John Keith appeared on the Royal Blue podcast to discuss Everton matters ahead of the release of his film Dixie - The Goal King
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates his goal with Jake O'Brien, Tyrique George and Jarrad Branthwaite during the match between Everton and Coventry City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 6, 2026
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates his goal with Jake O'Brien, Tyrique George and Jarrad Branthwaite during the match between Everton and Coventry City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 6, 2026(Image: Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Everton have the chance to do something they haven’t achieved for 14 years next May and finish above their big-spending neighbours, Liverpool.
That’s the verdict of vastly experienced Merseyside football reporter John Keith, who made his bold declaration when appearing as a guest on the Royal Blue podcast. Keith, who revealed that the first game he reported on was the city’s historic inaugural European Cup tie as Everton hosted Serie A champions Internazionale in 1963, has written several books on both the Blues and the Reds.
Everton have only ever finished above Liverpool a hat-trick of times during the Premier League era, with all three instances coming when David Moyes was at the helm, in 2004/05 (fourth and fifth), 2011/12 (seventh and eighth) and 2012/13 (sixth and seventh) among the nine top-eight finishes he recorded during his first spell in charge at Goodison Park.
Liverpool responded to lifting their first League Championship in front of fans for 35 years in 2025 by embarking on a record-breaking spending spree of £446million – which at the time was the most any club had spent in a single transfer window in the history of the game – but just 12 months later they sacked title-winning head coach Arne Slot and are now embarking on a new era under former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
Keith told the ECHO: “I was very impressed overall with Everton on Friday. They started slowly, I have to say, and Coventry took the initiative.
“For a while I thought 'I’m not sure about this', but you have to say the second half performance by Everton was superb. Although Thierno Barry gets a lot of credit, as he should for his goals, I thought Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was magnificent. I think he’s a wonderful player.
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“I was interested to hear Thomas Tuchel, when he was naming the England squad last week, somebody asked him about Dewsbury-Hall and he said what a very good player he is, and I thought ‘Why isn’t he in the squad then?’ Tuchel remarked: ‘He’s very close to the squad.’
“I thought he should be in the squad then. He’s not just good in one game, he’s consistently good and his performance level is very high and I was very impressed by him.
“Barry has now discovered the art of scoring goals, which I thought he had lost and overall, I thought Everton were very impressive. Also, they’ve got a good feed now of young players like Harrison Armstrong, Hayden Hackney and Jarrad Branthwaite.
“I think they’ve got a nice mix and something to build on. Maybe it could be a little battle between them and Liverpool as to who finishes higher in the table?”
Keith, who was appearing ahead of the release of his new film Dixie – The Goal King, which will be premiered at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on January 22, 2027, the 120th anniversary of Dean’s birth, also praised Moyes, who equalled Harry Catterick for the most games as Everton manager (592) and is now set to take the record in his own right when the Blues go to Brentford for their next fixture on Monday, November 23.
Dixie - The Goal King will be premiered at a special event at New Brighton's Floral Pavilion on January 22, the 120th anniversary of Dean's birth
Dixie - The Goal King will be premiered at a special event at New Brighton's Floral Pavilion on January 22, the 120th anniversary of Dean's birth
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Keith said: “It’s incredible to amass that amount of games as manager – in two parts of course – I think David Moyes is Everton. When you think of David Moyes, you think of Everton.
“You hear the outside noise about him as well. When pundits get talking about Everton, one of them will always mention ‘Well look at the job David Moyes does.’
“Okay, they’ve not been festooned with trophies, but he’s kept them safe and at the moment, I think they’re as strong as they’ve been in years. They’ve got a nice mix of talent in the squad.
“Who knows where they could end up this season? Maybe a European place?
“He deserves credit for the job that he’s done in these circumstances, very much so. Jake O’Brien and Jarrad Branthwaite have been moved about a bit and Merlin Rohl – when I say Rohl, he’s got many roles! He’s a good player too.
“I just think that David Moyes can handle that jigsaw.”
Tickets are now on sale for the debut screening of the 70-minute documentary Dixie – The Goal King at an event that also includes Graeme Sharp, the man who has scored the most goals for Everton other than Dean, talking to John about the legendary centre-forward with members of the audience also having the opportunity to put their own questions to him. Tickets cost £32, with concessions available for £27. They can be purchased in person at the Floral Pavilion box office, by calling 0151 666 0000, or online at floralpavilion.com