On September 8th, 1888, Everton, and 9 other teams, played their first ever league game. Everton’s first opponents were Accrington FC (not to be confused with Accrington Stanley – the teams are not related). Before the season started, Everton had three friendlies: a 4-1 win over Padiham (two goals from George Farmer, one from Edgar Chadwick and an own goal); a 1-2 defeat to Blackburn Olympic (Edgar Chadwick scored Everton’s only goal); and a 2-1 win over Halliwell Jubilee (one goal each for Edgar Chadwick and George Farmer).
Author: Bradley Cates
The People’s Club – Living Up to Their Name
In 2002, in his first press conference as Everton manager, David Moyes called Everton “The People’s Club”. It is fair to say that the club has lived up to the name so many times. But one time in particular shows exactly why they deserve the moniker.
In 2011, the charity “Everton in the Community” released by a book detailing the stories from Everton supporters. Some included times when Everton gave their supporters an experience they will never forget. Come hither Mags Fuller and her daughter, Megan.
The Origins of Prince Rupert’s Tower
Prince Rupert’s Tower is known for being the centrepiece of Everton’s crest. It has been on the crest in 1938 and from 1978 onwards. But what exactly is it?
Everton in Nazi Germany
The 1935/36 First Division season was over. The Berlin Olympics was near. After avoiding relegation by 4 points (thanks to a very healthy home record) and thumping Preston 5-0, Everton were set to go to Adolf Hitler-ruled Germany to play five matches against German international trial teams ahead of the Olympics. From May 9th-24th, Everton were about to show Fußballfans what they were made of.
The First Ever Goalscorer Against Everton – A Referee!
On Saturday 10th January, 1880, Everton were playing their second ever game, and their first ever away game – a friendly against Birkenhead Association. Three weeks previously, they beat St. Peter’s 6-0 at Stanley Park, so early signs looked promising. But those signs quickly faded.
The Wrath of Howard Kendall
We all know Howard Kendall as a successful manager and an all-round nice guy. However, he wasn’t like that all the time. A lesson learned by five young Everton players.
Everton and Baseball
Everton and baseball had an unlikely friendship. In modern times, they are not linked with each other whatsoever, but from the 19th century to around the 1950s, their link was quite strong.
The Ones That Got Away
Everton and transfers have always had a complicated relationship. Players of high approval seemed to be very likely to sign for Everton, but it never came to fruition. Recent examples include Andriy Yarmolenko, Ivan Perisic and Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe. There have also been some who Everton had an eye on but did nothing, and players who left the club and went on to greater things.
Ronald Koeman – Career In Stats
A full statistical summary of Ronald Koeman’s managerial career.
League Record At Home
League Record At Away Grounds
Overall League Record
Domestic Cup Record
European Record
Overall Career Record (Excluding Europe)
Overall Career Record (Including Europe)
How Important Is Romelu Lukaku?
Romelu Lukaku’s future at Everton is uncertain as he has told the media that he would like to play for a club that can win trophies and play in the Champions League. So how important is he for Everton? Here is a statistical analysis of Romelu Lukaku in the Premier League in the past three seasons.
2013/14 Season
2014/15 Season
2015/16 Season
Summary
Other Key Stats
- Everton’s top goalscorer in the past three seasons.
- Scored in 7 consecutive matches in all the 2015/16 Premier League – the most in the league since Bob Latchford scored in 7 consecutive matches in the 1975/76 First Division.
- Scored against 11 different teams in the 2015/16 Premier League – the most by an Everton player since Paul Rideout scored against 12 in the 1994/95 Premier League.
- Romelu Lukaku has scored only 3 goals in his past 18 league games.
- Romelu Lukaku has scored 18 goals in the league and 25 in all competitions in the 2015/16 season – the most since Gary Lineker scored 30 and 40 respectively in the 1985/86 season.
- Romelu Lukaku has scored 61 goals in 127 games in all competitions – a goals-per-game ratio of 0.48 (joint-fifth highest with Bob Latchford).
Judging by the stats given, Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s most important attacking player. Without him, it is very likely that Everton would have been in dire straits, particularly as Everton did not have another striker in the same league as him and they also had a very weak defence. So if Romelu Lukaku does leave Everton, the club needs to sign a well-renowned striker with a great goalscoring record in one of the top 5 European leagues as soon as possible. Otherwise, relegation is on the cards. Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, to name a couple, are great players and can play a key part for Everton, but without a reliable striker, none of that would matter.
However, this all depends on who the next Everton manager will be and/or whether Romelu Lukaku will change his mind and wants to stay. The 2016/17 season will definitely be Everton’s most important season in a very long time.