Manager – David Moyes
Stadium – Goodison Park 40,157
2010/2011 – 7th
David Moyes enters his tenth season in charge of Everton, an achievement that sees him enter the record books, as the fourth longest reigning manager in English history. He sits behind only Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and John Coleman of Accrington Stanley. Throughout his nine years at Goodison Park, Moyes has failed to win a single trophy, despite consistently challenging for the European places in recent years. Everton endured a terrible start to the season, failing to win throughout a spell of six games, in which they secured only 3 points out of a possible 18. This poor run eventually ended with consecutive wins over Birmingham City and arch rivals Liverpool. The next time Everton fans would experience back to back victories wouldn’t be until April, a feat that they would only manage to achieve twice all season, emphasising the lack of consistency at Goodison Park. The Christmas period proved tough for the Toffess, seeing them win only once in nine games, against high flying Manchester City. Alongside Tim Cahills international absence, Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar, and Louis Saha all struggled for fitness, affecting Everton’s form throughout this period. The turn of the New Year saw Steven Pienaar leave to join Tottenham and Yakubu leave on loan for Leicester City. Victory against Tottenham and draws against Liverpool and Chelsea saw Everton rise up the table, in what was proving the closest League in many years. Possibly the highlight of the season saw Everton knock Chelsea out of the F.A Cup at Stamford Bridge on penalties, despite losing to Reading in the next round, the victory was seen as a positive in Everton’s season. After the Chelsea game, Moyes’ men embarked on a twelve game run which saw them win seven games, draw three and lose only two, as the season came to a close. Despite being in a relegation battle, this remarkable, if inconsistent end to the season saw them climb to 7th in the league, and included victories over Manchester City and Chelsea.
Highlights of 2010/2011 – Form of Leighton Baines, record against Liverpool and 7th place finish.
Lowlights of 2010/2011 – Lack of consistency and manner of F.A cup exit after Chelsea victory.
What to expect in 2011/2012.
Last season saw a surprisingly high finish for the Toffees after what appeared to be a very inconsistent campaign. After only securing back to back wins in the league twice all season, David Moyes men can only thank a solid finish to the season for their 7th place finish. As expected, the ‘bigger sides’ have been linked with Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines and Jack Rodwell, with a £10million bid from Arsenal for Jagielka being rejected. Moyes has always worked on a budget whilst at Everton, and this summer will be no different. After being linked with various players, the fees they ought to command shows the budget Moyes will be working with. As usual, loan deals and bargains will prove to be his valuable for Moyes as he attempts to improve on last season’s 7th place finish. Any improvement will hinge on his success in keeping his big players, and rejecting the advances of the Premier League giants who are expected to come in with large bids for his stars. If the squad from last year is kept intact, David Moyes should hope to sign up to three players in the transfer window, including a striker, to strengthen his side and get more goals.
Signinings –
None
Other potential signings –
Shane Long, Reading - £8million
Danny Welbeck, Man Utd – Loan
Andy King, Leicester City - £5million
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, Espanyol - £12million
Scott Dann, Birmingham City - £8million
Charlies N’Zogbia, Wigan Athletic - £10million
Nicky Maynard, Bristol City - £6million
Matthew Jarvis, Wolves - £7million
Dedryck Boyata, Man City – Loan
Lewis Holtby, Schalke 04 - £6million
Departures –
James Vaughan, Norwich City – Undisclosed fee
Other potential departures –
Phil Jagielka, Arsenal - £10million
Jack Rodwell, Man Utd/Tottenham Hotspur - £15million
Leighton Baines, Arsenal/Man City/Liverpool - £12million
Mikel Arteta, Valencia - £8million
Yakubu, Leicester City/West Ham - £3million
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Rubin Kazan - £6million
Possible starting XI’s
4-2-3-1
Howard
Coleman, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines
Fellaini/Neville Rodwell
Arteta, Cahill, Bilyaletdinov/Osman
Saha
If Jagielka, Bilyaletdinov and Rodwell leave
4-2-3-1
Howard
Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Baines
Fellaini, Neville
Coleman, Cahill, Arteta
Saha
Alternative, if Dann and Long sign
4-3-1-2
Howard
Coleman/Heitinga, Dann, Jagielka, Baines
Arteta, Rodwell, Neville/Fellaini/Heitinga
Cahill
Long/Beckford, Saha
Prediction
10th
In recent years, Everton's league position has always been relatively high, despite their sometimes inconsistent form. Last season was the perfect example, with David Moyes’ men only winning consecutive games twice all season, but still managing to finish 7th. If Moyes can get the best out of his squad, and by that I mean get them playing consistent football, then there is no reason why they cannot gate-crash the top 7 again. However, with other sides such as Sunderland and Newcastle strengthening considerably, I can’t help but feel that Everton will miss out on improving or matching last season’s 7th place finish. A comfortable top half finish would be a welcome return for the Toffees, who would love a piece of silverware, the first in David Moyes 10 year tenure. A domestic cup run would benefit both the fans and the players, and bring a welcome lift to the Goodison faithful. With Everton's transfer policy restricting David Moyes, forcing him to sell before he can buy, targets such as Scott Dann, Charles N'Zogbia and Shane Long seem out of reach, unless a big star such as Jagielka, Baines or Rodwell are sold. If improved, Everton fans can dream of European football, reminiscent of the years between 2006 and 2009 where Everton failed to finish lower than 6th, peaking at 5th, and qualifying for Europe each year. Many believe that the only way this can become a reality, is by investing in the squad. However, as previously stated, David Moyes must sell before he can buy, making his job tougher, which is why I predict a mid-table finish for the Toffees.
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