Everton

Everton’s 2022/23 Statistical Summary

Bradley Cates Reports

A statistical summary of the 2022/23 season.

 

Stats Of The Season

  • Everton’s opening day defeat to Chelsea was their first opening day defeat since they lost 1-0 to QPR in 2011.
  • Lucas Digne’s own goal for Everton against Aston Villa in August 2022 made him only the second player to score an own goal for and against Everton (after Don Hutchison).
    • Digne’s own goal was also the first time Everton’s first league goal of the season was an own goal since 1999/2000 (Jaap Stam).
  • Jordan Pickford’s assist for Demarai Gray’s equaliser against Nottingham Forest in August 2022 made Pickford only the fourth Everton goalkeeper to assist a goal in the Premier League (after Richard Wright, Tim Howard and Joel Robles).
  • Conor Coady was Everton’s starting captain in their 1-0 win over West Ham in September 2022, becoming the club’s first ever player to be starting captain while on loan.
  • In Everton’s 2-1 win over Southampton in October 2022, there were only 5 minutes between Everton conceding to fall behind and taking the lead – their quickest turnaround since against Blackburn in November 1962 (3 minutes).
  • Dwight McNeil’s goal against Crystal Palace in October 2022 was the first goal scored by an Everton substitute since Gylfi Sigurdsson against Liverpool in February 2021.
  • Everton had 3 different English goalscorers in their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in October 2022 (Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil) – only the third time this has happened in a Premier League game since the turn of the millennium (after Tottenham in August 2007 and Burnley in September 2021).
  • In Everton’s 4-1 defeat to Brighton in January 2023, they conceded 3 goals within 6 minutes. Since WWII, only against Bolton in December 2005 have they conceded 3 goals in a shorter time in a home game (5 minutes).
  • Everton’s 4-1 defeat to Brighton was their first game of 2023. They lost their first game of a calendar year in each of the last 6 years, and 5 of those games were at Goodison Park.
  • Conor Coady’s own goal against Manchester United in January 2023 made him the first Everton player to score an own goal in the FA Cup since Pat Van Den Hauwe against Blackburn in January 1986.
  • Conor Coady scored a goal and an own goal against Manchester United in January 2023 – he was the first Everton player to score a goal and an own goal in the same game since Leon Osman against Arsenal in January 2010.
  • Frank Lampard earned just 0.92 points per game as Everton manager (35 points in 38 league games). Adjusted to 3 points for a win and excluding caretaker managers, only Mike Walker has a lower points-per-game ratio in the club’s history (0.87).
  • Everton’s first goal under former Burnley manager Sean Dyche was scored by former Burnley defender James Tarkowski and assisted by former Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.
    • The goal was also Tarkowski’s first goal assisted by McNeil in what was the 156th game they played together.
  • Everton’s 1-0 win over Arsenal in February 2023 was the first time they beat the league leaders while starting the day in the relegation zone since New Year’s Day 1927 (3-2 vs Burnley).
  • In Everton’s 1-0 win over Leeds in February 2023, the only goal was scored by Seamus Coleman. The win extends Everton’s record of never losing in games where Coleman has scored (28 games, 22 wins, 6 draws) [excluding penalty shootouts].
  • Everton’s 1-0 win over Brentford in March 2023 was the first time the Blues won 1-0 after scoring their only goal in the first minute since against Norwich in May 1987.
  • Ellis Simms wore the number 50 shirt when he scored his first Everton goal in the Blues’ 2-2 draw against Chelsea in March 2023, making him the highest-numbered player to score a goal for Everton.
  • Ellis Simms’ equaliser against Chelsea in March 2023 was the first time an Everton substitute scored an equaliser in a Premier League game since Theo Walcott against Aston Villa in July 2020.
  • Lucas Moura’s red card in Everton’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham in April 2023 was the first time an opposition player was sent off in an Everton game since West Brom’s Kieran Gibbs in September 2020, ending a run of 118 consecutive games in all competitions without an opposition player getting sent off.
  • Michael Keane’s equaliser in Everton’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham in April 2023 was the first time Everton scored a goal in the 90th minute after being a goal down and having a player sent off since against Birmingham in August 2002.
  • Everton’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham in April 2023 ended their run of 14 consecutive home wins on Grand National weekend.
  • Jordan Pickford’s penalty save against Leicester in May 2023 ended a run of 11 successfully converted penalties against Everton.
    • Pickford’s penalty save was also the first penalty he saved for Everton since against Newcastle in March 2019.
  • Everton’s 5-1 win over Brighton in May 2023 was the first time two Everton players scored at least 2 goals in away game (Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil) since against Luton in May 1983 (Graeme Sharp and Kevin Sheedy).
  • Yerry Mina’s equaliser in Everton’s 1-1 draw against Wolves in May 2023 was Everton’s latest ever goal in normal time (98:54).
  • James Tarkowski was the only outfield player to play every minute of the 2022/23 Premier League. He was also the first Everton outfield player to play every minute of a Premier League season since Leighton Baines in 2012/13.
  • James Tarkowski blocked 78 shots in the 2022/23 Premier League – at least 36 more than any other player.
  • James Tarkowski made 196 clearances in the 2022/23 Premier League – only Ethan Pinnock (214) made more.
  • James Tarkowski won 120 aerial duels in the 2022/23 Premier League – only Ben Mee (132) won more.
  • Idrissa Gueye made 97 successful tackles in the 2022/23 Premier League – only Joao Palhinha (147) and Moises Caicedo (100) made more.
  • Idrissa Gueye made 56 interceptions in the 2022/23 Premier League – only Declan Rice (63) made more.
  • Everton earned 0.95 points per game in the 2022/23 Premier League – their worst ever league campaign on a points-per-game basis (adjusted to 3 points for a win).
  • Everton won 8 league games in the 2022/23 season – the fewest in a single season in their history.
  • Everton earned just 21 points at home in 2022/23 season – the fewest in a single season in their history (adjusted to 3 points for a win).
  • Everton lost 10 home league games in the 2022/23 season – the most in a single season in their history.
  • Everton won 6 home league games in the 2022/23 season – only in 1957/58 (5) have they won fewer.
  • Everton scored only 16 home league goals in the 2022/23 season – the fewest in the Premier League and also the fewest in a single season in their history.
  • Everton scored more away league goals (18) than home league goals (16) in the 2022/23 season – only the third time this has happened in the club’s history (after 1983/84 and 1992/93).
  • Everton failed to do a league double over an opponent for the second consecutive season. This is the first time in their history that they failed to do a league double in back-to-back seasons.
  • Everton spent the entire 2022/23 Premier League season in the bottom half of the table – the first time this has happened since 1997/98.
    • Only two seasons prior to this, they spent the entire league campaign in the top half.
  • Everton scored 34 goals in the 2022/23 Premier League – only Wolves (31) scored fewer.
  • Everton conceded 10 goals from counter attacks in the 2022/23 Premier League – at least 2 more than any other team.
  • Everton are one of only 2 teams who did not score an own goal in the 2022/23 Premier League (with Nottingham Forest).
  • Everton earned 3 points from losing positions from goals scored in the 89th minute or later in the 2022/23 Premier League (Ellis Simms vs Chelsea, Michael Keane vs Tottenham and Yerry Mina vs Wolves). They ultimately avoided relegation by 2 points.
  • Everton beat Brighton by a 4-goal margin away from home and lost to Brighton by a 3-goal margin at Goodison Park in the 2022/23 Premier League. This is only the second occasion in club’s history where they won by 4 goals away from home and lost by 3 goals at home against the same opponent in a single league season (after Arsenal in 1908/09 – a 4-0 win at the Manor Ground and then a 3-0 defeat at Goodison Park within the space of 5 days in September 1908).

 

Premier League Top Threes (Total)

  • Games – Iwobi/Tarkowski (38), Pickford (37)
  • Starts – Iwobi/Tarkowski (38), Pickford (37)
  • Sub appearances – Maupay (16), Davies (15), Garner/Simms (9)
  • Subbed off – Gueye (18), Onana (13), Calvert-Lewin/Coleman/Gray (11)
  • Minutes – Tarkowski (3,420), Iwobi (3,382), Pickford (3,330)
  • Goals – McNeil (7), Doucoure (5), Gray (4)
  • Assists – Iwobi (7), McNeil (3), Doucoure/Keane/Onana (2)
  • Goal involvements – McNeil (10), Iwobi (9), Doucoure (7)
  • Shots – Gray (59), McNeil (46), Iwobi (42)
  • Shots on target – Gray (24), Gordon/Maupay (16)
  • Chances created – Iwobi (64), McNeil (49), Gray (37)
  • Big chances created – McNeil (11), Iwobi (8), Tarkowski (6)
  • Big chances missed – Maupay (7), Calvert-Lewin (6), Gray (5)
  • Successful passes – Tarkowski (1,316), Iwobi (1,097), Gueye (1,022)
  • Pass accuracy (min. 500 passes) – Coady (85.1%), Gueye (84.5%), Onana (84.0%)
  • Successful long balls (outfield players only) – Tarkowski (122), Coady (106), Iwobi (73)
  • Long ball accuracy (min. 50 long balls) – Onana (63.1%), Iwobi (51.4%), Gray (50.0%)
  • Successful crosses – McNeil (50), Gray (37), Iwobi (29)
  • Cross accuracy (min. 30 crosses) – Iwobi (27.9%), McNeil (25.8%), Mykolenko (24.6%)
  • Successful dribbles – Iwobi (55), McNeil (53), Gray (33)
  • Successful tackles – Gueye (97), Onana (72), Iwobi (69)
  • Interceptions – Gueye (56), Tarkowski (51), Mykolenko (46)
  • Clearances – Tarkowski (196), Mykolenko (89), Coady (85)
  • Headed clearances – Tarkowski (119), Mykolenko (46), Coady (41)
  • Shots blocked – Tarkowski (78), Coady (17), Mykolenko (16)
  • Aerial duels won – Tarkowski (120), Keane (63), Calvert-Lewin (66)
  • Fouls committed – Onana (44), Gueye (43), Tarkowski (40)
  • Yellow cards – Onana (9), Gueye (7), Doucoure/Gordon/Pickford/Tarkowski (6)
  • Fouls won – Gray (51), Gueye (50), Onana (49)
  • Offsides – Calvert-Lewin (19), Gray (13), Doucoure (8)

 

Premier League Top Threes (Per 90)

(Minimum 900 minutes played)

  • Shots – Maupay (2.6), Calvert-Lewin (2.4), Gordon/Gray (2.1)
  • Shots on target – Gordon/Maupay (1.3), Gray (0.9)
  • Chances created – McNeil (1.8), Iwobi (1.7), Doucoure/Gray (1.3)
  • Successful passes – Coady (43.8), Gueye (35.5), Tarkowski (34.6)
  • Successful long balls (outfield players only) – Coady (4.6), Tarkowski (3.2), Keane (2.4)
  • Successful crosses – McNeil (1.8), Gray (1.3), Iwobi (0.8)
  • Successful dribbles – McNeil (1.9), Iwobi (1.5), Gray (1.2)
  • Successful tackles – Patterson (3.5), Gueye (3.4), Gordon (2.8)
  • Interceptions – Gueye (1.9), Mykolenko (1.6), Keane/Onana/Tarkowski (1.3)
  • Clearances – Tarkowski (5.2), Keane (5.0), Coady (3.6)
  • Shots blocked – Tarkowski (2.1), Coady (0.7), Keane (0.6)
  • Aerial duels won – Keane (6.1), Calvert-Lewin (5.1), Tarkowski (3.2)
  • Fouls committed – Calvert-Lewin (1.7), Gordon/Onana (1.6)
  • Fouls won – Gray/Onana (1.8), Gueye/Maupay (1.7)

Everton’s 2021/22 Statistical Summary

Bradley Cates Reports

A statistical summary of the 2021/22 season.

 

Stats Of The Season

  • Everton’s 3-1 win over Southampton in August was the first time they won by at least 2 goals on the opening day of the season since 1996.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored in each of Everton’s first 3 league games this season. He also did so the previous season, becoming the first Everton player to score in the first 3 league games of the season in back-to-back seasons since Dixie Dean in 1933/34 and 1934/35.
  • Abdoulaye Doucoure’s assists in Everton’s 3-1 win over Burnley in September were in the 65th and 66th minute – only the second time an Everton player provided 2 assists in a minute in a Premier League game (after Magaye Gueye against Sunderland in April 2012).
  • Everton’s penalty shootout defeat to QPR in the League Cup in September was their 5th loss in penalty shootouts against lower league opposition (won only once).
    • The penalty shootout defeat to QPR also extended Everton’s record of losing every single penalty shootout that went to sudden death (4 defeats out of 4).
  • Everton’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham in October was their 500th home league defeat in their history.
    • The defeat to West Ham was also the first time they lost successive home games against West Ham since March 1930.
  • Josh King’s hat-trick in Everton’s 5-2 defeat to Watford in October made him the first player to score a hat-trick against Everton at Goodison Park since Bradley Allen for QPR in November 1993.
    • This was also only the third time a player scored a hat-trick against Everton having previously played for the Blues (after Harry Hammond for Sheffield United in February 1895 and Tommy Browell for Manchester City in September 1925).
  • Everton lost 10 home league games in 2021 – their joint-most ever in a calendar year (with 1929, 1958 and 1993).
  • Everton’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in December meant they beat the Gunners in 3 consecutive meetings – the first time they did so since April 1986.
  • Demarai Gray’s winning goal in Everton’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in December was the first time Everton scored a winning goal in the 90th minute after falling behind at half-time since against Fulham in April 2010. The player who scored the winning goal for Everton against Fulham was Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
  • Jarrad Branthwaite’s goal in Everton’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea in December was his first right-foot shot in his senior league career.
  • Everton had 3 consecutive games postponed in December. Excluding the first lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was the first time Everton had 3 consecutive games postponed since the Big Freeze of 1963.
  • Everton did not play a competitive match between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this season. Since the inaugural Football League season and excluding seasons scrapped due to war, this was only the third time this had happened in the club’s history (after 1892/93 and 1962/63).
  • Everton’s 3-2 defeat to Brighton in January was their first ever home defeat to Brighton.
  • Everton lost their first game of 2022 – they lost their first game of a calendar year in each of the last 5 years, and 4 of those games were at Goodison Park.
  • Everton’s match against Aston Villa in January was the first match at Goodison Park where the Blues were managed by a former Everton club captain (Duncan Ferguson) and their opponents were managed by a former Liverpool club captain (Steven Gerrard) since Everton v Liverpool in September 1993 (Howard Kendall and Graeme Souness).
  • Salomon Rondon’s hat-trick for Venezuela against Bolivia in January made him the first Everton player to score a hat-trick in an official international match since Gary Lineker against Poland in the 1986 World Cup.
  • Frank Lampard lost his first league game as Everton manager in the Blues’ 3-1 defeat to Newcastle in February. He was the first permanent Everton manager to lose his first league game in charge since Gordon Lee in 1977.
  • Everton lost each of their first 4 league games of 2022 – only the third time they lost each of their first 4 league games of a calendar year (after 1977 and 1997).
  • Everton’s FA Cup match against National League side Boreham Wood in March was the first time they played a match against non-league opposition in the fifth round of the FA Cup since against Telford in 1985.
  • Vitalii Mykolenko captained Everton in their 2-0 win over Boreham Wood in March, becoming the youngest non-English captain in the club’s history and 8th youngest ever captain overall.
  • Jordan Pickford conceded 5 goals on his birthday in Everton’s 5-0 defeat to Tottenham in March. He was the first Everton goalkeeper to concede 5 goals in a competitive match on his birthday.
  • Alex Iwobi’s 99th-minute winning goal against Newcastle in March was Everton’s latest ever goal in normal time.
    • Iwobi’s goal against Newcastle was also scored on St. Patrick’s Day. As well as Ireland, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Nigeria, Iwobi’s homeland.
  • Everton’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in March was their biggest FA Cup defeat since they lost 4-0 to Liverpool in January 1955.
  • Everton had a player sent off in 3 consecutive league games (Jonjoe Kenny against Wolves, Allan against Newcastle and Michael Keane against West Ham) – the first time this had happened in the club’s history.
  • David Moyes’ West Ham did the league double over Everton this season. This was only the third time a former Everton manager did the league double over the Blues since they left the club (after Cliff Britton with Preston in 1958/59 and Johnny Carey with Nottingham Forest in 1966/67).
  • Mike Dean awarded Everton 2 penalties against Burnley in April – they were the only penalties he awarded Everton in his entire refereeing career.
  • Everton’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in April extended their run to 14 consecutive home wins on Grand National weekend.
  • Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on May 1st was their first ever home win on that date in what was their 6th attempt.
  • Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in May was the first time they beat the reigning European champions since they did the league double over Liverpool in 1984/85.
  • Richarlison’s goal from Cesar Azpilicueta’s error against Chelsea in May was the only time Everton benefitted from an error directly leading to a goal in the Premier League this season.
  • Everton scored 2 non-penalty goals against Leicester in May – this was the only away game this season where they scored 2 non-penalty goals.
  • Everton beat the reigning European champions (Chelsea) and FA Cup winners (Leicester) this season – the first time they did so in the league since 1982/83 (5-0 vs European champions Aston Villa and 3-1 vs FA Cup winners Tottenham). Coincidentally, both wins in both seasons were back-to-back.
  • Everton’s 0-0 draw against Watford in May was the first ever goalless draw between the two sides in what was their 33rd meeting.
  • Jarrad Branthwaite’s red card against Brentford in May made him the first teenager to be sent off for Everton since Wayne Rooney against Birmingham in December 2002.
    • Branthwaite’s red card against Brentford in the 18th minute was the earliest an Everton player was sent off since Tony Hibbert against Sigma Olomouc in August 2009 (6th minute), and the earliest in a league game since Iain Turner against Blackburn in February 2006 (9th minute).
  • Everton had 2 players sent off against Brentford in May (Jarrad Branthwaite and Salomon Rondon) – the first time this had happened since against Liverpool in October 2007 (Tony Hibbert and Phil Neville).
  • Everton’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford in May was only the second game in the club’s history where they had a player sent off in both halves. The only other game was against Barnsley in the FA Cup in January 1915 (George Harrison in the first half, Bobby Parker in the second half).
  • Everton’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in May was the first time they came from 2+ goals down at half-time to win a league game since against Derby in April 1977.
  • Everton’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in May was their 1,878th win in the top flight.
  • Everton failed to do a league double over a team this season – the first time they failed to do so since 1997/98.
  • Everton have lost 21 Premier League games this season – the most since 1993/94 (22).
  • Everton received 6 red cards in the Premier League this season – more than any other team.
  • An opposition player was not sent off in any Everton game this season – the first time this had happened since 1990/91.
  • Everton conceded 66 league goals this season – the most since 1975/76 (also 66).
    • On a goals-per-game basis, they conceded 1.74 goals per league game this season – the highest since 1959/60 (1.86).
  • Everton’s goal difference this season was -23 – their worst goal difference since 1950/51 (-38).
  • Everton’s average possession in the Premier League this season was 39.1% – the joint-lowest in the league (with Burnley).
  • Everton’s pass accuracy in the Premier League this season was 73.3% – only Burnley (69.2%) and Watford (72.9%) had a worse pass accuracy.
  • Everton scored 5 own goals in the Premier League this season – more than any other team.
  • Everton had 10 errors directly leading to goal in the Premier League this season – more than any other team.
  • Everton had 49 big chances in the Premier League this season – only Norwich (37) had fewer.
  • Everton conceded 22 goals from set piece situations in the Premier League this season (excluding penalties) – more than any other team.
  • Michael Keane scored 2 own goals in the Premier League this season – he was one of only 2 players to score more than one own goal (with Jamaal Lascelles).
  • 2 first-half substitutes scored in the first half for Everton this season – Yerry Mina against Brentford in February and Donny van de Beek against Arsenal in May. Prior to this season, no first-half substitute scored in the first half for Everton since Steven Naismith against Chelsea in September 2015.
  • Everton came from behind at half-time to win a Premier League game 3 times this season. Before this season, the last time they came from behind at half-time to win a league game was against West Brom in September 2015.

 

Premier League Top Threes (Total)

  • Games – Pickford/Gordon (35), Gray (34)
  • Starts – Pickford (35), Keane (31), Coleman (30)
  • Sub appearances – Rondon (12), Gordon/Alli (10)
  • Subbed off – Gray (19), Gordon (11), Richarlison/Iwobi/Allan (7)
  • Minutes – Pickford (3,150), Keane (2,793), Coleman (2,658)
  • Goals – Richarlison (10), Gray/Calvert-Lewin (5)
  • Assists – Richarlison (5), Doucoure/Gray (4)
  • Goal involvements – Richarlison (15), Gray (9), Calvert-Lewin (7)
  • Shots – Richarlison (72), Gray (65), Gordon (44)
  • Shots on target – Richarlison (23), Gordon (18), Gray (17)
  • Chances created – Gray (42), Iwobi (36), Gordon (35)
  • Big chances created – Richarlison (7), Gray (6), Gordon (4)
  • Big chances missed – Richarlison (6), Calvert-Lewin/Iwobi (3)
  • Successful passes – Keane (927), Doucoure (862), Allan (766)
  • Pass accuracy (min. 500 passes) – Gray (81.5%), Allan (80.0%), Iwobi/Doucoure (79.6%)
  • Successful long balls (outfield players only) – Keane (125), Holgate (75), Coleman (53)
  • Long ball accuracy (min. 50 long balls) – Gray (53.8%), Doucoure (50.0%), Keane (49.0%)
  • Successful crosses – Gray (34), Townsend (28), Gordon (23)
  • Cross accuracy (min. 20 crosses) – Kenny (43.5%), Iwobi (34.4%), Coleman (31.7%)
  • Successful dribbles – Gray (55), Richarlison (40), Gordon (38)
  • Successful tackles – Doucoure (75), Allan (74), Coleman (61)
  • Interceptions – Keane (62), Coleman (32), Doucoure (28)
  • Clearances – Keane (128), Holgate (93), Godfrey (91)
  • Headed clearances – Keane (72), Godfrey (47), Holgate (46)
  • Shots blocked – Keane (28), Godfrey (19), Holgate (17)
  • Aerial duels won – Keane (97), Calvert-Lewin (94), Richarlison (66)
  • Fouls committed – Doucoure (39), Richarlison (36), Allan (30)
  • Yellow cards – Richarlison (9), Allan/Holgate (7)
  • Fouls won – Richarlison (68), Gordon (64), Townsend (69)
  • Offsides – Richarlison (21), Gordon (8), Rondon (5)

 

Premier League Top Threes (Per 90)

  • Shots – Richarlison (2.6), Gray (2.5), Calvert-Lewin (2.3)
  • Shots on target – Calvert-Lewin (0.9), Richarlison (0.8), Gordon/Gray (0.7)
  • Chances created – Townsend (1.9), Digne (1.7), Gray/Iwobi (1.6)
  • Successful passes – Allan (31.5), Doucoure (30.6), Keane (29.9)
  • Successful long balls (outfield players only) – Keane (4.0), Holgate (3.2), Coleman (1.8)
  • Successful crosses – Townsend (1.7), Gray (1.3), Digne (1.2)
  • Successful dribbles – Gray (2.1), Townsend (1.6), Gordon (1.5)
  • Successful tackles – Allan (3.0), Doucoure (2.7), Digne (2.5)
  • Interceptions – Keane (2.0), Kenny (1.8), Mykolenko (1.4)
  • Clearances – Keane (4.1), Godfrey (4.0), Holgate (3.9)
  • Shots blocked – Keane (0.9), Godfrey (0.8), Holgate (0.7)
  • Aerial duels won – Calvert-Lewin (6.6), Keane (3.1), Holgate (2.7)
  • Fouls committed – Doucoure (1.4), Richarlison (1.3), Allan/Calvert-Lewin/Digne (1.2)
  • Fouls won – Gordon (2.5), Richarlison/Townsend (2.4)

Everton’s 2020/21 Statistical Summary

Bradley Cates Reports , , ,

A statistical summary of the 2020/21 season.

 

Stats Of The Season

  • Everton’s win over Tottenham in September was their first win over Spurs since December 2012, and the first time they did so away from home since November 2008.
  • Joao Virginia made his Everton debut against Salford in September aged 20 years and 342 days – the youngest goalkeeper to play for Everton since John Ruddy against Blackburn in February 2006 (19y 110d).
  • Everton’s 5-2 win over West Brom in September was the first time they scored 5 goals in a league after conceding first since their 5-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in September 1985.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 5 goals in the first 3 league games of the season – the first Everton player to do so since Tommy Lawton in 1938/39.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hat-tricks against West Brom and West Ham in September made him the first Everton player to score a hat-trick in consecutive home games since John Willie Parker in February-March 1954.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored in each of Everton’s first 5 league games this season – the first player to do so since Tommy Lawton in 1938/39.
  • Everton scored at least 4 goals in 3 consecutive home games in September and October (against West Brom, West Ham and Brighton) – the first time they did so since September-October 1961.
  • Everton won each of their first 7 games of the season – this was only the second time they did so in their history (after 1894/95).
  • Everton signed Ben Godfrey for an initial fee of £20 million on October 5th – their biggest ever October signing, more than three times the previous record (Nick Barmby for £5.75 million in 1996).
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored on his England debut against Wales in October – the first Everton player to do so since Fred Pickering against USA in May 1964.
  • Ben Godfrey made his Everton debut against Liverpool in October – the first player to do so since Aaron Lennon in February 2015.
    • Ben Godfrey was also only the fourth Everton player whose age on his debut (22) was the same as his shirt number (with Slaven Bilic, Tobias Linderoth and Espen Baardsen).
  • Niels Nkounkou made his Everton league debut on his 20th birthday against Southampton in November – only the third post-war player to make his Everton league debut on his birthday (after Ken McNaught and Matt Jackson).
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored a penalty for England against Republic of Ireland in November – excluding penalty shootouts, the first Everton player to do so since Alan Ball against Wales in October 1967.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin took just 9 games to score 10 league goals this season – only Dixie Dean (7 appearances in 1927/28 and 1929/30) and Bert Freeman (8 appearances in 1909/10) have reached that tally in fewer appearances for Everton in a top-flight season.
  • Mason Holgate scored his first Premier League goal for Everton against Leicester in December in what was his 69th Premier League appearance.
  • Everton’s defeat to West Ham on New Year’s Day was their 5th consecutive NYD defeat.
  • Everton’s 12pm kick-off against Rotherham was their earliest kick-off for an FA Cup match in the club’s history.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the first Englishman to score at least 15 goals in all competitions in successive seasons for Everton since Tony Cottee did so in 3 consecutive seasons (1988/89, 1989/90 and 1990/91).
  • Thierry Small made his Everton debut against Sheffield Wednesday in January at the age of 16 years and 176 days, becoming the Blues’ youngest ever player in a competitive match.
  • Thierry Small and Tyler Onyango’s debuts against Sheffield Wednesday were only the second time at least 2 players aged 17 or under made their Everton debut in the same domestic match (after Jason Danskin, Derek Walsh and Neill Rimmer against Luton in May 1985).
  • Everton won 4 consecutive away league games from December to February – the first time they did so since November-December 1985.
  • Everton’s 5-4 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup in February was their first 5-4 victory since against Watford in September 1984.
  • Gylfi Sigurdsson provided a hat-trick of assists against Tottenham in February – the first Everton player to do so since Steven Pienaar against Fulham in April 2012.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the fourth Everton player to score his 50th goal for the club against Tottenham (after Dixie Dean, Joe Royle and Duncan Ferguson).
  • Everton’s defeat to Fulham at Goodison Park in February was their first home defeat to the Cottagers in the league in their history.
  • Everton lost 3 consecutive home league games by a margin of at least 2 goals from January to February (against Newcastle, Fulham and Manchester City) – the first time they did so since August-September 1958.
  • Everton won at Anfield for the first time since September 1999.
  • Everton beat Liverpool by a margin of 2 goals at Anfield for the first time since February 1986.
  • Richarlison’s goal against Liverpool in February was the first time an Everton player scored in back-to-back Anfield derbies in the Premier League since Tim Cahill in March 2005 and March 2006.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin won a penalty against Liverpool in February – the second time he won a penalty in a Merseyside derby (after December 2017). In doing so, he became the first ever Everton player to win 2 penalties against Liverpool.
  • Everton beat Jurgen Klopp as opposition manager at their 13th attempt – their longest ever wait for a win against an opposition manager (previously Bob Jackson and Bob Paisley – 11th attempt).
  • Everton were unbeaten for 9 consecutive away league games from November to March – their longest unbeaten run away from home in the league since a 10-match unbeaten run from December 1984 to May 1985.
  • Richarlison scored in 4 consecutive league games from February to March – only the second Brazilian to do so in English top flight history (after Mirandinha in November-December 1987).
  • Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s return to first-team action against Crystal Palace was his first appearance for Everton since against Watford in August 2019 (597 days).
  • Everton beat Arsenal away from home for the first time since January 1996.
  • Everton did the league double over Arsenal for the first time since 1985/86.
  • Everton’s win over Arsenal in April was their first ever win at the Emirates Stadium in what was their 16th match at the ground – the longest wait for a first win at a stadium in the club’s history.
  • Everton went on a run of 4 consecutive clean sheets away from home in the Premier League from April to May – their longest such run since they kept 5 clean sheets in a row away from home from April to August 1995.
  • Everton’s defeat to Sheffield United in May was their 499th home league defeat in their history.
  • Everton did the league double over Wolves for the first time since 1975/76.
  • Everton have finished 10th place in the Premier League this season. Before the last day of the Premier League season, the lowest position they have been this season was 9th.
  • Everton’s tally of 59 points this season was more than they managed in 7 of their previous 10 seasons.
    • Despite earning more points, Everton finished lower than they did in 4 of those 7 seasons (7th/54 pts in 2010/11, 7th/56 pts in 2011/12, 8th/49 pts in 2017/18, 8th/54 pts in 2018/19).
    • Everton’s tally of 59 points was also the highest number of points for a team who has finished as high as 10th in the English top flight since Coventry in 1986/87 (63 points).
  • Everton earned 1.947 points per game away from home in the league this season – the second-best ever away record on a PPG basis (behind 1969/70 – 1.952).
  • Everton earned 1.16 points per game at home in the league this season – the second-worst ever home record on a PPG basis (behind 1957/58 – 1.14).
  • Everton won 28 points against teams who finished above them this season (W8 D4 L6).
  • Everton won 31 points against teams who finished below them this season (W9 D4 L7).
  • Everton won 11 away league games this season – only in 1969/70 and 1984/85 (both 12) they have won more.
  • Everton kept 9 clean sheets away from home in the league this season – only in 1969/70 (11) they have kept more.
  • Everton scored 20 goals from inside the six-yard box in the Premier League this season – only West Ham (21) have scored more.
  • Everton scored 14 headed goals in the Premier League this season – no other team scored more (level with Liverpool and West Ham).
  • Everton scored 14 goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season (excluding penalties) – only West Ham (16) and Southampton (15) have scored more.
  • Everton benefitted from 2 own goals in the Premier League this season – both of them were by Arsenal players (Rob Holding and Bernd Leno).
  • Everton conceded 12 goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season – only Sheffield United (13) conceded more.
  • Everton won as many games at Goodison Park in the Premier League this season with fans in attendance (3 out of 3) as without (3 out of 16).
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 16 non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season – only Harry Kane (19) scored more.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 10 goals from inside the penalty box in the Premier League this season – 3 more than any other player.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 6 goals from set-piece situations in the Premier League this season – more than any other player.
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 7 headed goals in the Premier League this season – more than any other player.

 

Premier League Top Threes

  • Games – Sigurdsson (36), Keane (35), Richarlison (34)
  • Starts – Keane/Richarlison (33), Calvert-Lewin (32)
  • Sub appearances – Iwobi (13), Sigurdsson (12), Gomes/King (11)
  • Subbed off – Rodriguez (14), Iwobi/Sigurdsson (12)
  • Minutes – Keane (2,990), Calvert-Lewin (2,876), Richarlison (2,872)
  • Goals – Calvert-Lewin (16), Richarlison (7), Rodriguez/Sigurdsson (6)
  • Assists – Digne (7), Sigurdsson (5), Rodriguez (4)
  • Shots – Calvert-Lewin (83), Richarlison (81), Sigurdsson (49)
  • Shots on target – Calvert-Lewin (46), Richarlison (32), Rodriguez (18)
  • Chances created – Digne (46), Sigurdsson (44), Rodriguez (40)
  • Big chances created – Digne/Rodriguez (11), Richarlison/Sigurdsson (4)
  • Big chances missed – Calvert-Lewin (17), Richarlison (10), Sigurdsson (3)
  • Successful passes – Keane (1,691), Doucoure (1,140), Mina (1,133)
  • Pass accuracy (min. 500 passes) – Mina (90.1%), Keane (87.2%), Allan (85.6%)
  • Successful long balls (outfield players only) – Keane (130), Rodriguez (99), Holgate (87)
  • Long ball accuracy (min. 50 long balls) – Rodriguez (74.4%), Doucoure (63.3%), Allan/Gomes (62.6%)
  • Successful crosses – Digne (46), Sigurdsson (29), Rodriguez (17)
  • Cross accuracy (min. 20 crosses) – Sigurdsson (29%), Coleman (28.6%), Digne (21.4%)
  • Successful dribbles – Richarlison (61), Iwobi (45), Rodriguez (34)
  • Successful tackles – Allan (80), Digne (64), Holgate (56)
  • Interceptions – Keane (51), Doucoure (39), Holgate (35)
  • Clearances – Keane (156), Godfrey (110), Mina (108)
  • Headed clearances – Keane (93), Godfrey (62), Mina (61)
  • Shots blocked – Godfrey (37), Keane (33), Mina (23)
  • Aerial duels won – Calvert-Lewin (154), Keane (111), Digne (92)
  • Fouls committed – Allan/Calvert-Lewin (37), Gomes (35)
  • Yellow cards – Holgate (9), Doucoure/Allan (6)
  • Fouls won – Richarlison (73), Calvert-Lewin (41), Rodriguez (40)
  • Offsides – Richarlison (25), Calvert-Lewin (18), Rodriguez (6)

Bengt Kjell – The Swedish Surrogate

Bradley Cates Stories ,

On Sunday (1st November 2020), Robin Olsen became the first Swedish goalkeeper to play a competitive match for Everton. Despite the defeat against Newcastle, his performance was praised and was arguably the Blues’ man of the match. His debut came 70 years after another Swedish goalkeeper played for Everton – Bengt Kjell.

In May 1950, Everton went on a post-season tour of Sweden – their first European tour since WWII and their first ever tour of the country. They played against AIK, Helsingborgs and a combined Gothenburg XI. Just before their first match against AIK, disaster struck. Goalkeeper George Burnett injured himself while warming up. To make matters worse, he was the only goalkeeper Everton took to Sweden. Even though he was reported to be not seriously hurt, the club decided not to take any risks and left him out of the match with right back George Saunders taking his place in goal. Everton ultimately lost 3-1 with Harry Catterick scoring for the Blues and Bertil Backvall and a brace from Gosta Nilsson for the Swedish opposition.

Four days later, they played against Helsingborgs. Unfortunately, George Burnett’s injury turned out to be worse than first feared. He suffered a cartilage issue, which meant he had to miss the rest of the tour. Without a goalkeeper available, it looked like Everton had to play an outfield player in goal in their remaining two matches. However, Everton’s first opponents AIK kindly allowed them to borrow their goalkeeper Bengt Kjell. Kjell made his first appearance for the Blues against Helsingborgs and kept a clean sheet. Everton won 1-0 with Harry Catterick scoring his second goal of the tour. By keeping goal against Helsingborgs, it is likely that Bengt Kjell became the first foreign goalkeeper to play a first-team match for Everton.

Two days later, Everton played their last match of the tour against a combined Gothenburg XI, which comprised of Gothenburg-based teams IFK Gothenburg, Orgryte and GAIS. Bengt Kjell was the goalkeeper for the Blues again in his second and final appearance. Despite losing 1-0 at half-time, Everton turned the game around by winning 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Oscar Hold, who came on as a substitute for Peter Farrell. Kjell’s performances in both matches were praised by the Liverpool Evening Express, who said, “his catching and throwing inspired confidence.”

In 2011, Bengt Kjell spoke to an Everton supporters group based in Sweden called Swedish Toffees about his brief spell at Everton for an article about the 1950 tour of Sweden. Everton asked AIK if they could borrow Kjell and AIK allowed him to as he couldn’t play for AIK in any of their remaining Allsvenskan matches. His licence wasn’t ready yet because he had recently joined AIK from Kalmar FF. In fact, the match between Everton and AIK was Kjell’s debut for his new club. He didn’t travel with the team for the Helsingborgs match however he did travel with his temporary teammates for the Gothenburg match.

After his final game for the Blues, he was asked to join Everton as a professional on a permanent basis but he refused because he wanted to play for Sweden and only amateur players were allowed to play for Sweden at the time. As a way of saying thank you for his contribution to the team during the tour, Everton gave Kjell a watch. He said he had no contact with the club since. Despite that, he added he still remembered his time at the club very fondly and he always checked how they were doing.

Leighton Baines Quiz

Bradley Cates Quizzes ,

How much do you know about Leighton Baines’ Everton career? Test yourself by having a go at this quiz!

Which team did Everton sign Leighton Baines from for an initial fee of £5 million in August 2007?


Baines made his Everton debut against which team in August 2007?


Baines scored his first goal for Everton directly from a free kick against which team in March 2009?


Baines registered 53 assists in the Premier League for Everton - a Premier League record for a defender. Who did he set up to score the most often?


Baines has scored more penalties than any other Everton player in the club's history. How many did he score (excluding shootouts)?


Baines once had a penalty saved but then hit the post and then the goalkeeper on the back of his head and went into the goal. Who was the unfortunate goalkeeper who scored that own goal?


Baines scored 7 goals directly from free kicks for Everton - how many were at Goodison Park?


Baines played in every Everton match in all competitions in a single season only once - which season?


Baines' shirt number at Everton has always been number 3. Who wore the number 3 shirt for the Blues immediately before him?


Baines' last goal for Everton was a memorable strike against Leicester in the League Cup in December 2019. Who assisted him?








Everton’s First Overseas Match

Bradley Cates Stories , ,

On 30th April 1905, Everton played their first ever overseas match in Budapest. It was the first of seven matches of a tour of Austria-Hungary. In January the same year, the club agreed to do a European tour, visiting Budapest, Vienna and Prague. There was originally a plan for a European tour in 1903 but nothing went any further. The first match of the tour was against a combined XI of two Hungarian clubs – Budapesti Torna Club and Magyar Atletikai Club.

Football was relatively new in Hungary at the time and several English teams visited the nation before Everton. However, results suggested that the Hungarians were far, far behind the English. When Oxford University visited in 1902, they won all four of their games against Hungarian opposition with a combined score of 58-0. Southampton played two matches in Budapest the following year and won both with a combined score of 29-0.

Hungarian teams’ results against English opposition weren’t all that bad but as a country fairly new to the sport, the tours were a learning curve for them, and Everton were their first major test. They were the first Football League club Hungarians played against. The Hungarian press was expecting another heavy annihilation when the combined Budapesti TC and Magyar AC team face the Blues but was nevertheless anticipating a club of Everton’s ability playing in their country.

The match took place at what is now known as the Millenaris Sporttelep, which was Magyar AC’s home ground, in front of around 7,000 fans. The opposition included a few Hungarian internationals, such as Gaspar Borbas, Ferenc Blaszek and Arpad Kisfaludy. Details of the match weren’t reported by the English press apart from the scoreline, however after discovering a Hungarian newspaper archive and attempting to translate reports to the best of my ability with a little help from Google Translate, here is how events unfolded in a historic match for Everton.

Everton kicked off and already dominated the match in the opening minutes before Tommy McDermott broke the deadlock after 7 minutes. Everton doubled their lead on the 11th minute through McDermott again and Jimmy Settle made it 3-0 six minutes later. The gulf between the sides became more and more evident as the match went on. Everton made it 4-0 after 21 minutes through Sandy Young. The combined team managed to avoid conceding another until 19 minutes later with Young scoring again. At the half-time whistle, Everton led by 5 goals to nil.

Three minutes after the restart, there was another goal – but this time, it was for the Hungarians. At the start of the second half, Sandy Young and Billy Scott switched positions – Young in goal and Scott in the forward line – due to Young suffering a knock and Gaspar Borbas took advantage. Sandy Young became complacent and gave the ball away to Ferenc Blaszek, who then crossed the ball to Borbas and he slotted it past Young. The crowd went into raptures, even though the Hungarians were still losing by 4 goals. Following the goal and because Everton were starting to struggle to score, Young and Scott switched back to their normal positions.

Everton regained their 5-goal lead near the hour mark through Jack Taylor. A few minutes later, Sandy Young showed that his knock wouldn’t affect him that much by completing his hat-trick and making it 7-1. Tommy McDermott then completed a hat-trick of his own and added his fourth and Everton’s ninth immediately afterwards, and then Jimmy Settle made it double figures for the Blues. The Hungarians redeemed themselves a bit by making it 10-2 five minutes from time through Ferenc Blaszek. In a role reversal of their first goal, Gaspar Borbas passed the ball and Billy Scott failed to deal with it, allowing Blaszek to shoot into an empty net, causing more celebrations from the crowd. But just before the final whistle, Jack Taylor scored Everton’s 11th goal of the game.

When the final whistle was blown, despite the heavy defeat, the Hungarian crowd cheered their footballing compatriots. Even though they conceded 11 goals, the Hungarian press praised the combined team for scoring 2 goals and said those were the only important goals of the game because they were against a team of great stature.

Full time: Budapesti TC & Magyar AC Combined XI 2-11 Everton

The Bradford Blizzard

Bradley Cates Stories , , ,

In the 1904/05 season, Everton were cruelly denied the First Division title by one point. “Cruelly” being the operative word here as in November 1904, Everton were leading 3-1 against Arsenal at the Manor Ground but the match was abandoned 15 minutes before full-time due to fog. In the rematch the following April, Arsenal won 2-1. If the original match had continued right to the end, Everton could have been champions. Luck was against Everton that season but in 1915, it made up for it.

On 13th February 1915, Everton started the day just 2 points behind league leaders Oldham. But it wasn’t just between Everton and Oldham where it was close – only 7 points separated the top 10. Everton, however, had a disadvantage of playing more games than anyone else in the top 10. Their opponents that day were top-flight debutants Bradford Park Avenue, who themselves were 10th at the start of the day, becoming an underdog in the title race.

The line-ups were:

Everton – Tom Fern, Bob Thompson, Bobby Simpson, Tom Fleetwood, Jimmy Galt, Alan Grenyer, Sam Chedgzoy, Billy Kirsopp, Bobby Parker, Joe Clennell, James Roberts

Bradford Park Avenue – Ernest Scattergood, Sandy Watson, Sam Blackham, Joe Crozier, David Howie, Jack Scott, Jock Stirling, Tommy Little, Fred Kirby, Jimmy Bauchop, Jack McCandless

The weather was horrendous – a combination of a storm of rain and sleet, strong wind and bitter cold should have made the match unplayable. The game, however, still went ahead, and it was played in front of around 6,000 fans who spectacularly braved the weather to watch their beloved teams. Everton lost the toss and had the misfortune of playing the first half against not only Bradford Park Avenue but also the torrential weather.

The weather at Park Avenue, this afternoon, for the meeting of Bradford and Everton was about as wretched as it could be. Rain and sleet fell heavily for some time before the time advertised for the commencement, and when the teams turned out, the ground was in such a state that it promised to be little better than a quagmire before the finish.

Yorkshire Evening Post

The Blues tried to threaten the Bradford Park Avenue goal early on in spite of the conditions but they were fruitless. Bradford Park Avenue had a great chance to break the deadlock by simply shooting into an empty goal but Jack McCandless missed. Jimmy Bauchop made amends by scoring after 11 minutes. The same player doubled their lead on the 22nd minute after a wind-assisted kick by Ernest Scattergood put Tom Fern in trouble. Following Scattergood’s clearance, Bob Thompson made an unsuccessful attempt to head the ball. That prompted Fern to leap to try and grab the ball but missed it completely and as a consequence, he hit the ground and injured himself. Bauchop then took advantage. It was reported that Fern didn’t hit the ground that hard – the severity of the injury was likely to have been down to Fern’s numbness from the cold. The fall resulted in him being carried off while semi-conscious. As there were no substitutes then, Bob Thompson took Fern’s place in goal and Everton were forced to play with 10 men. Immediately afterwards, the referee discussed with his linesmen about possibly abandoning the game, but they decided to let it continue.

Bradford Park Avenue made it 3-0 after 29 minutes thanks to a goal by Fred Kirby. As bad as things looked for Everton, their situation quickly became even worse. A few of their players were really struggling with the cold, particularly Alan Grenyer who eventually collapsed to the ground and was carried off. Two men down and three goals with another few players struggling with the conditions meant that Everton were in complete disarray. It looked like they were heading towards a disaster. Thankfully, their turmoil was over on the 37th minute – the referee acknowledged the seriousness of the conditions and abandoned the game.

The curious sight of a game being started with not a single spectator taking up a position behind the goals was the result of a blinding snowstorm at Bradford. Once when the ball was put behind the goal, there was no-one to scale the rails and give the ball to Fern until a fellow at the programme’s number board came down from his lofty position and punted it to the goalkeeper.

All told, four Everton players were seriously affected. First Fern became exhausted, next Grenyer. Finally, Galt and Roberts, through being “stone cold,” had to be revived. The referee, W. Chadwick, was unable to put the whistle to his mouth, and had to signal with his hands.

Liverpool Echo

The referee who eventually abandoned the game was Walter Chadwick, who was the younger brother of Everton legend Edgar Chadwick. He was also reported to be on Everton’s books at some point in the 1890s before becoming a Football League referee in 1902.

The rematch took place on 14th April 1915. Everton started that day 3 points behind Oldham. Both teams had 3 games remaining. The Blues had a second chance of grabbing an invaluable win that could prove crucial in the title race. This time, according to the Liverpool Evening Express, the conditions were “quite summer-like.”

Everton had 4 changes to the line-up of their original meeting while Bradford Park Avenue had only one, with goalscorer Fred Kirby missing the game having left the club.

The line-ups were:

Everton – Tom Fern, Bob Thompson, Louis Weller, Tom Fleetwood, Jimmy Galt, Bill Wareing, Sam Chedgzoy, Billy Kirsopp, Tommy Nuttall, Alan Grenyer, George Harrison

Bradford Park Avenue – Ernest Scattergood, Sandy Watson, Sam Blackham, Joe Crozier, David Howie, Jack Scott, Jock Stirling, Tommy Little, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Bauchop, Jack McCandless

Everton may have had a second chance but they had a terrible start after Bradford Park Avenue were awarded a penalty after 10 minutes. Bob Thompson tripped Jimmy Bauchop, and Tom Campbell, instead of Walter Chadwick, was the referee who gave Bradford Park Avenue an opportunity to score from the penalty spot. Bauchop, who had up to that point scored 26 league goals that season (obviously not including his brace in the abandoned game), was the man to take it. Bob Thompson’s blushes were spared though as Bauchop struck it wide. Relief for Everton and at the 19th minute, they took the lead through Billy Kirsopp and a goalkeeping error. Ernest Scattergood tried to punch the ball clear but failed and like Jack McCandless in the abandoned meeting, Kirsopp had an open goal but unlike McCandless, he made the most of his chance.

In the first half, luck was on Everton’s side. However just before half-time, Bradford Park Avenue equalised after Joe Crozier headed in a Tommy Little cross. Everton still kept their cool and on the 62nd minute, they regained their lead. Sam Chedgzoy kicked the ball into the path of Alan Grenyer and he shot past Ernest Scattergood to score his first Everton goal, exactly 4 years to the day since he made his debut for the Blues. Grenyer’s goal turned out to be the winner. An important goal in not just the match but the entire season.

Everton beat Manchester City 1-0 in their next game and had to wait until Oldham completed their season so they can finish theirs against Chelsea. Oldham drew to Aston Villa, which meant that both Everton and Oldham were level on points with Everton playing a game more. However, Oldham then suffered home defeats to Burnley and Liverpool. They remained level on points but Everton had a superior goal average – they would need to lose to Chelsea by around 14 goals for Oldham to win the title. Everton drew 2-2 against Chelsea and they became champions for the second time, helped by a defeat in adverse conditions that turned into a victory.

Brawling Blues

Bradley Cates Stories , ,

The start of the 1990/91 season was as bad as it could get for Everton. Star players requesting moves, no points and bottom of the league. Everton lost each of their first three games of the season and were the only team in the First Division without a point. Colin Harvey decided to take the players out for a meal, hoping that uniting everyone will help kick-start their season. But it all went horribly wrong.

On the evening of 4th September 1990, Colin Harvey took the team to Southport for a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Having a meal to boost team morale was a method commonly used by his predecessor Howard Kendall. Once the meal was finished, Colin Harvey left the restaurant and warned the players not to get into any trouble. The players then left the restaurant and a couple of them decided to go to the Red Rum Bar at the Carlton Hotel – Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown.

Kevin Sheedy had a frustrating start to the season. Following Republic of Ireland’s heroics in Italia 90, Sheedy talked about his desire to play European football. He was linked with a move to Real Sociedad, who were about to play in that season’s UEFA Cup. He formally submitted a transfer request in August and was put on the transfer list. However, despite his wishes, he remained an Everton player and the lack of effort by the club to transfer him made him disgruntled.

When Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown made their way to the bar, Sheedy himself said in an interview 24 years after the incident that he noticed when they got there, his voice became very slurred. He claimed that his drinks were “being tinkered with.” While at the bar, both Sheedy and Keown became embroiled in a heated argument and Sheedy purportedly said something which offended Keown, prompting the defender to push him over and kick him in the face. As a consequence, Sheedy had a split eye and required some stitches.

Colin Harvey fined both players and the money was donated to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Harvey and Sheedy spoke to the media about the incident, saying the brawl was caused by a disagreement about football. Harvey said:

They have apologised for the incident. It was a discussion about football which got overheated. It should not have happened, it will not happen again and the matter is now closed.

Sheedy said after the brawl:

It was a petty disagreement between Martin Keown and myself about football. We have both apologised to each other and to the boss. We are sorry for any embarrassment caused to Everton Football Club. There is no falling out in the camp.

Neville Southall, said in his autobiography that Kevin Sheedy was goading and mocking Keown, which he didn’t react to. But then he said something about his brother – who was with them on the night – which resulted in Keown seeing red.

Sheedy then added while on international duty that his frustration with Everton inflamed him:

It shouldn’t have happened and I could hardly believe that I allowed such a situation to develop after 15 years as a professional footballer. But then I’ve been very frustrated at Everton since the World Cup and that had a lot to do with what happened.

A combination of alcohol (spiked or not spiked) and transfer frustration sparked an awful night for Everton – for the players and the club overall. Considering their poor start to the season, unrest and fights were the last thing the team needed. Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown were subsequently dropped from the first team and Keown didn’t play until Everton’s match against Crystal Palace in mid-October while Sheedy didn’t play until their match against Sheffield United three weeks after Keown’s return..

It was difficult for Everton to avoid the ramifications of the punch-up. According to Kevin Sheedy, the press arrived at Bellefield training ground en masse as he was about to leave, wanting to know everything about the fracas. But he managed to avoid them with a little help from the club’s assistant manager Terry Darracott. Darracott drove Sheedy out of Bellefield but to make sure the press didn’t know the Irish international was in the vehicle, Darracott put him in the boot and Sheedy got away from the journalists inconspicuously.

When Everton Fans And Watford Fans Were Friends

Bradley Cates Stories , , , ,

Everton and Watford’s relationship has turned quite sour since the Blues pursued the Hornet’s manager Marco Silva in November 2017 and then appointing him as their manager in May 2018. A couple of months after the appointment, Watford submitted a complaint to the Premier League, claiming Everton made an illegal approach for Silva. Watford also stopped playing Z Cars in the last few weeks of the 2018/19 season and replaced it with I’m Still Standing by Elton John. (The theme was then brought back in the first game of the 2019/20 season against Brighton.) Everton subsequently paid Watford compensation of £4m. The Watford fans showed their disapproval of Marco Silva by bringing rubber snakes to the clubs’ first meeting since Silva’s appointment as Everton manager the following December.

The relationship between the clubs is in tatters, and there is a bit of acrimony between the fan bases as well. However, there was a time when Everton fans and Watford fans had a fraternal friendship.

The friendship between Everton fans and Watford fans started in the 1970s when Watford fans travelled to Merseyside to watch their beloved Hornets play Tranmere at Prenton Park in the old Fourth Division. Both fan bases struck a bond so strong that they arranged a charity match between them on the day of the 1975 FA Cup final. Everton supporters subsequently won that match 7-2. Playing for the Watford team was Elton John, who was a director at the club at the time. Playing for the Everton team was club legend Wally Fielding, who was a coach at Watford. At the end of the game, the Everton supporters team won a penalty and Fielding was elected to take it. His penalty was, however, saved. Wanting Fielding to score a goal, the referee ordered a retake, claiming the goalkeeper moved too soon. But Fielding missed the penalty again, kicking the ball over the bar.

Watford rose through the divisions and were promoted to the First Division in 1982. Their first ever top-flight opponents were Everton. The love between the clubs was still there as the Everton Supporters Club presented Watford with a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

The Everton Supporters Club chairman Jimmy King said:

It’s a very down-to-earth, family club, and we think it’s great that these people who used to come here years ago in the Third Division are now playing for the first time in the First Division. This is why we wanted to make a special presentation to show how pleased we are that we are their first opponents.

Both teams walked out of the tunnel to the Z Cars theme together for the first time. Watford purportedly had the Z Cars theme not because of Everton but because Bill McGarry – who was Watford’s manager in the 1960s – was a fan of the television programme and decided to adopt it as their theme. It was a day to remember for Watford as they ended up beating Everton 2-0 with goals from Gerry Armstrong and Pat Rice (Rice’s goal against Everton was his only ever goal for Watford).

In 1984, Everton and Watford met each other in the FA Cup final. Ahead of the game, Everton fans and Watford fans mingled outside Wembley, had drinks together and took some pictures together as well. The Everton players’ wives were also warmly greeted by the Watford fans when they ventured into Watford. One Watford fan even kissed Derek Mountfield’s fiancée as a somewhat wish of good luck. Right before kick-off, Elton John shook Everton players’ hands and wished them good luck, as well as applauding the Everton crowd.

Everton beat Watford 2-0 thanks to goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray, ending their 14-year trophy drought. After the final whistle, the Watford players were cheered off by the Everton supporters. The Everton Shareholders Association then sent a letter to Elton John saying:

Everyone felt the warmth and friendliness of your supporters. You yourself were a great ambassador of the true sportsmanship when you greeted the Everton fans at their end of the ground. Watford and their supporters will remain very special to Everton FC.

There was a lot of fraternity between Everton and Watford in the 1970s and 1980s. No bad blood, no bitterness – just friendship and camaraderie.