Whenever VAR has been used, it has always been the hot topic, usually for the wrong reasons. While VAR is supposed to help referees by rectifying “clear and obvious” errors, clamping down on diving and avoiding another Kieran Gibbs-Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fiasco, it has been producing more and more controversy instead of reducing it. It has been criticised for slowing the game down and raising more questions. Everyone has a view on it. And here’s another one from Everton legend Colin Harvey – but in 1990.
Author: Bradley Cates
When Everton Fans And Watford Fans Were Friends
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.
Cyril Webster – The Courteous Clerk
It is extremely rare for players to spend a decade at the same club and not make a single first-team appearance. Before the Second World War, Everton had a player who did exactly that – Cyril Roscoe Webster.
Phil Jagielka Quiz
The day this quiz was posted was also Phil Jagielka’s last day as an Everton player. How much do you know about Philip Nikodem Jagielka during his Everton career?
| What was Jagielka's first shirt number at Everton? | |
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| Who did Jagielka replace as Everton's number 6 - the shirt number he has kept for the rest of his Everton career? | |
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| Which team did Jagielka make his competitive Everton debut against? | |
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| Jagielka made his competitive Everton debut as a substitute. Who did he replace? | |
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| Jagielka scored 19 goals in all competitions for Everton - the first was in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup against which team? | |
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| Conversely, Jagielka scored 4 own goals for Everton's opponents - half of them were for which team? | |
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| Jagielka's most famous goal for Everton was his last-minute equaliser against Liverpool in 2014. Which Liverpool player "assisted" Jagielka when he headed the ball out of the box to him? | |
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| Jagielka's highest goalscoring tally in a single Premier League season for Everton was 4 in the 2014/15 season. Which team did he score against in both league meetings that season? | |
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| Jagielka has been sent off only twice in his entire Everton career - against Wolves and who else? | |
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| On 12th October 2015, Jagielka became the first Everton player to captain England from the start of the match. Who were England's opponents? | |
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The Roker Park Comeback
On 30th January 1935, Everton beat Sunderland 6-4 after extra time in an epic FA Cup match, often regarded as Goodison Park’s greatest ever match. However, it wasn’t the only entertaining match between the two sides in the 1930s. Just over a year later, on 7th March 1936 at Roker Park, the two sides met in the First Division in a game that made Everton history.
Everton’s 2018/19 Statistical Summary
A statistical summary of an improved season for Everton.
The Derby That Never Was
On 20th October 1996, Everton and Liverpool were set to play against each other in the 184th Merseyside Derby. Ahead of the game, Everton were unbeaten in the previous 4 derbies, winning 2 of them. Both sets of fans were eagerly awaiting the occasion, however disappointment was on the horizon – not for just one team, but for both teams. Controversial decisions by a referee is nothing new in the Merseyside Derby, but this time, a controversial decision was made BEFORE the game. Around an hour before kick-off, the Merseyside Derby was called off by matchday referee Roger Dilkes due to torrential rain.
Fred Pickering – The Boomer From Blackburn
On 10th March 1964, Fred Pickering joined Everton from Blackburn for £85,000. At the time of the transfer, it was both a record fee for Everton and for a transfer between two English clubs, eclipsing the £60,000 Everton spent on Tony Kay from Sheffield Wednesday in December 1962. However, Pickering was not short of interest. At the start of 1964, it was reported that Leeds made a joint £120,000 bid for Pickering and Mike England, and just before the transfer, he was linked with a move to Tottenham, Manchester United, Sunderland and Wolves. But he decided to go to Everton.
2018: A Year Of Two Halves
2018 has been a mixed year for Everton. Fans became frustrated with Sam Allardyce’s football and wanted change. He got sacked and in the summer, Marco Silva joined, who, since his appointment, has been praised by the majority of fans. But how do the two compare in 2018? Sam Allardyce joined Everton near the end of 2017 with the task to ease the club’s relegation fears and he did it before the year was out. The great start had deteriorated so this is an insight on Allardyce’s time at the club once the threat of relegation was over and how Silva fared compared to him.
All decimalised stats indicate “per game” (Allardyce = 17 games, Silva = 20 games).
I hope a lot these stats will intrigue you.
Overview
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Points | 1.29 | 1.35 |
| Wins | 6 | 7 |
| Draws | 4 | 6 |
| Losses | 7 | 7 |
| Goals Scored | 1.12 | 1.55 |
| Goals Conceded | 1.53 | 1.50 |
| Scored Opening Goal | 8 | 11 |
| Conceded Opening Goal | 8 | 8 |
| Points Won From Losing Positions | 2/27 | 3/30 |
| Points Lost From Winning Positions | 5/24 | 11/36 |
Attacking
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Shots | 9.8 | 13.0 |
| Shots On Target | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| 10+ Shots In A Game | 8 | 16 |
| 5+ Shots On Target In A Game | 4 | 9 |
| Outshot Opponents | 2 | 11 |
| Big Chances | 1.88 | 2.00 |
| Goals Scored From Big Chances | 0.59 | 0.85 |
| Goals Scored From Big Chances % | 31.3% | 42.5% |
| Chances Created | 6.9 | 9.5 |
| Attempted Dribbles | 16.2 | 14.9 |
| Successful Dribbles | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Successful Dribbles % | 54.7% | 59.7% |
| Offsides | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Fouls Suffered | 10.4 | 12.2 |
Opposition
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Shots Faced | 13.9 | 11.2 |
| Shots On Target Faced | 4.8 | 4.1 |
| 10+ Shots Faced In A Game | 13 | 11 |
| 5+ Shots On Target Faced In A Game | 8 | 7 |
| Opponents Outshot EFC | 13 | 8 |
| Big Chances Faced | 1.71 | 2.35 |
| Goals Conceded From Big Chances | 1.00 | 1.10 |
| Big Chances Pickford Saved | 0.29 | 0.55 |
| Goals Conceded From Big Chances % | 58.6% | 46.8% |
| Chances Created By Opposition | 10.4 | 8.1 |
| Opponents Caught Offside | 1.5 | 2.4 |
Possession
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Touches | 585.7 | 634.8 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 17.4 | 17.8 |
| Dispossessed | 10.5 | 12.6 |
| Unsuccessful Touches Every X Touches | 33.6 | 35.7 |
| Dispossessed Every X Touches | 55.9 | 50.4 |
| Loss of Possession Every X Touches | 21.0 | 20.9 |
| Recoveries | 55.6 | 54.6 |
Passing
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Total Passes | 385.1 | 427.4 |
| Successful Passes | 283.9 | 333.6 |
| Forward Passes | 214.0 | 238.7 |
| Successful Forward Passes | 133.8 | 165.9 |
| Attacking Third Passes | 129.7 | 127.1 |
| Successful Attacking Third Passes | 77.8 | 82.0 |
| Pass Accuracy % | 73.7% | 78.0% |
| Forward Pass Accuracy % | 62.5% | 69.5% |
| Attacking Third Pass Accuracy % | 60.0% | 64.5% |
| Forward Pass To Total Pass % | 55.6% | 55.8% |
| Attacking Third Pass To Total Pass % | 33.7% | 29.7% |
Defending
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Interceptions | 11.9 | 11.4 |
| Attempted Tackles | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Successful Tackles | 16.1 | 17.2 |
| Successful Tackles % | 61.7% | 73.3% |
| Clearances | 29.3 | 21.6 |
| Fouls Committed | 11.4 | 11.3 |
Actions In Opponents’ Half
| Allardyce | Silva | |
| Recoveries In Opponents’ Half | 13.1 | 15.6 |
| Recoveries In Opponents’ Half % | 23.6% | 28.6% |
| Interceptions In Opponents’ Half | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Interceptions In Opponents’ Half % | 24.1% | 24.2% |
| Tackles In Opponents’ Half | 7.9 | 6.5 |
| Tackles In Opponents’ Half % | 30.2% | 27.8% |
| Successful Tackles In Opponents’ Half | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| Successful Tackles In Opponents’ Half % | 54.5% | 68.5% |
Judging by the bold count, Marco Silva has improved the team by quite a margin, especially regarding the attacking, opposition and passing stats and considering Silva’s Everton had played against 5 of the Top 6 away from home. However, it is implied that the club should have done better under Silva as Sam Allardyce and Silva’s points per game and goals conceded per game rates are very close. Conceding from set pieces has been a major issue for Everton under Silva, as well as not being clinical enough in front of goal and defensive capitulation. Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott’s performances have also been criticised this season.
So 2019 could be a promising year for Everton providing that they continue becoming an attacking threat, they sign a striker who is clinical in front of goal in January (plus one or two signings) and be a more composed defence when they are on the brink of conceding a goal and after they concede a goal as well.
The John Marshall Story
Today (7th December 2018), John Marshall would have celebrated his 40th birthday. 23 years ago, he was a promising young footballer who featured prominently for England’s under-15 team. He honed his skills at the famous Lilleshall National Sports Centre for two years. Clubs were vying for his signature – such as Blackburn, Aston Villa, West Ham and Liverpool. But he decided to join Everton. The Blues were tracking his progress for 18 months and were pleased that he decided to join them. In June 1995, John returned home from holiday in Spain with his friends from Lilleshall. He was at home with his family, playing with his sister, and suddenly, he became very seriously ill. He was in intensive care for a few days but the doctors sadly couldn’t save him. He passed away on 3rd July 1995 – the day he was about to sign for Everton as an apprentice. He was just 16 years old.