2022 was a memorable year for Evertonians but not an especially enjoyable one and it's fair to say we approach the end of the year and the turn of 2023 with a degree of trepidation.

The January transfer window, so often a challenging one at the best of times, could end up being a vital one for the club but a win on Boxing Day and a result against Brighton on the 3rd – hey, why not dream of a miracle at the Etihad in between – would go a long way to easing the immediate pressure on the recruitment team. Let's hope and pray for the best.

The outgoing year was a difficult one for ToffeeWeb. I had to move the site twice, first after it out-grew the server it had been on for many years and then again just recently when the site's long-time hosts essentially lost my business through a precipitous decline in customer support standards.

So far, so good in the new location but those issues, some other technical problems, an uptick in work commitments this month and some family issues mean that there is a lot still to be fixed and I'm behind on a few initiatives I wanted to have completed by the end of the year.

So, if you've been waiting to come on board as a contributor, please sit tight – I'll be getting the pieces in place for that in the New Year.

For everybody else, my best wishes on behalf of the ToffeeWeb team for a very Merry Christmas and a brilliant New Year. A huge thank you to our Sapphire members for supporting the site, thank you to everyone who filled out the TW survey (the results and the winner of the reward are coming), to our regular writers, and thank you to everyone and anyone who uses and contributes to this website.

Your patronage is greatly appreciated and it's an honour to provide you with the platform to air your views and discuss the Blues with like-minded (or otherwise!) Evertonians.

Again, Seasons Greetings and Come On You Blues!

Lyndon