Toffees getting stuck into the Premier League: An Everton Story

[Mike :]]

Toffees getting stuck into the Premier League: An Everton Story
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14th July 2012

Moyes moves on

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Following a board meeting earlier this morning, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has confirmed that manager David Moyes has left the club with immediate effect.

Kenwright stated that Moyes was trying to force him into giving him a lucrative new contract but the club couldn’t afford the wages that the Scotsman was asking for. He went on to say that Moyes offered an ultimatum saying he gets the contract or he walks and was shortly out of the door and on his way back to Scotland.

The man to replace Moyes for the upcoming Premier League season is former England international Michael Henson who comes into the job with no previous managerial experience. He has just gained his UEFA Pro License after travelling the world gaining knowledge from a variety of countries including Brazil, Peru, Japan and Qatar.

A statement from the new manager will be available on evertonfc.com later on today.
​

 

[Mike :]]

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14th​ July 2012

Statement from Michael Henson

First of all, I would like to say a huge thanks to Bill Kenwright for giving me my first job in management. He could have gone for a big name in the business and I know there was a few interested in the job but fortunately he went for me and I hope to repay his faith.

Secondly, I would like to say to the fans that, although I don’t have great experience in the game, I will lead you into Europe and get the club back to the glory days like in 1985. I have a plan of what I’m going to do in my time at the club and the first year target is to get into the Europa League. However, I am only on a one year contract for the moment so could be gone by the end of the season but hopefully it will be extended.

My aims for the team is to get the young talents involved as soon as possible so there development is not stopped by featuring in the reserves or going out on loan to a lesser club. I believe that Ross Barkley is the greatest talent here and I will be looking to utilise Ross as best as possible and I am getting him to retrain himself so he is capable of playing in the central midfielder role alongside Marouane Fellaini. We also have English defender John Stones on our books and I will use him in the Premier League against the weaker sides as well as the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup.

Speaking of Marouane Fellaini, there is a lot of interest in him recently but I want to keep hold of him. There are some big name teams that are wanting him like Manchester United and Chelsea. Unless they come in with a mega money off which will allow me to rebuild my squad, then Marouane is not going anywhere. Another player that is getting interest from the ‘big four’ clubs in the league is Leighton Baines. For me, he is the best left back in the world at the moment and I can assure all the Everton fans out there that he is definitely not going anywhere. Why would I sell him to a club that is a rival for a European spot? It would be stupid for me to do so.

That’s all from me for now and I look forward to seeing a sea of blue when we face Swansea in the opening fixture of the Premier League.

Up the Toffees!​

 

[Mike :]]

Thanks for those that have already viewed this story.

My plan is for each season to update at these points;

Pre-Season
October
January Transfer Window
February
May

 

[Mike :]]

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17th August 2012

One in, One Out

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With money being tight for Henson in his first transfer window as Everton manager he made one acquisition and let one player go as his side head into the new season with confidence.

With only £1.5m available to spend, Henson went looking for young players to join that he could turn into a superstar in the next few years.

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15 year old Neal Maupay joined the Toffees from OGC Nice in France with the transfer fee believed to be around £1.2m in compensation. Henson knew of the exciting talent having spent time in France during his five year exodus from the game picking up knowledge of world football.

The one departure from the club is 34 year old Sylvain Distin who joined Stoke for a fee of £500,000. Henson believed Disitn’s best days were behind him and said to the French defender that he would be better off looking for a new club as he didn’t see an opportunity where he could play him. Although the club lost around £4.75m on the deal, chairman Bill Kenwright said that it was ideal for him as Distin’s wages were quite high.

Pre-Season results

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Obviously the result against PSG stands out. To beat a team that has that amount of money behind them gives up hope for the upcoming season, it was also great to see new signing Neal Maupay on target twice for us. The rest of the results were okay for us but we didn’t beat anyone major but it was a good pre-season for us.

Odds on winning the title

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Being placed at 100-1 to win the Premier League this season means that the bookies believe we don’t stand a chance against the English heavyweights. I agree with them but still believe the Europa League is a great target for us.

Everton's first game of the season is at Goodison Park tomorrow against Swansea.​

 

[AldoKemp-1]

Good start. Playing a network game and my mate is Everton having a hard time with the funds. Good luck with the story.

 

[Pr1cey17]

Nice mate, ive just started an Everton save and story so ill be reading and seeing how you get on

 

[Mike :]]

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Steady Start for Henson​

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Everton had a good start to the season and are currently 6th​ in the Premier League, six points off top spot. However, it is too early in the season to say whether they can make the European football as there is still 32 games left.

There were some great results for Everton in the early part of the season, beating Manchester City 2-1 in the Capital One Cup and then the comeback draw against Fulham – scoring two in the last four minutes.

Everton have some tough fixtures coming up and Henson will be looking to his squad to see which players will stand up and be counted for the game against Manchester United. There is a very tough three game spell at the end of November/start of December when Everton play Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City.​

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Three players have stood out from the rest for Everton since the start of the season and they are Leighton Baines, Nikica Jelavic and Victor Anichebe.

Baines has appeared in every game for Everton this season and has impressed Henson with six assists during that time, achieving an average rating of 7.35.

Nikica Jelavic is Everton’s top league goal scorer so far having netting four times in six appearances which included a great goal in the league opener versus Swansea.

Anichebe completes the trio with some great performances for Everton. Originally not a starter after a squad rotation system, he has come into the team and grabbed some crucial goals including the one against Fulham which started the comeback.​

 

[Mike :]]

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January Transfer Update

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Similar to the summer transfer window, there was one incoming player and one outgoing player. This was due to the tight fund that manager Michael Henson is working with as well as the debt that Everton are currently in.

The player that was brought in was centre back Jeffrey Bruma from Chelsea. The deal was around the £5m with £1.2m being paid up front and £3.8m being paid over four years. Henson is a keen admirer of the Dutch defender and was overjoyed to get him on board going into a crucial part of the season.

The departure from the club was club legend Tony Hibbert who left to join Celtic for a fee of £750,000. After the signing of Bruma, Henson wanted to cull the wage bill and Hibbert was the easiest option as he wasn’t being played and earning nearly £30,000 a week. Hibbert amassed 253 appearances during his time with the Toffees and will be sorely missed by the fans.

In other transfer news, David Ospina has agreed to join Everton on a free transfer when his contract at OGC Nice expires at the end of June. With Jan Mucha leaving at the end of the season, Henson wanted a backup keeper to Tim Howard and believed the young Columbian would be the perfect answer.

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The transfer window was a busy one with the top clubs in Europe splashing the cash to re-inforce their squads. Below is the top five transfers:

1. Falcao At. Madrid – Bayern - £29.5m
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2. Marek Hamsik – Napoli – Manchester United - £18.5m
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3. Henrik Mkhitaryan – Shakhtar – Manchester City - £17.25m
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4. Iago Aspas – Celta – At. Madrid - £8.75m
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5. Davide Astori – Cagliari – Juventus - £7.75m
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[Mike :]]

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Europe looking likely for Everton

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It was another good few months for Everton as they looked to secure a European spot for next season. They currently lie 4th​ in the table below Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.

There was a few stand out results from the recent fixtures, beating Liverpool three times in a short period – twice in the Capital One Cup and once in the FA Cup. They also beat Manchester United 2-0 at the start of February to give them confidence going into the last part of the season.

Speaking of the Capital One Cup, it was a very successful campaign for Everton as they were awarded the trophy after beating Derby 4-1 in the Final at Wembley.

Manager Michael Henson stated that he was angered by the Manchester City result. Everton lost 4-3 on the day but conceded in the 90+2 minute to a Sergio Aguero which condemned them to a defeat.

The three players that stood out for boss Henson in the second part of the season are Leighton Baines, Nikica Jelavic and Neal Maupay.

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Leighton has been in top form for Everton this season, making 36 appearances scoring 8 goals and getting 18 assists – all whilst maintaining an average rating of 7.35.

Nikica Jelavic is still Everton’s top goal scorer this season with 19 goals in 36 appearances. He has achieved an average rating of 7.36 and is currently the third highest goal scorer in the Premier League.

Neal Maupay has been a shining star for Everton so far. At only 16 years old, he has been terrorising the Premier League’s best defenders scoring 11 goals including a brace against Manchester City. If his form continues, he will be one of the best strikers in the world by 21.​

 

[Mike :]]

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Thursday 2nd​ May 2013

BREAKING NEWS: HENSON EXTENDS

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Bill Kenwright is delighted to announce that manager Michael Henson has extended his current deal until 2018 after impressing during his first season in charge of Everton.

Henson was originally brought in on a one year contract after David Moyes left the club and had two months to run on his deal before Kenwright decided he was the right man for the future.

Henson has already won the Capital One Cup this season and could add another trophy to his CV as they are still in the FA Cup.

Speaking about the deal, Henson said: “I am extremely delighted to have my contract extended for the next five seasons as I intend to lead the club to great success. We will be in Europe next season so hopefully we can push on from there and become one of the best club’s in the world before my time here ends.”​

 

[Mike :]]

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Ecstatic Everton fire into 2nd​ place!

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Everton’s strike force of Neal Maupay and Nikica Jelavic fired them into 2nd​ place in the Premier League to make sure Champions League football was going to be at Goodison Park next season.

Results against Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham helped them achieve that position, a magnificent achievement for the club.

They could have sneaked the title as well as it went down to the last day but a draw against Reading wasn’t enough and Manchester United regained the Premier League trophy.

Everton also won the FA Cup beating Wolves 2-0 AET, completing a domestic cup double and allowing them to complete in the Community Shield next season.

Manager Michael Henson said “Finishing 2nd​ place in my first season is a magnificent achievement when you compare our budget to the team’s around us budgets. Hopefully we will push on from this and we can finish in a respectable position in the Champions League next season.”

End of Season Board Review

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Bill Kenwright and the rest of the board are very pleased with what Everton achieved this season.

The club’s performance in competitions entered this season was exceptionally good. The team’s fantastic overall performance in the Premier League has been a particular highlight.

Additionally, the signings Henson made this season proved adequate. The fans are delighted with the signing of Jeffrey Bruma.

Finally, player performances proved to be at a high level. The fans have been very pleased with Neal Maupay’s form this season.

Everton’s Player of the Season

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Leighton Baines – 28 years old
48 appearances
10 goals
24 assists
5 Man of the Match Awards
Average Rating of 7.39

Everton’s Young Player of the Season

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Neal Maupay – 16 years old
36 appearances, 4 as a sub
19 goals
6 assists
3 Man of the Match awards
Average rating of 7.39​

 

[Mike :]]

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Premier League Season Review

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Winners
Manchester United

Relegated
West Brom, QPR, Southampton

Top Goalscorer
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) – 28

Most Assists
Leighton Baines (Everton) – 15

Highest Average Rating
Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) – 7.87

Overachievers
Everton

Underperformers
Liverpool

Signing of the Season
1 Everton with Neal Maupay (£1.3m)
2 Sunderland with Simon Vukcevic (£0)

Worst Signing of the Season
1 Southampton with Jamie Mackie (£3.5m)
2 Southampton with Martin Vingaard (£1m)

Footballer of the Year
Wayne Rooney

Players’ Player of the Year
Santi Carzorla

Top Goalscorer
1 Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
2 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
3 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Player’s Young Player
1 Gareth Bale (Spurs)
2 Sandro (Manchester City)
3 Neal Maupay (Everton)

Goal of the Season
1 Darren Gibson (Everton v Fulham)
2 Jack Collison (West Ham v Norwich)
3 Demba Ba (Chelsea v Everton)

Golden Glove
1 David De Gea (Manchester United)
2 Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal)
3 Hugo Lloris (Spurs)

Manager of the Year
1 Michael Henson (Everton)
2 Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)
3 Michael Laudrup (Swansea)

Player’s Team of the Year
David De Gea (Manchester United)
Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Robert Huth (Stoke)
Gareth Bale (Spurs)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
Nikica Jelavic (Everton)​

 

[Mike :]]

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Big Changes at Goodison Park

Michael Henson has had his second pre-season in charge of Everton and made big changes to his squad, bringing in nine players and letting go eleven players as he shapes his squad for the upcoming season.

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Henson spent a grand total of £30,500,000 during pre-season but some of the cash is being paid over a certain number of months.

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Lucas Walbrecq was brought in from Genk for £925,000 after being spotted by Head of Youth Development Alan Irvine.

Jean-Marie Dongou joined Everton from Barcelona for a fee of £350,000 after Henson spotted him on the transfer lost.

David Ospina was a pre-arranged deal and joins after his contract expired at OGC Nice.

Fabrice Olinga made the move to Goodison Park from Malaga for a fee of £3m, £900,000 up front and £2.1m being paid over four years.

16 year old Jason Briggs joined Everton from Morecambe for a fee of £70,000 – decided by a tribunal.

Nathaniel Chalobah makes the move to Everton from Chelsea for £15,000,000 with £5,000,000 being paid up front and £10,000,000 over four years.

Ildefonso Fuentes was brought in from At. Madrid for a fee of £4.5m after the 16 year old was recommended by Henson’s chief scout.

Fernando Torres joined Everton on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season for a fee of £85,000 per month with 40% of his wages being paid by Everton.

Alfred N’Diaye made the move to Goodison Park from Sunderland after being transfer listed. The fee is believed to be around £6,750,000.

Seven players were released from Everton at the end of June after their contracts expired, two players were sold for a combined fee of £17,250,000 and two left on loan.

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John Heitinga moved to Manchester City for a fee of £15,000,000. He was in the last season of his contract and Henson wanted to bring in a younger centre back.

Leon Osman dropped down a league to join Leeds for £2,200,000.

Steven Naismith moved to Newcastle on loan for the season with the Geordies paying £100,000 per month for the Scotland international.

Jake Bidwell joined Huddersfield on loan for the season to gain some first team experience.

Amongst the players released were Phil Neville, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Jan Mucha as Henson believed they were no longer needed.

Everton were also going to sell Marouane Fellaini to Chelsea for £35,000,000 but pulled out last minute after changing their minds.

Michael Henson said that he was extremely delighted with the additions and believed that the squad was stronger than last year and should be able to compete with the big guns again.

Pre-Season Fixtures

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Everton didn’t have that many pre-season fixtures this time but we did go on a tour of America and played three fixtures and we won all three. It was a good bonding experience and allowed the new players to get to know the rest of the squad.

The first game of the season is at Wembley against Manchester United in the Community Shield and half of the stadium will be full of Evertonians.
​

 

[Mike :]]

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14th​ August 2013

Bruma injured for two months

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Defender Jeffrey Bruma has been ruled out for two months after breaking down in training earlier today.

Head Physio Sangelo Abreu says that Bruma looks to be suffering from a hip injury and the best option for the player’s long-term health would be to see a specialist which will keep him out of action for two months.

Manager Michael Henson had this to say: “Obviously I’m devastated to lose a player of Jeffrey’s calibre and it was going to be a big season for him after Johnny Heitinga’s departure. However, we have a player that is the perfect replacement in the form on Nathaniel Chalobah and it means that Fuentes can step up from the reserves and get some experience of being around a first team match day squad.”​

 

[ringo8781]

Hello buddy big everton fan here haha was just wondering what tactic you're using to get us to play so well. Tried 4-4-2 4-1-2-1-2 4-4-1-1 etc can't get it to work a reply would be appreciated! cheers pal

 

[Mike :]]

Hello buddy big everton fan here haha was just wondering what tactic you're using to get us to play so well. Tried 4-4-2 4-1-2-1-2 4-4-1-1 etc can't get it to work a reply would be appreciated! cheers pal

Hi mate,

Thanks for the comment.

I use the 'Modern Warfare 442' tactic. My line up in the first season was:
Howard
Coleman Jagielka Heitinga Baines
Mirallas Barkley Fellaini Oviedo
Jelavic Maupay

Hope this helps!

 

[Mike :]]

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Everton meet European Giants in Champions League draw

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Everton have been drawn against European giants Real Madrid and Juventus in Group B of the UEFA Champions League. The other team in the group is Danish side FC Kobenhavn.

It will be a tough first season in the Champions League for manager Michael Henson and will have to overcome as least one of Real Madrid or Juventus to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Henson had this to say on the draw: “Obviously it is a tough draw for us but to be the best we have to beat the best. Kobenhavn should be an easy six points for us but we can’t count our chickens before they’ve hatched. I’m looking forward to visiting the Bernabeau in the first fixture as it will give me an opportunity to show the world my managerial ability.”

Everton’s Champions League fixtures in full are:

17th​ September – Real Madrid [A]
2nd​ October – FC Kobenhavn [H]
23rd​ October – Juventus [A]
5th​ November – Juventus [H]
27th​ November – Real Madrid [H]
10th​ December – FC Kobenhavn [A]​

 

[Tyler Berry]

Lots of good skill on show here, that's a challenge tod with Everton, well done

 

[Mike :]]

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Positive Start for the Toffees

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Everton have had a good start to the 2013/14 season and currently lie in 2nd​ place, only behind Manchester City on goal difference.

The season started well for Everton with a 4-1 win over Manchester United in the Community Shield with debutant Fernando Torres opening the scoring.

Everton made hard work of the game against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, relying on added time winners to secure the points.

They secured a draw away at the Bernabeau after being down to 10 men for most of it after Fellaini was sent off and then followed it up with a 4-2 win against Manchester United, Fernando Torres getting all four.

Two losses at the end of September against Chelsea disappointed Henson but you can’t win every single game.

The three players that stood out for Everton in the opening segment of the Premier League are Fernando Torres, David Ospina and Bryan Oviedo.

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Fernando is the league’s top goalscorer with six goals including four in one game against Manchester United. He also has one assist and an average rating of 7.86.

Bryan Oviedo has played a key role in Everton’s early success with his direct runs and his goal against Real Madrid. He has three assists so far and an average rating of 7.40.

David Ospina has recently come into the side for Tim Howard and impressed against Real Madrid. He has kept Howard out of the side for a few games but could all change depending on his upcoming performances.​

 

[Mike :]]

Sorry for lack of posts recently, it's down to a family issue and I hope to be posting early next week.