Introduction
There was much for Evertonians to be excited about as we looked forward to taking our seats in our wonderful new stadium on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey. New owners, a new CEO, a fairly new but very experienced manager and, we hoped, a raft of new, more accomplished players would surely have a transformative effect on the club’s fortunes after years of financial turmoil and relegation fears.
The transfer dealings, frustratingly slow in the early weeks of the summer window, had gathered momentum to produce a steady stream of new arrivals giving the squad a fresh look especially in attack. There was no question about the need for new blood and a significant upgrade in quality. The club had bade farewell to several experienced players including Abdoulaye Doucouré, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ashley Young. By the end of the window Youssef Chermiti would be sold to Rangers for a fee of £10m including add-ons. In recognition of the need for some continuity Michael Keane, Seamus Coleman and Gana Gueye had been offered, and accepted, one year deals. The top priority however had been to secure Jarrad Branthwaite on a new five year contract. The new CEO, Angus Kinnear, would later cite the deal for an outstanding young talent as a clear statement of intent by the club on its direction of travel.
Pre-season performances and results had been poor. A 1-1 draw at Accrington was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn before the squad embarked on a trip to the USA for the Premier League Summer Series. Jarrad Branthwaite was left behind to recover from a quad strain. Defeats to Bournemouth (3-0) and West Ham (2-1) in New York and Chicago respectively, highlighted the weaknesses in attack with only Gana on the scoresheet. At least the Blues signed off the American adventure with a creditable showing against Manchester United in Atlanta, a goal from Ndiaye and an own goal securing a 2-2 draw. A 2-1 win versus Port Vale behind closed doors at the Hill Dickinson was followed by the disappointment of a 1-0 defeat to AS Roma in front of a 50,000 crowd at our new home.
That game was notable for a promising performance from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the accomplished midfielder having arrived earlier in the week from Chelsea for a fee of around £29m including add-ons. He would be joined within days by Jack Grealish on a season’s loan from Manchester City. Those two signings from elite clubs heralded an upgrade in the club’s attacking style. At the outset of the transfer window the January loanee Charly Alcaraz had been signed on a two year deal for a fee of £12m from Flamengo. Striker Thierno Barry arrived from Villarreal for a fee of £33m. A left back, 19 year old Adam Aznou, joined from Bayern for a fee of £9m. Reserve keepers Mark Travers (£4m) and Tom King were recruited from Bournemouth and Wolves respectively.
The summer business, somewhat inevitably, extended beyond the start of the season. After a lengthy hiatus in negotiations a deal was finally agreed with Southampton for the transfer of Tyler Dibling, a youthful attacking prospect, for a fee of £40m including what were reported to be easily deliverable add-ons. A final deal on deadline day saw midfielder Merlin Röhl signed on a season’s loan with an obligation to buy from SC Freiburg, barring relegation.
The consensus among fans and local media was that the club’s transfer window merited a 7 or 8/10 rating. The need to operate within the Premier League’s financial rules continued to restrict the club’s ability to address all the issues in the squad. Our absence from European competition was later revealed as an additional impediment in attracting potential new recruits. Hence the gap at right back had not been filled and in an ideal scenario a proven striker would have been brought in. Otherwise it was generally accepted the squad had greater balance comprising a mix of established stars and young talent with the potential to develop into genuine Premier League players.
Would David Moyes and his revamped squad match promise with delivery?
August: Early Points Secured
Opening night performances are rarely perfect. Our Monday night performance at Elland Road fell troublingly short of even the most modest expectations. Injuries to Branthwaite and Mykolenko had necessitated a makeshift starting lineup with James Garner plugging the gap at left back.
Newly promoted Leeds denied our team space to play through the lines while themselves making maximum use of the flanks to stretch our defence. In the first half especially, our players struggled to put any passing moves together leaving the onus on our two central defenders, Tarkowski and Keane, to initiate attacks via long passes to a tightly marked and out of sorts Beto. An improvement in the second half, largely stemming from Jack Grealish’s introduction from the bench, gave us a glimmer of hope of an unlikely victory. Instead it was Daniel Farke’s team who benefited from a highly contentious penalty awarded for hand ball against Tarkowski. Lucas Nmecha’s spot kick seven minutes from time sealed a 1-0 win in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
After such a poor start it was imperative to deliver a positive result in the historic first league game at the Hill Dickinson versus Brighton. On a sunny Sunday afternoon Jack Grealish, making his first start, played a starring role in a 2-0 win with assists for Ndiaye (23) and Garner (52). Pickford made a huge contribution fifteen minutes from time with a penalty save from Welbeck thus stifling the Seagulls’ hopes of a fightback. The visitors were left rueing their misfortune having twice hit the woodwork. Evertonians celebrated a fine win on a truly memorable day for the club in its fantastic new home.
Within three days we returned to see a comfortable 2-0 win against Mansfield in the Carabao Cup. After a delayed kick-off owing to fans’ struggles with digital ticketing issues, it required a well taken goal from Charly Alcaraz six minutes into the second half to unlock the League One outfit’s defence. Substitute Beto sealed our place in the third round with a last minute finish in front of goal. Both goals came via assists from the very promising 18 year old, Harrison Armstrong, shortly to depart on what turned out to be a half season’s loan to Preston.
Boosted by the two home wins, we were back on the road for a Saturday afternoon trip to Molineux. In a richly entertaining show starring our attacking trio of Ndiaye, Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall the Blues scored three goals in open play from Beto (7), Ndiaye (33) and Dewsbury-Hall (55). The final 2-3 scoreline belied our overall superiority as defensive lapses allowed Wolves to stay in contention with goals from Hiang (21) and Gomes (79). Nevertheless we left the Black Country delighted to have witnessed one of our finest attacking displays in several years. The passing, dribbling and movement from the aforementioned trio was complemented by a terrific midfield display from James Garner delivering arguably his most impressive performance since his arrival in 2022. Six points and a fifth place berth were especially welcome after the early season travails of recent years.
September: Momentum Stalled
The first international break of the season interrupted our momentum. Mykolenko, unable to play for Ukraine owing to recurring injury problems, had not recovered by the time goalless Aston Villa arrived for the first Saturday 3.00 p.m. fixture at Hill Dickinson. James Garner again plugged the gap at left back while Iroegbunam returned in midfield. The Villans remained goalless. It was a frustrating afternoon for a home team unable to capitalise on several scoring opportunities.
Nevertheless seven points from the first four games represented a solid start to the nascent season. We made a rainy Saturday lunchtime trek to Anfield to face a team which by all accounts had yet to fire on all cylinders but topped the table with maximum points. Slot’s men raced into a 2-0 lead with goals from Gravenberch (11) and Ekitike (28). After Barry replaced an ineffective Beto at half-time our team recovered to halve the deficit with a well taken goal by Gana just before the hour. Disappointingly we were unable to create another scoring chance. The hosts contented themselves running the clock down while the referee, Darren England, contented himself with only three minutes additional time. That was a sore point with Evertonians who had witnessed a second half of only twenty six minutes playing action.
A Tuesday night Carabao Cup visit to Wolves, pointless after five league matches, was an opportunity to return to winning ways. Having signalled his intention to mount a serious challenge for the domestic cups, Moyes dismayed the travelling fans by making seven changes with Dibling, Barry, McNeil, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam, Seamus and Travers all starting. We were not surprised to see players with so little recent playing time struggling to make an impact. A Munetsi goal just before the half hour put the hosts in charge. The half-time introduction of Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall failed to repair the damage. Wolves ran out 2-0 winners, a late goal from Arokodare sealing our fate.
The cup exit increased the pressure on the manager to make amends in two consecutive home matches, the first on a Monday night against struggling West Ham. The dynamics had shifted somewhat over the weekend with the news that the pragmatic Nuno Espírito Santo had replaced Graham Potter in the Hammers’ hot seat. After taking the lead through an excellent Michael Keane header on eighteen minutes the Blues were unable to build on their early superiority against spirited opponents. A Jarrod Bowen shot levelled matters twenty minutes into the second period. In the end we were grateful to hang on to a point.
October: Beto or Barry Is The Question
The second of those home games on the first Sunday of October saw a return to winning ways against Crystal Palace. Unbeaten in nineteen games in all competitions the Eagles had the upper hand for the first hour. Their goal eight minutes before the interval from Daniel Muñoz was the least they deserved. Mateta’s failure to convert two chances around the hour mark proved pivotal. Our fight-back, aided by astute use of the bench by Moyes began when substitute Iroegbunam was brought down in the area. To the relief of the home crowd Ndiaye rolled his spot kick into the South Stand net. With a little under a quarter hour left the momentum was now firmly with the Blues against the tiring Eagles. The winner came three minutes into stoppage time when Jack Grealish was on hand to block a clearance past the keeper. The 2-1 win was a huge boost lifting the club to eighth in the table before the second international break of the season.
Taking stock at this stage the general mood among supporters was positive. Unbeaten at home, the team appeared to have coped well with the transition to the new stadium. It had been pleasing to see more of our players displaying confidence in possession. The two major weaknesses, frequently highlighted on the Evertonia podcast and elsewhere, were the lack of an effective striker and a fully functioning right back.
Up front neither Beto nor Barry had made the impact required. Of the two Beto had offered the stronger presence but despite his best efforts had been unable to develop his hold-up play to Premier League standard. Barry thus far had looked totally out of his depth with a worrying absence of physicality in his play. Meanwhile at right back Jake O’Brien, a natural centre back if ever there was one, had looked more the square peg in the round hole than he had in the closing months of last season. The gaps in the squad, apparent in the summer, had now become glaringly obvious. Hopes they would be addressed in the January window were tempered by the certainty that suitable options would be limited and prohibitively expensive.
After the international break our team held their own at the Etihad until two Erling Haaland goals either side of the hour sealed a comfortable home win. We had been looking forward to the return of Jarrad Branthwaite imminently. Accordingly it was a huge setback to learn the player had suffered a complication in his recovery such that he would now require an operation on his hamstring, ruling him out until the New Year. Meanwhile Nottingham Forest had appointed their third manager of the season, a certain Sean Dyche.
On a rainy last Sunday of October Spurs became the first team to win a league game at our new home. A Mickey Van De Ven brace from corners in the nineteenth minute and in first half stoppage time put the visitors in charge. They wrapped up the win with a Sarr header in the final minute.
While the 3-0 scoreline flattered Thomas Frank’s team our lack of firepower up front was again a major handicap and the predominant talking point among the fan base. Beto or Barry was indeed the question.
November: Dewsbury-Hall Rises To The Occasion
An emerging theme of the season was the congested nature of the mid-table section of the league. Two successive wins would lift a club several places up the ladder. Two successive defeats had seen our club drop swiftly the other way. Down to fifteenth place we were starting to look over our shoulder as we travelled for a Monday evening assignment at the Stadium of Light. Newly promoted Sunderland had surprised everyone with their excellent start to the campaign. In a bright opening we took the lead with a fantastic solo effort by Iliman Ndiaye (15) but then wasted opportunities to extend the lead. After Thierno Barry missed a sitter just before the half hour, the performance fell away somewhat alarmingly. Xhaka equalised in the first minute of the second half. Thereafter it was a challenge for our lads to cling on for a hard earned 1-1 draw.
Although we were relieved to have done so, many fans questioned the manager’s persistence with a set-up which, despite the improved quality in possession, was failing to deliver a commensurate end product. While a return of twelve points from ten games was not disastrous, a tally of only ten goals brought into sharp focus our lack of a clinical edge.
The following Saturday brought lowly Fulham to the Hill Dickinson. A 2-0 win with goals from Gana (45+4) and the rejuvenated Michael Keane (81) was underpinned by arguably the most commanding overall performance of the season to date. Noteworthy was the standing ovation for Thierno Barry who had begun to show promise leading the attack and linking more effectively with our attacking midfielders. He needed a goal.
After the final international break of the autumn we faced a Monday night trip to Old Trafford. Oh what a night! After a promising start, the team lost Seamus in the ninth minute when the club captain, making his first league start of the season, pulled up with a hamstring strain. Utter calamity followed four minutes later when a bizarre confrontation between Keane and Gana resulted in the Senegalese receiving a straight red card for slapping his team mate on the face. Nobody would have predicted what followed. Instead of folding to a routine defeat the Blues dug deep. Remarkably Dewsbury-Hall scored a wonderful goal with his right foot just before the half hour. The ten men then held on to their precious lead in an heroic display of defensive resilience as well as sensible ball retention by our most skilful players, Grealish, Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall. This was a truly extraordinary performance in the most unpropitious circumstances, ‘out-Evertoning’ Everton. It was David Moyes’s first win as a visiting manager at Old Trafford. The match will live long in the memory of those of us lucky to be there.
That victory against the odds revived hopes we could break into the top half of the table as we entertained Newcastle on the final Saturday evening of November. In typical fashion, after the Lord Mayor’s Show, our team crumbled to a miserable 1-4 defeat to a team hitherto without an away win. A corner on fifty five seconds at the South End was headed home by Thiaw. A spirited home response failed to deliver anything tangible before a rare Pickford error allowed the Geordies to double their lead on twenty five minutes through Miley. Just before the interval a simple lob by Woltemade put the game out of our reach. That was the cue for dispirited fans to leave their seats, many not bothering to return. The visitors extended their lead thirteen minutes into the second period with another header from Thiaw. Dewsbury-Hall’s goal twenty minutes from time was brilliantly taken but purely consolatory and seen by only a minority of the home crowd. The Hill Dickinson was now proving to be a difficult venue for a home team struggling to live up to the grandeur of its new environment.
December: Squad Depth Tested
There was no time to dwell on that disappointment with a Tuesday night date at Bournemouth next up. The Blues defied history with a solid performance to gain our first ever league win at the Vitality. Jack Grealish, enduring arguably his poorest performance in our colours, made amends with the only goal twelve minutes from time. Having been urged by his manager, his father and many fans to take more shots he was rewarded when his effort from outside the box took a heavy deflection to leave the keeper stranded. The late win made the arduous midweek journey seem all the more worthwhile.
With confidence restored we welcomed Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest to the dock. In what was widely regarded as our most complete performance of the season to date the hosts dominated from the start, helped by a goal inside two minutes when a Dewsbury-Hall shot-cum-cross was deflected into his own net by Milenković. In first half stoppage time a fine run and pass from Ndiaye set up a first goal for Barry. How the young striker celebrated with his teammates in front of an exultant South Stand! The points were wrapped up ten minutes from time with a low finish from the outstanding Dewsbury-Hall. The former Leicester and Chelsea man was now being talked about as a possible candidate for the England squad. Although that seemed unlikely in the foreseeable future he was rapidly emerging as a key figure in our club’s rise up the table. As ever in Everton’s fortunes, we were about to lose him when we could least afford to.
The following Saturday we travelled to Stamford Bridge only one point behind the fifth placed Pensioners with genuine hope we could break another away ground hoodoo. We were without a win in SW6 since 1994. We still are. Our hopes, not only for this game but also for the busy weeks ahead, suffered an early blow with the loss of Dewsbury-Hall to a hamstring injury. In the circumstances the 2-0 defeat was predictable, the goals coming at the Shed End from Palmer (21) and Gusto (45). We departed west London contemplating the always busy mid-winter fixture schedule with a squad now seriously depleted by the absence of three first choice players; Ndiaye and Gana on AFCON duty with Senegal, and Dewsbury-Hall who would be ruled out for six weeks.
Although we lay eighth in the table, potentially sufficient for European qualification, the more pressing concern for Evertonians bearing the scars of previous mid-winter collapses, was steering clear of the relegation pack. The two fixtures spanning Christmas week failed to assuage our nervousness. The final Saturday night before Christmas brought top of the table Arsenal to the Hill Dickinson. A 1-0 loss to a twenty seventh minute Gyökeres penalty awarded for an inexplicable handball by Jake O’Brien was frustrating, all the more so because the Gunners scarcely moved out of first gear to secure the points. The day after Boxing Day took us to Turf Moor for a dour goalless draw against struggling Burnley. Our lack of firepower up front was matched by poor finishing on the part of the hosts.
For the final match of the calendar year we made the midweek trip to Nottingham with a threadbare squad and low expectations. Against all the odds a well drilled group, including peripheral figures Patterson, Dibling, Röhl and McNeil, completed a memorable double over Dyche’s Forest. Goals from Garner (19) and Barry (79) sealed a fine win. ‘There’s only one Jimmy Garner’ sang the away fans in salute to a man of the match performance by a player who had really stepped up in the absence of other key players. That the victory came with just over 30% possession was further evidence of the team’s ability, indeed preference, to control the game out of possession.
January: Home Discomforts
Still eighth in the table and only two points below the top five the win at Forest encouraged hopes we could capitalise on three home matches in a week. Infuriatingly our home form would continue to let us down. The New Year programme opened on the Sunday afternoon with a sobering 2-4 defeat to Brentford. Our players repeatedly gave away possession in their own half leaving the backline painfully exposed. Igor Thiago ran riot with the first hat trick (11, 51, 88) at our new home. The second goal five minutes after the interval from Nathan Collins was arguably the most disappointing coming as it did from yet another corner. Headed goals by Beto (66) and Barry (90+1) from Grealish crosses offered paltry consolation for a bitterly disappointed home crowd.
The growing number of empty seats as the game drew towards its conclusion was indicative of a significant proportion of home fans not wholly engaged with the team.
Bitter disappointment was followed in midweek by utter frustration at the failure to beat bottom of the table Wolves. Our team neglected to build on a sharp finish by Michael Keane on seventeen minutes. Rob Edwards’ team belied their relegation credentials equalising through teenager Mateus Mane twenty four minutes into the second half. Our disappointment at the 1-1 draw was compounded by the late dismissals of two of our most experienced players; a straight red for, of all things, tugging hair by, of all players Michael Keane and a second yellow for the indulgent Jack Grealish sarcastically applauding the referee.
The resulting suspensions further weakened our already thin squad going into the first FA Cup tie at Hill Dickinson against Sunderland. Managers are often criticised for fielding weakened teams in the domestic cups. On this occasion Moyes had no choice in the matter. With nine players unavailable it was all he could do to muster a recognisable eleven. For the Saturday lunchtime kick-off he cobbled together a starting line-up which again featured Patterson, Röhl, Dibling and McNeil plus Harrison Armstrong who had been summoned from his loan spell at Preston. Given the Black Cats’ form in the first half of the season coupled with our poor home record, few Evertonians were confident of a place in the fourth round. Having fallen behind to a Le Fée goal on the half hour our team’s best efforts looked unlikely to yield a reward until the appearance of substitute Adam Aznou sparked a late fightback. A minute from time the youngster’s determination in the box earned a debatable penalty, converted by Garner to send the tie into extra time. The additional half hour failed to produce a winner. The penalty shootout was disastrous for the hosts with keeper Roefs saving lame efforts from Garner, Barry and Beto. It was enough for Sunderland to convert their first three to win the tie.
The sense of early January jeopardy all too familiar to Evertonians had been replaced by sheer exasperation. Several winnable games had proved beyond the capability of a severely depleted squad. While some fans were prepared to cut the manager some slack, others voiced their concerns about his apparent inability, even reluctance, to extract more from the squad as a whole.
Just when it seemed our season might drift into the mid-table mediocrity we would have celebrated in recent seasons, the team produced another surprise win on a memorable Sunday afternoon at Villa Park. Once again the players on the fringe of the squad produced a controlled performance to keep high flying Villa at bay. A well taken finish by Barry just before the hour sealed the points in front of a delighted away following in the Doug Ellis Stand. Unfortunately the game marked the final appearance of Jack Grealish who would miss the remainder of the season with a broken foot. Meanwhile there was good news from Morocco where Senegal, including Ndiaye and Gana, had won the final of the AFCON tournament.
With the two Senegalese back in the team we looked forward to another Monday game, at home to Leeds United. On a bitterly cold night by the river we were again frustrated to see our team struggle to make possession count. A James Justin goal (28) gave the visitors a deserved lead. After a really poor first half Moyes grasped the substitution nettle at half-time by introducing Dewsbury-Hall, returning after a seven game absence, and Branthwaite, making his first appearance of the campaign. The changes of personnel and a switch to a 3-4-2-1 mirroring the Leeds formation had the desired effect. A much improved second half performance delivered an equaliser from Barry fourteen minutes from time. One of four clubs on thirty three points we sat tenth in the table with any lingering relegation fears banished. European qualification was still a possibility.
On the final day of January we travelled to Brighton with arguably the strongest available squad of the season to date. For the first time in the campaign all four recognised centre backs were available. Which of them would Moyes select? The answer, as Lyndon Lloyd suggested less than half jokingly in the preceding week’s Evertonia podcast, was all four of them! After a moribund first half our team woke up after the interval before falling behind against the run of play to a Pascal Groß goal fourteen minutes from time. Substitute Beto’s equaliser in the seventh minute of stoppage time brought ecstatic celebrations in the away section. There are few better feelings than seeing your team score a last minute equaliser or winner away from home. Moyes showed his delight with a jig on the pitch. He earned a yellow card for his gyrations.
February: Awayday Triumphs
The following Saturday we were on the road again with a trip to Craven Cottage. Having fallen behind through an unlucky own goal by Mykolenko (18), we were very fortunate Fulham failed to build on their lead. The Blues fought back in the second half to equalise through Dewsbury-Hall (75) and grab a winner seven minutes from time courtesy of a punch into his own net by Leno under pressure from O’Brien. New arrival on loan from Chelsea, Tyrique George, made a favourable impression with his direct running in a twenty minute cameo. We were becoming accustomed to joyful post-match celebrations with the players and manager reciprocating the applause from the exuberant away fans.
With our club handily placed in eighth position the clear challenge now was to improve our home form. Some fans and pundits highlighted the difficulty many clubs had experienced adjusting to a new stadium. Others noted our poor home form was not a new phenomenon; it had been poor at Goodison for several seasons. Faced with the onus of initiating play against compact opponents our team still lacked the pace and often the craft to make and convert goal scoring opportunities. Too often the wrong choices were made in terms of carrying or passing the ball. Too often the lack of movement up front limited the options available to our midfielders. Too often the responsibility for initiating attacks was handed back to our central defenders or keeper with the predictable long ball the only remaining option. Worse than that was the vulnerability of our back line against swift counterattacking teams such as our next two opponents at the Hill Dickinson, Bournemouth and Manchester United.
The Tuesday night encounter against the Cherries was especially disappointing, coming as it did only three days after the win at Fulham. George made what turned out to be his only first team start on the left flank. Hopes were raised when we took the lead five minutes before the interval with a penalty by Ndiaye after a foul on Branthwaite by Rayan. The young Brazilian made amends with a header at the far post just after the hour mark. In an implosion not dissimilar to that which afflicted our team in the same fixture last season the turnaround was completed three minutes later with a goal from Adli. To compound our woes Jake O’Brien was dismissed twenty minutes from time when his foul on Adli was adjudged a denial of a goal scoring opportunity.
An eleven day break gave our players time to recharge batteries before yet another Monday night fixture. We were very much enjoying the better of the game against the Red Devils until being undone by a devastating counterattack from which Cunha scored the only goal less than twenty minutes from time. After the final whistle our supporters applauded the players for their efforts in spite of their obvious disappointment after yet another home defeat.
We travelled to Newcastle on the final day of February fearing perhaps that our run of away success was about to end. Far from doing so we came away from St James’ Park savouring a remarkable 2-3 victory. After Branthwaite’s near post header had given us the lead on nineteen minutes the Geordies fought back to equalise with a deflected shot from Ramsey (32). Our response was immediate, Beto knocking in the rebound after keeper Pope had fumbled a shot from a resurgent Dwight McNeil. We held the lead until eight minutes from time when Pickford was beaten by another deflected shot, this time from Murphy. At that point many of us in the ridiculously high Leazes Stand feared the worst. But no! This Everton team once again proved its resilience under pressure. Within a minute of the restart Dewsbury-Hall burst into the area to set up a chance for substitute Barry. Although heavily fouled the young striker somehow managed to bundle the ball over the line. He probably knew little about it until hearing the celebrations in the gallery.
It would be remiss not to make special mention of the late save from Pickford. Tonali could not have made a better connection with his shot. Our keeper tipped the ball on to the bar. It was one of the best saves your scribe has seen.
March: Hill Dickinson High
We returned to the Hill Dickinson for a Tuesday night game against second from bottom Burnley. At last we broke our home hoodoo which had endured for three long months. Goals from Tarkowski (32) and Dewsbury-Hall (60) gave us a routine but very welcome 2-0 win. Two successive victories had lifted the club back to eighth place and potentially a better than evens chance of European qualification.
Another significant gap between fixtures allowed the squad minus Branthwaite to head off to Portugal for warm weather training. They returned, with Branthwaite still absent, to face title chasing Arsenal in a Saturday tea-time clash at the Emirates. A resilient display seemed to have earned a fully deserved point until Pickford misjudged a cross a minute from time to give Gyökeres a tap-in. In the dying seconds of stoppage time with Pickford having ventured into the Arsenal area for a corner, the sixteen year old prodigy, Max Dowman, broke away to seal a 2-0 win for the Gunners. The scoreline seemed very harsh after an uplifting performance against a team in pole position for the title.
The following Saturday we welcomed Chelsea to L3 for another Sky 5.30 p.m. treat. It was a perfect evening on and off the pitch. Our fans were at their ferocious best, not only desperate for a win against the World Club Champions but also angry about the ludicrously lenient treatment meted out by the Premier League to a club found guilty of multiple breaches of rules. Our players gave their best performance of the season. A brace from Beto (33, 62) and a fine effort into the top corner by Ndiaye (76) wrapped up a commanding win on an evening when the new stadium truly felt like a home. James Garner celebrated his first England call-up with a superb through ball for the opening goal.
We now had a three week break to reflect on the club’s progress and our prospects for the closing weeks of the campaign. In marked contrast to previous seasons in which we were haunted by the threat of relegation we had the luxury of contemplating a realistic prospect of European qualification. We remained eighth in the table, a position which might well qualify for entry to the UEFA Conference League. Some fans had genuine misgivings about the additional burden European involvement would place on a squad still lacking depth and undoubtedly requiring upgrades in several positions. This scribe was not alone in believing squad building would be enhanced by entry into Europe. It was a nice debate to enjoy after our struggles of the recent past. Little did we realise how injurious three weeks without a game would prove to be for our heightened ambitions. Little did we realise our team had already peaked with the rest of the season destined to be a huge anti-climax.
April: European Chase Runs Out Of Steam
The return to action took us to Brentford, the club immediately above us in the table. The players looked rusty. Abject defending in the second minute led to a penalty, converted by our nemesis in January, Igor Thiago. Beto extended his goal streak with a headed equaliser on twenty six minutes. The hosts appeared to have won the points with another Thiago goal fourteen minutes from time. Fortunately the players once again demonstrated their spirit when, in the first minute of stoppage time, Dewsbury-Hall hammered a leveller before celebrating in front of the joyful 1725 travelling faithful. A torrential downpour added to the sense of drama.
The first derby at Hill Dickinson was approached with some confidence on the part of our supporters and with a certain trepidation on the part of the Reds’ fans. We really should have known better. It is a long time since we had a team comfortable with the role of favourites in this fixture. After a positive start which included a correct VAR intervention to deny Ndiaye we gifted possession in our own half to set up the opening goal for Salah just before the half hour. An equaliser from Beto eight minutes into the second half sent the new stadium rocking. Giorgi Mamardashvili, injured in the process of conceding our equaliser, was replaced by third choice keeper Freddie Woodman. Our team failed to take advantage. A draw seemed inevitable until Van Dijk headed the winner from a corner in the tenth minute of stoppage time. The fallout included a hamstring injury for Branthwaite and concussion for Beto. The weekend’s results saw the club drop to tenth place in what remained a crowded mid-table with no fewer than seven clubs below the top five still eyeing European football next season.
The final Saturday fixture of the season took us to the London Stadium to face relegation threatened West Ham. After a nondescript opening half the hosts took the lead six minutes after the restart courtesy of a Souček header from a Bowen corner. A fine left footed shot from Dewsbury-Hall two minutes from time seemed enough to earn a point. Sadly it was not to be. We were undone when Callum Wilson sealed a 2-1 home win in the second minute of stoppage time. While still in contention for European football we ended the month in eleventh position in the table requiring a strong finish to the season.
May: Winless Run Extended
Our seventh Monday night match of the season on the Mayday public holiday pitted our boys against title contenders Manchester City. Guardiola’s team totally dominated the first half but had only a goal from Doku three minutes before the interval to show for their superiority. A marvellous thirteen minutes saw the Royal Blues take a 3-1 lead through a brace from substitute Barry (68, 81) and a header by O’Brien (73). The stadium was alight. Some visiting fans were seen heading towards the exits. Any notions the game was in the bag were quickly quashed when Haaland pulled a goal back straight from the restart. Somewhat predictably, and excruciatingly, for the third game in succession we conceded in stoppage time when Doku was allowed space to curl a brilliant effort beyond Pickford’s reach. Beforehand the majority of Evertonians would have been more than happy to have accepted a draw. Now the 3-3 scoreline felt very much like a crushing defeat.
The following Sunday we made the tiresome journey to Selhurst Park needing a win over Oliver Glasner’s UEFA Conference League finalists to maintain realistic hopes of European football next season. After a positive start in which Tarkowski gave us a sixth minute lead, we soon relinquished control allowing Palace an equaliser through Sarr eleven minutes before the break. Having regained the lead two minutes after the interval with a tremendous individual goal by Beto our team again failed to match the opportunity with the required intensity. Mateta equalised thirteen minutes from time. It was striking to witness Palace, after their Thursday night European exertions, finishing the match looking much the more energetic team. One suspected the accumulation of late goals conceded had drained our players of mental as much as physical strength.
Our run without a win was extended to six matches when Sunderland became the first club to pay two visits to the Hill Dickinson. We had hoped our players would be motivated to put on a show in the final home game of the campaign. Instead we witnessed a truly dismal performance despite taking the lead through Merlin Röhl’s first goal for the club three minutes before the interval. A misplaced pass from O’Brien opened up our rearguard for Brobbey’s equaliser just before the hour. The Black Cats went on to secure a comfortable 3-1 victory with goals from Le Fée (81) and Isidor (90+1). Seamus, a late substitute, was partly culpable for the final goal. It was a sad end to his seventeen years with us. Sadder still was the post match lap of appreciation led by Seamus and his family but witnessed by only six or seven thousand of us. The defeat dragged the club down to twelfth place, killing off any remaining hopes of European qualification.
Other than the prize money for league placings we had nothing at stake in the final game of the season at Spurs. The hosts had a great deal to play for; their Premier League status. A Palhina goal two minutes before the interval proved enough to ensure their survival. We managed only one shot on target, that in the ninth minute of stoppage time from substitute Tyrique George who was denied by a great save from keeper Kinský. The match itself will not live long in the memory of Evertonians. Going into the close season without a win in seven games made for some very disgruntled fans as we trooped along Worcester Avenue for the last coach journey home.
The league campaign concluded with the club thirteenth in the table, on forty nine points. Another five points would have been sufficient for eighth place and UEFA Conference League qualification. The collapse in form in the final two months of the season had been very costly.
Player Ratings
Pickford (9) Another stellar campaign with some truly amazing saves and eleven clean sheets . His stunning last minute save at Newcastle to ensure a win for his team was one of several which secured vital points. Late season form was slightly below his normal high standards.
O’Brien (6) Mainly used at right back where on the whole he was effective defensively. Looked much more comfortable on the few occasions he was deployed in his natural position at centre back.
Tarkowski (5) Many have started to question the playing captain’s status as an automatic first choice. His lack of pace was exposed on more occasions than we could afford. His inclination to drop into the six yard box to make blocks backfired several times when Pickford was unsighted or left stranded by a deflection.
Branthwaite (5) Our most talented defender when fit. Another season in which he missed a substantial chunk of the action with hamstring injuries, including one which required an operation. Having committed to a long term contract we must hope he can overcome his recurring injury problems sooner rather than later.
Keane (6) Arguably enjoyed his best campaign at the club until the closing weeks when he was caught up in the general malaise affecting the team as a whole. While fully deserving of a new contract, he will surely not be expecting a regular starting role in what will be his tenth season at the club.
Mykolenko (6) A warrior defensively with a great attitude. Often criticised for the quality of his delivery from the flanks but we have more pressing issues elsewhere in the squad.
Garner (9) Previous doubts about his ability to impose himself at this level as well as maintain fitness over a full campaign were well and truly resolved. Our player of the season, he really stepped up to become a mainstay of the team and fully deserved his England call-up in March.
Gana (7) Not quite at the level he achieved last year but remained an important cog in midfield. His absence through injury in the final weeks was keenly felt.
Iroegbunam (5) Evidence, albeit patchy, of growing maturity and greater stamina. His crowd pleasing tackles and energy partially compensated for loose positional play and poor decisions in possession.
Dewsbury-Hall (8) A very good season in which he added quality to our attacking play including some vital goals. One of the leaders in the squad.
Ndiaye (7) His exquisite dribbling, a few brilliant goals and unstinting work rate once again made a huge impact until like many of his teammates he faded in the closing weeks of the season.
Arguably our most valuable player in terms of current marketability.
Grealish (7) Added star quality to the club along with ball retention skills and important early season assists. A foot injury ruled him out of the final four months of the season. Would be welcomed back if a deal can be done with his parent club.
McNeil (5) Looked totally ineffective and bereft of confidence in the first half of the season. A transfer to Crystal Palace fell through in the final hours of the January transfer window, after which he put in some creditable performances from the right flank. It would be surprising if he does not move on in the summer.
Beto (6) As last season the wholehearted Portuguese enjoyed a spell of good form in the second half of the season. Time will tell if that was enough to warrant a contract extension or attract interest from other clubs.
Barry (5) Looked out of his depth in the opening months before a promising mid-season spell. Disappointingly he reverted to his early season form after the regrettable incident at Arsenal involving friends with an apparent allegiance to the Gunners.
Alcaraz (5) After his promising loan spell in the second half of the 24/25 season, the Argentinian failed to meet some inflated expectations. Always willing and positive, he remains a raw, unproven talent whose decision making is erratic.
Röhl (6) A deadline day signing, injuries severely hampered the first few months of his season. Made a favourable impression in the mid-season victories at Forest and Villa before re-emerging as a potential difference maker in the closing weeks. Nobody, including it seems the manager, is quite sure of his best position.
Armstrong (6) The teenager looked the part in half a dozen league starts before being consigned to the bench following the home defeat to Manchester United. More, much more, to come surely?
The rest of the squad failed to rack up sufficient appearances to inform a meaningful rating…
Coleman His final season. Starred in the league cup tie against Mansfield but was plainly unable to cope with the intense physical demands of the Premier League. Remained an important figure in the dressing room as a non-playing captain.
Patterson A few appearances around the turn of the year were evidence of some talent but has failed to convince Moyes he should be a regular starter.
Dibling For such a big outlay it was surprising, not to mention disappointing, we saw so little of him, or from him during his handful of appearances. His most effective performance at Forest was followed by, to put it kindly, a diffident first half at home to Brentford. From the player’s perspective it must feel like a season wasted.
Aznou Deemed unready for league action. Although he showed energy and determination as a late substitute in the Sunderland FA Cup tie we really have no clue as to his true potential. Another who must wonder what he has gained from his season.
George Showed pace and skill in one start and several cameos since his arrival on loan in January. It remains to be seen if a permanent deal will be done.
Travers Unconvincing in the Carabao Cup.
The Men of the Matches
Always subjective and very arbitrary, here is the summary of man of the match ratings over the forty one matches played. There are two surprising absentees from the list; Grealish and Pickford. Although both made significant contributions in the course of the season their best individual moments were trumped by one or other of their team mates in the matches as a whole.
Garner - 11
Dewsbury-Hall - 9
Ndiaye - 6
Beto - 4
Barry - 2
Keane - 2
Röhl - 2
Gana - 1
Coleman -1
O’Brien - 1
Iroegbunam - 1
McNeil -1
The Manager
It is a truism that all Premier League managers are but one poor run away from the threat of dismissal. Patience among the most vocal fans is at a premium while the media’s appetite for managerial churn is insatiable. Within clubs cool heads are required at the top when a manager comes under pressure through poor form or simply a failure to meet expectations. A knee jerk response from panicked owners or their decision makers is as likely to accelerate a downward spiral as it is to produce durable solutions.
For David Moyes the primary objective this season was to avoid any sort of relegation threat. A safe mid-table berth was a pre-requisite. That it was achieved with a degree of comfort of which we could have only dreamt in previous years is greatly to the manager’s credit. If there was a moment of doubt, it came in the winter months when AFCON commitments, injuries, illnesses and suspensions seriously depleted a squad still light on quality and depth of Premier League experience. Thankfully Moyes and his staff mined enough resilience from the group to muster a series of vital away victories in notably unpropitious circumstances. Those wins served to keep the points tally ticking over during a period in which home form had collapsed.
Arguably the biggest disappointment was the failure to put together a long winning sequence, mainly owing to that poor home form. While Moyes avoided lengthy losing runs, there was frustration he failed to engineer the four or five consecutive wins which would have taken the club into the top six. In a sense that would have represented a sizeable overachievement given the obvious gaps in the squad and the associated impact of the financial chasm which exists between our club and those which have benefited from regular participation in European competitions. In revenue terms our natural position is in the middle of the table.
Many fans complained we saw too little of the younger players to form a judgement on whether or not they were of the calibre required at Premier League level: Aznou, Dibling, George and until the final month Röhl, being the main cases in point. Also on the charge sheet against the manager was his conservatism in the use of substitutions coupled with the perception that some players, Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall among them, were overplayed to the point at which, in the closing weeks of the season, they simply ran out of energy.
Yet, as Moyes pointed out in his final pre-match media interview of the season, his team played only forty one matches with the final nine matches spread over a period of eleven weeks. By any standards that was a leisurely run-in. Why then, did performances falter in the closing weeks? I suggest the stoppage time goals conceded in three consecutive games in April and early May had a seriously debilitating effect on morale and belief within the squad. Just when we needed players to be at their strongest mentally their fragility became all too apparent. Some limited rotation of the squad with a view to freshening the look of the starting eleven might have paid dividends.
That is by no means certain.
There was criticism also of the failure to mount a challenge for the domestic cups. Many fans felt short-changed by the team selection for the Carabao defeat at Wolves. Moyes would perhaps contend the failure of peripheral members of the squad to perform that night against the worst team in the Premier League constituted firm evidence of their lack of readiness for regular league action. There were extenuating circumstances in the FA Cup defeat to Sunderland when squad availability was at its lowest level. Once again players given a rare opportunity to stake their claim for a regular start failed to impress.
That, I suggest, highlights the principal mitigation for the manager’s failure to deliver a higher league position: the squad was not strong enough. While European qualification was not on the radar of the majority of fans at the start of the season it became a realistic expectation as the months passed. Many blame the manager for the club falling short of what would have been a huge statement of progress. In the end though, at the root of the sharp decline in performances and results in the latter stages of the campaign was the lack of depth in the squad. We simply didn’t have the players to match the quality of the first choice selection when the form of our best players fell below their best level.
There is no denying however that as far as many fans are concerned, the manager’s position should now be under scrutiny. In recent weeks it has seemed as though half of Everton supporters felt the club was not ready to compete in European football while the other half now want the manager sacked for failing to qualify. Moyes will know anything less than a positive start next season will seriously undermine his position. At the time of writing he has a year left on his current contract. If the owners offer him the extension mooted a few weeks ago it would underline their confidence in his ability to continue laying the foundations for longer term, sustainable development of the squad. If the recent poor run has led them to have second thoughts, the risk is increased of Moyes entering lame duck territory with the ensuing uncertainty surrounding team building, transfer dealings and player contract renewals. If as we suspect, the Friedkin Group are intent on maintaining a stable environment one imagines they will seek to avoid that scenario. In Moyes they trust…?
The Final Analysis
Twelve months ago in my review of Season 2024/25 I wrote…
‘Going into next season the clear goal must be the pursuit of a place in the top half of the table with perhaps a dream of European qualification but most certainly no threat of relegation. To that end a marked improvement in attacking strength to facilitate an increase in goals and victories will be essential.’
At the outset of this season we craved mid-table stability. It might be said one fan’s stability is another fan’s mediocrity. With memories of relegation scraps all too recent the lack of drama in this campaign can be cited as evidence of progress. At no point did we drift into the relegation places, always enjoying a cushion of several points above the bottom group. Equally at no point after the early weeks did we break into the top six. At times we came tantalisingly close, only a couple of victories short of a Champions League placing. We were in many ways the archetypal mid-table outfit; winning a couple of games here, losing or drawing a couple there.
Could more have been achieved? Why in the end did we fall back into the lower half of the table with a dreadful run of results in the final weeks? Goal scoring was an issue from the outset of the campaign. Notwithstanding an improvement in our build-up play, we scored only five goals more than the previous season. That increase was offset by an extra six goals conceded. As the season reached its climax it was our defensive fragility which became the bigger issue. It was galling to witness points frittered away to agonising late goals which eroded momentum when we most needed it. By the same token a significant number of points were accumulated earlier in the season, especially away from home, by very fine margins with the late goals at Bournemouth, Brighton, Newcastle and Brentford turning outcomes narrowly in our favour. Without the extra points garnered in those games we might well have found ourselves uncomfortably close to the relegation zone.
A major handicap was obviously our home form which, after a solid start, fell away alarmingly in the middle of the season. Those long winter months without a home victory drained the enthusiasm of fans who had yearned to see the new stadium established as a fortress. Perhaps we should not have been surprised at the shortcomings; our form at Goodison had been very poor for several seasons. Although the new surroundings and a surfeit of Monday night games may have been contributory factors, the majority of the reverses at home could be attributed to the team’s longstanding susceptibility to swift counterattacks along with a new vulnerability, defending corners.
In marked contrast it was a terrific season to follow the team on the road. We enjoyed above average success collecting seven wins and twenty six points. All those wins were hard earned, the team showing characteristic resilience most notably in the landmark victories with ten men at Old Trafford and a severely depleted squad at Villa Park. It was in those away games that the team’s strengths came to the fore. Every player understood their role in a compact defensive shape, won their midfield duels and used the ball with purpose to maximise counterattacking opportunities. It is salutary to imagine how the season might have unfolded were it not for those away triumphs.
It is largely owing to the away form that I would mark the season as a qualified success. The club has managed the transition to a new stadium, avoided any threat of relegation, achieved some improvement in the quality of attacking play and begun the process of rebuilding the squad. Much remains to be done in the latter regard with several positions, all heavily signposted, requiring urgent attention. The drop-off in form towards the end of the season has tainted many fans’ view of the season and served to emphasise just how much work lies ahead to build a squad capable of competing in the upper echelons of the Premier League. With the new recruitment team now established expectations are high that this summer’s recruitment drive will supply the manager with an enhanced group of players ready immediately to meet the exacting demands of Premier League football. Equally there will be an onus on the manager to develop and utilise more effectively a greater proportion of the squad, especially younger players with the potential to grow into top quality performers. That more than anything would help lay the groundwork for the club to move forward in a sustainable way to a successful future.
VAR
Finally permit me the indulgence of a brief moan about VAR. Too often for anyone’s liking the outcome of matches swung on Stockley Park interventions or non-interventions which seemed never to even themselves out over the campaign. One thinks of the hand ball penalties awarded against Tarkowski and Dewsbury-Hall in August compared with the blatant one so casually dismissed at West Ham in April. Obvious injustice however, is not the biggest problem with the system. The spontaneous joy of goal celebrations has been trammelled in pursuit of the spurious goal of forensic accuracy. We have thus ended up with the worst of all worlds: a poor experience for fans, declining standards of refereeing on the pitch and as much inconsistency in decision making as there ever was.
With apologies to Edwin Starr…. ‘VAR …. What is a good for?…absolutely nothin’ …say it again!’
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