Time for a change on Merseyside!

[itsBilly]

BREAKING NEWS

"Sky Sports understands that, after almost 10 years of service, Everton have parted ways with manager David Moyes. This move by the board has caught the clubs fans, and even us in the studio, by complete shock.

We will keep you updated for any confirma..."

*off*

--------------

"Looks like news travels fast," chuckled Bill.

"Mr Kenwright, are you sure about this. I mean, David has been here a long time, to just let him go like this seems a bit..."

"The deal is done Billy. Just sign the papers and I will call a press conference for the morning. You will officially be manager of Everton FC"

"I really appreciate the faith you have in me Mr Kenwright. Would you hand me a pen."

 

[itsBilly]

Just hours after announcing the sacking of David Moyes, Everton FC have announced his successor; 34 year old Billy Ray. We can now cut live to his unveiling press conference.

--------------------

"Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome the new Everton manager!"

"Mr Ray, the sacking of David Moyes has been a questionable decision. What would you like to say to the Everton fans the assure them the decision was the correct one?"

Well, it is my intention to remind the footballing world who Everton FC are. In recent years, the team has had to deal with mid-table finishes and the fans deserve a change. Something to spark their interest.

"It is a well known fact that David had very little transfer funds to work with. Is that the same scenario for yourself?"

It is. The funds are almost non-existant, so they're may be a few faces making way before any come in. I feel that it is something the club need to press on with.

"Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini have both been linked with big money moves. Will they be the 'faces' you mentioned that will make way?"

It is my best intention to retain the services of the clubs top players. However, I must admit, if the right offer comes in, I may be forced into a sale.

"That concludes the interview. Mr Ray has a lot to press on with. Thank you everybody".

--------------------

(Welcome to my Everton story. I appreciate all comments/criticisms to help me improve the run.
Thank you all for reading and I will be posting summer updates very soon)
​

 

[itsBilly]

JULY 2011
6th July

New Everton manager Billy Ray has wasted little time in freeing up finances at the club, with the announcement that the club has parted ways with physios Richie Porter and Daniel Donasie.

Rumours have leaked that Ray is looking to land his first signing as manager; with former Chelsea & Inter striker Hernan Crespo reportadly being offered a contract. The 36 year old Argentine is currently a free agent and is believe to be open to all offers.

12th July

Everton have confirmed Nigerian striker Victor Anichebe has joined Dutch side Heerenveen on a season-long loan. The dutch are believed to have payed £900k to secure the loan, with the possibility of a £2.9m fee to make the move permanent.

16th-18th July
Preston North End 0 - 2 Everton
Jelavic, Osman

--------------

Transfer News

Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck has turned down loan offers from Everton and Fulham with his intentions being to challenge for a first-team role at Old Trafford.

Everton have also confirmed a bid of £250k has been rejected from Valencia for Greek striker Apostolos Vellios.

Argentine veteran Hernan Crespo has rejected contract offers from Everton, Montpellier and Twente in favour of a move to greek side Lanus.

23rd July

Australian midfielder Tim Cahill has been ruled out for up to 6 weeks with Shin Splits. He picked up the injury in Everton's 0-0 draw with Portugese side Maritimo.

28th July

Everton have confirmed midfielder James Wallace has joined Walsall on a 6-month loan. The merseyside club have also confirmed they have had a bid of £500k rejected by Brighton for winger Craig Noone.

Reserve striker Jose Baxter has brightened Everton's future by agreeing a new 5 year contract with the club.

31st July

33 year old defender Sylvain Distin has boosted Everton's defence by agreeing a new 1 year contract extension.
However, there could be despair on the horizon for Everton fans as Manchester City have begun their chase to sign England international Phil Jagielka, seeing an initial £10m bid rejected.

------------

(August update coming soon including the start of the new season! Thanks for reading C&C please)​

 

[DAGGY66]

good 2 see an everton story, doing one myself, KIU!

 

[itsBilly]

August 2011 - It Begins!


7th August

With just a few days till the start of the new Premiership season, Everton have found themselves with a gaping whole in defence following the announcement of Phil Jagielka joining Manchester City for £15m. The England international has signed a 4-year deal with the big spending City and is said to be relishing the prospect of Champions League football. When questioned about the sale, manager Billy Ray simply replied with;

The replacements are coming.

10th August

Everton have confirmed their first two signings of the summer; centre-backs Maurizio Lauro and Toby Aldeweireld Lauro joins the club from Italian side Cesena for £500k, whereas the fee for Toby is a much greater one, with the Belgian international joining from Ajax for £7m.

----------------

In other news, the draw for the League Cup second round today saw Everton drawn away to Derby County.

13th August

THE PREMIER LEAGUE STARTS HERE!

Norwich City 1 - 2 Everton
Grant Holt
John Ruddy (o.g)
Darren Gibson

A spectacular opening performance from Everton which saw a debut goal for midfielder Darren Gibson. For Norwich, the match was plagued with bad luck. After hitting the woodwork twice in the first 10 minutes, their day got even worse when Toby Aldeweireld's header was caught by John Ruddy, with the keeper dropping the ball into the net for a disastrous own goal.

16th August

In the transfer market, the rumour mill in turning quickly, with reports linking Everton full-back Leighton Baines with a £12m shift to Tottenham.

Reports from Spain have confirmed that Everton's loan bid for Barcelona's Cristian Tello has been rejected, with the player opting to move on loan to Osasuna.

And finally, Everton have confirmed their third signing of the summer; Swedish international Ola Toivonen. The striker joins on a 4 year contract from PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth £5m, with fees rising to £7m.

23rd August

League Cup Second Round
Derby County 0 - 2 Everton
Royston Drenthe
Ross Barkley

Another great performance from Everton to progress into the next round. The match gave Everton fans a chance to check out new signing Ola Toivonen, who threatened the Derby goal on numerous occasions. However, the highlight of the game was the return to fitness of James McFadden, who played his first full game in almost a year.

27th August

Sunderland 0 - 2 Everton
Nikica Jelavic (2)

Croatian international Nikica Jelavic returned to the side after missing out in mid-week to run wild on Sunderland. The most notable part of his performance was a fantastic looping header to score his second goal of the game. The was good and bad news on the injury front for Everton. Tim Cahill made his return as a second half substitute. However, Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been ruled out for up to 5 weeks after sustaining a broken rib in the closing 10 minutes.

-------------

(Thanks for reading. Comments appreciated. I will play through September over the weekend and write it up Sunday/Monday)​

 

[Mike]

Very well written, and interesting transfers, ins and outs. Good luck.

 

[itsBilly]

September 2011


With the conclusion of the Transfer window, it was time to get down to business. Teams were finally starting to gel with their new signings and the Premier League is shaping up to be the best yet.

Transfer Summary

In

Maurizio Lauro - Cesena - 500k
Toby Aldeweireld - Ajax - £6m
Ola Toivonen - PSV Eindhoven - £7m

Out

Victor Anichebe - Heerenveen - loan
Phil Jagielka - Manchester City - £15m
James Wallace - Walsall - loan

The beginning of the month also saw 20-year old French striker Magaye Gueye return from an injury sustained in pre-season. He would go on to make his debut in September and give everyone a shock.

10th September

Everton 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
Darren Gibson
Nikica Jelavic
Diego Novaretti (og)

A strong performance in Everton's first home game of the season. Nikica Jelavic continued his great start to the season, picking up another goal, and an assist for Darren Gibson. West Brom's day got even worse when defender Diego Novaretti was left helpless to deflect in Leon Osman's shot.

11th September

Young Irish centre-back Shane Duffy has been ruled out of Everton's next two fixtures with a hamstring injury sustained against West Brom.

14th September
Everton 4-1 Blackburn Rovers
Darren Gibson
Toby Aldeweireld
Ola Toivonen
Magaye Gueye
Ruben Rochina

Darren Gibson scored his second goal in as many games within 50 seconds with a scorching 25 yarder to give Everton a very early lead. Goals followed from Toby Aldeweireld & Ola Toivonen, both grabbing their first goals for the club. In the second half, Blackburn were the better team, and their hard work payed off when Ruben Rochina converted past Jan Mucha. As injury time begun, young French striker Magaye Gueye rounded off a fantastic game with and equally great goal.

​17th September

Everton 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Ross Barkley
Magaye Gueye
DJ Campbell

The fatigue of a packed calendar began to settle in as Everton kept up their 100% start to the season. Ross Barkley grabbed his first league goal for the club with a fantastic volley early in the second half but it was QPR that were in charge. DJ Campbell looked to have secured a point for the Londoners, but Ross Barkley secured his Man of the match status with just 2 minutes left, when he played in Magaye Gueye to score an easy tap in for the win.

21st September

League Cup 3rd Round
Everton 0-0 Southampton
Everton win 5-4 on penalties

The fatigue was in full force as Everton scraped their way through their tie with Championship side Southampton. Ola Toivonen had the best opportunity of the game, but his effort was cleared off the line. When Jack Cork missed his penalty for the Saints, Dutch winger Royston Drenthe stepped up to convert and to send Everton through to the next round.

24th September

Everton have been drawn against West Brom in the League Cup 4th Round. Manager Billy Ray spoke to Sky Sports about the tie:

"Its a fantastic draw for us as it gives us a strong chance to make the quarter finals. We've avoided to big teams and managed to grab another home tie. It also helps that we have already beat them in the Premier league so we have the advantage there aswell.

26th September

Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Everton
Dedryck Boyata (og)

Everton maintain their 100% start to the season with another mediocre performance. The only goal of the game came with just 10 minutes played, when Nikica Jelavic's cross was turned into his own net by Boyata. The goal was the only real highlight of the game, with both teams giving their fans average performances. The was one smiling point for Everton fans, as Marouane Fellaini made his return from a broken rib.

-----------------

What a month! Everton end the month in 1st place, with a 100% win record.
Nikica Jelavic & Darren Gibson leads the clubs goalscoring with 3 goals in 6 games each.
Everton face a tough month, with Manchester United visiting Goodison park.
Manager Billy Ray came second in the Manager of the Month award.
----------------

Thanks for reading. Comments/Crisitsm etc is appreciated.
Update for October will be early next week.​

 

[itsBilly]

October 2011

After a sensational unbeaten start to their premier league campaign, Everton faced a real test in October; playing host to Tottenham, and visiting high flying Swansea. But the first test came on the opening day of the month, when champions Manchester United visited Merseyside.

1st October

Everton 2-1 Manchester United
Nikica Jelavic
Ola Toivonen
Wayne Rooney

New Everton man Ola Toivonen pulled off the performance of his career against the Red Devils as Everton extended their 100% run, much to the suprise of the nation. They took the lead after just 3 minutes, as Nikica Jelavic sent home a sensational through-ball from the in form Swedish international. United levelled before half-time through former Everton striker Wayne Rooney, whose day went sour when he was sent off in the second half. Just after the hour, Ola Toivonen latched onto Drenthe's cross to score a great looping header to secure the win for Everton.

10th October

Ola Toivonen has really settled in at Everton in recent weeks, and his great form continued into the international break, as his brace secured Sweden a 2-1 win over Finland.

17th October

Fulham 1-3 Everton
Moussa Dembele
Steven Pienarr
Ola Toivonen
James McFadden

Everton stay top of the league after a comfortable victory in West London. The highlight of the game most definately being the return to fitness, and return to the scoresheet of on-loan Tottenham winger Steven Pienarr. The South African was in stunning form as he also picked up an assist, after winning a penalty in the second half which was converted by James McFadden.

22nd September

Swansea City 1-2 Everton
John Heitinga (og)
Tim Cahill
James McFadden

Newly promoted Swansea had been flying high in the Premiership so far, sitting in 6th place after some impressive wins. It looked as if they were on course to be the first team to defeat Everton this season when Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga turned into his own net. However, late goals from veteran substitutes Tim Cahill & James McFadden spared Everton's blushes and maintained an 8 game win record.

26th September
Back To Reality!

League Cup 4th Round
West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Everton
Shane Long
John Heitinga

West Brom win 5-4 on penalties

Everton suffer their first defeat of the season in the Carling cup in the cruelest of fashions. Shane Long had put West Brom ahead within 20minutes and they looked to be cruising to victory. However, super-sub John Heitinga redeemed his own goal in the Premiership with an equaliser with his first touch of the ball. As extra time passed, it was down to penalties, and a miss from Everton's Marouane Fellaini proved to be decisive as Everton bow out of the cup.

30th October

Everton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Nikica Jelavic
Jermaine Defoe

Everton's 100% win record is smashed by a late Jermaine Defoe goal, however, their unbeaten record still intact. It was certainly back to reality for Everton as they withstood heavy pressure in the first half. Nikica Jelavic responded well to whatever was said in the dressing room at half-time, coming out and putting Everton ahead right away. However, substitute Jermaine Defoe scored a tap in at the far post on 86 minutes to give Spurs a much needed point.

"Obviously we are a little upset at losing our 100% win record, but we are all realists. We new it was eventually going to happen and i'm glad it came today as it lifts the pressure of winning every game off the players shoulders. Overall I thought we had a good game against a team most people would expect us to loose to. - Billy Ray

---------------

Thanks for reading guys! I appreciate all comment/criticisms. Next update probably Tuesday!​

 

[itsBilly]

November 2011

With a large international break, November was shaping up to be a quiet month for Everton, with just 3 matches taking place.

6th November

Everton 1-1 Stoke City
Nikica Jelavic
Jermaine Pennant

Everton started the month against and in-form Stoke side who were sitting 7th in the table, ahead of big-guns Arsenal. Confidence was definately high in the Stoke camp and they capitalized on that with just 50 seconds played, when Jermaine Pennant scored a sensational volley to set up a miserable afternoon for Everton. Blushes were spared and the unbeaten run kept intact with 7 minutes to play, when substitue Nikica Jelavic headed home a cross from Seamus Coleman.

16th November

On the international front, the Everton player that shone the most was winger Steven Piennar, who bagged a brace in South Africa's 3-1 victory of Togo.

The break was fantastic for home nation England, who beat Montenegro in order to qualify for Euro 2012, and also sealed a 2-1 friendly win over World & European champions Spain.

21st November

Newcastle United 1-1 Everton
Papiss Cisse
Ola Toivonen

Everton suffer another dissapointing draw in the premiership, which allows both Manchester clubs to gain ground in the title race, which is still lead at this early stage by Everton. Papiss Cisse scored a classic strikers finish against Tim Howard to deny Ola Toivonen's 3rd minute opener. There was also trouble for Everton as Maurizio Lauro picked up a knock that would rule him out for up to 3 weeks. Everton leave with just a point, but Newcastle pick up a well needed point to try and escape the bottom spots in the table.

26th November

Everton 2-0 Aston Villa
Royston Drenthe
John Heitinga

Back to winning ways for the Toffees as they brush aside Aston Villa to maintain top spot at the end of November! Royston Drenthe scored his first League goal for the club with a great curling effort from inside the box. He then set-up John Heitinga to head home his second goal of the season in the second half to secure the man of the match status.

"Will I make an offer for Roy at the end of his loan? I might aha. I don't want to say anything that could upset the player, upset Madrid, or cause any kind of stir so for now, he is here on loan until the end of the season. If a change in that situation occurs, i'm sure you guys would be the first to know! - Billy Ray

-----------------

Everton still sit atop the Premier League table at the end of November, but December looks set to be a very big test of character for an Everton team in, figuratively speaking, unchartered waters. They start the month by making the short trip across the Mersey to face arch-rivals Liverpool, not to mention back-to-back trips to City & Arsenal over the Christmas period.

----------------

Thanks for reading! C&C please. I'll probly be able to get December, & maybe January, done tonight so stick around!
​

 

[Ashleigh1984]

Really good stuff, i like the swedish signing too...... I think i'll jump on the band waggon there in my Empoli save

 

[itsBilly]

December 2011

5th December

"Hello and Welcome to Monday Night Football on Sky Sports 1! I'm Richard Keys along side Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp for the big Merseyside derby; Liverpool vs Everton!"

"Y'know, Everton are really flying high at the moment and that'll lift 'em going into the match, but Liverpool ain't on a bad run themselves sitting in 4th. I think its tough to call but i'm saying Liverpool just nudge it here." - Andy Gray

"If i'm honest, I think Billy Ray is going to be in that dressing room psyching his players up for this like no other game. They don't want to come here and loose their unbeaten record. I'm calling Everton 2-1." - Jamie Redknapp

Liverpool 4-1 Everton
Luis Suarez (2)
Steven Gerrard
Andy Carroll
James McFadden

Everton are knocked back to reality by arch-rivals Liverpool! The Anfield side showed they are still the dominant team in the city with an emphatic win to break Everton's unbeaten record. James McFadden gave Everton the lead just 15 minutes in, pouncing on a parryed Jelavic shot to tap into an open net. Liverpool responded fantastically, with Seydou Keita playing a through ball for Luis Saurez to grab his 12th goal of the campaign.The game started going downhill from there, as Suarez grabbed his second of the match from a freekick, placed right in the top corner.The game was put way beyond Everton's reach when Steven Gerrard scored a scorching 35yard effort to leave Tim Howard rooted to the spot. Everton's misery was increased when substitute Andy Carroll netted with a simple tap in.

It is a terrible feeling to lose this way, especially here. But we just have to get our head up and focs on the next match. We have some even tougher ties coming up so we cannot dwell on this loss, else we will really pay the price. - Billy Ray

6th December

Everton have been drawn away to Crawley Town in the FA Cup 3rd round, which will start in January.


10th December

Everton 4-0 Wigan Athletic
Sylvain Distin
Magaye Gueye
Ola Toivonen (2)

Everton get back to their winning ways at the expense of a struggling Wigan side. Sylvain Distin headed in Everton's first, after a Drenthe corner was headed back across goal from Heitinga for Distin to nod into the net. Drenthe was again involved in the second, with a storming run down the left to cross for Magaye Gueye's third goal of the season. The third was snuck in before half time, as a fast paced Everton counter attack caught Wigan off-guard. Magaye Gueye cleared the ball for Ola Toivonen to beat the keep for his 5th goal of the season. Toivonen's second came when he sprung the Wigan offside trap to find himself, again, one-on-one with the keeper, with the outcome the same.

17th December

Everton 0-3 Chelsea
Didier Drogba (2)
Salomon Kalou

Everton suffer their first home defeat of the season as Didier Drogba runs wild on Merseyside. The Ivorian scored his 99th & 100th Premier league goal, both with the assist of in-form Spaniard Juan Mata. The game was always set to be bad, when Leighton Baines was stretched off just 6minutes in. However, it was later revealed as a dead leg, and will only sideline the England international for 4 days. Salomon Kalou finished the rout with a well placed header on the 81st minute.

21st December

Manchester City 1-0 Everton
Sergio Aguero

Another loss for Everton as they suffer a terrible holiday season. A 1-0 loss to big-spending City in what was a relatively dull game. Everton felt seriously hard done by, when Nikica Jelavic's goal was disallowed for being offside when replays clearly show the Croatian was onside. The breakthrough finally went City's way when Edin Dzeko was brought down by Mauro Lauro in the box, with Sergio Aguero converting from the spot.

26th December

'tis the season to be Jolly
Arsenal 2-0 Everton
Leighton Baines (og)
Gervinho

The christmas spirit was not with Everton again as they suffered their third defeat in a row to the Gunners on Boxing day. Left-back Leighton Baines returned to the side, but it was an own goal from him that put Arsenal ahead early in the second half. Gervinho rounded off the game for the Gunners with a strong finish to beat Tim Howard at the near post.

31st December

Everton 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ola Toivonen

With 2 games in 3 days ahead, Everton took this game very slowly, and controlled the pitch for most of the match. Striker Ola Toivonen netted the only goal of the game with a curling effort from just inside the area. Leighton Baines thought he had netted a stunning 30yard freekick, but Wolves were stunning awarded a free kick for a foul on the goalkeeper.

--------------------

So, Everton fans will be glad to see the back of December, and will be hoping a New Year can bring some new luck for their side. At the half way mark, they sit in 3rd in the Premiership, just 2 points behind leaders Manchester United.

January sees the Toffees face off against the two bottom sides in the league, as well as the start of their FA Cup campaign away to Crawley.

And finally, what every fan has been looking forward to, the Transfer Window is back open! Managers will be looking to strike some New Year sales, but Everton manager Billy Ray has warned fans "not to expect any signings".

-------------------

Thanks for Reading. Not sure when i'll get January up. Hopefully by the end of the week.
Comment/Like/Criticism?
​

 

[itsBilly]

January 2012
Transfer Window Opens!

1st January

​

With the transfer window opening, Everton's first piece of business is signing coach Duncan Ferguson on a brand new 2-year deal. Billy Ray says the former Everton player is influencial on the training pitch and can really help the younger players develop.

2nd January

West Brom have made a £1.2m bid for Everton winger James McFadden. The Scottish winger's contract with the Toffees is up at the end of the season, however he is believed to be in talks over an extension. The bid was rejected but it is definately not the end of the situation.

Elsewhere, young goalkeeper Adam Davies has joined Conference side Gateshead on loan for the rest of the season.

---------------

Everton 2-0 Norwich City
Russell Martin (o.g)
Nikica Jelavic

Everton kick off the new year in the same fashion they ended the last on. Norwich were the visitors to Goodison park, and they left empty handed, much to the crowds expectations. The referee ruled the opening goal to be an own goal by Russell Martin, after Jelavic's shot took a big deflection before finding the net. Jelavic did eventually find the net, but not until the fourth minute of extra time, when Everton hit Norwich with a lethal counterattack.

8th January

FA Cup 3rd Round
Crawley Town 0-1 Everton
Nikica Jelavic

Everton began their FA cup run away to League 2 side Crawley, and it was a very slow day for Everton down in Sussex. The Premier league side fielded a very young team, but it was a first-team player that finally got the goal. Nikica Jelavic came off the bench to spare Everton's blushes in the 85th minute with a well placed effort.

The draw for the 4th round was made straight after, with Everton facing another trip, this time to Championship side Peterborough.

10th-13th January

Its been a busy few days for Everton in the transfer market. They started the week with the confirmation that James McFadden had signed a new 2-year contract extension with the club, putting an end to speculation linking him with a move to West Brom.

Everton also announced the signing of Arsenal defender Ignasi Miquel on a 4-year contract for the fee of £300k. The 20-year old Spaniard had found himself on the transfer-list at the Emirates after being deemed surplus to requirements.

Finally, youngsters Shane Duffy and Conor McAleney have left the club on loan, with Shane joining Championship side Millwall and Conor joining League 2 side Shrewsbury.

14th January

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Everton
Simon Vukcevic
Toby Alderweireld

Blackburn steal a much needed point from Everton as they fight relegation. The Merseyside team will be very disappointed, having finished the game with 10 men, following Marouane Fellaini's red card. The had taken the lead with a header from Toby Alderweireld's header. However, it was quickly counted out by a well hit effort from Simon Vukcevic.

17th January

FC Twente striker Luuk De Jong has signed a new 5 year contract with the Dutch side. The young forward, who leads the clubs scoring charts with a massive 21 goals so far this season, was out of contract at the end of the season, and had reportedly been offered a contract by Everton.

21st January

Everton 2-0 Sunderland
Nikica Jelavic (2)

Everton put immense pressure on Sunderland, as they sit in bottom position in the Premier League. Nikica Jelavic continuted his fantastic scoring record this month with 2 solid headers either side of half time to give Everton a comfortable win. Everton fans were presented with the oppurtunity to see new signing Ignasi Miquel, as he made his debut, playing the final 15minutes for Everton.

"Ignasi had a good run out today and we hope to see more in the future. He is a player I've always admired. I am an Arsenal fan myself, so I have watched him mature in the reserves and I just had to jump on the oppurtunity to sign him when I found out he was not needed at Arsenal. Expect great things from him in the future. - Billy Ray

28th January

FA Cup 4th Round
Peterborough United 1-1 Everton
Tommy Rowe
Royston Drenthe

Everton are forced into a replay as Peterborough ****** a last gasp equaliser. Royston Drenthe had given Everton the lead with a fantastic volley inside 5 minutes. The young Everton side looked to have sealed themselves a place in the 5th round, but an injury time header from Tommy Rowe left Everton grim faced as the had to add another date to their already packed calendar.

31st January

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Everton
Shane Long
Leon Osman
Marouane Fellaini

Everton end the month in winning fashion at the Hawthorns. Leon Osman grabbed his first goal of the season, latching onto a Royston Drenthe cross and tapping in at the far post. West Brom went into the half-way mark level, after Shane Long slotted the ball past Tim Howard in first half stoppage time. Everton got their winning goal just 5 minutes into the second half, Marouane Fellain, returning from suspension, hit a fantastic 20 yard effort to win it for the Toffees.

-------------------------

So an action packed month for Everton. Only the one signing in the transfer market, but with limited funds, the fans will be satisfied with the one. Everton still sit 3rd in the Premier League, keeping very close to Manchester United & Liverpool in 1st & 2nd respectively.

-------------------------

Transfer Window Round-up

Arsenal signed midfielder Marek Hamsik for a club-record fee of £21m from Napoli.
Tottenham secured the services of Man Utd's Nani for £22m after the winger admitted to wanting a new challenge.
Manchester United completed the signing of Stephan Lichsteiner for £15m from Juventus.

---------------------------

Thanks for reading everyone I'm gonna start writing up February very soon.
Comment/Likes please.

​

 

[itsBilly]

February 2012

Thats it! The transfer window comes to an end again as the race for the title heats up.

4th February

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Everton
Djibril Cisse
Shaun Derry (og)

Everton survive a huge scare at Loftus road, courtesy of a vital mistake by Shaun Derry. The defenders attempt to concede a corner in injury time didn't go to plan as he headed the ball into his own net, gifting Everton a point that many will say they didn't deserve.
Djibril Cisse had given QPR the lead on the 41st minute, and the relegation fighters looked to have secured 3 valuable points in a match they dominated from kick-off.

7th February

FA Cup 4th Round Replay
Everton 1-0 Peterborough United
Ola Toivonen

Everton nudge off a very valiant effort from Peterborough to progress to the fifth round. A Stunning goal from Ola Toivonen being the only goal of the game. The Swedish striker recieved the ball with his back to goal, turned away from his marker and let rip a scorching left-foot effort that nestled into the top corner.

Everton will face another away tie to Championship oppostion, with sunny Portsmouth being the next destination.

13th February

Everton 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Nikica Jelavic

Everton seal another Premiership win, with Nikica Jelavic picking up his 11th goal of the season in all competitions. Magaye Gueye was to thank for the goal, with a storming run through the Bolton defence in the 31st minute before cutting the ball back for Jelavic to score. Gueye had the best chance of the second half, when Everton broke free from a Bolton corner. Gueye done everything right, wrigging away from his defender before curling an effort around Jussi Jaaskelainen. However, the young Frenchman could not beat the post.

18th February

Portsmouth 0-2 Everton
Ola Toivonen
Toby Alderweireld

Everton add to Portsmouth's troubles by denying them a place in the FA Cup quarter finals. Summer signings Ola Toivonen & Toby Alderweireld had put the game beyond doubt in the first 11 minutes. The Swedish international netted his 9th goal in all competitions with a well placed finish, and Alderweireld scored a great volley at the back post just minutes later to put Everton comfortably into the Quarter finals.

Everton avoid the remaining big-guns in the competition, but they do face a 4th away tie, this time to Championship side Derby County.

25th February

Everton have been hit with an injury blow. Veteran midfielder Tim Cahill has been ruled out for 3 weeks with a thigh injury picked up on international duty for Australia.

On the positive side, reserve midfielder Junior picked up his first senior cap for Guinea-Bissau. The 20 year old had impressed in Everton's 2-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup and was selected for duty.

Finally, reserve striker Chris Long has signed professional terms with the club, after an impressive 13 goals for the youth side this season.

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League Table so far:
1st: Manchester United - 55
2nd: Tottenham Hotspur - 55
3rd: Liverpool - 55
4th: Everton - 53
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5th: Chelsea - 49
6th: Arsenal - 49
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7th: Swansea City - 43
8th: Manchester City - 40
9th: Stoke City - 39
10th: Newcastle United - 30

Everton sit comfortably in 4th, with a game in hand. Unfortunately, the game in hand comes at Old Trafford.
Manchester City's European hopes look dim at the moment, with Queens Park Rangers securing a Europa League spot after sensational beating Manchester United 4-1 in the League Cup Final.

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Thanks for reading again. March will hopefully be up tomorrow as I have the day off work
Comment/Like!!​

 

[iArsenal]

Great job so far, but Stoke City sit in 7th and 9th? I'm guessing one of those are QPR?

 

[itsBilly]

Thanks man! & its Swansea in 7th

 

[neoal099]

Welcome guy and nice to meet you

 

[AC Hammer]

Good story hear buddy, unlucky in the derby result. COYB!

Would appreciate it if you could check out my story http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...-villians-strike-again-aston-villa-story.html.

Thanks. And anyone who else sees this, check it out and leave a comment. Thanks guys.

 

[itsBilly]

March 2012

With February being a walk in the park for Everton, it was only fitting that March would be completely different. Back-to-back trips to Old Trafford & White Hart Lane faced the Toffees, with the title race strongly heating up.

3rd March

Everton 2-1 Fulham
Leighton Baines
Nikica Jelavic
Zdenek Grygera

Everton started the month in winning fashion, keeping up tabs on the top two. The took the lead early through a Leighton Baines penalty. The left-back converted emphatically after Ola Toivonen was brought down in the box. Fulham pulled it back before half time when a 35 yard effort from defender Zdenek Grygera flew into the top corner, much to Tim Howard's amazement. But in the second half, Nikica Jelavic popped up to win the game for Everton with a well placed header on the 63rd minute. A Good start to a difficult month.

7th March

Manchester United 1-0 Everton
Antonio Valencia

Manchester United reclaim their spot at the top of the table with a victory over Everton, but it didn't come easy for the Red Devils. Former goalkeeper Tim Howard put in a man-of-the-match performance, keeping out 13 of Man Utd's shots on target. However, it was the decisive final shot in the 88th minute from Antonio Valencia that broke Everton's resistance and robbed the Toffees of a well earned point.

11th March

Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Everton
Emmanuel Adebayor
Rafael Van Der Vaart
Michael Dawson
Nikica Jelavic

Everton had no time to go back to the drawing board after their loss at Old Trafford, it was right back out on the road to White Hart Lane, where they suffered another defeat, this time, more deserved. Spurs opened the scoring from a counter-attack led and finished by Emmanuel Adebayor. Rafa Van Der Vaart made it 2 just minutes later with a header at the back post. In the second half, Everton came storming out the blocks, and Nikica Jelavic pulled one back to begin what looked like an Everton comeback. However, Gomes was in fantastic form and kept Everton at bay. The 3rd goal came in injury time when substitute Michael Dawson ended Everton's hopes of a point, netting an Aaron Lennon corner.

12th March

View attachment 269937
Everton have announced the club have signed 5 new youth prospects from their trial day. The players areas followed;
Gary Mulholland (CB)
Mark Doyle (LB)
Steve James (CM)
Brett Lussey (CM,RM) - pictured
Sam Salako (LAM, ST)

15th March
Everton 1-0 Swansea City
Leon Osman

Everton stop a repeat of December by putting a halt to their losing ways with a win over high-flying Swansea. In a fatigue-ridden match, Everton were the better team, and their efforts payed off when Leon Osman struck a sweet effort home in the 76th minute.

16th March

Changes in the backroom staff as youth coaches Kevin O'Brien and Neil Dewsnip are offered huge bumper contracts from Chelsea & Arsenal respectively. Despite wanting to keep the coaches, Everton simply could not compete with the contracts being offered in the clubs current financial state.

Scout Josef Csaplar also left the club, with Arsenal offering him a scouting posistion at the Emirates.

17th March

FA Cup Quarter Final
Derby County 1-0 Everton
Jason Shackell

Everton crash out of the cup as Billy Ray admits fielding a weak team was a bad idea! With starts for young, inexperienced players such as Jose Baxter, Ignasi Miquel & James Wallace, Everton were sure to be on the back foot. Derby dominated the match, but it took until the final 10 minutes for them to find the net. Centre-back Jason Shackell connected with the ball at the back post to beat out-of-favour Everton keeper Jan Mucha and put his side into the semi-finals.

21st March

Stoke City 3-1 Everton
Filip Daems
Peter Crouch
Jonathon Walters
Seamus Coleman

A terrible day for Everton as they suffer another heavy defeat on the road. A sensational second half performance from Stoke saw them come back from a goal down by Seamus Coleman. After the match, Everton winger Steven Pienarr told Sky Sports that manager Billy Ray issued an immediate team meeting in order to raise morale. Everton fans will have to wait till next week to see if it worked.

31st March

Everton 0-0 Newcastle United

A bore draw as Everton just can't find a win, a see the top 4 slipping away from them. Newcastle were down to 10 men after Mike Williamson, but valiant saves from Tim Krul kept them in the game. Nikica Jelavic is just one of many Everton players who will feel they should have converted their given chances.

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At the end of another terrible month for Everton, they still cling onto 4th in the Premiership.
Only 7 games to play in the season, with Everton still facing matches against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea & City!
Its going to be a tough run in for the Toffees. They will be hoping to change their fortune in April.

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Thanks for reading Probably end up finishing the season today with April & May updates coming.
Comment/Like!​

 

[itsBilly]

April 2012
The End Is Near!

7th April

Aston Villa 1-3 Everton
Darren Bent
Ola Toivonen
Nikica Jelavic
Tim Cahill

Everton kick off April with a solid win at Villa park. Strikers Ola Toivonen & Nikica Jelavic both ended their goal droughts to give Everton a 2-0 lead at half time. Darren Bent rattled Tim Howard's net in the second half to give Villa hope, but that was almost immediately obliterated by Tim Cahill, who restored Everton's two goal cushion. The game ended on a sour note for Everton, as Marouane Fellaini picked up his second red card of the season, ruling him out of the derby against Liverpool.

9th April
Revenge is Sweet!

Everton 1-0 Liverpool
Nikica Jelavic

Everton secure a massive three points as they claw their way back into the top four, whilst kicking Liverpool off the top spot in the process. The atmosphere was really something to behold as Nikica Jelavic slid the ball past Pepe Reina just past the hour mark. The fans expressed the delight at result after the game:

"Its absolutely fantastic! We're the best team in Liverpool. Champo League is ours!"

"JELAVIC YOU BEAUTY I LOVE YOU!! By far better than the United win."

"Its great for us cause it shows we're not here by luck, we can beat the big teams and we do deserve to be here."

18th April

Wigan Athletic 1-3 Everton
Hugo Rodallega
Nikica Jelavic (2)
Ola Toivonen

Everton pick up another valuable 3 points as they edge ever closer to confirming a Champion's League spot for next season. Nikica Jelavic grabbed his 3rd & 4th goal of the month either side of a goal from Wigan's Hugo Rodallega. But it was the 3rd Everton goal that left everyone talking, when Ola Toivonen ran past 5 Wigan players with the ball before curling it past Ali Al-Habsi. Everton finished the game with 10 men, when Phil Neville picked up a second yellow card.

21st April

Everton 4-1 Manchester City
Ola Toivonen (4)
Sergio Aguero

Everton record, arguably, their most important win of the season as they confirm at least a spot in next season's Europa League. After falling 1-0 down to a Sergio Aguero, and having Tim Cahill miss a penalty in the first half, nobody expected the performance that occured in the second half. Swedish striker Ola Toivonen proved his £7m price tag with his first club hattrick in just 10minutes, with 2 fantastic headers and a tap in at the near post. The 4th goal was much better. After retrieving the ball from Leon Osman, the striker looked up and pelted the ball from 30 yards to stun Joe Hart and claim a 4th goal for himself, and for Everton.

28th April

Chelsea 1-1 Everton
John Terry
John Terry (og)

It was a tale of elation and nightmare for John Terry as Chelsea drop 2 vital points in the race for the Champions League. The Chelsea skipper headed his side ahead in the first half, and it looked good to have won the game for them. However, Royston Drenthe's corner fell to Sylvain Distin, who's shot took a wicked deflection of of Terry before beating Allan McGregor in the Chelsea goal to gift Everton a point.

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A sensational month for Everton as the secured a Champions League spot for the 2012/2013 season!
With two games left, they sit in 4th, 3 points behind Liverpool & Spurs, and 6 points behind Manchester United, who lead the table.

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Thanks for reading. May is coming soon, just got to play the last couple games and i'll do a big end of season update.
Comment/Like​

 

[itsBilly]

May 2012
Oooohhhhh We've come.... To the eeennnd of the rooooad!


5th May

Everton 0-3 Arsenal
Yossi Benayoun
Marek Hamsik
Park Chu-Young

Arsenal destroy The Toffees, but its not enough to secure them Champions League football as the Gunners are forced to settle with 5th. It took 75 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, but the goals flew in after that, with Marek Hamsik showing why his transfer fee was so high, setting up 2 goals and scoring one himself.

13th May

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Everton
Kevin Doyle
Steven Fletcher
Tim Cahill (2)

Not the ideal finish to the Premier League season for Everton, but they round it off with a point at Molineux. Tim Cahill twice drew Everton level after goals from Kevin Doyle & Steven Fletcher had given Wolves the lead. The point was not good enough to leap frog Liverpool, so Everton will have to settle with a Champions League qualification spot.

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Premier League Final Standings
1st: Manchester United - 81
2nd: Tottenham Hotspur - 80
3rd: Liverpool - 77
4th: Everton - 73
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5th: Arsenal - 70
6th: Chelsea - 67
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7th: Manchester City - 59
8th: Swansea City - 54
9th: Stoke City - 54
10th: Newcastle United - 48
11th: West Bromwich Albion - 47
12th: Queens Park Rangers - 44
13th: Wolverhampton Wanderers - 44
14th: Wigan Athletic - 43
15th: Bolton Wanderers - 42
16th: Fulham - 40
17th: Aston Villa - 37
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18th: Norwich City - 36
19th: Sunderland - 31
20th: Blackburn Rovers - 25

League Cup Winners : Queens Park Rangers
FA Cup Winners : Manchester United
Community Shield Winners : Manchester City

NOTE: After poor League standings, Chelsea & Manchester City have both sacked their managers.

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Thanks for Reading! I'll be back for my 2nd season. Hopefully we are allocated some more funds and we can really challenge for the title!
Comment/Like!!​