Everton

Everton’s 2016/17 Statistical Summary

Bradley Cates Team Stats , , , , , , , ,
Home  Everton in the Premier League Away
43 Points 18
13 Wins 4
4 Draws 6
2 Losses 9
42 Goals Scored 20
16 Goals Conceded 28
8 Clean Sheets 5
277 Shots 225
111 Shots On Target 80
55% Shot Accuracy % 47%
21% Conversion Rate % 12%
209 Chances Created 185
13 Games Everton Scored First 6
6 Games Opponents Scored First 11
9 Leading At Half-Time 1
2 Losing At Half-Time 8
4/45 Points Lost From Winning Positions 7/21
11/21 Points Earned From Losing Positions 5/36

Shot accuracy and conversion rate exclude blocked shots.

Continue reading →

Merseyside Derby Quiz

Bradley Cates Quizzes , ,

How much do you know about the Merseyside Derby? Test your knowledge by answering the 15 questions below!

Q1. In which year was the first ever Merseyside Derby?


Q2. Which Liverpool player scored for Everton in Everton's infamous 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in October 2007?


Q3. Who was Everton's mascot for the Merseyside Derby in November 1996?


Q4. Who is the youngest ever verified goalscorer in the Merseyside Derby?


Q5. Only two players have scored for both Everton and Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby - David Johnson and who?


Q6. Who scored the only goal in Everton's 1-0 win over Liverpool in the second replay of the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1991?


Q7. How many minutes did Glenn Keeley last before he got sent off in his only appearance for Everton in the Blues' 5-0 defeat to Liverpool in November 1982?


Q8. Only 3 Everton players have scored a hat-trick in the Merseyside Derby - Sandy Young, Dixie Dean and who?


Q9. The Merseyside Derby went through a run of 4 consecutive 0-0 draws in the 1970s. It was nearly 5 in a row until which Liverpool player scored in the 88th minute in Everton's eventual 1-0 defeat to the Reds?


Q10. In March 1967, the Merseyside Derby was played at Goodison Park, but the match was also shown on some big screens at Anfield. What was the combined attendance?
Q11. Two Everton players scored own goals in the Blues' 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 1972. Who were they?


Q12. The last Floodlight Challenge Cup - an annual friendly competition between Everton and Liverpool - took place in which year?


Q13. Who was the referee who disallowed a legitimate goal by Everton's Bryan Hamilton three minutes from full-time in Everton's 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the 1977 FA Cup semi-final?


Q14. In another referee howler, who disallowed Don Hutchison's goal in the 0-0 draw between Everton and Liverpool in April 2000, claiming he blew the whistle for full-time before the goal, even though he didn't (which he later admitted)?


Q15. In 1955, Everton lost to lower-league Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup. Who left the game at half-time when Everton were 2-0 down to tearfully talk to hospital patients about the game?








Who Wants To Be A Millonario?

Bradley Cates Stories , , , , , , , ,

Nowadays, footballers leaving clubs for big money is commonplace. However, it was a novelty in the turn of the 1950s. A few Everton players were linked with a move to Colombian team Millonarios, who had future Real Madrid star Alfredo di Stefano scoring goals left, right and centre for them. Most refused, one was on the fence, and the other moved and regretted it.

Continue reading →

Dixie Dean Quiz

Bradley Cates Quizzes ,

How much do you know about Dixie Dean? Test your knowledge by answering the 20 questions below!

Q1. What is the name of the street Dixie Dean was born in?


Q2. What was Dean's nickname before people started calling him "Dixie"?


Q3. Dixie Dean left school at the age of 14 to work as an apprentice what?


Q4. Dixie Dean's first Everton goal was against which club?


Q5. Dixie Dean scored two hat-tricks for England: one against Luxembourg and the other against which team?


Q6. How many seasons did Dixie Dean become the First Division's top goalscorer?


Q7. Which Irish team did Dixie Dean play for in 1939?


Q8. How many times did Dixie Dean score at least 4 goals in a game for Everton?


Q9. To which player did Dixie Dean say: "Youngster, you've come here to take my place. Anything I can do to help you, I will."?


Q10. Between the 1926/27 season and the 1936/37 season, Dixie Dean failed to become Everton's top goalscorer only twice. Apart from Tommy White in Dean's injury-plagued 1933/34 season, who was the only player to overtake him?
Q11. Dixie Dean's record tally against one club as an Everton player was 20 against 3 different clubs. Which of these teams did he NOT score 20 goals against?


Q12. In December 1933, who did Everton try but fail to sign as a replacement for Dixie Dean while he fought his injury woes?


Q13. Who previously held the record for the most goals in an English league season before Dixie Dean?


Q14. Dixie Dean's pre-match beverage was a sherry mixed with two what?


Q15. On 29th August 1939, Dixie Dean scored his last ever competitive goal in a match between his club Hurst and which other club?


Q16. In 1940, Dixie Dean got into trouble with the law for what?


Q17. Which royal said: "Even I know who Dixie Dean is."?


Q18. In 1942, Dixie Dean was a guest player for which team, scoring 8 goals against an RAF XI?


Q19. After retiring from football, Dixie Dean ran a pub where?


Q20. Dixie Dean died on 1st March 1980 at Goodison Park watching his beloved Everton play against which team?








A Game of Two Halves

Bradley Cates Stories , ,

The title of the post is a cliche in football. But in this case, it is a literal truth.

On November 12th, 1904, Everton were playing reigning champions Sheffield Wednesday. They were on the back of a 5-1 win over Nottingham Forest and 4 wins in 5 games, so morale was high at the club. Everton took the lead after a couple of minutes thanks to a goal from Sandy Young. Sheffield Wednesday equalised after 10 minutes after a goal from Harry Davis. Everton then scored 4 goals in 19 minutes after a brace from Jimmy Settle and goals from Harold Hardman and Walter Abbott. At half-time, Everton were leading 5-1 and 2 points were surely in the bag. Or so it seemed.

Continue reading →

Alex “The Golden Vision” Young

Bradley Cates Biographies , ,

The view every Saturday that we have of a more perfect world, a world that has got a pattern and is finite. And that’s Alex – the Golden Vision.

The words of Danny Blachflower gave the Midlothian-born Alex Young an everlasting moniker. Throughout his career, Young was adored by Evertonians, neutrals and even the odd Liverpool supporter. His career was full of highs and lows.

Continue reading →

Romelu Lukaku and His Critics

Bradley Cates Reports , ,

On February 25th, Romelu Lukaku became Everton’s joint-highest goalscorer in the Premier League by scoring in Everton’s 2-0 win over Sunderland. His tally of 60 goals equals Duncan Ferguson’s record. In recent months, Everton fans have been disputing who was the better player: Lukaku or Ferguson. But should there really be a dispute in the first place?

Pro-Ferguson fans have said Lukaku doesn’t have the passion Ferguson had and Lukaku is “lazy”. It’s not only pro-Ferguson Evertonians who have been criticising Lukaku – former teammate Leon Osman said before Christmas that Lukaku only wants to score goals.

Despite his critics, a lot of fans believe Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s greatest player in the Premier League era – and the facts back that up.

  • He has scored 10+ league goals in 4 consecutive seasons – the first Everton player to do so since Adrian Heath did it in 5 consecutive seasons (1982/83-1986/87), and the first Everton striker to do so since Bob Latchford, who also did it in 5 consecutive seasons (1974/75-1978/79).
  • He has scored 15+ league goals in 2 consecutive seasons – the first Everton player to do so since Graeme Sharp in the 1984/85 and 1985/86 seasons.
  • He has scored a goal every 2.15 games – the best goals-per-game ratio by an Everton player in the Premier League (minimum 10 goals).
  • His goalscoring tallies last season (18) and this season (17) are the two highest by an Everton player in a single Premier League season.

And here is a stats comparison between Lukaku and Duncan Ferguson.

  • Even though Lukaku and Ferguson have both scored 60 Premier League goals, Lukaku reached the tally in 110 fewer games than Ferguson.
  • Lukaku has scored 10+ league goals in all 4 of his seasons at Everton, whereas Ferguson only managed to do so twice in his 10-and-a-half seasons at the club.
  • Lukaku’s top three Premier League season goal tallies were 18, 17 (at time of this post) and 15. Ferguson’s were 11, 10 and 7.
  • Lukaku has scored a goal every 2.15 Premier League games for Everton whereas Ferguson scored a goal every 3.98 Premier League games.
  • In all competitions, Lukaku scored a goal every 1.95 games for Everton whereas Ferguson scored a goal every 3.79 games.

Duncan Ferguson will always have a place in Evertonians’ hearts, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be another Everton player better than him. Even if Romelu Lukaku isn’t as passionate as Ferguson was, does that really matter? Lukaku is only 23 as well, so if Everton manage to keep hold of him for a few more years, Everton will grow and grow. Despite his age, he has scored 77 goals in the Premier League. He can easily score 100 by the end of next season, and he could only get better from there if he carries on the way he has been playing. In fact, he has contributed to 102 goals in the Premier League – 77 goals plus 26 assists. And since the start of last season, Lukaku has contributed to 45 goals in the Premier League – 35 goals plus 10 assists. Everton are really lucky to have him.

For over 20 years, Everton fans have been yearning for a proficient goalscoring striker – and now we have one. So why are people complaining?