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Everton 2024-25 Season Review: Three Negatives

With the 2024-25 season coming to a close, we are now intoour season review series.

While every Everton fan will breathe a sigh of relief that the club finished a comfortable 13th place and away from relegation, and there will be many that truly believe that a new home home and new owners could herald a glorious new era for the Blues, there is no denying that a season following the Toffees yields its fair share of negatives.

But just what was the major downers on the 2024/25 campaign? We’ve selected three:

Dyche Rhetoric

David Moyes’ predecessor deserves credit. Steering Everton away from the drop when it seemed that it was not only the on-field opposition, but also the powers that be (yes Richard Masters and the Premier League, I mean you) that seemed hell bent on relegating the Blues, was a feather in Sean Dyche’s cap and a huge testament to his managerial skills.

Fast forward to this season and the former Burnley man firmly slipped into the mode of Sam Allardyce; perpetuating a theory of how the fanbase should simply be grateful they are ‘competing’ in the same league as the big boys, while being exceedingly grateful that we registered a shot on goal.

AFC Bournemouth v Everton FC - Premier League Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images

A failure to register a league win until the end of September, his rather baffling decision to not use summer signing Jake O’Brien (a mistake not made by Moyes), and the endless, passionless regurgitations to the media of how he felt the team did well despite another lacklustre display, eventually saw the 53-year-old alienate a group of supporters that were simply looking for inspiration or, at least, effort.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Now in no way is this a hatchet job on Everton’s current no.9 (at least at the time of writing) but Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the Toffees has become a relationship that looks like no one wants to be in.

The 28-year-old featured in 26 league games last season, registering just three goals. It has to be said that the Blues weren’t the most potent in attack and the former Sheffield United man did have injuries, but wearing the most revered shirt associated with Everton comes with a responsibility perhaps Calvert-Lewin cannot cope with.

Everton FC v Ipswich Town FC - Premier League Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

The seemingly never-ending saga of whether he will sign a contract or not has clearly taken its toll, and it appears both player and most of the fans would prefer a parting of the ways.

No decent person would condone the abuse he received online from a small number of mindless fools, but less-than-impressive stats and big wages to a man expected to lead the line of Everton Football Club, the DCL saga has been one of last campaign’s low points.

VAR!

The Premier League announced that there had been 13 Video Assistant Referee (VAR) mistakes this season, and graciously disclosed only four, while also declaring that errors were down on the previous campaign.

Everton FC v Southampton FC - Premier League Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Almost every fan of the beautiful game called for more technological help after years of glaring errors, and while mistakes will always happen, the Premier League has failed in preventing the obvious gaffs while completely taking the excitement out of football.

With many rightly voicing their concerns regarding the sinister feeling that VAR is perhaps used as a tool to control results rather than help fair outcomes, it is also disconcerting to those that stand on the terrace who now have to resort to keeping one eye on the man in the middle as he puts his hand to his head while potentially receiving direction from Stockley Park which inevitably results in a long stoppage as fans desperately await the decision.

Being fair, Everton have benefitted from such decisions, not as many as they have suffered from, but is it really worth having a system that is ran by a largely inept group who appear to be contributing to taking the enjoyment out of a game we all fell in love with?

It is a big negative from me!

Agree with our negatives? Have any we have missed?

Let us know in the comments.

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