

Rob Sawyer

Hard as it is to imagine, forty years before George Best was thrilling football supporters up and down the land, Northern Ireland possessed a forward of similar talents - and he played for Everton.

15/03/2022

“Football Makes You Quite Tough”

Becky Tallentire

This instalment of Real Footballers' Wives features Irene Lee, wife of former Everton manager, Gordon who passed away this past week at the age of 87

12/03/2022

Diamond Jubilee

Jim Robinson

It is 60 years to the day since I became an Evertonian. I know this precisely because I can point to the moment it happened.

02/03/2022

So what is our best eleven?

Martin Reppion

Just what is our best starting eleven at the moment, and who should be in the taxi?

14/02/2022

Lampard' Unfortunate Situation Plagued By Previous Failure

Matthew Parry

The baffling errors made by the board and previous managers still linger like a bad smell around this football club. We must put faith in one man now to inject his fresh ideas into the club and shift everything in one direction: forwards.

11/02/2022

Tim Coleman: A Rebel, a Soldier and an Entertainer

Rob Sawyer

Long before Seamus became arguably the best-value player of the Premier League era, there was another Coleman who played for Everton, prolific goalscorer and WWI war veteran Tim who also played for Woolwich Arsenal, Fulham and Nottingham Forest at the peak of his career.

02/02/2022

Frankie Goes To Goodison

Martin O'Connor

Frank Lampard may have been the best of the candidates on Everton's shortlist but he has an awful lot to prove as he walks into a dysfunctional club. Hopefully, he has had time to reflect on where things went wrong at Chelsea and he will get the time to mould a side at Goodison Park

29/01/2022

That's how the light gets in

Darren Hind

"There are many decent people working at Everton." Very decent people... That's how the light gets in.

27/01/2022

Unpacking the Managerial Options

Jacques Sandtonian

The trouble we face is the short-term needs of getting this disparate group of mostly mediocre players organised and playing properlyâ€¦ fast. Whoever comes in now will have a very short space of time in which to do that.

24/01/2022

How You've Changed

Mike Owen

Are there some underlying, long-term attitudes and trends holding Everton back? Are our decades of mediocrity catching up with us in a way that may be starting to threaten the long-term future of the club?

17/01/2022

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Steve Shave

In order for our fortunes as a club to change, does a deep culture within the club fanbase have to shift? We have to stop seeing the club as what it was and start seeing it for what it is. Our expectations need to change, and we need to build up from that.

16/01/2022

“Our Lives Changed One Pancake Tuesday”

Becky Tallentire

The final instalment of Real Footballers' Wives features Eileen Stevens, wife of 1960s Everton forward Dennis

14/01/2022

The Turbulent Times of Marco Materazzi

Danny Harvey

The whole game for which the one-time Everton defender became infamous epitomised the controversy that followed Materazzi throughout his entire career.

10/01/2022

Happy New Year! Meh...

Jamie Crowley

The rambling of a middle-aged man

08/01/2022

Z-Cars at 60

Rob Sawyer

This week marked the 60th anniversary of the first screening of the television show Z-Cars, the theme from which, of course, is dear to every Evertonian heart. From its origins as a maritime folk song to the Johnny Keating version we know today, the story of the song is fairly convoluted.

07/01/2022

Why Benitez's Transfer Strategy Must Be Backed

Matthew Parry

hile I agree Benitez needs to do better, he cannot be blamed for the failures of previous bosses and the same problem will exist no matter who is in charge

07/01/2022

10 reasons to be cheerful in 2022

Robert Tressell

It is not all doom and gloom. Here are my 10 reasons to retain that hope that has shone fairly dimly for 30 years

30/12/2021

A Long Drawn-Out Affair

Alasdair Jones

I continue to surprise myself that — despite not having attended a game at Goodison Park since the last knockings of the Roberto Martinez era — I remain to some extent emotionally wedded to the club.

21/12/2021

Shopping in Sainsbury' not Harrods

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts

If Farhad Moshiri is going to continue to invest, does the purchasing strategy need to change?

04/12/2021

Is it only the players?

Jacques Sandtonian

Brands discerned that this man wanted him out of the club, justifying his view with an accusatory â€œDid you recruit them?â€ Brands's response was curious: â€œIs it only the players?â€

02/12/2021

The Shape We Are In

Martin O'Connor

"Under Moshiri, if we are not careful, it will be terminal."

02/12/2021

The Joe Mercer Plaque Ceremony

Rob Sawyer

Supporters from across the football spectrum, including members of Everton FC Heritage Society, came together in Ellesmere Port last Thursday, 18 November, to celebrate the life of Joe Mercer — one of the town's greatest sons.

23/11/2021

How can our academy improve?

Robert Tressell

There have been a few good articles and debates recently about the state of our academy. I thought it would be interesting to compare it to (a) other Premier League academies for output, and (b) other celebrated academies in Europe

13/11/2021

Former player Ashley Williams attempts to Hammer Everton

Kevin Murray

Time is perhaps the most precious of commodities in the career of any Premier League manager in the modern era

13/11/2021

Par for the course out in the middle

Martin O'Connor

Everton Football Club has no proper vision or strategy, and until the Board and leadership at the club is changed (and the majority shareholder as well), we will be forever at best â€œOut here in the Middleâ€ of the Premier League. On that note, Benitez is, so far this season, on course to deliver the usual mid-table mediocrity.

09/11/2021

John Bramley-Moore — Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Slave Trader

Stephen Ashton

The city of Liverpool's entanglement with the slave trade is well documented. Less well known, however, is the role played by former Lord Mayor, John Bramley-Moore after whom the site of Everton's new stadium is known.

01/11/2021

Crisis, what Crisis?

Stephen Vincent

The hysteria since Saturday's defeat, whilst predictable, has been way out of proportion to the actual event. Yes, we lost to a team that, on paper, we should comfortably defeat at home and which in 15 previous visits had never ever won at Goodison Park. But we are not the worst team in the Premier League and we are not going to get relegated, nor are we a laughing stock.

27/10/2021

Crisis Point

Robert Tressell

Having managed to ship 4 goals in the last 15 minutes against very poor opposition in Watford, it is natural that we might feel like a crisis is upon us. After all, we are once again skint, once again shipping goals through zonal marking, and once again putting up with woeful individual displays.

24/10/2021

Compare and Contrast

Martin O'Connor

With nine games played, two being Carabao Cup games, it is possible, even at this early stage of his tenure, to compare and contrast the work Rafa Benitez has done vis-Ã -vis the so-called Magnifico, Carlo Ancelotti.

06/10/2021

Keeping it in the Family — The Menhams between the Sticks

Rob Sawyer

Family links between players at Everton are not unheard of. Less known than the likes of the Rankins and the Whittle-Davies connection, perhaps, is that three decades apart, two Everton goalkeepers were from the same stock

11/09/2021

Only a Small Club — ToffeeWeb Golf Day 2021

Jon Harding

A sunny Friday in August proved an excellent date for a motley bunch of Evertonians to gather at Aldersley Green Golf Club in rural Cheshire for the 2021 ToffeeWeb Golf Day

02/09/2021

Poundland Special

Martin O'Connor

As the summer transfer window closes, what do we make of the Toffees' business?

01/09/2021

Is it Really That Bad?

Richard Parker

We needed a reset and a summer of taking a step back actually might not be the worst thing to happen to our club. We have to take the hit, plot the course for solving our current problems and move forwards.

01/09/2021

“He Wouldn't Pull His Socks Up”

Becky Tallentire

Another instalment of Real Footballers' Wives by features Brenda Thomas, wife of 1970s Goodison favourite Dave

30/08/2021

First Real Away Game in 18 Months

Rob Halligan

Seeing as this was the first away game in 18 months for the fans, because of Covid, I thought I would post an article on the dayâ€¦ but don't be expecting one every away game, because there won't be one!!

22/08/2021

Toffee Soccer and Everton' North American Trips of 1961

Rob Sawyer

As well as containing extensive player and coach profiles, the book Toffee Soccer documents the 10 previous occasions on which the club has ventured to the USA and Canada. 1961 was one of them.

12/08/2021

The Young Ones — Part 1

Phill Thompson

At this time of the year, the new First Year Scholars are at Finch Farm and some are starting to appear in games. Their names are available, but we're still waiting for the Club's official â€œMeet the Scholarsâ€ videoâ€¦

26/07/2021

From Birkenhead to El Ballet Azul: The Billy Higgins Story

Rob Sawyer

Everton's meeting with Millonarios in the Florida Cup this coming week offers an intriguing link to the past and the storm over footballers being lured from British clubs to a so-called ‘renegade league' in South America in 1950 which involved one Billy Higgins.

23/07/2021

Assessing Toffee Transfer Targets BenÃtez is Already Eyeing

Gary McCarty

Here we take a look at some of the players that Everton have already been linked with this summer and run the rule over which ones would be the best additions to an already tasty squad.

20/07/2021

Financial Warning Shot

Martin O'Connor

The warning shot about our financial position was given by Benitez himself at his press conference: players leaving will fund incoming transfers, probably for a number of seasons to come. It is then imperative that they take a good look at the Academy and try and get it fit for purpose. But more power has been given to one of the main impediments to a functioning academy in David Unsworth, instead of removing him and the good Old Blue Boy network beneath him.

17/07/2021

“The Time Goes By So Fast”

Becky Tallentire

In light of the recent passing of Everton legend Jimmy Gabriel, the latest installment of Real Footballers' Wives by @bluestocking63 features his wife Pat

12/07/2021

Three Bedsheets Outside Everton, Moshiri

John Daley

â€œThis didn't put an end to shit, you fucking retard; this is just the fucking start. Why don't you put that on your Good Morning Missouri fucking wake-up broadcast, bitch?â€

06/07/2021

Time To Move On

James Lauwervine

I've come to realise over a period of time that I just don't enjoy it anymore. I don't feel that pride or affinity I once had; I just feel increasing alienation, disappointment and disillusionment. When the news was released that Benitez was to be our next manager, it hit me that I simply didn't want to be part of this anymore.

06/07/2021

Conservatism, Conspiracies and Counter-intuition

Paul Tran

I wouldn't put a penny on it, but it will be interesting to watch things unfold, probably more interesting than the football on offer. Talking of the football, it can't be worse than under the previous few mangers, can it? No, I wouldn't put a penny on that, either.

04/07/2021

Jack Taylor — Everton' Son of the Rock

Rob Sawyer

One of the true greats of Everton's early decades, this moustachioed ‘Jack of all trades' won silverware with the club in 1906 and remains Everton's seventh highest appearance maker in all competitions

02/07/2021

Agent Rafa?

Mike Cheshire

I can't help thinking that he believes he can be the ruthless bastard required to sweep away the structures and inertia that have crippled our beloved club and become the ultimate rarity — a manager beloved of our entire city.

01/07/2021

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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
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19	Wolves	16	-16	9

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